World's Fair: by E.L.Doctorow beautifully captures aura of The Bronx, Youth, Hope, Dreams, Despair,etc of the 1930''s

This book is strongly recommended. 

I cherished Doctorow's command of prose and the scenic autobiographic chapters of this book depicting and describing the Bronx of my youth, its vibrant street and family life.

 In truth, I prolonged my reading of the book to savor the narrative. 

For the most part, this memoir is told from the point of view of young Edgar as he makes the transition from the limited perspective of his pre-school years into a more awakened awareness of life.

We get to know the intimate lives of his brilliant, musical older brother Donald who attended the prestigious Townsend Harris High School (before the building of the Bronx High School of Science), his lovable father, unreliable in his conduct of his business, his possessive and doting mom Rose and grandparents who live further up the Concourse and his rich Westchester aunt and uncle.

Often a photographer would come to our

Bronx neighborhood with his pony 

Here are some quotes about Edgar's dad:

"My father was not a reliable associate, I was to gather. Too many things he said would come to pass did not...He was full of errant enthusiasms and was easily diverted by them. He had, besides, various schemes for making money that he did not readily confide to my mother."

"I knew he was unreliable, but he was fun to be with. He was a child's ideal companion, full of surprises and happy animal energy. He enjoyed food and drink. He liked to try new things. He brought home coconuts, papayas, mangoes, and urged them on our reluctant, conservative selves. On Sundays he liked to discover new places, take us on endless bus or trolley rides to some new park or beach he knew about. He always counseled daring, in whatever situation, the courage to test the unknown, an instruction that was thematically in opposition to my mother's."

What about the World's Fair?  The book culminates in some eye-opening scabrous events at the 1939 Queens, New York site.

Drones here, drone there, drones everywhere. In the absence of federal enforcement more are taking to the skies

DHL parcel service tested a "microdones md4-1000"

for delivery of medicine in December 2013

from wikipedia

Earlier this year, I identified drones as a leading story. Under the title DRONES ARE HERE TO STAY, I discussed their military use in fighting global terrorism.

Last summer when Napa, California suffered a sizable earthquake, a low flying drone captured video clips of the damage.  The clip is stunning to behold with over 239,000 views.

Just last week mystery drones have been spotted in Paris, flying over such treasured landmarks as the Eiffel Tower  Les Invalides Museum and the American Embassy.  Here is an NPR broadcast covering the story.

Now drones are are taking to the skies flouting FAA rules prohibiting unmanned aircraft for commercial purposes.

Thanks to Jack Nicas of the Wall Street Journal for his providing examples of the widespread flouting of the FAA bans.

They are being used to photograph and promote high end residential properties to wealthy buyers.

They are being used by companies such as Barrick Gold and Rio Tinto to map mine sites in California and Nevada.

BMW, Walmart Stores, General Mills and Nike have produced TV commercials using drones.

There have been a few fines imposed by the FAA, but we will have to wait over a year for the government agency to finalize their rules.

These unmanned aircraft have undoubtedly beneficial uses.

Drones have the capacity to perform humanitarian functions such as delivery of  medicines to remote areas as suggested by the photo shown above.  However, many issues need to be discussed

One question is at what point do they interfere with commercial aviation flights.

Another key issue involve threats to our right to privacy that these low flying aircraft pose.

Do we want them snooping above our homes and government buildings?

Finally should predator drones be used to carry missiles to take out terrorists?

As they take to the skies, all these issues must be addressed.

Sexual Assault on Campuses Update:Will allowing students to carry concealed weapons prevent rape?

from washingtonmonthly.com

I previously recorded the hurdles facing campus administrators in dealing with campus rape and the banning of hard liquor on certain campuses. You can read the story here under 2014-2015 issues.

Now comes a new twist in dealing with the problem of campus rape.

The New York Times has recently reported that "Colorado, Wisconsin and seven other states allow people with legal carry permits to take concealed firearms to campus, some with restrictions..."

Presently 41 states have a ban on carrying concealed weapons on campus by law or by University policy.

However, many states including Florida, Nevada, Indiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming. have introduced legislation  that would allow guns on campus.

Of course, the key issue is whether allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campus will prevent rape.

2014-2015 Issues and Individuals that resonate: Bullying,Sexual Assaults on Campus,Civility in America, Governor Gerry Brown

This blog is a continuation of my prior article on Notable Stories of 2014 Continuing to Resonate into 2015. 

9. BULLYING CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR NATIONAL CRISIS FOR ALL AGES, IN MANY FAMILIES AND IN ALL PROFESSIONS.

Here in Connecticut, Greenwich High School has responded to the suicide of a GHS sophomore following some allegedly severe incidents of bullying.

The use of social media apps such as Yik Yak, Whisper, Confide or Secret have been magnets for bullying abuses. GHS has taken steps to shut down access to Yik Yak on the school district's wireless network. This is a small first step because students can still access these networks on their own data plans.

The root problems lies with educating the parents who often are poor role models in displaying verbal, physical and mental abuse. Bullying is indeed a hand-me-down disease.

Finally, kudos to the Stamford Advocate for its publicity and the town of Greenwich's Affirmative Action Advisory Committee for holding a writing contest encouraging students to discuss whether society can bring an end to bullying.

The contest winner, Ruis-Jimenz, 11th Grade, describes the dilemna:

Bullies are broken, too.

And until we can Unbreak what's Broken
and Unspeak what's Spoken
Policies and laws
are all going to have flaws.

In a late breaking story, three AITE High School students were named winners in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship's World Series of Innovation. They have developed an app that aids students to combat bullying, depression and suicide by contacting volunteer counselors via video chat.

from Washingtonmonthly.com

10.  SEXUAL ASSAULTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

     College administrators have been slow in dealing with the rising reports of sexual assaults on campuses. A New York Times article highlighted the enormous hurdles facing those who do have the courage to report incidents.

    It is thus encouraging to hear that Dartmouth College President Phillip Hanlon just announced that beginning March 30, hard liquor will be banned on campus for all students regardless of age. In addition the students will be required to learn about sexual violence prevention each year.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1825 college students between 18-24 die each year from alcohol related unintentional injuries and more than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.

Other colleges have likewise banned hard liquor on campus. They include Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia and Brown University.

It was recently reported in the New York Times that "Colorado, Wisconsin and seven other states allow people with legal carry permits to take concealed firearms to campus, some with restrictions.."
Furthermore "In addition to those in Florida and Nevada, bills that would allow guns on campus have been introduced in Indiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming."

The key issue is whether allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campuses prevent rape?

Henry Timms speaking at Ferguson Library 

11. CIVILITY IN AMERICA SERIES AT STAMFORD'S FERGUSON LIBRARY CONTINUED INTO ITS FOURTH YEAR. The last speaker was Henry Timms  who spoke about Civility in the New Media  on Tuesday, February 10th. 

    Here is a summary of his speech from the Stamford Advocate.

Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown

34th and 39th Governor of California

from wikipedia 

12.GOVERNOR GERRY BROWN OF CALIFORNIA, now turning 77,  won an historic fourth term last November. He has taken a state with a massive debt of about $27 billion and turned it around so that he has a surplus. To help alleviate the pervasive drought that has plagued California, he has successfully urged the voters to approve a $7.5 billion plan that provides for new reservoirs, dams and water tunnels.
    He was elected governor in 1974 and then re-elected in 1978. He served as Mayor of Oakland (1999-2007) and recaptured the governor's seat in 2010.

    Kudos to Gerry for his leadership and stamina in leading the bellwether state.

A Remarkable 2014 Biography of a Political Giant and Liberal Spender: Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller

My previous discussion of remarkable biographies of John Quincy Adams and his wife Louisa Catherine- published in 2014-  can be accessed by clicking here.

8. NELSON ROCKEFELLER IS ANOTHER 'LARGER THAN LIFE' FIGURE,  
who leveraged his legacy, his unlimited financial fortune, to rewrite dramatically  political information gathering protocol and left behind a monumental architectural accomplishment.

His life was one of using his vast fortune and influence for the sake of PUBLIC SERVICE.

I am indebted to Jeffrey Frank's article "Big Spender" which appeared in the Books section of the New Yorker last year. Here he reviewed Richard Norton Smith's "On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller" (Random House).

Nelson was the son of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. the man who built Rockefeller Center and the grandson of John D. Rockefeller Sr. the founder of Standard Oil who was once the richest man in the world.

He thrust himself into government service in a big way with no strong family mentors and public service role models as had John Quincy Adams. It was thus natural for Nelson to use his vast fortune  to buy 'brain trusts' to advise him.

Vice President Nelson Rockefeller (on right)
with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger 1/3/75;
in 1956, Rocky created the Special Studies Project
 a major seven panel planning group directed by Kissinger

from Wikipedia

Though Eisenhower did not bestow upon him Cabinet rank for the new Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Nelson showed unflagging skills and unlimited energy as an under-secretary. Ike then shifted him over to the State Department in 1955 as a special assistant for cold war strategy. Here he surrounded himself with large numbers of paid assistants such as Henry Kissinger then a Harvard Professor and Edward Teller, the "father of the Hydrogen bomb."

At one point, Rockefeller had forty-seven (47) people on his staff. He was, in effect, running his own 'shadow' department of State which was a foil, though a weak one, to that of  John Foster Dulles, the Secretary of State. The latter commented rather understatedly and snidely  at the time that "there is growing evidence that  [Rockefeller] is going into business in a rather big way."

When he bested Averill Harriman, a scion of the wealthy railroad empire, in the election for Governor of New York State, Rockefeller continued his penchant for creating "large staffing" in the form of task forces. Smith writes that as the new governor, he "convened more than forty (40) study groups"- to consider various issues ranging from pilot safety, increasing milk consumption to the state's electric power consumption.

Smith enumerates his accomplishments; under his administration, the State University of New York grew from thirty-eight thousand students and twenty-nine schools to about a quarter of a million students on sixty-four campuses.

"The state added fifty-five state parks, more than a hundred hospitals and nursing homes, and two hundred water-treatment plants and undertook a billion-dollar highway construction program.
Health and welfare programs expanded and the new Department of Environmental Conservation, which predated the federal Environmental Protection Agency, took on such issues as vehicle emissions, mercury in waterways and pesticides." (Franks, p. 116) )

He served as Governor of New York State for four terms from 1959-1973.

Rocky accepted, with great reluctance, Ford's invitation to serve as his Vice President (1974-1977) after Nixon was forced to resign under the cloud of Watergate. In this position he lent stability and credibility to the office especially after the forced resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew (1969-1973) under Nixon.

He never made it to the White House because of his frequent wavering, perhaps betraying a certain ambivalence about serving in the high office. Frank says: "Rockefeller never had a realistic idea of what was required to be nominated, such as winning actual delegates." (116)

Aerial view of the Empire State Plaza, looking 

eastward to the Hudson River

from Wikipedia

Frank concludes his homage to Rockefeller by discussing the vast and exorbitant construction of the Empire State Plaza also known as the South Mall in Albany. Budgeted originally at $250 million, it wound up being built between 1959 and 1976 for an astounding $2 billion. It is described as "an outsized complex consisting of government buildings and and egg-shaped performing-arts center." (Frank, 118)

Perhaps, Nelson's obsession with his Albany project was his answer to his father's building Rockefeller Center in 1930 for the more modest sum of $250 million dollars.

Rockefeller had a way, unlike
John Quincy Adams, of relating warmly to the common man.

He had the heart and conviction of a liberal-- and the means, to fulfill his notable assertion: "if you don't have a good education and good health, then I feel society has let you down."

Kudos to the New Yorker and authors Smith and Frank for spotlighting a very public figure: a man, who despite his personal foibles his too public womanizing, used his enormous financial legacy for the betterment of his fellow man.

Stay tuned for more to come.

Notable Biographies of 2014 John Quncy Adams and his wife Louisa Catherine Adams

This blog is a continuation of my previous article on Notable Stories of 2014 Continuing to  Resonate into 2015

Two biographies were published in 2014 and both individuals-scions of famous families,  are noteworthy because they each built upon a 'rich' legacy, one political and other financial, to live lives of remarkable public achievements. I am indebted to the New Yorker Magazine for bringing these monumental figures to my attention.

7. The first figure is JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, the sixth President of the United States, whose father John Adams was the second President and whose mother was Abigail Adams, a remarkable First Lady.

The Old House, Quincy Massachusetts 

Home to Four Generations of the Adams Family (1788-1927)
nationalparklover.com

It should be noted in passing that about 10 years ago, I spent a full day touring The Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts administered by National Park Service (NPS) of the U.S. Department of the Interior. To quote from the NPS brochure: "The fourteen acre park is comprised of the Birthplaces of John Adams and John Quincy Adams; the Old House home to four generations of the Adams family [from 1788-1927]; and the United Parish Church, final resting place of both presidents and first ladies Abigail and Louisa Catherine Adams." (emphasis mine)

Thomas Mellon of the New Yorker reviewed in depth biographies of both John Quincy and his wife Louisa. Fred Kaplan wrote "John Quincy Adams American Visionary" (Harper); Two new books focus on his wife Louisa: Margery M. Heffron's "Louisa Catherine: The Other Mrs. Adams" (Yale) and "A Traveled First Lady" (Harvard), which includes selections of her private writings.

I urge my reader to read the New Yorker article, entitled "Born To Do It."

John Quincy could have amounted to nothing as two of his sons did; one supposedly leapt to his death and the other son, an alcoholic, debt-ridden fellow, died five years later. However, Charles Francis, the youngest, was Lincoln's minister to Great Britain and the first of the Adams' family historians.

Though a rather stiff and icy and a man of "austere and forbidding manners," (according to Adams himself) John Quincy developed the polish and statecraft to become the nation's Minister to four foreign nations: the Netherlands, Prussia, Russia and Great Britain. While abroad, he participated in negotiating the Treaty of Ghent (1814), which brought to a close the War of 1812 with Britain.

(Little known is that at the age of 14, JQA accompanied the Minister to Russia Francis Dana who sought Catherine the Great's aid for the American cause.)

He then served as Secretary of State to our fourth President Jame Monroe; here he negotiated a treaty with Spain that annexed Florida and helped to formulate the Monroe Doctrine proclaiming the inviolability of the states comprising North and South America.

He went on to become our sixth President in 1824 though Andrew Jackson superseded Adams in both the popular and electoral votes. Adams accomplished his 'feat' when the election went to the House. Here, he made an historic alliance with Henry Clay who Adams elevated to his Secretary of State.

As president, Kaplan writes: "The administration's lack of spectacular achievement characterized its success. There were no wars or threats of war. If there had been, Adams would have been a formidable commander in chief. His calmness, rationality, analytic skills and administrative competence would have served his country well."

After leaving the White House, Adams served as Congressman from 1829-1848, a total of nine terms; here, he supported a national bank and a protective tariff.

Here in short is a remarkable and greatly underrated public servant building upon and exceeding in many respects the achievements of his father.

Louisa Catherine Adams, the First Lady played a very strong role in promoting her husband's career enduring his lengthy foreign travels and his White House aspirations. She hosted a party with over a thousand invitees honoring Andrew Jackson in advance of the historic 1824 election.

She endured a total of nine miscarriages!

JQA is to be remembered as an admired diplomat (perhaps the best ever), U.S Senator (1803-1808), Secretary of State, US President, Harvard Professor, orator, poet and scientist.

Here is a life of unmatched public service.

To be continued by the next biography. http://tinyurl.com/prusmf3

Notable Stories of 2014 that continue to resonate into 2015

1. DRONES ARE HERE TO STAY. They are being used more and more for military purposes such as pinpointing enemy targets with small missiles. In Yemen and Pakistan they have taken out purported terrorists. They are allowed for recreational purposes in the US so long as they fly below 400 feet. They are not allowed for commerce; this leaves out Amazon's grand plan to use them for delivering packages to out of the way places.
  Obama just updated our position on drone strikes with these comments made during his current trip to India. He said that our policy of drone strikes combined with governmental information sharing isn't a perfect situation, but is the best approach in a bad situation. "The alternative would be us to play whack-amole every time there is terrorist action inside of any given country."
   DRONEGATE is now emerging with a two foot drone landing on the White House Lawn while the President and Michelle were in Saudi Arabia.

2. CHILDREN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST MALALA YOUSFAZI wins the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.  While defying a Taliban order forbidding female children's education (that is both teachers and students are banned), the then 14 year old has endured a serious shooting incident to her head as she was returning home from school. For more on this story see last years blog about her on Thirteen Top News Stories for 2013.

200 Nigerian girls are still missing 8 months later.

Associated Press

3. A COMPANION STORY TO THAT OF MALALA'S ACHIEVEMENT IS ONE PENNED BY CONNECTICUT WRITER SANDRA EAGLE: EDUCATION IS GREATEST THREAT TO TERRORISTS. This story is a must read. The Taliban has banked on depriving female children from getting an education and thus render them unable to "provide for their children." "In 2001, there were only 900.000 children in school in Afghanistan, and very few were girls. Today, more than 10.5 million children are in school in Afghanistan and 42% are girls." The goal of the GPE, the Global Partnership for Education, an international group of donors, is to get 29 million children into schools--in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as Afghanistan. Let these efforts be an initial antidote to the abduction and suffering of the 200 Nigerian girls captured and still held by the Boko Haram.

4. THE STAMFORD ADVOCATE TURNED 185 ON APRIL 8TH (ONCE CALLED THE STAMFORD INTELLIGENCER IN 1829). It closed down after a few months for lack of funds. It reopened as the Sentinel and has been publishing continuously since it first appeared on February 16, 1830.

5. THE HARTFORD COURANT TURNED 250 ON OCTOBER 29TH. IT IS THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY PUBLISHING NEWSPAPER IN THE UNITED STATES. On Oct. 29, 1764, Thomas Green, a printer, started a newspaper he named the Connecticut Courant; he published weekly and in 1837 the newspaper came out daily.

6. CONNECTICUT IS TO BE RECEIVING $12.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS TO FURTHER ITS PLAN TO PROVIDE UNIVERSAL PRE-SCHOOL. This great news follows my blog earlier this year that the Connecticut General Assembly established the Office of Early Childhood. This news represents a great start in jump starting early education, especially for children in low-income communities. By the way, in New York City, Pre-K applications this year are up 36%.

To be continued.... Go to Notable Biographies published in 2014:  http://tinyurl.com/nd6wuth