MAKING LIGHT OF EBOLA

Two nurses got infected even though they had protective equipment, an NBC camera man got infected and now two doctors who returned from the Ebola affected zones got infected.  A nurse from Spain who returned from West Africa got infected in Spain, and in a panic even her beloved dog was destroyed.  And now nightmare of nightmares the last one to contract the virus was a doctor who rode the subways, played bowling and went about his business completely happy and undisturbed.  But listen public, do not panic and don't worry be happy; that seems to be the singsong they are feeding us.  "Don't worry be happy."  Really?  In a dense, overpopulated city like New York?  In those subways where all the time now we ride like sardines from dawn to dusk?  Tell that to the unfortunate cab driver who took the doctor to his destination.  Tell that to the hapless, innocent people who rode the subways with the doctor.  Tell that to the dry cleaning man who must be terrified.  Tell that to the waiter or waitress that served him in a restaurant.  Yet no matter what happens or how many more people fall victim to this often deadly, terrifying disease, we are told not to worry, that it can only be contacted through bodily fluids.  Really?  The truth is that we don't know everything and we are a reactive government rather than a preventive government.  If doctors without borders want to risk their lives caring for those unfortunate souls in West Africa, they should be quarantined upon returning to America and come back in special, private planes, the rest of the population there should not be allowed in this country till Ebola is eradicated and there is a vaccine.  That would be the logical, self protective, life saving thing to do; but  no, we're sitting ducks here with no protection whatsoever.  Taking the temperature of people arriving in America is a joke.  How South Africa who banned all flights from West Africa must be laughing at us now.  They haven't had one case yet because they have made sure that they wouldn't.  . But we're full of ridiculous excuses such as "They will only find a different way to get here."  Really?  How does South Africa control that?  The hard truth is that we don't want to instill measures that will work, period, end of conversation.  We're too busy worrying about others to care about our own population, to say nothing of our economy.  But listen people, "Don't worry be happy."  The world is going to hell, with ISIS, with home grown terrorism, with different groups of terrorists competing for attention and everything else, but we should continue plugging along.  And that phony stock market should continue rising because the feds left everyone else without a penny of interest permanently so there is nowhere else to go if you happen to have a little money saved.  Yet out of all those threats, Ebola is by far now, the deadliest of them all. But nothing is going to be done about it so once again, "Don't worry be happy."

Farewell to Lauren Bacall

I think this is how most people will remember her.  Her haughty, insolent beauty and gravel voice had a unique presence and authority and also exhibited a keen intelligence and fortitude that served her very well throughout her life.  She enjoyed success, passionate romances and marriages, and a rather nice long life.  That also makes her a very lucky lady.  My favorite movie of her is still "How to Marry a Millionaire," because I think her character Schatze was in many ways similar to her own character in real life.  I think she was a brainy, strong, passionate and determined beauty who commanded respect and always got what she wanted.  Have a good journey Lauren.  I saw you in person in Applause and you were terrific.

HOMAGE TO A FALLEN HERO

After having been previously captured and held for six weeks in Libya, he knew, oh so well, the risks he was taking, yet his love of journalism was such, it compelled him to go back to the most dangerous places in the world, and this time it was Syria.  And after the horrible images posted everywhere by the monsters who assassinated him,we all know what his tragic fate ultimately was.  We know how he was singled out and for special torment daily for two years.  His courage and determination to stay true to himself, his faith in God and prayer brought out the sadism in his captors and they took turns torturing him.  This time he had encountered true evil and he lived with that knowledge every second of those last two years.  Did he regret his choices?  Did he wish daily for the nightmare to end?  Or knowing that regrets and lamentations were a waste of time and energy, did he retreat into a hidden corner of his soul that was left untouched by physical and emotional pain?  I think he did.  I think we saw that in that horrific video.  We saw a man unafraid, unbroken and ready to die.  This is his victory over evil and this is the lesson for all of us.  Let's not be haunted by what happened to him, let's learn from it as we encounter the storms and trials of our lives.

THE DAY THE LAUGHTER DIED - A SHOCKING ENDING TO A FABULOUS LIFE

Beyond the accolades, material compensations, adulation and recognition of his undeniable comedic genius, this was a man who suffered.  His tragic ending brings to mind the following poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson:

"Whenever Richard Cory went downtown,
We people on the pavement looked at him,
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked,
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good Morning," and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich - yes richer than a king -
And admirably schooled in every grace;
In fine we thought he was everything
To make us wish we were in his place

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

OPEN BORDERS AND DOWNRIGHT INVASION

The horrible influx of illegal immigrants seeking refuge and shelter in our country shows no signs of abating.  While we are a nation of humanitarians and we help the whole world, enough is enough and we can no longer afford this abuse, this incredible invasion to keep occurring, because that's exactly what it is, an invasion.  The country is broke, our national debt is staggering.  There are children here who need help and are not getting any resources.  Does Detroit and what's happening there ring a bell?  These people have to be sent back and the borders have to be protected, all the borders, that is, not just the Texas borders.  They can't just keep coming here because of the trouble they have in other countries, because pretty soon we're going to have the whole Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and entire Central America at our shores claiming political persecution.  And with that kind of mentality why not do away with passports, visas and paper work?  Let anyone fly, walk, swim and show up here with nothing, just the clothes on their backs, that would be the right thing and humane thing to do according to your views Mr. President.  And what's going to happen to us if they keep on coming?  I view a country like a home, and what would happen if your home was inundated with refuges all the time?  If people were just to knock on your door with their tale of woe?  Pretty soon you would not have a home, would you?  Well, that's what's happening in America today and for that I hold you responsible, and you can not dance around it by blaming Bush, Bush didn't create "The Dream Act," he didn't encourage everyone and their brother to come here, so this is entirely on your shoulders, Mr. President, so when are you going to take responsibility for it?  As a matter of fact when are you going to take responsibility for anything?  You won't even go to the border in Texas to see the nightmare you created.  You don't believe in photo ops you tell us.  Really?  Well, being on a permanent campaign mode and ignoring the scandals around you does not make a president...  Now you refuse to change the law to stem the flood of illegals, so pretty soon we'll have 100,000, 200,000 and billions more in this country.   Tell me, how are we going to support them?

WHY THE OUTRAGE MUST NOT END

Releasing these top Taliban terrorists in secrecy without a whisper to the Congress was a reckless move on the part of the administration and the country will be paying the consequences for a long time to come.  This was a gift from Allah to the Taliban and they have every right to be celebrating on the streets and shouting victory because they scored a huge gain.  I won't go into the details of the American soldier now because enough has been written about him and his situation is murky at best, but this will prove to be Mr. Obama's biggest mistake in a shaky administration that so far has not delivered any of the advantages it promised.  This goes beyond politics, beyond Democrats against Republicans, this is a matter of distinguishing right from wrong, recklessness versus caution.  If the American soldier with dubious beliefs and even more dubious moves was so precious and valuable, why didn't he just empty the whole Guantanamo jail in his exchange?  Perhaps he was worth all the prisoners in Guantanamo, don't you think?  Maybe releasing the most dangerous terrorists in the world wasn't enough.  People should turn to love of country and realize that we gave the Taliban ammunition to attack us again.  Comparing Israel's policy of exchanging 1,000 prisoners for one doesn't cut it Mr. President.  We're not Israel and Israel did not suffered the biggest attack ever, we did.  The absurd precautions that these five evil men will be watched is laughable.  They are free as birds right now and already plotting evil, because that's what they live for, breathe for and nothing or no country will deter them.  In self defense some of the democrats who approve of this incredible decision are saying that Mr. Bush released 1,000 prisoners, but didn't Mr. Obama rise to power by crucifying Bush and his policies?  Is Mr. Obama finding out just now, so late in the game and in the second term of his administration that it's a lot more complicated than he thought it was going to be?  At least Mr. Bush had full congress approval, he didn't act on his own, flaunting his executive powers like Mr. Obama, so with this astonishing decision he has actually made our beloved country more vulnerable and prone to attack.  Whatever happens now in the near future (because unfortunately I don't think it will take too long) will be on his shoulders and on his legacy.

Another sad goodbye to a great actor

Bob Hoskins died suddenly on April 29 and I can hardly believe it.  He was one of the cinema greats and he made it look so easy.  I discovered him in The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne and I fell in love with him right away, even though it was Maggie Smith's movie.  Nonetheless, in a rather thankless role as the duplicitous landlady's brother, Mr. Hoskins still shone and delivered a wonderful performance, imbuing his character with humanity even though we should despise him.   Through his great effortless art, we almost understood James Madden, after all, he wants to be  happy too and it might be for him, his last chance too.  How he goes about it is wrong, of course, but as a true artist, Mr. Hoskins couldn't help but touch us deeply in everything he did, no matter how small, insignificant or brief . Rest in peace Bob, we shall miss you.

Adios to Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One of the literary giants of the modern world passed away yesterday and left us with a great legacy.  Though his genius was unmistakable and I tried to read what's surely his masterpiece "One Hundred Years of Solitude," I couldn't get into it.  I found it too rich, too imaginative, too complex and confusing for my taste.  But I'm in the minority, millions bought his book and understood his message.  I wish I had been one of them.  But I'm saddened with his departure just the same, and more so because his last years were very painful.  Struck by cancer in the twilight of his life and later on by dementia, he suffered a lot.  His life though, was as complex, rich and fantastic as his book, the one he'll be remembered for, the one he often wished people would forget he wrote and learn to appreciate his other works.  They did, but somehow they always came back to that first book, "One Hundred Years of Solitude," and now that he's gone, that's the book they're talking about, sorry, Gabriel.

THE JENNY HATCH ORDEAL AND TRIUMPH

I read the people magazine article on Jenny Hatch with a lot of interest because I'm also the parent of a young woman like Jenny, a trajectory that's fully explored in one of my books "A Different Journey."  Children and adults with Down Syndrome test your mettle from the moment they are born but they also give you a full, rewarding and meaningful life.  Dealing with their disability from the moment they are born (whether they are high functioning or low functioning) is hard and it requires grit, determination and a big heart.  That said, Jenny is a lucky young woman in that she falls among the very few people with this condition who are extremely high functioning or even borderline, so I take exemption with the grandmother for attributing Jenny's level of intelligence to the care she received during childhood.  My daughter falls in the range of the majority of adults with this condition which is moderate retardation, and I killed myself since she was a baby trying to make her like Jenny.  There was nobody in the world who received more love, attention, devotion and instruction than my daughter but I couldn't change her range.  She understands everything you tell her but her speech is limited and she could never do what Jenny did in a hundred years.  If I had put her in an institution like Jenny's mother did because she became inconvenient as an adult, she could have never fought for her rights, freedom and dignity like Jenny Hatch did.  She would simply die of a broken heart.  Adults with this condition are just like everyone else, some are born more intelligent than others but that doesn't change the fact that they all need love, affection and understanding throughout their lives, no matter how low functioning or high functioning they are.  Jenny's mother put her in an institution and turned her back on her so nothing the grandmother can say now in defense of her daughter can ever obliterate that fact.

LADIES TO REMEMBER

Deborah Kerr, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, were perhaps the most elegant and refined women of the twentieth century.  They exhibited both class, beauty and glamour, so sadly missing in today's society.  Marilyn, was of course the most famous and sexiest of them all, but she was never vulgar.  Brigitte Bardot, Kim Novak, Sophia Loren, Romy Schneider and Gina Lollobrigida were both beautiful, elegant and sexy, they didn't have to compromise good taste and femininity to shine.  They were simply gorgeous women who left an indelible memory.  Women like Miley Cyrus and her obscene, grotesque moves make us long for the past, when ladies were indeed ladies.  Don't you agree?