Perpetual Motion

 It was 1971, and an effort was underway to raise awareness of, and fund relief for, refugees from Pakistan, following the Bangladesh Liberation war-related genocide.

 

The brainchild of former Beatle, George Harrison, and sitarist Ravi Shankar, this endeavor would become to be known as the Concert for Bangladesh.  Its idea was to gather a variety of musical artists to perform in front of an audience for a fee to be used for charity.

 

August 1, 1971 was the date of this concert which sold seats for $10, while general admission was $2.50 – a kingly sum in the early 1970’s – when gasoline sold for 33¢ per gallon, and minimum wage was $1.60 per hour.

 

Two shows were performed by numerous big-name musical artists for 40,000 attendees.  The gate was $250,000.  But soon thereafter, the Concert for Bangladesh album was released, as was a film by the same name; millions of dollars were made off those additional products adding substantially to the total of monies raised.

 

This effort was so successful that it inspired later concerts: Live Aid, and Farm Aid.  Live Aid proceeds were earmarked for an Ethiopian famine, while Farm Aid earnings were to help suffering small American farmers.

 

And, as recently as 2001, the Concert for New York City was held a month following the infamous 9/11 terrorist attacks that same year.

 

The common theme in all these fund raisers is pretty simple.  Organizers gather people with talent to perform for cash that eventually goes to helping specific suffering groups of people.

 

Disasters such as massive fires, flooding, hurricane and tornado devastation, as well as earthquakes, all inspire others to help in desperate times and dire situations.

 

Until today, music TV stations and radio conglomerates rerun the above-mentioned concerts for historic and continued fund-raising efforts.

 

Being personally unsure as to both the beginning and the end of when an event turns into a disaster, I’m writing this from a viewpoint of compassion.  And what does this have to do with continued fund raising?

 

Fifty-one years later, the pressed LPs turned into CDs, and the movie has been transformed into DVDs, all still collecting monies that hopefully wind-up going to the Concert for Bangladesh.

 

This decidedly noble effort should be heeded today inasmuch as tough times have been plaguing not only Americans, but many other countries around the world.

 

When tragedies occur invariably seemingly everyone with a guitar or piano finds inspiration to write a song.

 

Following the death of Princess Diana, Elton John re-wrote his song Candle in the Wind, to honor this beloved icon.  Countless songs played on the radio after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, without rest, too.

 

There are plenty of hungry, poor, homeless, and ill people who, after an international pandemic, now find themselves in bad situations unable to find shelter or feed their families.

 

Although today’s minimum wage hovers around $15 per hour, gasoline has jumped to between $4 and $7 per gallon, while intentionally created inflation is peaking at 40-year highs, all in an effort to ‘alter the weather’ via climate change.

 

Hurricane Katrina devastated portions of Louisiana in 2005.  Causing over 1,800 deaths, and more than $125,000,000,000, in damage, Katrina’s aftermath is still being felt today.

 

Florida recently took the brunt of mega Hurricane Ian.  Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, also felt some of Ian’s wrath, although to a lesser extent. Nonetheless, entire towns and counties have been leveled to resemble warzones, replete with large loss of life; property damage is still being estimated due to the massive swath Ian cut.

 

Hurricane warning flags

The obvious question is “Where are the concerts, legitimate fundraisers, and charitable efforts to assist with these catastrophes in the United States?”

 

No one – to the best of my knowledge – is writing songs, performing concerts, or extending helping hands to the victims of these ill-timed disasters that affected literally millions of fellow Americans.

 

It seems as though time has arrived to forget child-like ambitions to be able to control and alter the weather, at the expense of newly homeless and destitute.  At this moment in 2022, we must help one another as fellow citizens and neighbors, rather than act like spoiled, deserving brats.

 

Let’s put some of these fund-raisers and acts of kindness to work helping the needy – currently in Florida – instead of merely stroking already over sized egos.

Forget the Grapes

 
Here’s another timely story that deserves a reprint for a touch of nostalgia, along with a hardy chuckle.  Please enjoy it and return next week for a brand new essay.  Thanks for reading!

 

 

A recent shopping adventure made me smile – behind my mask, of course – because of all the Christmas trees, bins full of wrapping paper, and toys.  This prominent display of holiday retail revelry got me to think: Wow!  We’re just two weeks away from Halloween.

 

Indeed, Halloween is approaching and will likely arrive before Thanksgiving and Christmas, unless Congress, who changed the time, declares otherwise.  They have the power and ultimate last word in everything else so, why not?

 

Oddly enough, this evident calendar faux pas presented another great law of unintended consequences – lots more candy is suddenly available, and in spades!

 

While perusing the confectionary aisle I recalled days of yore when times were different, and I once again mustered a masked smile.

 

Years ago, one never knew how many trick-or-treaters would stop by to raid the candy bowl, or if they would even show up to beg or threaten for goodies.  After all, America is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, finding themselves in need of a respite.

 

Some years seemingly countless rug rats would envelop the street in a mob-like scenario dressed in a varying array of costumes ranging from the latest television characters and movie heroes, to the old standby hobos and witches.

 

Of course, there were some disguises that appeared professional while others seemed to reflect a last-minute, poorly executed attempt at candy pillaging.

 

Not to be left out, a few late stragglers sporting 4-day beard growths and smoking Marlboros invariably would show up in a weak effort to snag some free stuff.  Unfortunately, those tired ploys rarely worked on me.  Get a job, I say.

 

It was during some social awareness campaigns that the number of trick-or-treaters dramatically dwindled, though.  Parents fearing for their children’s safety kept many of the masquerading kids home, on some occasions, while other years introduced community gatherings that were controlled and managed by neighborhood parents and housing organizations.

 

These feel-good efforts resulted in fewer kids marching from house-to-house-to-house to bang on doors demanding extorted goods by yelling, “Trick-or-treat.”  And it usually worked. Except for the stingy neighbors, that is.

 

Yes, you know who you are.  That is why your house is annually subjected to a good toilet papering or a thorough egging.  But you asked for it.

 

Unfortunately, those safety-concerned awareness campaigns not only kept the kids off the streets and away from front porches, but they also created a supply and demand imbalance, resulting in people buying less goodies for next year’s Halloween go-around.

 

Because of the season change and waning daylight, wee children and pre-K tots normally made their rounds early – just after Mom and Dad returned home from work, about five PM.

 

Some kids were carried, others were dragged around by their hands, and some arrived sleeping in their strollers.  But all were adorable and deserved a prize.

 

We’ve had bumble bees, elephants, princesses, clowns, science fiction characters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and soldiers darken our doorway.  Firemen, nurses, policemen, chefs, and politicians also stopped by to join the All Hallows Eve fun.

 

But it was the early comers that scored tens on the give-away scale.  After a few consecutive years of slacking visitors, we cut back on the candy and opted for something healthier and more appealing to my sainted wife and me.

 

Our modified giveaways consisted of pre-packaged pretzels and cheese crackers.  Once again, because we wanted fewer leftovers, we bought less.  And that was when the panic began.

 

Our pretzel and cracker bags were purchased in boxes of 48; we bought 2 boxes.  That was the year we received 122 ghoulish trick-or-treaters.

 

It was at this moment that I recalled my own trick-or-treat adventures back in the 1950's and 1960’s.  Then, the elderly neighborhood widows passed out homemade popcorn balls, caramel apples, and candied apples; labor intensive, but made with love.

 

It was when their supplies dwindled, they began passing out wooden pencils, loose change, and individual cough drops, all in the spirit of the moment.

 

Not to disappoint due to lack of preparedness, we contemplated passing out “thoughtful” treats along those lines and eventually resorted to turning off the lights in lieu of handing out sugar packets, cat treats, a handful of grapes, ice cubes, or Post-it Notes.  I think that was a wise choice.  And notation made for next Halloween.

 

On the other hand, a roll of toilet paper, paper towels, gas cards, or hand sanitizer might just appear overly generous and thoughtful in today’s climate.

 

In any case, Happy Halloween!

 

Mesmerized

 Once upon a time, late night television consisted of smart, funny, and clever hosts.  Those shows filled a void in the 1950’s and, in 1962, a new irreverent host named Johnny Carson, began his 30-year run as the gold standard of nighttime comedy.

 

Since there were only three national channels at that time, Carson had little in the way of competition, unlike today.

 

Running Monday through Friday, immediately following the local 11:00 PM news, Carson paraded familiar as well as not-so-well-known guests across his stage to offer a brief opportunity for national exposure.  And it worked well.

 

Singers, musicians, comedians, and authors, all graced The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson bringing entertainment to the average American household.  Unfortunately, The Tonight Show of yore was on much too late for a youngster, such as me, to watch with any regularity.

 

To make matters worse, home video recorders were not available precluding anyone with a “normal” job with “regular” work hours, from enjoying the ruckus world of genuine TV amusement.  The only occasions I was able to tune-in was on school-free eves, and those were rare, indeed.

 

But I recall watching at least on episode on which a hypnotist appeared.  And I was agog.

 

Seeing similar skits wrapped into Saturday morning cartoons, I watched the ‘toons pull a pocket watch from their non-existent pocket.  An exaggerated arc was created by the watch’s fob swinging to engage another cartoon character who became mesmerized in a matter of cartoon seconds.

Tool of the hypnotism trade

 

From there, a spell-like trance was imposed creating a comical furtherance of the cartoon.

 

It was the The Tonight Show guest, though, that brought funny imagination to life, so to speak.

 

Much like the aforementioned cartoon humor, a living, breathing humorist with a pocket watch enters Carson’s stage during the one of very few nights I was watching.

 

As I recall, a brief explanation of the hypnosis procedure was given to the audience, followed by supposedly clueless participants.  Several people who were the hypnosis recipients (I’m pretty sure there’s an actual word to describe them, but I’m too lazy to search for it,) were given explicit instructions by the hypnotist.

 

The presumed gold, chained watch – remember that most of these shows were in black and white – was then swung to garner the attention of the first subject.  One-by-one, these televised Guinea Pigs were summarily put under a psychological spell to begin the fun.

 

With one person being told to believe he was a chicken, the newly-designated 160-pound chicken started clucking while strutting about the stage.  Another participant was instructed to imagine themself as a dog; the barking and sniffing began almost instantaneously.

 

A third person was also temporarily transformed into something which I can’t remember, likely due to my incessant laughing along with The Tonight Show audience.  Eventually, the hypnotist, as per earlier instructions, snapped his fingers to bring the willing participants back to reality, to everyone’s pleasure.

 

In any case, it was acts and appearances such as this that helped shape today’s television lineup, for better or worse; you can decide.

 

It’s right about now when the Democrats are taking a page from The Tonight Show playbook with their lead up to the November 2022 elections.

 

For the past six-years, Dems have been telling people that former President Trump was a Russian spy, a racist, a homophobe, a misogynist, and all-around bigot, and have recently expanded that list to an incompetent public health leader, as well as leader of an insurrection, all without merit.

 

Democrats would have you believe gas prices are in a good place, the economy is strong, employment is robust, abortions are in demand by 98% of Americans, and everyone wants to drive an electric vehicle.

 

They’re wrong.

 

But just as Carson’s hypnotist did the Democrats are desperately continuing their barrage of half-lies and total lies in an attempt to deceive Americans that they are not to believe their eyes or ears when it comes to the utter failings of their hare-brained policies and ideas.

 

This crush to alter reality will continue at last until the upcoming elections.  But don’t be fooled.  This is their way to “keep things fair.”

 

Sure it is.

 

Random Thoughts 10

 Good news and bad news: We now have gasoline selling at $4.85/gallon, our planet is only nine-years from extinction, and General Mark Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are demanding our military troops conduct nicer wars. 

 

That means it’s time for more Random Thoughts.  Please enjoy them.

 

 

• Are those stupid hidden, secret singer shows still on television?
• Why do people continue wearing N-95 masks?
  
• With all this recession and inflation, the Biden Administration is raising taxes
• Can’t anyone else see that Putin is trying to draw the US into a war?
• Russians have been funding environmental problems for decades.  Who knew?
• Doesn’t Joe Biden’s wife know her husband is inept?
• Let’s save Iran the trouble and just give them a nuclear weapon
• Katanji Brown Jackson can’t describe a woman; her poor daughter, alas
• Now we’re supposed to expect food shortages from Biden?
• Vice President Kommie La Harris is a true gift
• Jake Sullivan must’ve gotten his job as the token white guy, by default.  He’s not very good at it
• Why does anyone except the condemned care if capital punishment hurts?
• So, the Left hates Elon Musk, the savior of the environment, because he’s rich
• Does Jen Psaki, aka: Colonel Rosa Klebb, expect her nose to grow if she tells the truth?
• Prepare yourself for more COVID restrictions come election time
• Mayor Pete’s over his twin birthing; now he expects us to buy electric vehicles
• Is Colin Kaepernick still begging to get back into the racist, slave-like NFL?
• I wish my nextdoor neighbor, The Skipper, was blessed with tact and manners
• Why is it important to teach 5-year olds about sex?
• AOC wants me to pay for her college education.  She should sue her college for a refund for making her dumber
• Does anyone realize men can get breast cancer, too?
• By the way, is Mayor Pete still lactating from his twin birthing?
• Can Dr. Jill Biden write me a prescription for Cyclobenzaprine?
• Smokey the Cat is too quiet; he’s up to no good
• Why not encourage “Pro Choicers” to have more abortions; it won’t be long before their sick cult vanishes from society
• Who did Neil Young sleep with to get his record contracts?
• Thank God Tiger Woods is playing golf again.  Just kidding
• The Dept. of Justice wants to prosecute “insurrectionists.”  What about prosecuting protestors who antagonize Supreme Court Justices?
• Is my new electric vehicle going to be charged by wind, the sun, or fossil fuels?
• How long before ALL children need therapy to reverse CRT, transsexualism, and hate for America?
• Why is no one upset the U.S. Government lied to us about UFOs? 
• Is Adam Schiff still not taking his meds?
• Maxine Waters looks really good for being 137-years old
• Fox broadcast needs a show about mimes; that’s the one last thing that annoys me more than Madonna and Bette Midler
• God bless Donald Trump
• Why is it dangerous and illegal to put a tube in a car tire?  Every NASCAR vehicle has tubes in their tires and they travel at 200+MPH
• An alleged January 6^th “insurrection” is terrifying because unauthorized GOP constituents roamed about the Capitol; is Stephen Colbert going to be guilty?
• Gravity seems to be President Brandon’s worst enemy – he just fell off his bicycle
• According to the White House high inflation is the fault of Americans
• CNN is apparently grabbing the water in which they are drowning in ratings
• Under Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, airplanes cannot land in rain.  Huh?
• It seems as though the only people angry about the Saudi LIV Golf Series are the ones who are too stupid to accept the money
• Karine Jean-Pierre is the perfect replacement for Jen “Circle-Back” Psaki; “inept” is the word
• What sport is swimmer Lea Thomas going to participate in now that he/she lost?
• When you mow your lawn, please don’t blow the grass into the street; it’s not as attractive as you think
• If your eye hurts while drinking coffee, take the spoon out of the cup
• Who convinced Cassidy Hutchinson to be a useful idiot?
• So, Janet Yellen wants a global minimum corporate tax rate, as the first female U.S. Treasury Secretary?  She may very well be the last, too
• I wish someone would send me a photo of a “LatinX”

 

 

That’s all I have for this iteration of Random Thoughts.  Thanks for visiting, and please return next week for more ‘free range’ opinions.