To See ALL New Writing, Please Click Freddy Love's Oasis for a Crazy White Boy's Blues

Freddy Love's Oasis for a Crazy White Boy's Blues

In case you've missed it, all my Blog entries have been going on this one page and you will be able to read everything from New Movie Reviews to Classic Movie Reviews.

From TV reviews to my twisted take on the World. Consider it one stop-shopping for all things Freditor.

A virtual Super Wal-Mart of Nutty Writing and Tasteful Criticism.

As Always, Thanks for all your Continued Support.

The Freditor

Super Bowl Sunday to be a Glory Day for Bruce Springsteen; Finally agrees to play the Half-Time Show

Bruce turned it down numerous times over the years and I guess felt it was too commercial for his strict individualism. But The Stones, McCartney, U2, Tom Petty and Prince have all played it in the last decade and except for the Stones they are all just as rugged individualists. 140 Million people watching you at once just in America, and many more around the world. It's a great way to re-energize your career.

Tom Petty is still living off the bounce his appearance gave him. He was the top earning tour of this past summer and he's increasingly Huge with Kids!!

I mean Bruce can sell out 7 shows at Giants Stadium right now, but many of those shows are seen by the same people night after night. It would be cool for him to sell out several shows in other cities with different people watching. The next thing he should do: Introduce a new song for an Ipod commercial, it did wonders for U2's career and the song Vertigo.

The Freditor

Mets FIRST Team in Baseball History to blow TWO 3-1/2 Game September leads in a row

I was saying to my friend Paul today after I got word that the Mets lost. That I don't even believe the Brooklyn Dodgers ever choked away two seasons in a row like this. Did the Red Sox, the Cubs, any team?

And judging from the stat in the headline, I believe I am right. Usually a team has a season like last year where they come so close only to fall apart and come back the next year and win a pennant, or don't even contend, which to me is more acceptable.

The all-time collapse is still the 1964 Phillies. They blew a 6 1/2 game lead with ONLY 12 games to go. To me that's much worse than 7 with 17 to go, but you don't hear people talking about it anymore, because they want to beat up on a New York team. But what did the Phillies do in 1965? They finished in 6th Place.

But the Mets blew two of these leads in a row. I really think they need to start looking at trading some stars and of course hiring an entirely new bullpen. They blew 29 saves!!! By comparison, the Phillies closer, went 41 for 41 in save opportunities. If the Mets blow just half those games they win their division by 12 games!!

Omar Minaya supposedly got a 4 year contract extension, that is outrageous if it's true, his head has to be near the chopping block for these two disasters. I'd like to give him a year to correct it, but FOUR???? I like him as a person, but I'd seriously consider trading David Wright, he is a great ordinary game ball player, but he CHOKES huge in the clutch. Which you could excuse if they didn't have an even bigger choke artist in Carlos Beltran. He hit .224 from the 7th inning on for the season. The Mets as a team had the worst batting average from the 7th inning on.

I like having stars, but not at the cost of championships. The Yankees of 1996 showed that you can win a World Series without stars. What you need is solid pitching and clutch hitting. Jeter, Posada, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Brosius, Tino Martinez and Wade Boggs all came through huge in the clutch, it is why the Yanks were such a powerhouse and such a terrible team to try to beat. What Omar needs to do is stop looking at players' baseball cards and start watching videos of them playing in pressure games in pressure situations and trade FOR THOSE GUYS!!!!

I don't know who they are. I don't watch other teams except when they play against the Mets. But I hear about them from the hinterlands. It is Omar's job not to get excited about the prettiest thing under the tree, we the fans can do that, he needs to find the guy who comes through year after year when the money is on the line. Carlos Delgado has shown to be that kind of player, but he is getting old. Jose Reyes is a sparkplug, but for some reason even he needs jumper cables when the pressure is on.

I'm less than disgusted. Maybe because I could see this coming. I am so glad I wasn't at Shea today like I was last year on the Final Day. I can't even imagine how embarrassing it was to have that final Shea ceremony after the game in front of all those champions. Willie Mays and Seaver, Gooden and Strawberry. Even Mike Piazza, who played on two classic choke teams (1998, 2001), at least made the playoffs twice, won three playoffs series as a Met and went to a World Series. That's more than Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Delgado have done.

If one bright shining star rose from the ashes in all this mess. It is that we have the greatest starting pitcher in our midst since Dwight Gooden. Johan Santana is the Money Man. He is the greatest clutch pitcher we might have ever had. Gooden never won a playoff game. Darling had his stinkers when the money was on the line. David Cone talked us into losing a series to the Dodgers and Tom Seaver lost a few games in the World Series. Santana gained tons of new respect from me with his last two outings and if you were ever going to build a fresh team around one player, he is it.

My friend Paul said, if by the Mets blowing these two seasons in a row, it forces them to do a major shakeup and with those new players they win the World Series next year, would all this pain be worth it?

I said yes, but that would take some major miracle. If the Mets play bad again next year, instead of their new ballpark being called Citi Field, it will be known as Shitty Field.

The Freditor

Happy 59th Birthday Bruce Springsteen!!!

Still rocking as hard as ever and leaving it all out on stage for 3+ Hours every Night.

The Freditor

Fred's Quote--Philosophy can Trample Humanity

Cool: The Clash to release a recording of their famed 1982 Shea Stadium shows

Amazon.com: Live at Shea Stadium (Deluxe): The Clash: Music


Back in 1982, The Who were on their "farewell tour" of America's stadiums. Their opening act was The Clash. I was too young and too poor to go see those shows, but I was very excited about them at the time. I had a couple of friends who went and they said The Clash blew the The Who off the stage. Of course we were only 15 or 16 and The Clash was more our ge- ge- ge- generation than The Who, but The Clash were making a great mark for themselves.

In June 1981, The Clash were selling out 17 nights at Bond's International Casino in Times Square and making headlines. The promoter oversold it so hard the fire dept threatened to shut it all down, but the Clash, gotta love the late great Joe Strummer, agreed to play extra shows so everyone with a ticket saw a Clash show. November 1984, The Who released The Who's Last, a recording from that tour, but I never got to hear The Clash's live show. Now we finally can.

It's a big deal now that Shea Stadium is about to close and be bulldozed for the Citi Field. I hope all the groups that played there release Shea Stadium concert CDs. Grand Funk Railroad, Creedence, Bruce, The Beatles, The Stones and Billy Joel all did classic shows there.

The Freditor

Black Dog-Led Zep Tribute Band playing in....

APPEARING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27at CROSSROADS78 North Ave, Garwood, NJ

When Fred will be in Audience of Millionaire

Fred's YouTube - Who Wants to be a Millionaire Promo


The Freditor

Obama Tax email is Completely False, Read the Truth

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/taxes.asp

From The Freditor

5 Excellent Emergency Things Your Cell Phone Can Do

> >For all the folks with cell phones. (This should be printed and kept in your
> car, purse, and wallet. Good information to have with you.)
> >
> >There are a few things that can be done in times of grave
> >emergencies.
> >
> >Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for
survival.
> Check out the things that you can do with it:
> >
> >
> >FIRST
> >Emergency
> >
> >The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find Yourself out of
> the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112
> and the mobile will search any existing network to Establish the emergency
> number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the
> keypad is locked. Try it out.
> >
> >SECOND
> >Have you locked your keys in the car?
> >
> >Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good
> reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys In the car and the spare
> keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell
> phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot From your car door and have the
> person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone
> on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your
> keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and
> if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can
> unlock the doors (or the trunk).
> >
> >Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a
cell
> phone!'
> >
> >THIRD
> >Hidden Battery Power
> >
> >Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#.
Your cell
> phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50%
> increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell
> phone next time.
> >
> >
> >FOURTH
> >How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
> >
> >To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits on
your
> phone: *#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is
> unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
> >
> >If your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them
> this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief
> changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't
> get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't
> use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people
> stealing mobile phones.
> >
> >And Finally.....
> >
> >FIFTH
> >Free Directory Service for Cells
> >
> >Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411
information
> calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory
> in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you
> need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800)FREE411, or (800)
> 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell
> phone now.
> >
> >This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to
> your family and friends!

Extremely Cute Baby Monkeys, not a Stinky one Among Them

Monkeys of the World - Pixcetera.com

Great quote from Marianne Williamson--We should hang this on our walls at work

'Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's no thing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.'

Led Zeppelin Tribute Band playing BB King's in NYC Aug. 22

They are a great band, see my review from January 2, 2008--The Freditor ...

BLACK DOG
The Music of Led Zeppelin
Appearing
at
B.B. KINGS: Friday, August 22
237 West 42nd Street, New York, NY
212-997-4144 Special Set for the Robert Plant Birthday Show!
Tickets available at Ticketmaster

Tipping? If ANYONE serves you, I say you should tip them--fred

I love eating at a local coffee shop owned by a young man named Jesus. It's family run and he has his sisters, mother and father all working there. He is obviously in charge, but do they all share in the ownership? I'm not sure.

He has grown more successful and been able to hire some outside help. A couple of waiters and busboys, along with delivery men. But most often we are served by his waitresses, which are his sisters and mother.

I've always tipped them like any good wait staff, without even thinking about it, but my friend says it is not necessary because they own the place. Would you tip the owner of a bar if he serves you a drink? The hairdresser who owns the shop?

I've always tipped these people in the past, because they still performed the same service for me as their workers. Why should they be cheated? The idea that they are making all the money on the place is kind of shortsighted. they are also paying all the bills. When you subtract the costs of doing business, sometimes the owner is making less money than any of his workers. If he is doing the work and not just managing that must mean he needs to save the extra money from another salary and could use the tip money.

And in terms of places like Jesus or any food establishment, a lot of times the wait staff pools their tips and gives out portions to the busboys and cooks who normally don't get recognized. So when you don't tip the owner, you are really cutting back on the full share for the busboys and other staff. They certainly did the same job for you.

Emily Post is Miss Manners and sometimes she's useful, but in this case she's dead wrong. If an owner performs a service for you, up to the standards that you expect, then you should tip them just as much as any regular worker.

The Freditor

The Freditor's Big Bicycle Adventure

I was in shock when I learned Lance Armstrong was younger than me. I thought he was 50.

For Christmas 2006, my friend Paul got me a bicycle for fun and neighborhood transport. I had inherited a bike from an old school friend named Kelly. Kelly moved upstate and with a new baby had no use for a bicycle. But hers was purple and while I have no problem riding a girl's mountain bike, Paul felt it wasn't right.

I love my relatively new bike. It's blue and can take a beating from both the road and my 275-pound frame. I usually ride it to the gym or church and maybe go for a little tour afterwards. I'll get in a mood where I'll ride it 6 times in a two-week period and then not touch it for a month. Ever since I was a kid I've been that way about my bikes. Like any toy you get bored with it for a while and then rediscover it later. But adults generally don't look at bikes as toys, they look at them as exercise machines or transportation or competitive instruments. It's like the gym. I belonged to three gyms in my adult life dating back to college and always looked at them as workout facilities. Workout, work, ugghh. It wasn't until I joined my latest one that something dawned on me.

I'd get set to go and kiss Barb goodbye and she'd say, "have fun." At first I was thrown by this statement. "Have fun?" this isn't fun this is working out, trying to stay healthy and alive. And then I realized it is fun, or it should be fun. Much of the stuff you do at the gym, you would do for fun as a kid. What were you two favorite subjects in school: lunch and gym. We spent the better part of our first 12 years of life running and riding bikes and listening to music, all stuff you do at the gym. So then I changed my whole outlook on the gym. I'd stop setting weight goals and running goals and calorie goals, and just go, do my workout and have fun doing it. I love watching kids run, I love watching my cats run. They run for no good reason except the other guy is doing it and it seems like the thing to do. Aimless constant activity keeps kids strong and slim and vibrant. Adults should follow their lead more. Not running for a bus, that causes a heart attack, but just running to the supermarket, because it's good exercise and you'll save time and feel better.

As for the bike. I realized I didn't need to ride 50 or 100 miles to prove something to myself. I didn't need to get in races or train for some "-athon." People who train for -athons might be very healthy on the inside, but never look too good on the outside. I was in shock when I learned Lance Armstrong was younger than me. I thought he was 50. No, I would ride wherever I wanted to go and get there at a decent speed, but enjoy the ride as well.

On Memorial Day I rode around the backstreets of Glendale, streets I had never been down and went at about 10 MPH, a speed I could never walk and one I would rarely drive at. I finally had a convertible without a windshield so all the air of life was rushing into my face. I could breathe in cigar smoke from the old man reading his paper on his stoop or savor the BBQs grilling their various meats. I saw people I had never noticed before enjoying their homes and backyards. I was able to soak in this life around me because there were no cars to distract me. One of my all-time sleeping dreams is to fly under my own power. A dream I've come back to over the years. When the conditions are right, the closest I've come to this sensation is while riding my bike.

Well today I had my Biggest Adventure yet. The most I have ever ridden is about 8 miles. I Mapquested the route after going out with my friend Moux one Sunday morning. We got as far as Metropolitan Avenue and Forest Park Drive in a town called Kew Gardens. I don't have a speedometer or odometer, because I don't want to be sucked into the numbers game. I just want to enjoy the ride. But it is kind of cool to know where you stand in terms of conditioning. For 4 years I've put 7 miles on a stationary bike at the gym in 20 minutes. What does that equal in real biking?

So I decided to test myself, but add a little fun to the proceedings. About two months ago I said to myself, how far is the Fresh Meadows movie theatre? I go there 10 times a year and for years it was my favorite theatre. It takes me about 20 minuets to get there by car with no traffic. So I Mapquested it by streets, no highways. 7.3 miles door to door. That's via either Union Turnpike or Jewel Avenue. You would take Union from Myrtle to 188th Street and head north to the Long Island Expressway. Jewel was just as direct, but more safe and a nicer ride. Union has no trees, no shade, plenty of traffic, some hairy sections and lots of exhaust. Jewel is correctly named. A scenic route that is covered with trees, has little traffic much of the time, is mostly all residential, lots of shade and even has a bike path for a good section of it. There is only one hairy moment. You have to cross this overpass that encompasses both the Van Wyck Expressway and Grand Central Parkway, with entrance and exit ramps for both.

I thought about it for a while, especially during my work day. Could I go 7.3 miles twice in one day with a two-hour break in between to see a movie? Would there be a safe place to leave my bike? What kind of supplies would I need? I'd psych myself up and then talk myself out of it. One day on my scheduled day off I decided to do it, but a friend called to see a movie and I went with him instead. But I thought about it again Friday and checked the weather. Coolish, 80 degrees Sunday, little humidity, some cloud cover and a chance of showers after 2PM. The movie was an early bird special, starting at 10 AM, $6.00. I called a friend named Ernie who loved to bike and he told me I'd need no more than an hour for the trip. So Sunday would be the day.

Barb was out at the beach this Sunday morning, so I woke myself at 7:15. I showered, shaved and headed aroudn the block to Jesus' Coffee Shop (real name New York Grill) for breakfast. You know it's early when Jesus isn't even there yet. Just his two lovely sisters, Daisy and Leslie. I got a healthy breakfast that would no be too filling. A bowl of grits with milk and sugar, Snapple Iced Tea, and three eggs sunnyside up, with corned beef hash and fried tomatoes. Whole wheat toast with butter and grape jelly. After filling up and downing another big glass of ice water I headed back to the house and got myself in order. Money, wallet, quarters, cell phone and keys. Got an extra T-shirt because I'm sure I'll sweat thru the first one and don't want to be cold in the air conditioned theatre.

I hadn't used my bike in several weeks so the tires were a bit mushy. Rode around the block to Sunoco and pumped $.50 in the machine to get what used to be free air. My tires are like rocks now and I'm about to ride off, when I run into another friend named Paul. This guy works for Airborne or DHL and has the same route for them that I have for the Post Office. He lives across the street from me and told me I should ride my bike to work and save money on gas. I said I would if I could somehow carry my cooler. He said there's these great racks you can attach to the bike that can hold a whole mess of stuff and then use a bungee cord to keep it on with. Good idea for the future. But before I start thinking of 36 mile round trips, let's see how this 14.6 mile round trip goes.

I leave the Sunoco at 9:05 and head out on Myrtle Avenue and go down to Central, that connects to Cooper and then take that to Woodhaven Blvd. Most of the ride has been flat so far and there was a good 5 blocks there where I coasted. Cooper across Woodhaven becomes Yellowstone Blvd. which I call Jellystone, like Cooper this road is virtually empty at this hour on a Sunday. If it was Saturday it would be crowded with Jews going to the synagogue, but now I only see a few people going to stores for breakfast food. I get to Queens Blvd. and my first big test arrives. When I was 13, my friedn Slawik and I once rode our bicycles to Queens Blvd and Grand Avenue, I got scared and came back home. It was hot, I was not in shape for that kind of ride and I had my old one-speed bike and was not able to make that kind of long journey on it. We were supposed to go to Flushing Meadows, but that might as well have been Guam for all the riding I'd done before that.

But I waited for the light and crossed Queens Blvd. with no problem and as I came to the other side Jellystone became Jewel. I asked a girl on the corner what time it was. Thinking it must be close to 9:45 by now, she says, 9:17. 9:17, I've been riding all this way, and only 12 minutes has gone by. Amazing. Jewel starts off hard with a steep hill, I mean it is Forest Hills, but then has a 5 block down hill that I coast down. I'm trying not to use my brakes too much because I don't want to have to replace them, but I don't want to go too fast in case I have to stop short. I'm not experienced enough yet that I can avoid flying over the handlebars and hurting myself. Okay, now the biggest challenge of all, the overpass over the Van Wyck and Grand Central. As I've gained experience and confidence I've learned to just be aware of your surroundings, but show the drivers that you are a vehicle, too. Ride like you have a purpose and they will go around you.

Now I am officially passed Flushing Meadows Park and I've conquered a new outpost. I head up Jewel in Flushing and even though I've driven my car on this road 100 times, it feels new going on a bike. The lawns are kept well and the shrubbery is all manicured. The bike lane is a nice diversion as if there was an invisible wall between me and the drivers, but the road is much smoother than on my side of Queens. First Main Street, then Kissena, then Parsons. Names I've passed hundreds of times are now seeing me on a bike. Woo-hoo!! When I get past Parsons Blvd. the neighborhood really starts to turn nice. I had friends from Flushing when I was a kid, and they always made Flushing sound so nice, now I can see what they were talking about. Like really great Long Island neighborhoods but with city taxes--the best of both worlds.

I turn left on Utopia Parkway and now I can smell victory in the air. I see the firehouse that I saw a drunken Irish fireman stumble into one St. Patrick's night and I know I'm close. I turn right on 64th Avenue and pull into the CVS parking lot, I come out on 188th Street and ride across to the Fresh Meadows Cineplex Movie Theatre. Am I on time? It's 9:45. A cool 40 Minutes from almost door to door. I ask the movie ticket kid if I can chain it up inside and he says there's no place to lock it to. So there's an abandoned diner next door, called the The Future Diner, an ironic name, since it's long in the past. It was notable because when it first opened back in '91 or '92, Bill Clinton stopped in there for lunch on his way to winning the White House. I think they stayed in business about as long as Clinton was president. Shame, they had great burgers.

But right now they had a property that was completely surrounded by five-foot high green iron fencing. I picked my bike up and placed it over the fence. I hid the front part, which definitely looks nicer, behind a brick wall and chained the back to the green fence. When I got inside, I checked again with the ticket tearing girl to see if there was a place I could chain it inside and she said, no, but assured me it should be safe outside. I went inside grabbed a large Cherry Coke and peanut M&Ms and went to the bathroom before heading to my seat. I was not at all tired. I had breathed hard a coupla times, but the cool breeze in my face quickly brought my breath back. Now that I was inside the sweats started so I changed my shirt.

I settled into my seat. There were 5 other customers for this 10AM show of Pineapple Express. We all laughed robustly and I have to say the movie was very enjoyable. Cheech and Chong Meets True Romance. (For more on the movie, see review tomorrow in Freddy Love's Oasis of Real Film Reviews ). When I left the theatre, the clouds started rolling in a little more. The time was 12:07 and my bike was still where I left it. I headed home and realized that my trip there was mostly downhill, so now I would be doing less coasting and more pedaling on the way back. No biggie, in this direction there was no rush, so I got home at 1:05. I was probably tired too going this way, but here it is 9 hours later and I feel fine. Actually, I'm kind of proud of my accomplishment and wanted to shout it out.

Among other adventures that I want to try, my next door neighbor used to ride her bike to Rockaway Beach when we were kids, I'd like to try that one day. I'll let you know if I'm real sore tomorrow.

The Freditor

My Friend Paul's Big Dog Services found a great home for a cute dog name Buddy

Paul is growing his dog behavior modification business (Big Dog Services) and it is really starting to take off. He'll train any dog, big or small, to not just be obedient, but to learn who's in charge. The "pack leader" should be the owner, but too often times, we spoil our dogs and make them the leader. A dog who leads in the wild is great for their own survival, but a dog who leads in civilized society will become a potential hazard.

Dogs need a structured environment and Paul helps the owner structure that environment. His methodology is proven and his client satisfaction ratings have been 100% across the board. He saved an adorable little dog, named Buddy from possibly being left on the streets. After working all his connections, Paul found not just a home, but a loving, structured home for Buddy, where he can have two little boys to play and grow with and parents excited to have him, but willing to do the work to ensure that Buddy becomes a positive element in their household.

* If you have a dog who needs structure (he tears the house apart, he jumps at strangers while he walks, he tends to nip or bite), Paul is your man.
* If you've never had a dog before and don't know what boundaries to set, call on Paul.
* And if you are at work and need a strong, dependable person to walk your dog and give it the attention it needs while you're gone, then Paul is the right man for the job.

And if you don't have these problems, but a friend or relative does, have them send an email to:
Big Dog Service@aol.com. Thanks for your attention.

The Freditor

What Are Your Favorite Movie Snacks?

What Are Your Favorite Movie Snacks? I'd love to know. Send all comments and answers to:

Freds.NoMoreStinkyMonkeys@gmail.com

For a very funny story on the same topic:
Stephen King's guide to movie snacks Stephen King: The Pop of King News + Notes Entertainment Weekly 1


When I go to the movies, I used to try and avoid buying snacks, because they are outrageously expensive, but then I had a change of heart a few years ago. I found out that movie theatres only make a small fraction, like 10% of the ticket price on a new movie. If it keeps the movie there for several weeks, the percentage rises in their favor. I remember Home Alone would play at a theatre for like 4 months and I'd wonder why. Because by that point every cent of the ticket goes in the theatre owner's pocket.

Now there is no doubt I love the movie theatre experience. I'm not really interested in making a home theatre for myself, because it would be a waste of money. No video system, no matter how special could ever truly replace the feeling I get when I see a new spectacular, on opening weekend. The energy in the crowd, the total immersion in the experience helped by the surrounding darkness and hushed quiet. I have yet to see the TV screen that can challenge a 50+ foot wide screen at a theatre. Well since I love the theatre and want to keep as many open near me as possible, doesn't it make sense to support them? When I was younger and poorer I'd sneak food and drink in, or just not eat at all. But to me part of the fun and anticipation is the waiting on line at the food concession. Modern theatres have TVs playing trailers and commercials for shows that I might be interested in. If it's a special night, the fellow patrons have a buzz about them. The food ads are surrounded by enticing lighting with primary colors whetting your appetite. Reminds me of going to McDonalds. Just once I'd love to eat a Big Mac that looked as good as the one in the signage.

As for which theatre offers the best treats. Regal Theatres are the most expensive in all aspects of the game. Their ticket prices are higher, they have less deals as far as matinees and such. And their food prices are expensive even by concession standards. But they are well-stocked. I think you can order 12 different types of fountain drinks, along with two different sized bottles of water. They have pretzel nuggets and regular sized pretzels. Popcorn, nachos, hot dogs and about 20 different types of candy. Many other theatres offer this kind of range, but few actually have them ready to sell. A Regal hot dog might be made with pig anus and cow vagina, but it's fresh anus and vagina. When I order a hot dog at another theatre in Fresh Meadows the wiener looks so old and dry that archaeologists could call it a fossil.

My favorite theatre for snacks is also my Snobby theatre. I feel like an elitist snob when I go here, but I enjoy it so I don't care. The Film Forum on West Houston Street in Greenwich Village shows foreign films and reissues of old classics. The seats are uncomfortable, but I still feel fancy going there. And the food. Oy. Fresh popcorn with real butter, not the monkey sweat that Stephen King called it in the past. Fresh lemonade, several different types of coffee for people who enjoy that. And fresh bakery items. I've had the lemon poppy seed cake, which is tasty and oatmeal raisin cookies. But my favorite is the apple sponge cake.

My brother is always pushing the gun when it comes to getting to places on time and this theatre is no exception. He picks me up way late and has to speed into the city to get a parking spot. We hope there's no line to get in, then wait on line for snacks. We invariably get in our seats after the lights have dimmed and sometimes when the movie has already started. Just once I'd love to get there a little early, be able to find a seat in the center. And enjoy my cake with a fork and some peace. Instead, I'm forced to find a seat in the dark and cradle my food so that I don't spill anything. Eating my cake with fingers because I can't see the plate well enough to use a fork.

I've heard of a theatre on Long Island, out in god's country, Exit 60 something that has a huge concession stand filled with hamburgers, pizza and the like. Sounds wonderful, but I could not go there without having another trip planned as well. Something like a trip to the Splish Splash waterpark tagged on.

The key to going to any concession stand is never go hungry. My weight class teacher often said, never go to the supermarket hungry or you'll buy the store out. The same goes for concessions. Too often I go right from work and skip a meal to make a show. Bad idea. Any money I might have saved on the matinee price, or even better a free ticket (which regular Regal goers often get), will be spent big time at the snack counter. The most I've ever spent on myself is probably $22. Which is not a lot of food. That would be a "value pack" of large pretzel nuggets with cheese and medium soda, $11. A liter bottle of water $4.25. A hot dog, $3.75. And a candy, $3.

My snacks: I love soft pretzels, even corporate, taste-free pretzels. If there are no pretzels, which is often the case I'll settle for nachos and cheese, although mustard makes a nice alternative. The cheese is never real cheese, but a soft orange Crisco-type substance. If I eat this too much, I often get a raging pain in my stomach that engulfs everything from hips to ribs on both sides of my torso. I try not to eat this too much. As a last resort I'll order popcorn, but I have to be real hungry. If I'm with others, they'll order popcorn and they always let me share some of theirs. Almost all theatres have a Coca Cola licensing agreement, so I order a Cherry Coke. I really don't like regular Coke and will drink that only if there's nothing else and I'm really tired. If it's night and I'm trying not to stay up late, I'll order a Sprite/7UP or orange soda, but not Sunkist, that has as much caffeine as cola. National Amusements has a deal with Pepsi, so that's nirvana.

Hot dogs if I'm hungry. National Amusements (N/A) has a deal with Sbarro Pizza and Nathan's, so of course I'll get a Nathan's dog there. Sbarro Pizza is like Pizza Hut left in the sun. They also have cinnamon pretzels, but that has to be one of the worst concoctions ever conceived in this Mallworld. As for candy: Peanut M&Ms, Milk Duds, I'll eat some of Barb's Junior Mints and Twizzlers, I love Starburst, but they pull out my fillings. I used to love Jujyfruits, but it's hard to tell the licorice from the green ones in the dark and the taste of licorice reminds me of the time I licked a Yak's ass. Actually, I try to remember the Yak's ass to replace the horrible feeling of having licorice in my mouth. Raisinettes are another treat, but I have to eat these sparingly, because all those raisins will give me what they call in German "Die Scheisserei." For a candy I will sneak in, always a Cadbury bar if it's been frozen (Fruit and Nut or Caramello).

When I'm being healthy, I'll buy a big bottle of Dasani water, because knowing that it comes from a leaky hose in the back of the Coca Cola plant always makes me think Healthy!

Enjoy!

The Freditor

Billy Joel at Shea Stadium-Kicking myself for missing "The Sofa of Rock and Roll"

Reading about Billy Joel's last concert at Shea, Friday night. Sounds like it was a night of nights. Roger Daltry, Garth Brooks, Tony Bennett, Steve Tyler and Paul McCartney were all there to close the old stadium down. McCartney and The Beatles were the first band to ever play a baseball or football stadium back in 1965 and that was Shea. They had speakers the size of shoe boxes back then and no one heard anything beyond the dugouts. But they played their hearts out and opened up these new venues to the music world. McCartney sang "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Let It Be", to help Joel finish the show.

Billy Joel played "Piano Man" as the last song of the night. Funny how one of the biggest hits in jukebox history could have such depressing subject matter. Virtually every bar in the world has this song on its jukebox and at least once a night you'll hear it, but as my friend said, "every character in it is a loser." A harsh assessment, but an accurate one. That's what Billy Joel songs do sometimes, they make you sing along to stories about losers. When Hillary Clinton won the New York State Senate seat, her victory song that night was "Captain Jack". Because Billy was a lifelong New Yorker, someone in her campaign thought this would be an appropriate song, but really it is a song about a drug addict and the title refers to heroin.

But Billy Joel is infectious. I really, really enjoy his music, some of it I even love. You May Be Right and Only the Good Die Young are always blasted on my car radio. I was very lucky, because as I was starting to appreciate pop music and rock and roll around 1977/78, Billy Joel was just starting to become popular. For an 11 year old kid, Joel was a great way to ease into enjoying rock and roll. His music is nothing if not accessible. EVERYONE has some favorite Billy Joel song, from a teenager to an 80 year old woman like my mother. He transcends generations the way The Beatles and Elvis do.

When I first heard Billy, his big hits were My Life and Big Shot from his 52nd Street album. And when you are growing up and becoming more independent, songs like that really speak to you. And Joel's phrasing has always been so easy to understand, like James Taylor, you know exactly what he's singing without needing a lyric sheet. Although his last great hit, "We Didn't Start the Fire" has a line that confused me until 15 years later. I always heard the song and him singing, "Vaginas under martial law," which I took to mean abortion was always fighting to be legal. But then I saw a video accompanying the song and it showed Tianamen Square and the medical student standing up to the tanks. Ohhhhhhhh, "China's under martial law." Yeah, that does make more sense.

Does anyone have a favorite Joel album, like the Stones' Sticky Fingers or Prince's Purple Rain? Does anyone say to themselves, "Oh the new Billy Joel album just came out, let me go and buy it?" I never did and I've been a big fan for 30+ years. To me he will always be a great singer for radio, not the type of performer that you play on your turntable alone at night. His music is not that private, not that personal to me. The way say Suzanne Vega was.

I guess The Stranger is his best album (Movin' Out, Italian Restaurant, Only the Good Die Young, Just the Way You Are, She's Always a Woman to Me), but I personally think he is the rare rock performer who has amazing singles, without great albums. My "Greatest Hits" package of his, is probably the best album he ever released. 24 songs, 22 of which were radio staples back in that era (1977-1990), Seven that still are to this day. I guess he's the Rodney Dangerfield of rock and roll. You take him for granted like your sofa. Happy it's there, comfortable to have around, forgotten when not spoken of, and missed a lot if it were ever gone.

That's Joel, "The Sofa of Rock and Roll!"

The Freditor

Six_Degrees_Could_Change_the_World scared me

Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/National_Geographic_Six_Degrees_Could_Change_the_World/70090419...

Greenland Melting: The End of the End of the World : Rolling Stone

Michael Crichton wrote a book that fictionalizes a man's quest to find alternative reasons for what science and particularly NASA has been saying. But if I am not to believe in conspiracies about things like the JFK assassination, then it's hard for me to believe that hardcore scientists are promoting a theory of end times just to help keep the donations for their research going. Aren't there enough real problems in the world worth researching without making up something?

In the Summer of 2003, whether it was the increased fluorocarbons in the air or not, western Europe was hit by a heat wave that they had no ability to resist. 30,000 people died from heat stroke that summer. 2500 in Paris in ONE night. Granted many were elderly and they lived in houses with tin roofs, built to withstand cold. They had very little air conditioning, but while that lead to the deaths, the cause was a freakish heat wave which they are not accustomed to.

The idea you draw from this 6 degrees show is that as the average temp rises, we will be hit by "once in a century" weather phenomena every few years. Like this heat wave in Europe. But other matters are starting to show on a daily basis. England was once known for its gloomy weather. English wine was a running joke, because the growing season for wine grapes was so short that the wine generally tasted bad. But the warm season has increased so much in England that there is now a blooming English wine business. And the French and their champagnes have been forced to uproot to England because the weather is too hot in France to grow the grapes.

Gradual changes in weather cycles is normal. But the key word is gradual. The changes we are experiencing now usually take decades or centuries to come up. Now they are happening in less than 10 years. The Himalayas are these large snowcapped mountains with enough runoff to feed the mighty Ganges River. Well the runoff has been dropping rapidly as the snow seasons have been shorter and milder. The River is a major part of the Hindu religion and it's as if God is abandoning the Hindu people.

I read an article on Greenland in Rolling Stone and it was very depressing. Greenland is losing its ice and cold seasons faster every year and instead of the companies that are causing it doing something to slow it or stop it, they are making it worse by seeing the ice free zones as potential new mining zones. Diamonds, the core elements of aluminum and even oil are all in abundance under the permafrost and the Greenland parliament is just selling the rights like crazy, killing off one of earth's last pure environments.

Think of Greenland as Ground Zero for climate change.

Funny, my wife says that people with kids at her job don't seem too concerned about the Venus-like planet we're leaving future generations. I think we have a moral duty to leave the earth in better condition than when we got here. When I cross the Metropolitan Ave. overpass on the Jackie Robinson going home and can't even see the New York City skyline because of the smog, I'd say we're failing those next generations.

The Freditor

Jump on board the New York Mets bandwagon, before it gets too full--fred

They finish the first half with a 9 game winning streak, longest since April 2000.
Are 52-44 after hovering at or below .500 for over a year.
Their pitching seems to be worked out and their hitting has been timely.
The firing of Willie Randolph appears to have been the perfect move, but even more so to me is the firing of "pitching guru" Rick Peterson.
RP was like some of the admittedly brilliant people in the Bush administration (Wolfowitz). Too smart for his own good.
Too tied in to a philosophy that might work sometimes, but refuses to change it when it doesn't.

I hate pitch counts and sp does Jerry Manuel. I hope they continue to let the good pitchers pitch and stop worrying about arm strength. When you are winning, you get stronger.

1/2 game out of First place. The season is starting to look very promising, indeed.

And I love these no name players who are making such huge contributions, like the 2000 team.

The Freditor

Let's make example of this man-Killed daughter for not wanting arranged marriage

Pakistani Man Charged in 'Honor Killing' - AOL News

These people from different cultures have to learn that when you come to America you can't force your children to do the barbarous things you did them in the old country. I'm glad this Garbage is grieving, he can grieve in prison for the rest of his life.

Arranged marriages and beating women must be stopped any way possible. My mother told me stories of poor young Albanian girls in her high school who were forced out of school to train them for their arranged marriages, because they were getting too many American ideas. They'd come into my mother's nurse's office crying their eyes out at the hell their lives were about to become and it would kill my mother when their parents would come in and sign them out of school. Making them dropouts at 16. Disgusting.

I don't care how many "happy" arranged marriages Oprah shows, when someone is forced to do something against their will and by will I mean that they would do it without any family pressure--then it is Always WRONG!!!!! I can't be subtle about this issue. It makes me sick that in 2008 we still have to deal with this kind of crap.

The Freditor

Great Praise for the Blogs

HEY FRED,

I think it is very very good. You give good background information about your life and share your interests. I GIVE YOU 4 GOLD STARS. I LOVE THAT MONKEY. Looks kind of like the Ralley Monkey the L.A. ANGELS used in the 2002 season.

SEE YAA NICK

Let's Put On a Show!

Let's make June's last Saturday Nelson Mandela Peace Day to honor his birthday. On Saturday it won't effect work schedules and each year, hold a big concert like Live Aid to promote some great cause. It would be the Super Bowl of music, love and charity.

The Freditor

Where have all the fireworks gone?

It is 1 hour and 14 minutes away from the 4th of July and I haven't heard one firecracker go off all week.

Where are they? Has the Guiliani/Bloomberg regimes been so successful at eliminating fun that no one dares light off a bottle rocket anymore?

Sad. Watching the Macy's Fireworks on TV was always for old people, if you wanted a really good show, you'd just sit on your stoop and your neighbors would blow your eardrums off and make your retinas dance.

I guess we're safer now, but not better. Bring back M-80s and screaming gypsies and all the other noises and colors that made July 4th special. Otherwise Independence Day becomes just another holiday like Labor Day but with more summer to go.

The Freditor

Bruce Springsteen's Fortune-Teller Dies

Kudos to Marko for discovering this story.

'4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)' is becoming a cursed song. A month or so ago, Springsteen organist Danny Federici died from melanoma. His biggest claim to fame was his great accordion work on Sandy. Although I think his keyboard work on The Detroit Medley is his greatest achievement. Still gives me chills to this day. As for Madame Marie, I only found out recently that almost all the characters on Springsteen's first two albums were based on real people, including his old girlfriend, Rosalita.--Fred


by David Sprague

From Spinner.com

The news that New Jersey-bred Marie Costello died Friday at the age of 93 probably wouldn't get too much attention from non-family members -- unless those strangers happen to be true Bruce Springsteen aficionados. Costello, you see, was the boardwalk fortune teller immortalized by the Boss 35 years back when he offered up an image -- in '4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)' -- of "the cops finally bust[ing] Madam Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do."For the record, Madam Marie was never actually arrested for plying her trade, though she did count Springsteen as one of her regular visitors. Her 'Temple of Knowledge' stall, now run by her daughter Sally, remains a fixture on the Asbury Park boardwalk.

N-A-S-F-T's Summer Fancy Food Show(R) Tickles the Taste Buds, but Hurts the Feet

Barbara and I have been going to the Fancy Food Show for about 13 years. We've only missed two, once for my father-in-law's heart operation and another time for my birthday. But almost every year, since about 1995, we drive to the City for a trip through the adult version of the Willy Wonka chocolate factory. The Jacobs Javits Center on 37th Street and 11th Avenue usually holds the event around the 4th of July. We went on Sunday as usual and like always the Show did not disappoint.

I'm not big on change and if I find something I love, I like to keep doing it that way. So we always come in the main entrance and start on the top floor to the left working our way from about 34th Street to 39th. And then we walk the entire ground floor again left to right. But this year we went crazy. We went absolutely nuts and started on the ground floor, on the right. It was like we were anti-establishment, Man! But the real reason was because our good friend Paul came with us last year and he was just getting better from having a broken foot and two major surgeries that placed metal in his bones. He could walk, but several hours on his feet got to him and for the first time we didn't finish the show, missing the whole bottom floor. I was really disappointed because there are more American foods on the ground floor, with traditional things like pancakes and waffles.

So this year we started down there and the race was on. Samples, samples, everywhere. My guess is that about 90% of the booths offered samples, a far cry from our first year. Back in '95, the show was a lot of fun but lacked goodies. Only about 1 in 5 booths offered a sample then and they were mostly for new items that were just starting to take off, like salsa and hot sauces. We were introduced to such products as Bone Suckin' Salsa and Ass Kickin' Hot Sauce at that show and now these are practically household names. Sushi was another item that had not hit popular growth yet then. Many booths were devoted to sushi. But they must be popular now, because I did not see one sushi dish and very few traditional salsas. There were more experimental flavors like salsa mixed with peaches and other fruits.

I can't possibly tell you everything we sampled, but we got there around 11:AM and walked the entire two floors until closing at 5:PM. We'd go crazy eating for two or three rows and then take two rows off. Sometimes I was just happy to try a new kind of mint-flavored water or sports drink to cleanse my overwhelmed taste buds. I only saw one soda vendor there and they were displaying all natural sodas with delicious flavors like Creamy Black Cherry. In the past a drink vendor would offer you a serving about the size of a NyQuil cup, but now many of the vendors give you the whole bottle. What a treat. As you walk and drink you can read about the company on the bottle and check out the ingredients, whereas before you'd get your cup and before it was finished you'd forget the name of the brand.

What we did differently this time was not be so gluttonous. Many times Barb and I would pick up one item and share it with each other rather than one for each of us. We'd each get our own half-palm sized dish of pasta, but when it came to heavier items we'd share a morsel, like ravioli. I tried very few breads, but loved the dark chocolate sweets. I've become a big fan of dark chocolate as I get away from sweeter desserts. One Bundt cake was made with orange and mango. Yum. A Hawaiian ice cream booth served bite-sized ice cream in a marshmallow covering, sort of like a bonbon. You'd let the marshmallow melt in your mouth and then have blueberry ice cream coat your tongue after.

I had wine-flavored ice cream and then red-wine-flavored sorbet. Both good and I don't even like wine. So many different types of hors d'oeuvre meats and sausages. We ran into a man who represents a Ridgewood-Queens, NY butcher shop called Karl Ehmer. He recognized us from the neighborhood and treated us to several different delicacies that they were pushing. The chicken hot dog was very good, but the chicken bratwurst was delicious. Then he showed us a new product, called Beer Salami Sticks. They were similar to Lanjaegers, the hard, chewy stick that reminds you of beef jerky and is often served in a German bar. But these Beer Sticks were softer and less harsh. You could enjoy them without feeling you had to wash them down.

So many booths, so much food and drink. We didn't eat before we left the house, so that we wouldn't get too full early. But Paul hadn't had coffee and these coffee booths are some of the finest in the world. I don't drink coffee, but I love to see someone else enjoy their's. Paul downed several small cups of Espresso and other specialty brands. One man from Greenfield, Mass. introduced Paul to a new way of roasting the coffee beans that avoided the burning aftertaste that people associate with most brews. I stayed away from the cheeses because I am not a big cheese fan, but Barb and Paul went nuts for the various Bries and goat concoctions.

One thing we never get at this show and particularly this year is heartburn. You'd think that with all the different flavors taking aim at your stomach that something would repeat or act up. But many of the vendors now promote organic or at least all natural foods. I'd walk along eating a chocolate chip cookie and not getting that burn in my throat that I associate with many store brands. That's because so much of what we call food now is not made with food at all, but chemicals disguised to taste like food. The more naturally people would eat the healthier they'd be. I know this, but I don't follow this advice as well as I should.

The Numbers: 140,000 Foods and Beverages; 2,400 exhibitors; 650 companies displaying natural or organic products; 1,400 US companies; 52 international pavilions with 77 countries represented; 330,000 square feet of exhibit space. Like I said the building basically runs five city blocks wide and one city block deep. We crossed it wide at least 6 times, when you add in bathroom breaks. And we walked through 64 aisles of exhibits, so that comes to about 5 miles of walking during the day. We took several rests and at one point we sat next to a Russian exhibit. The older woman behind the table smiled and said, "You should set a table up in front of you and let them bring the samples to you." LOL. Not a bad idea. "I am the King, show me your wares."

This year had to be the biggest yet for international exhibitors. I believe with the weakened dollar that many European companies feel it's an excellent and affordable time to fly over and get their name in the door. My favorite international food is Italian, but the Italian booths generally left me cold, as they hawked olive oils and prosciutto, two items I am not fond of. Those sections were great for me, because they allowed me to save my appetite for better items like Belgian waffles with fresh strawberry sauce. And the young women at the booths are much nicer when they are from other countries or even other states. "You look like you're hungry for waffle," one woman said in the nicest Belgian accent. The New York hostesses were more hostile. I think if I had a booth I'd hire a girl from St. Louis or Tennessee to assist me. Their friendly nature sells the product better.

One cool thing happened during the event. The next-biggest tournament to the World Cup, soccer's European Cup was having its final game yesterday afternoon at 2:45PM. In the Espana section (Spain), a 70 inch TV screen was set up showing the game in an empty booth. Spain was playing Germany for the prize and you could hear the roar of each missed goal. Missed goals are very big in soccer, since made goals are such a rarity. When Espana went up 1-0, I heard the familiar chants of "Ole Ole Ole Ole!" and ran over to see what was going on. Deutschland was the big favorite going in, so it would be a shocking victory for the Spaniards. (I only know all this from talking to my Russian barber the day before. LOL) The booths in the Spain section were mostly empty, so not a lot of business was going on there. Eventually, Spain won and even some Americans in the group were excited by the outcome. I guess if you work in an international environment you become excited about global concerns.

As for my favorite item of the day. The Serendipity 3 ice cream parlor on East 60th Street in Manhattan offered the biggest treat of all, Frozen Hot Chocolate. It has the light, airy texture of hot chocolate with a sprinkling of chocolate shavings floating above and a dollop of whipped cream to top it off. Suck that through a straw and find out what Heaven tastes like.

As always a tremendous day was had by all of us.

The Freditor

Nice Response from 101.9FM for WRXP review

Such an amazing blog. We thank you greatly for the compliment and plan to keeping up the great music. I fwd' this to Bryan Schock as well.

Best,
Jeffrey

Funny, But it seems I am much less interested in Pop Culture than I ever thought possible

A couple of years ago I started a subscription to Entertainment Weekly Magazine (EW). It was a ridiculous offer of $10 a year for 52 issues. The cover price is $3.95, so I was saving $195 a Year! After the year was over, I let it expire then they had me re-up for another $10. So, I'm ahead $390, Beautiful. And it really is a one-stop shopping area for all manner of popular culture. Back when I was in college and later my 20s I wanted more in depth coverage of music and movies, so I subscribed to Premiere and Rolling Stone. But RS started losing me in the early '90s with its coverage of rap and grunge rock, two formats I had little interest in. And while Premiere used to be hard hitting, it changed management and started to offer more puff pieces which coddled Hollywood rather than challenging it.

So now I read EW, which is not hard hitting, but is not easy going, either. And to celebrate their 25th Anniversary of publication, they ran a Top 100 list in 8 different categories, spanning the last 25 years. I started pulling out pages of the movie and TV sections to read later and then I got to the music section. Not only didn't I agree with a lot of the albums they picked for their Top 100, I didn't recognize the names for many. I've always fancied myself a big music fan. I have about 300 CDs and about 500 LPs. And while I own several of the classics they list, those records were almost all released before 1995, many before 1991. I listen to almost all my music on the radio in the car, and as is the bad habit of modern DJs, no one ever gives the name of the song or artist. So I have probably heard hundreds of songs over the years that I really enjoyed without knowing their names. For instance, one song I've loved for years sounds like the singer is under water, yet I have no idea who it is or what it's called.

Okay, so I'm not into music enough to know a great album other than Norah Jones' from the last 15 years, so I move onto the books. I have heard of many of the Top 100, but have not read one. I read about 100 books in a 4-year period 10 years ago, but none of those were on this list. What was on here were Harry Potter books and loads of memoirs. Do people read memoirs? Who's life is so interesting that you want them to tell you about it for 500 pages? I read the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, that man escaped slavery, now he had a story to tell. There is this writer named Augusten Burroughs, who grew up in his shrink's house. His name alone annoys me and the circumstances of his life don't so much make me want to read about them, as they make me want to scream about the state of American family life. And this narcissist has written TWO Books about his life. Paul McCartney could write two books about himself, but not Augusten Burroughs

Then I read the list of plays. I've seen about a play a year for the last 15 years and except for Spamalot, none of the plays I saw made it. And I hated Spamalot. Then there was Top Technology, which doesn't interest me and Top Video games which interests me even less, and least interesting of all, Top Moments in Style. Oy.

I often dream of having my own radio show, with lots of interesting guests and cool talk for 3 to 4 hours. Something like Howard Stern used to do well, or Opie and Anthony do well now. But you have to be clued into all areas of Pop Culture to make an interesting show like that, otherwise you become a two-trick pony. Believe me I've heard enough sports talk radio to know that a host who only has one interest will become very boring after a while. Now maybe I'm feeling a bit left out of the zeitgeist because it stresses the last 25 years and not earlier, but I've only been an adult for 24 years, so if I'm feeling left out, how must someone 5 to 10 years older than me feel.

I refuse to become like my friend at work, a man a couple of years older than me caught in a time tunnel where it is still 1979 and being cool means listening to Molly Hatchett. And I don't want to be the Douche that listens to new music he obviously doesn't like to seem hip and young. You see this asshole at red lights with the windows down and 50 Cent blaring. I want to grow old gracefully, appreciating the past while keeping my eyes open for cool and fun things in the future. I guess it is all a learning process. How do others do it? I refuse to stop trying.

The Freditor

Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the Last 25 Years

I'd agree with all of these, except I'd add:

Walking on Sunshine--Katrina and the Waves

&

Barely Breathing--Duncan Sheik

--The Freditor


I Touch Myself-The Divinyls

Come On Eileen--Dexy's Midnight Runners

Fuck It (I Don't want You Back)--Eamon

You Gotta Be--Des'ree

Laffy Taffy--D4L

Steal My Sunshine--LEN

What I Am--Edie Brickell

Jump Around--House of Pain

Closing Time--Semisonic

Baby Got Back--Sir Mix-A-Lot

Save Coney Island from the developers

I like Coney island. My wife is a huge fan, but I'm less enthused. But I do like its rough charms. It's a very inexpensive place for a family to spend the day. Developers like Donald Trump would tear it down and turn it into a Hamptons West. But two things would happen if that occurred.

One--It would become Snobsville like the South Street Seaport with $10 beers. Or Two--It would be a collassal failure because people would still be afraid to make the trip into Brooklyn. And if that occurs then you've succeeded in chasing away the people who've kept the place running for the last 50+ years and made it a white elephant that rich people can point at as they steam by in their boats headed out to the island. Remember Citibank's dream for a rejuvenated Long Island City? Never materialized.

The Freditor

Unemployment should not be a problem for long, Year 2012 will be a Bonanza

In 2012, 33% or one-third of all federal government employees will reach retirement age. The Baby Boomers will finally be stepping out of the working ranks and freeing Hundreds of Thousands of jobs for younger people to take.

And 58% of all those holding managerial positions will be eligible for Social Security. There are over 2 Million federal workers, so 33% adds up to about 670,000 new positions opening. For those who look down their nose at government jobs, the average package of salary and benefits adds up to $39.50 an hour, 51% higher than the private sector.

It took me two whole years from the time I took the postal exam until I was finally called for an interview and hired. So anyone looking to get in on any of these Federal jobs, should start testing in 2009 and 2010. Fewer native born Americans are coming into the Post Office and I'm not sure why that is. So you can sit home and try to find some work in construction, where a million guys are chasing after the same dollar or you can take something more secure that the New Americans are jumping into with both feet. Your choice.

The Freditor

How to Comment on a Story in Fred's Blog

Apparently there is some confusion about how to comment on the various "No More Stinky Monkeys" Blogs. At the bottom of every story, there is a line that reads something like:

"Posted by The Freditor at 6:15PM 0 Comments" (and then a Letter symbol)

If you would like to send me a comment, you click on the Letter symbol and a page will come up.

Next to Friend's email address, put your email address and then in the comments field write whatever you want. If you WANT me to Post it into my Blog, just mention that at the top. Otherwise it will be just for my eyes. Thanks for reading my stuff and your continued support.

My birthday is one month from today, I've had 1300 hits so far, I'd love to get to 2,000 by my Bday.

The Freditor

Wow, did the number crunching and here are the biggest Box Office stars

Was looking up Adam Sandler's numbers to see where he lands among current box office behemoths and while he does well, these guys are off the charts. He's also been in about half the movies they've been in. Stallone, Arnold, Bill Murray can't touch these guys. When I was typing in different names off the top of my head I forgot all about Tom Hanks, but he's the leader. And I didn't think of Bruce Willis, but he's a bigger international star than anybody but Hanks. Hanks' world grosses are amazing. I didn't realize that Hanks' movies would translate so well. Eddie Murphy is helped by the 3 Shreks. Ford is helped by the first 3 Star Wars. But people still went to see those movies, partly because they were in them.

Tom Cruise has only the Mission Impossible series, but he was long established before they came out and he has no help from other box office kings (unlike Murphy in the Shreks). People went to see just him. And Tom Hanks has been making serious films for almost 20 years now, yet he's the biggest star and he rarely draws a gun or makes people laugh. Mike Myers has made just 13 movies, but his per average is by far the best. The Love Guru looks dicey, but Myers is as close to golden as anyone in Hollywood, never bet against him. Julia Roberts leads among women, but she doesn't place among these guys and gets credit for some movies like Oceans 11 that have nothing to do with her. Kind of like Samuel L. Jackson, who appears in popular movies but isn't necessarily the star (Star Wars, Coming to America). One of these days, Will Smith will blow all of them away.

The Freditor


Mike Myers: Average US gross: $140,282,107/per movie


Tom Hanks: US gross: $3,839,936,098
world Gross: $7,513,937,782

Harrison Ford--US gross: $3,561,989,506
world gross: $6,383,423,057


Eddie Murphy---US gross: $3,439,371,750
world gross: $6,134,535,458


Tom Cruise---US Gross: $3,076,936,700
world gross: $6,247,259,679


Bruce Willis: US Gross: $3,044,221,838
world gross: $6,412,660,366

WRXP-101.9: Has anyone been listening to the Best Rock Station in New York City?

101.9 RXP - The New York Rock Experience


The newest radio station in town came on the air, Feb. 7, 2008 and I have been remiss in writing about it. Finally, Finally, FINALLY a station for those of us who still wish the best for terrestrial radio.

My commute is only 1 hour round trip and I don't want to get satellite radio for my car for such a short period of time. I could get an I-Pod, but then I will only be listening to music I already own and not experiencing new stuff. And I will never hear the news or any other current events that way. I love variety on the radio, but my mainstay since 1978 has been great rock and roll radio, and we used to have it.

I didn't fully appreciate it at the time, because I was too young to notice and because it was always there, so who knew it could be taken away from us, but rock radio started going downhill around the end of 1982 and the fall has been precipitous since 1990. I won't go through an entire history, but people my age and older remember when WPLJ and WNEW were in a great dogfight for best rock station in New York. PLJ had a more commercial bent, but they were in touch with the modern listener and there was no shame in listening to them. WNEW was more avant garde, but boy did they open this young boy's ears. The punk rock scene never totally caught on in New York City, despite the revisionist history we hear on VH1 these days, but certain bands had their day in the sun on NEW and are staples today. Talking Heads, Blondie and The Ramones to name a few.

In 1982, NEW was so sure of itself that it started paying attention to the drumbeats of those who wanted to hear more black rock on the radio. They had always played Motown and Stax records, but they started looking at more modern fair and felt that Michael Jackson and Prince were making rock records. You'd hear "Beat It" because of Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo and Little Red Corvette, because of Prince's familiarity with Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix. But the corporate honchos started making their move on NEW and the experimenting was suddenly limited to Sundays and Friday afternoons with Things From England.

When K-Rock switched to all classic rock in the late '80s, New York radio started its fast swirl towards the drain. Classic rock became a code phrase for the Top 100 songs according to listener surveys beaten to death. Now many of those songs which I once loved are barely listenable anymore. And I won't even get into the fact that hardly any new rock and roll bands got a chance to find an audience during these last 25 years. U2, REM and Guns and Roses were the only new bands to find great success.

Now with so many in the New York audience turned off to FM radio by the lack of great music, a new station rises like a Phoenix from the ashes, 101.9--WRXP--The New York Rock Experience. It plays classic rock, modern rock and alternative rock. You are likely to hear in a row: Spoon, The Smiths and the Rolling Stones, but the Stones song will probably one you haven't heard on the radio in 25 years, like "Respectable" off Some Girls. Never heard of Spoon? They are a modern New York band with a fast, Spanish-flavored acoustic sound.

So basically, WRXP mixes up several genres into one cohesive rock and roll station. The punk/new wave era of late '70s WNEW, the modern hard-core rockers of '90s K-Rock, the alternative '80s and '90s records of WLIR and the classic rock that any number of stations have laid claim to since 1988. It's a lot for one station to take on, but hopefully the suits at other stations are starting to see the groundswell of support it's getting. People want to hear something both familiar and new. At most, classic rock stations will play the same five songs from an artist, RXP played the rarely heard Boogie With Stu from Led Zep III the other day. I nearly hit a tree when I heard it on the radio.

It's already starting to happen. Other stations are starting to experiment more. K-Rock is now playing hard rock back to 1970; WCBS is making more room for the '50s records they shamelessly pushed aside; the lowly "classic" Q-104.3 is at least playing something different on Two-for Tuesdays, making the second song one you haven't heard in a while.

RXP claims that they let their DJs pick the records, which might be true, but they do seem to have a bit of playlist that they choose from. Hopefully with success will come more experimentation. The afternoon DJ, Bryan Schock has become the biggest name on the station so far and he brags that he will play something you haven't heard in many years at least once a day on his show. Which is great and I hope that number grows exponentially, but the songs and groups I've heard him play on my way home is heartening. Devo's "Satisfaction" (which like Schock I prefer to the Stones version), Jim Carroll's "All the People Who Died, Died"; Sex Pistols "Anarchy in the UK"; Ian Hunter's "All the Way to Memphis"; Husker Du; The Replacements; and several more I'm not remembering.

Unfortunately, this should not be such a tremendous event. Rock and Roll is 54 years old, there is so much great and wonderful music out there just waiting to be heard. But suit and ties who probably listen to John Tesh make the decisions for what you can hear and like lemmings we listen to stations that long ago gave up any connection to what we want. It has fueled the alternative ways of hearing the music you want from satellite to I-Pods, but how stupid is it for companies to chase away radio listeners who care about what they listen to. I'll keep listening to a station if it's playing a song I don't like, if the promise is there that I will like the next song, but how horrible is it that I am forced to change the station because they've made me sick of a song.

I hope 101.9-WRXP continues to experiment and I hope the New York audience makes them a rousing success.

The Freditor

Traffic lights are holding up traffic on Juniper Valley Rd.

Today at work, my friend Ernie and I had a very interesting discussion about the new traffic light they put in on Juniper Valley Road in Middle Village, Queens, NY. It used to be a great road to drive down, since there were no traffic lights or stop signs between 80th Street and Penelope Avenue. Now I understand they are putting in another light at the corner of 79th Drive. Who's responsible for this? I want names.

I hear people talk about air pollution and maker a greener world, well how about eliminiating some of these unncessary traffic lights which cause drivers to sit still with their engines running in perfectly quiet residential neighborhoods. The same city planners destroyed a great route of travel in Cooper Avenue with an onslaught of traffic lights. I've heard Kathy Nolan was responsible, but I will not blame her without proof.

People in a hurry to get from Brooklyn to Forest Hills had a fast way of getting there using Cooper, but now that is destroyed. And people who wanted to avoid the congestion and filthy air quality of Metropolitan and Eliot Avenues used Juniper Valley Rd. are now stymied.Very unfair.

The Freditor

Marshmallow Sidewalks--The Caffeine Junkie Blues

Two separate friends in two weeks have suggested I start a Blog, so I guess that's a sign I should do it.

I've been very lax about writing the last few months. Mostly due to the lack of caffeine. On Dec. 21, I went to the movies with my brother and drank a large Cherry Coke with a chocolate bar. My blood pressure rose as it will do with large amounts of caffeine, sodium and sugar, (which Cherry Coke has in abundance) and I started getting dizzy. Real dizzy.

Walking on a marshmallow sidewalk dizzy. If you ever got hit in the head with a 2 by 4 (which I have) you know this feeling. Except I was having this feeling quite a bit in the last year. So rather than continue feeling this way I figured I better cut out the one thing my doctor was adamant about. Caffeine.

He said that the heart palpatations I was having off and on would not got better if I drank or ate caffeine (chocolate has plenty of caffeine). I asked what's the worst thing that could happen if I continued on my Pepsi ways? He said the palpatations wouldn't stop. That was not a good alternative.

As you know I love Pepsi, but I hate feeling nauseous, breathless and sweaty or being unable to speak and walk with confidence even more. If you ever want to know what it must be like to be a stroke victim or have Alzheimers for a short time, get into one of these dizzy spells. One thing is that your mind can't recall simple multi-syllable words that you've used thousands of times.

Two, it takes too much effort to tell a long story, so you wrap it up quickly to preserve your breath. I am very talkative, so this is a sure sign that I'm not feeling well.

Well, Dec. 21 I decided I am going to stop making myself feel this way. For all intents and purposes I stopped using caffeine that day. But the dizziness didn't stop. I started worrying after about 10 days that it wasn't the caffeine causing it at all, that it was something in me maybe. So I spoke to a Health Food/Vitamin lady. A tough older German who doesn't mince words. Doctors know about the body and medicine, but they really don't know about nutrition. I found out there are no nutrition courses in medical school.

Frau Vitamins told me that my body was trying to readjust itself after years of living off caffeine. My whole energy level was dictated by a foreign substance. Now it was trying to reacquaint itself with its own natural energy. So I was bound to feel bad/out of sorts for a while, maybe even a few months until everything was back in line. MONTHS!!!

It makes sense because since I was 18, my first year of college in 1984, I have been using Pepsi for a boost. Any time of day. For years I drank Pepsi with my breakfast. On Fridays, when I worked at the bank, I treated myself to Dr Pepper and bagels with thick cream cheese. Then after work (around 11AM, I worked the early walk-up window) I'd lay on my bed and watch my whole body pulse as my blood would try to metabolize that winning combination. At 22 I thought it was funny. I never find it funny now.

So 22 years of this abuse had to take more than 10 days to reverse itself. Then a friend of mine and a different friend of Barbara's separately told us about Apple Cider Vinegar. Both are champions in their physical endeavors and have fantastic bodies. These are people you listen to.

They both said a tablespoon of this vinegar into a glass of water in the morning will even out your blood sugar and help clean out the toxins/poisons in your body. This was on New Year's Eve and we soon went to Whole Foods (an organic supermarket chain) and bought the Vinegar. We both started drinking it every morning and while the results for Barb were minimal, for me they were astounding.

Suddenly the marshmallow sidewalks became hard again. The dizziness stopped. My energy level increased and within a couple of days I was back to my old self. No more drowsing off at 8PM on the couch. I even felt better than I had before the caffeine caused the palpatations. For years I would be drowsy around 11AM and get a Big Gulp Pepsi on my way to walking my route. Now I feel fine at 11AM. I would drive home from work and literally doze off in traffic. Now I'm alert from the moment I awake until a half hour before bedtime.

The caffeine was not only keeping me alert, but was causing my energy level to drop at different parts of the day. Having lived like this for years I never realized that it was UnNormal. Now even after a long Game Night, when I sleep only 3 hours before going to work, I don't have that crash. Sure I'm slower on my route, but I don't need that boost that I would before. I just work my way through it and manage to stay alert until I go to bed when I get home.

But one change for the worse has occurred with the lack of caffeine. I always heard about performers worrying that they would lose their creative edge if they stopped drinking or taking drugs. And I always dismissed it. Wouldn't Jimi Hendrix still be as great without the heroin? Now I realized, maybe not.

I found my writing started to become very ordinary. I would begin an email to you people and it would start boring me. Who wants to read this?, I'd say to myself and I'd delete it before finishing it. Now I realize that with the caffeine crash comes a period of depression and believe me I went through that. And with depression comes a lesser sense of self-worth, which could play into the "who wants to read this anyway" mentality. But then those feelings go away and you are your old self. And you can better judge the quality of your own work.

The best art I believe is the kind that entertains the artist themself. My favorite writing is the type that I smile about it after I send it off. The type that makes me stay up in bed and rethink the phrases that I was most proud of.

So I started to see that Pepsi or caffeine probably had a hand in tapping my creativity all these years. Perhaps caffeine released another chemical in my brain that opened my mind and let the words flow through. That chemical wasn't releasing these last few months, I know that. Maybe it's something like Robin Williams said. When asked how he can be so free on stage, he said that other people have a self-edit button in the brain that stops them from going to that next level.

The self-edit button that says "I won't do that because I will look foolish." Robin said that maybe his brain doesn't have that button.

Well maybe caffeine makes that button useless. Now I'm less animated when I'm telling a story in person and my writing is less colorful. That damn self-edit button is allowed to work now. I hope I can somehow struggle through that and make my mind work without the caffeine. Maybe this Blog will be a way to help me through it. I hope so. I won't lie. I'm a ham. I love to perform. For friends, for people who enjoy it. Writing is another kind of performing and it feeds my soul. I'd hate for the palpatatations and marshmallow sidewalks to steal that from me.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this first taste of the New Millenium's "Crazy White Boy Blues". The caffiene bronco knocked me off the saddle. I hope I can get back on and tame this horse.

The Freditor

Obama's "vision" of a better America makes him the candidate of choice for Bruce Springsteen

The Boss Backs Obama for President - AOL News

After the beating John Kerry took for accepting so many celebrity endorsements in 2004, some stars have been nervous about putting their weight behind a candidate this year. Some conservative Americans get very angry when they see a celebrity endorse a non-conservative candidate. Liberal elitists and other names are thrown at them. So when a concert tour was started in 2004 to support John Kerry, with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty and REM, I'm not sure it helped his candidacy as much as bring out the vitriol of those angry conservatives. But I don't think too many people were fully supportive of Kerry at that time. I mean I recognized his war record and figured he'd better than Bush, but I wasn't inspired by the man. 2004 was more about Anybody But Bush.
But 2008 is different. Bush is obviously a non-factor, but his policies and the disasters he's leaving behind aren't. This year people are inspired by one man and feel excited about his candidacy. Barack Obama has been lighting up people's minds and hearts for several months now and Bruce Springsteen is the latest celebrity to put his name behind this man. I don't believe Bruce was half-hearted when he supported Kerry, but he is way more outspoken about his feelings for Barack. "He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years."
That's huge. People like George Clooney have refrained from giving their support because they fear it will hurt more than help. But I think the people of this country are so disgusted with the direction America has gone these last four years that they are giving no mind to what the angry conservatives are saying. And while the war in Iraq might be part of it, the most disgraceful moment of these last four years has to be the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Because that shouldn't ever happen in America. And people watching TV that week saw themselves swimming in those streets and suffering and dying in the squalor of the Super Dome and having no government there to help them when the time was most dire. This wasn't Haiti or some African province. These weren't mud hut people in Thailand. These were Americans suffering and dying in America and it happened in one of our favorite cities, so why couldn't it happen in your city.
What would the response be after a devastating terrorist attack in your city. A dirty bomb say. Would the government be as slow to help us then? If that didn't enter many people's minds that week and for weeks after I'd be very surprised. While Katrina's aftermath was claming lives, George Bush stayed on vacation in Texas and Condaleeza Rice shopped in Manhattan and went to Broadway shows. They lost any moral supremacy they had that week. Hollywood Liberal Elitist Sean Penn, he went down there and got in a boat and saved people from drowning. He was a hero, maybe for the first time in his life, but he became one that week and because of that His Voice Has Value. Celebrities who help have value, they bring attention to a cause that might lack a spotlight.
I have been very lazy lately and have not read as much about Obama as I want to before giving my unquestioned support, but I'm almost there. That Bruce likes Obama doesn't change anything for me. There's plenty of celebrities that I like and respect who are going for McCain and Hillary. But having listened to Bruce's music for 30 years now I do know what he means about speaking to the America he's envisioned. That's my America, too.

The Freditor

Haha, Oscars have worst ratings ever

Two reasons always make or break Oscars ratings. One, popular movies are nominated giving the audience a rooting interest. Titanic is the highest rated Oscar for this reason. Young girls all wanted Jack and Rose to win it all, which they did. When a movie is nominated that didn't even make as much as a baseball player's salary, then no one is going to care if it wins or loses.

Two, the Host is so important. If the host comes out of the gate with a great monologue people might stick with it, but if he tanks then the casual viewer will move on to something else. Before I left the house I caught three minutes of Jon Stewart's monologue and what I saw was bad, except for the Gaydolf Tittler joke. That was funny. But that's a big problem there. Jon Stewart. Who thinks Jon Stewart is funny? I don't, if I did I would watch The Daily Show. He replaced the Funny Guy on that show, Craig Kilborn.

You want a funny host who used to actually host a funny show. Greg Kinnear from Talk Soup. He's a really good actor who happens to be very funny, and quick on his feet.

Instead they keep bringing back horrible hosts like Whoopi Goldberg. Let's look at the hosts since Johnny Carson stopped doing the show.

2006/7--Jon Stewart--Not Funny
2005 Chris Rock---Funny
2004 Billy Crystal---Funny during the Reagan years
2003 Steve Martin---See Billy Crystal
2002 Whoopi Goldberg---Interesting, not funny.
2001 Steve Martin
2000 Billy Crystal
1999 Whoopi Goldberg
1998 Billy Crystal
1997 Billy Crystal
1996 Whoopi Goldberg
1995 David Letterman---Great. One of my favorite Oscar hosts. Got slammed because he wasn't a Hollywood insider. Oprah Uma thing was dumb, but the rest of the show was fun. He'll never do it, but I'd bring him back.
1994 Whoopi Goldberg
1993 Billy Crystal
1992 Billy Crystal
1991 Billy Crystal
1990 Billy Crystal
1989 No official host
1988 Chevy Chase---Rather stick a grapefruit spoon in my eye than watch him.
1987 Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, Paul Hogan---The Ménage à trois from hell.
1986 Alan Alda, Jane Fonda, Robin Williams---The hairiest Ménage à trois.
1985 Jack Lemmon---Only Neil Simon thought this guy was funny.
1984 Johnny Carson--The King.

The Freditor

Tremendous Victory--Giants win 3rd Super Bowl, now can Jets please win one

I was 2 1/2 years old when the Jets won their Super Bowl, I am now 41 1/2 years old. They're due, I'm due.

As thrilling as last night's win was, I've experienced three Giant Super Bowl wins in my adult life, and in this one case I kind of know what it feels like to be a Yankee fan. That feeling of ho-hum, another world title, please pass the Grey Poupon.

I went crazy when the Giants scored their last touchdown, and I was excited to hear the sports talk guys go on about it today, but I guess because the Giants are my second favorite team in football, it lacks that exhilarating feeling that would definitely come if the Jets ever entered the promised land.

Was last night's game the most exciting of all time? The greatest of all time? I'm not sure. It's up there, but Buffalo's missed field goal against the Giants in 1991 seemed more exciting. I guess because it ended the game. Can you imagine if Randy Moss had caught that pass at the 20 yard line with 20 seconds left last night? The Patriots would have gone for a 37 yard field goal to send it into Overtime. That is the only way last night's game could have been better.

Before expansion and parity, teams didn't come back late in games the way they do now. So when Joe Montana and the 49ers came back against the Bengals to score that last minute touchdown in 1989, that was both thrilling and unprecedented. But for sheer 4th quarter theatrics, perhaps the greatest Super Bowl of all time was the 1999 Rams-Tennessee game. That ended with the Titans stretching at the goal line for a touchdown, only to miss it by inches. I wasn't watching football in 1979, but from those who saw it, they tell me that was pretty exciting. Pittsburgh beat Dallas, when Roger Staubach threw into the end zone and Jackie Smith dropped the winning pass.

I started following football in 1981 and fell in love with the Jets that year. They made it to their first playoff game in 12 years that year and then to the AFC Championship the following year. I was young and spoiled and thought they would do it every year. They didn't and in 27 years I have only seen them get to two AFC Championship games. My heart stopped both times and finally was broken. What would my heart need if they ever made it to a Super Bowl and then won? I'd love to find out.

My teams in descending order of passion and year they last won title:

Mets--1986

Jets---1969

Giants---2008

Knicks---1973

Nets---Never in the NBA

Islanders----1983

Rangers----1994

Devils----2003


The Freditor

Bullet the Blue Sky--My work friend tells me about growing up in El Salvador

This guy comes up to me His face red like a rose on a thorn bush
Like all the colors of a royal flush And he's peeling off those dollar bills
Slapping them down One hundred, two hundred
And I can see those fighter planes And I can see those fighter planes
Across the mud huts where the children sleep
Through the alleys of a quiet city street....

Across the field you see the sky ripped open
See the rain through a gaping wound
Pounding on the women and children
Who run
Into the arms
Of America

---Bullet the Blue Sky, U2


When new people start to work with you, you say hello to them upon their arrival, but unless they have a boisterous personality, you tend to stick with your old work friends. And if they are an immigrant who is not great with the English language, you are even more likely to ignore them.

I am something of a social person, but oddly I like to eat my lunch alone. That quiet time allows me to read my newspapers and magazines and be at peace with myself. When I was younger I felt compelled to befriend every new worker who came into my company, no matter what company that was. Sometimes they became good friends, other times they moved on to others who were more their taste. But sometimes these new people tended to cling on like puppies. I am not a fan of cling-ons, they tend to interrupt my lunch peace. So I have to get cold with them and then they leave me alone. Sounds mean, but too bad.

Well at my current job virtually every new hire lately is an immigrant. They are all quite nice and they all tend to stay to themselves. One guy is a Latino fellow named Carlos. He started working with us a little over a year ago. He looks a bit like and has the build of famed Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela. I say hello and goodbye to him and say "que paso Primo" when I'm joking around. Carlos has got a plum assignment. One of our other workers is an army reservist who has been stationed in Afghanistan for about a year or so. In his absence Carlos gets to do his route for that entire time. That route is next to mine.

Around Christmas time, I was looking for a letter from a customer. I asked Carlos if he could swing by my route and see if it was there, because I think the garbagemen have been stealing it the last couple of years. He got it for me and I was very grateful. I offered to buy him coffee, but he didn't want anything. He said, "You're my friend."

I was touched by this, but also saddened because of our limited contact. He was out of work a few days because of an emergency with one of his kids. When he came back, I drove over to his route to find out if everything was alright. While there we got into a pretty long conversation and I sat in my truck amazed.

This man is about 36 years old, but looks younger and he is usually smiling, so you imagine he had a pretty good life growing up. But appearances are deceiving. I assumed he was from Mexico, but he was actually born and raised in El Salvador. As you go south, first comes Mexico, then comes Guatemala and then comes El Salvador. He moved to America back in 1995 and doesn't sound like he's ever going back.

He was born in 1971 and the first 8 years of his life were happy and peaceful, for both him and his family. His country was divided as always by the very rich and very poor. Then war broke out in 1979. It took place mostly in the mountains and hills, but was still a burden on his country for 12 years. It was not unusual for helicopters to fly low overhead and start shooting.

Then one Saturday afternoon, November 11, 1989, there was a wedding in a church in his hometown, the capital city of San Salvador. Inside the church were all the guests with their gifts at their sides. Inside the giftboxes were concealed guns. They opened the boxes and ran out in the streets firing these guns in the middle of town.

Now 18 years old, Carlos would hear from his house, "pop pop pop pop pop pop", constantly, for 3 months. Sometimes the machine gun sounds were low and far away and sometimes they were very close and he and his family would be ducking on the floors of their house. His father was not a military man or a political man, so the guerillas had no reason to shoot him, but machine gun fire doesn't make those distinctions. One day there was fighting behind his house and it seemed to last forever. The next day his father and he went in the backyard and found dozens of stray bullets and shell casings littered across their yard.

On New Year's Eve 1992, the two sides signed an accord and peace was declared after 12 years of war.

A decent economy was destroyed by the long civil war and the rural areas were especially devastated. Young people from the farmlands with no place else to go are now causing trouble in the cities. Because of this two huge gangs have grown out of the mess and gangland violence and theft are the norm. Refugees who fled during the war have also come back with little industry to welcome them. Many have turned to drugs and violence as their new ways of life.

Carlos smiles because he's happy to be away from all of that.


The Freditor