October 2, 2011

“Parsley. Wise Sage. Don’t Like Rosemary. Thyme Machine? ” I Still Hate NCAA. SINGULARITY SUMMIT UPDATE OCT 15,16. Beware Prudential Life. October 2, 2011

Filed under: November 2009 — Tags: by, Dashboard, physics, Powered, syracuse — earthood @ 1:03 pm

Before the NCAA talk: A song from the 60’s resonates within my soul. Whenever I want to feel lonely, confused and sad followed by a folk-lift of hope, I listen to Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Parsley Sage, Rosemary and Thyme;’ which is a restoration software pod sound of calvin’s soul. Notice I didn’t capitalize my name.

YouTube Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme

The song evokes dreams of by-gone days; studying organic chemistry in a smoke-filled second floor bedroom surveying disappearing streams of smoke, or enviously watching the student takeover at Columbia University and wishing I was part of Dr. King’s 50 mile march from Selma to Montgomery and being a spectator when Mickey Mantle hit the first indoor home run in the Houston Astrodome. Why do I want back so much? Sometimes I am back, time stuck at a long checkout before express line’s innovation of ten items or less. I was always too honest balancing 11 items in the regular line.

parsley

Elaine and Benjamin in back of bus.

I just saw a bus carrying Elaine and Benjamin down a deserted surreal street here in Southern California. Where have all the street people and cars with fins gone?

One of the carried items was a pound of parsley. What weighs more, falls faster; a pound of steel or parsley? I love the taste of parsley, dipped in Atlantic Ocean salt water; confused tastes of chlorophyll still refresh my breath instead of an aerosol spray or swig of Listerine bitters. Once upon a time, I was in Provincetown, Cape Cod with my elusive first butterfly.

A spider, the size of Woody’s Buick, appeared on my windshield. It was either me or Charlotte. I call all spiders ‘Charlotte’ since that movie. Imagine a world without a masculine arachnid? I had no offenses (hammer or insecticide) and knew I couldn’t drive around historical sand dunes with a tarantula stuck in my dashboard. Breath spray aerosol to the rescue. Two shots then Charlotte passed; an auto body shop removed remains with the Jaws of Life.

I’ve become a wild wise old sage. A few months ago, I met a flower older woman child at a Stone Pony rock concert. Eleven seconds passed then a hand-shake and I knew history; her life pain, lost love, disappointments and alcohol abuse; all on her face and in a raspy smoky phlegm voice. Resignation set in. Why wasn’t I a sage when Lyndon Johnson was trying to draft me or a next door neighbor was advising to get into plastics?

flower woman child

Two days ago, I opened up a large bag of flatbreads, flavored with rosemary. Hunger was no match for the bland emptiness of rosemary’s stale, stored in the attic flavor. Once I knew Rosemary; the same year ‘All in the Family’ came on the air. She loved Edith Bunker’s innocence; I loved hers’ and wonder what became of that loud exuberant ‘ding bat’ voice.

These days I think about thyme a bunch. I remember the movie, ‘The Time Machine,’ when H.G. Wells’ best friend Philby, from across the street, realized that H.G. was gone forever, but he still had all the time in the world. So if I’m going to make it to 150 years or as the Immortality Institute (see link below) believes, forever, then I’m just getting a head of steam. Meanwhile, this ballad by Simon and Garfunkel means a few other things. Rosemary symbolizes notions of remembrance going back to ancient Greeks. Thyme is really courage; at this stage of the life cycle to be embarking on a long writing journey is courageous. Sage symbolizes strength. I need parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme to keep writing. When I hit that wall, it’s always iTunes instead of a St. Bernard displaced from a Matterhorn gift shop.

Rosemary

NCAA( National Collegiate Athletic Association) is on my mind; not the last thing either. “Goodness gracious sakes alive,” I dislike the NCAA. The late iconic Coach John Wooden used that expression as his quintessential cussing expression. I’m not going to make this a long boring diatribe but folks ought to know some basics. The NCAA presides over college sports. I don’t know who presides over them; bespectacled fat cats with the best deal in town; good seats at NCAA finals and ridiculously bloated salaries. As athletic departments struggled to weather economic downturn, the National Collegiate Athletic Association spent nearly $6 million to compensate 14 of its highest-ranking executives, according to public federal tax documents.

Myles Brand

The highest-paid of those officials was the late Myles Brand, the former NCAA president who died of cancer while still in office. Mr. Brand received $1,145,880 in total compensation for the fiscal year ending August 2009. The sum included $770,739 in salary and more than $200,000 in bonuses and incentive compensation, as well as other pay and benefits. Other highly paid executives were Thomas W. Jernstedt, the former executive vice president who left after 38 years( I wonder if his thinking got stale and unimaginative after all those fat years) ($604,679); Bernard W. Franklin, executive vice president for membership and student-athlete affairs ($509,429). Got the picture? Hey, I’ll preside for a flat $100,000. I don’t like the bunch because they look the other way too often; like when sleazy characters stand on the street corner and give rolls of money to young impressionable visiting high school senior football players to induce them to play for their (southern) university.

John Wooden

The whole world knows what’s going on. But it goes on and on while fat teams keep winning and branding their train trestle names. Give me liberty and a clean college football program (high APR/Academic Progress Rate). Maybe the kids (all athletes) should get paid; they give their bodies, mind and future health to perpetuate alumni dreams, local ego and of course the obese NCAA. Maybe if the kids got paid, the NCAA execs might earn less. I heard sports-writer Jason Whitlock use the term ‘plantation’ on a past edition of ‘Real Sports.’ Here’s my gripe; there’s corruption, politics and inconsistency all over the NCAA and it seems I’ve had a lapful lately.

I love college sports; the purity, body and flavor (an old Ballantine Beer Commercial). When I see ostensibly curiously refereed games in college sports, it upsets me, especially when the NCAA does nothing to keep their house clean.

A few years ago the Rutgers women’s basketball team played at Tennessee with legendary coach Pat Sumitt. ‘Somehow’ the Tennessee official game clock keeper illegally stopped the clock seconds before the end of game enabling enough time for Tennessee to beat Rutgers. Here’s a YouTube of the sportscaster’s coverage of the last minute of the game. You can’t make this stuff up. Of course the NCAA does nothing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwYcfFvn-uY

If you read my blog you know that the basketball game in March, 2011 between Rutgers men’s basketball team and St. John’s in Madison Square Garden Big East tournament had to be fixed (see March 11th, April 1st and April 23rd blog) against Rutgers winning, as all three referees failed to make five egregious calls against St. Johns and then walked off the court with nearly two seconds left which was enough time for Rutgers to win. The NCAA rewarded the refs by giving assignment games in mid-west tournaments.

You can’t make this stuff up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZEbe3Q2ps

Now, finally Toledo plays Syracuse in football on Saturday September 24 in Syracuse. Near the end of game, Syracuse kicks an extra-point and misses wide left. The whole world sees it, even my friends in a deli in Moscow, Russia. But the refs call the kick good and it’s confirmed by upstairs review. Then it comes out. The officials made a huge “mistake.” The Big East (NCAA) once again culpable. There’s Shakespearean Denmark all over the place; Toledo University officials demand they be awarded the victory because Toledo would’ve had a 30-29 lead at the end of regulation time. Game over. Toledo wins. But Syracuse wins 33-30 in overtime. Gosh, give me a piece of that payoff. I’ll quietly buy a beach house on the island of Tortola in the Caribbean and won’t bother the NCAA anymore. The good old NCAA folks plunder, blunder and reap the winds of war. The NCAA is a horribly corrupt archaic field of dreams.

Oh here’s the Toledo-Syracuse video from YouTube and Toledo News coverage article link. You can’t make this stuff up.

http://www.toledoblade.com/UT/2011/09/26/UT-asks-for-loss-to-be-overturned-2.html

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2011-09-26/toledo-asks-to-be-credited-with-victory-after-referee-error

Now, perhaps, as the sun sets over water logged fields of vegetables, grains, sunflowers and a red mountain where I once climbed barefoot, my blog readers can understand why I hate the NCAA; I went to Toledo for two years before transferring to Rutgers for four years.

me sedona barefoot

Mornings are filled with ‘Today’ and ‘Good Morning America.’ The movie ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ captivates me each and every time; a couple of lines make me smile( I think you can guess one of them; “more dire need.”) and almost wished I was jungle-bound, listening live to Adrian Cronauer. Robin Williams’ tour-de force performance resonates like ‘Parsley Sage.’ On Monday morning September 26, a banner on the TV told me the N.J. Board of Public Utilities was conducting a hearing in Manalapan on Jersey Central Power and Light’s (JCPL) performance response (lack) to Hurricane Irene.

NJ Bd of Public Utilities Hearing 9-26-11

Overcome with sense of civic pride and feline curiosity (I’ve never been to a public hearing with politicians and irate citizens), I decided to attend, armed with camera and notes. For three hours, I listened to mayors, Congressman’s aide, assembly folks, and scores of irate citizens ALL complain about the lack of communication and preparedness by JCPL. Board President Solomon made it perfectly clear, like Richard Nixon used to, that they could only listen and not discuss courses of action against JCPL. Personally, I’d love to see other companies come in and bid for the contract; somehow I think JCPL might care a bit more. One joker from Old Bridge claimed JCPL was perfect; he had no problems with communication and information. Someone yelled out, “A company plant.” Here’s what I came away with. There were two suited men sitting to the right of the stage. I assume JCPL representatives. One man, around 50, chewed gum for three hours and smirked the whole time, took no notes and sent a clear message; that he and JCPL just don’t care; people need power; are they going to call ‘Ghostbusters.’ What happened to power to the people?

JCPL’ s message is a perfect segue to Prudential Insurance Company’s message to me that they don’t care either. What is it with big companies not caring? Not recalling products in a timely fashion. Or putting too much salt in the processed food they sell. Nearing thirty years as a policy holder, Prudential jumped as quickly as they could, to lapse a life policy even though their agents and managers (even way below used car salesmen and amoebas on the food chain) committed documented malpractice. So beware of the crumbling rock.

Band playing 'Pennsylvania Polka'

Now it’s Sunday morning. Saturday was rewarding. Rutgers beat Syracuse in double overtime. Of course I take issue with the referees and NCAA. Enough. Last night, I drifted back in time which I love to do, spending time in Highlands, New Jersey at an Octoberfest; my first one. So check this out; as we walk in under a light drizzle, a small band with a Norman Rockwell tuba player was playing “Pennsylvania Polka,” right out of ‘Groundhog Day.’

YouTube Groundhog Day Pennsylvania Polka:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kTWwJ9NQbY

I was home, where I belong, in the middle of America. I looked all around; in the distance, boats were dry docked, New York glistened, a sign for $4 beer and potato pancakes beckoned, a few children scampered towards a swing and sliding board and I loved being a cub reporter. Hemingway started out as a cub reporter. I started out writing a novel. Go figure. I feel better now. A bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon added. And maybe later, I’ll close my eyes and see Phil Connors (Bill Murray) from ‘Groundhog Day.’ He was a reporter of sorts. I’ve been drifting around a bit writing this blog. I do feel better now; wiser and older. And I don’t think I’ll have to listen to ‘Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme’ this day.

UPDATE ON SINGULARITY SUMMIT. NEW YORK CITY OCTOBER 15TH 16TH:

Singularity Summit Explores Ground-Breaking Technologies, Features IBM’s Watson’s Computer and Record-Breaking Jeopardy! Winner

What is the future of artificial intelligence?

IBM Computer Watson — Jeopardy Champion

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 20, 2011

Over 700 scientists, engineers, businesspeople, and technologists for this year’s Singularity Summit – the world’s leading conference on emerging technologies. The event will be held October 15 & 16 at 92Y in New York.

The Summit will explore “big picture” questions such as the direction of the global economy, philosophy of mind, and the ethics of technological development. Twenty-five speakers will present including two professors of robotics, financial experts, a co-founder of Skype, a pioneer in regenerative medicine, scientists from the MIT Media Lab, a longevity expert, economist Tyler Cowen, cosmologist Max Tegmark, neuroscientist Christof Koch, and venture capitalist Peter Thiel.

The recent victory of IBM’s Watson supercomputer on the game show Jeopardy! will be the central theme of discussion, with a keynote by Jeopardy contestant and 74-time winner Ken Jennings.

Jennings surprised audiences around the world in 2004 when he won 74 continuous Jeopardy! matches, winning over $2,500,000 on a six-month streak. In February, Jennings went up against Watson in on a special exhibition match of Jeopardy!, and lost. In his keynote at Singularity Summit, Jennings will recount his experience on Jeopardy! and what it felt like to lose to a machine on the game show he otherwise dominated.

Ray Kurzweil, futurist and inventor, will be speak on the implications of the Watson victory. Dan Cerutti, who manages the commercialization of Watson at IBM, will speak on applying Watson to fields besides Jeopardy!, such as medicine. Stephen Wolfram, a pioneer in artificial intelligence, will speak on computation and the future of humanity.

Contact Information:

website:

http://vichywater.net/

Facebook: Cal Schwartz

Twitter: Earthood

book trailer. hey its 65 seconds long

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Immortality Institute (which represents advocacy and research for unlimited lifespan)

http://www.imminst.org/

August 2011. Guest on Alicia Cramer Show (podcast) “Thin Healthy Happy” :
http://wausauhypnotherapy.podbean.com/2011/08/02/calvin-barry-schwartz-interview-on-living-life/

ARE you in search of another blog that is also outspoken, unique BUT
unbridled which means uninhibited ???? Meet LINDA CHORNEY:
http://lindachorney.wordpress.com/

Comments (3)

September 23, 2011

Troy Davis. Caryl Chessman. Diabetes Update(Living to 150). A Freehold,NJ Civil War Encampment. Tennis: Althea Gibson. Train Whistles. Big East College Conference. September 23, 2011

Filed under: November 2009 — Tags: Article, by, idealism, philosophy, Powered — earthood @ 5:54 pm

Troy Davis

Troy Davis. Earlier tonight, I was playing indoor doubles tennis; I hit a blistering passing forehand winner down the middle of the court (if only John McEnroe could’ve seen it). For two seconds, before the next serve, I gloated; it really felt good after the shot; my doubles partner pointed at me; no more high fives (has that gone the way of the vestigial tail?) Thinking back to my formative years, growing up in Newark, no one played tennis; it was football, baseball, basketball and soccer (to accommodate a large European post-war immigration). Curiously, I followed some tennis back in the mid-fifties.

Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson was a hero of mine; overcoming great odds to become the first African-American to be a competitor on the world scene and the first to win a Grand Slam Title in 1956; the year before, my beloved Brooklyn Dodgers won their first World Series with Jackie Robinson; She was sometimes called the ‘Jackie Robinson’ of tennis. I wrote about her hero status in my first novel. Decades go by: I’m married, move to suburbia, have a son and twenty-two years ago, a friend down the block asked me to play tennis to kill time. I’ve been playing obsessively ever since. Seventeen years ago, I even flew to Boca Raton,Florida and enrolled in the Evert/Segusso/Bassett tennis clinic in the middle of the summer; much too hot for normal people to be on a tennis court so there were only two people in the clinic. I had the head instructor all to myself for two days. Part of the clinic was filming my footwork, net play and strokes. On the second day’s end, we viewed the video; the instructor seriously suggested I give-up the game even as I explained the physiology of my tennis; brain patterns doing the wrong thing for years and I can’t change patterns in two days.

Bogart and Dooley Wilson in Rick's Cafe Americain, 'Casablanca'

After winning the first set tonight, I heard a train whistle in the distance; one of the saddest droning sounds you could ever hear. A circus came to town; when dissembled, the clowns, elephants, lions and this mustached man, who swallowed a sword, hopped on a train and disappeared for another lonely year. A woman with long hair tucked neatly under a hat, ran alongside a Pennsylvania Railroad troop train, trying to catch a last glimpse of her husband bound for glory and the war in Europe from which he’d never return; fading blowing whistle finally made her stop running. My mother is near the sound. Humphrey Bogart (Rick Blaine) stood on train steps, hoping Ilsa might still come before he wound up in Casablanca; his raincoat was suddenly dry after pouring rain as the whistle closed the scene and faded to next when earlier he said, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”

Troop Train

YouTube link to a train whistle if you dare:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvanhCQ9jho&feature=related

I missed a few easy balls at the net and I realized why; pre-occupation as the train whistle made me distantly sad and reminded again of last night’s execution of Troy Davis in Georgia. It’s not within the providential confines of this blog to even begin to tackle the myriad of capital punishment issues and history but it’s my blog; my thoughts become molecular energy and escape into the universe, looking like fireflies on a hot August night.

Firefly

Back in the fifties, before learning about environment and the sanctified integrity of life, including insects, we used to collect fireflies in jars, almost like an Olympics event(who can catch the most in five minutes), but we’d release the glowing anomalies back to free nature. If there’s the slightest doubt about innocence, then you don’t take a life. Last week I signed a petition to that effect.

In 1960, I was fifteen, emotional, idealistic, growing like a strange weed from the vacant lot at the end of the block, and fortunately only suffered from acne for six months while held up in an attic with bed, radio and view of Newark Airport. Then our black and white television told us about a convicted rapist in California sentenced to death twice. While on death row for 12 years (gas chamber) Caryl Chessman wrote several books (‘Cell 2455 Death Row’ in 1954) and pleaded for his rehabilitated life. Of course I didn’t understand all the legal jazz, but I remember crying the night they killed him and I’m blogging about it 51 years later, so it impacts me, even now. A few years ago at the University of Michigan, I went to a lecture on equal justice and learned that it’s better to be rich and guilty then poor and innocent in America.

In May 2001, a professional basketball player was convicted of attempted rape (same crime as Chessman) and punishment was a suspended sentence with 15 days house arrest (The NBA suspended him five games) and then he proceeded to sign a $30 million contract. I wonder why there’s amnesia about Chessman. What happened to his unpublished writings? It’s funny/curious how people forget things; back then, there was no Miranda or Fourth Amendment rights against search and seizures. How many white doves will attempt to fly the Atlantic before Troy Davis is forgotten? Why do I get the feeling Chessman was coerced into a confession and when later, he recanted, but it was too late as California hung a capital punishment (gas death) on him based on a now discarded kidnapping statute. And California didn’t want to listen to anything; they just wanted expediency; get him out of the way. Chessman reminded me of Lenny Bruce; both defended themselves and pissed off judge, jury and warden. Chessman did argue he was innocent of the crimes charged and perhaps more proof of that was contained in his last writings which California made disappear. He pissed everybody off; reminds me of the ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’ and once again California’s escutcheon and Georgia’s can’t be far behind. And the Columbia River rolls on and there’s been no capital punishment in California since Chessman. I just opened my office window; humidity, rain and déjà-vu are in the heavy wind swaying the vertical blinds justice.

Me with Union soldiers with Civil War cannon

self explanatory me.

Changing directions: Last Saturday I went to my first Civil War encampment, strangely, ten minutes away from my place of residence and on the grounds of the Monmouth County Historical Society and Museum. For mood effect, it was a perfect cloudy Saturday. Out front, I met a Rhode Island company of Union soldiers guarding a cannon. Out back, with tents, a fire simmering a pot of stew, a few young soldiers with muskets, a man caning a chair; I gravitated to a bearded guitar playing soldier singing a folk song, ‘Nancy Whiskey,’ which I recognized and knew it was written close to 1850; everything around me was timely and accurate.

me and young Union soldiers from New York and my red hat is Rutgers Univ. founded 1766 in keeping with the era.

Union Army folksinger

Suddenly I was back in 1862; the power of several extended blinks. ‘Somewhere in Time’ I felt Civil War emotion, looking around at the encampment, imagining what and where I would’ve been any particular day in September, 1862. I asked this New York regiment’s soldiers about their group and how many were lost as the war dragged on. Losses were heavy (some through desertions). I went back to the singer and drifted to Gettysburg and back to Freehold when I noticed a late model wire fence in the background and found three newly minted pennies in my jeans pocket and I was harshly thrust back to September, 2011. Time for the museum and Civil War exhibits: I found the glue which held and took me back to 1862 again. Fixation with a letter by William Burroughs Ross, a young solider whose life was cut short at 21 years; he wrote this letter to his Mother:

“Dear Mother:

I have been in some high society lately down here. Colonel Hall, Lt. Woodward, Alliston and myself went to Frederick and called on a Miss Cooper, whose father is a General in the Union Army. I took my guitar along. There were several ladies present and we had a glorious time singing, playing and dancing.”

It’s like the letter could’ve been written by my son at summer camp, coincidentally located a few miles from Frederick (Maryland). Of course my son is living in Brooklyn now. Meanwhile 6 million kids’ ages 25 to 34 are back living with their parents again; numbers are up 25% since the economic downturn. But New Jersey still has the second highest per capita income. Back to the museum: perhaps the most revealing and should I say humorous letter, taking a shot at politics with Democrats and Republicans even back in 1862. How things never change. In describing Republican President Abraham Lincoln, after a presidential visit to the troops, this Union soldier wrote, “his unmitigated ugliness is a democratic misrepresentation.”

Letter Re: President Lincoln

Upstairs in the museum I was shown a porcelain collection, some from China, because it was perceived back in the 1860’s that China did it better and cheaper. Again, some things don’t change. I wonder about humans not changing in a few hundred years. I wonder if we’ll ever change when it comes to environmental issues. I remember the biblical Tower of Babel and compare it today’s Tower of Babble(I call it the UN).

If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know I’m a champion of living to 150 years and also avoiding diabetes. All four of my grandparents had diabetes and I’ve been living with a genetic gun to my forehead and pancreas for a long time. I read a lot and come up with notions how not to get the dreaded disease; so far so good after six decades; exercise and more exercise; a fountain of youth. People with diabetes may be twice as likely to develop memory problems and dementia as they age, including Alzheimer’s disease a recent study shows. This risk also appears to be heightened among people with pre-diabetes — people who are on the verge of developing diabetes. Exactly how diabetes and dementia are linked is not fully understood. But the new findings add to growing evidence that what is good for our hearts may also be good for our brains. Finally, researchers have shown they can reverse the aging process for human adult stem cells, which are responsible for helping old or damaged tissues regenerate. The findings could lead to medical treatments that may repair a host of ailments that occur because of tissue damage as people age. So this is good news for living to 150 years.

In my March 11th, April 1st and April 23rd blog, I kind of ‘attacked’ the NCAA and the Big East conference commissioner for allowing, what I perceived, the Rutgers-St. Johns Big East basketball tournament game to be fixed near the end of the game, so that St. Johns could play Syracuse the next day; the match-up was better financially? Events of the last few days brings enormous pressure on the Big East commissioner as Syracuse and Pittsburgh are abandoning the conference, heading to the ACC. My view of the world: a little poetic justice falling in the lap of Mr. Commisioner who, it seemed to me, participated or looked the other way in this tragic stealing a victory away from Rutgers and that Syracuse may’ve now helped pull back the Nerf bow and arrow aimed at this very inept conference commissioner. I want to say there is justice. But there really isn’t. A conference lay in disarray. Oh, I didn’t know this but the Big East rejected admitting Penn State years ago because they were bad in basketball.

Perhaps an innocent man, Troy Davis was executed in the name of expediency. California helped us forget Caryl Chessman. A few hours ago was the last episode of ‘All My Children.’ My first wife made me watch it back in 1970; perhaps that’s why she was a first wife. Strange (foreign) writing has appeared on the bodies of Southwest airlines jets and is especially noticeable when things are heated up; of course I wonder how the writer breached airport security to do that. Movie maker Kevin Smith was kicked off a Southwest Airlines plane in 2010 for being too fat. Kevin may be making a reality TV show based on his comic store in Red Bank, N.J., ‘Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash.’

Mindfully, I’ve been firing away here, trying to lose myself, still feeling sad, empty and confused about the State of Georgia taking a human life when so many were not sure. I suppose, instead of eating a pound of enriched chocolate chip cookies made with dark chocolate, I’d prefer to let streams of consciousness here soulfully sooth. Speaking of Georgia, I just became Facebook friends with a television reporter from Georgia, the Asian country, who’s covering current events for Georgia television in New York City(UN meetings). She asked if I would ever like to talk to her about ‘Americana’ stuff. Suddenly it’s autumn today and I’m thinking about American capital punishment again. Tomorrow is definitely another day; the Big East plays football and I’m ready to talk on camera.

Caryl Chessman and his attorney.

Contact Information:

website: http://vichywater.net

Facebook: Cal Schwartz

Twitter: Earthood

book trailer. hey its 65 seconds long

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Immortality Institute (which represents advocacy and research for unlimited lifespan)

http://www.imminst.org/

August 2011. Guest on Alicia Cramer Show (podcast) “Thin Healthy Happy” :
http://wausauhypnotherapy.podbean.com/2011/08/02/calvin-barry-schwartz-interview-on-living-life/

ARE you in search of another blog that is also outspoken, unique BUT
unbridled which means uninhibited ???? Meet LINDA CHORNEY:
http://lindachorney.wordpress.com/

Comments (3)

September 17, 2011

Schrodingers’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (a heavy entry)(Mendacity). Swimming Hole. Belmar Pro Surfing Championships. Sponge Bob??? Living to 150 years. Equal Justice Initiative. David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards. Saturday September 17, 2011

Filed under: November 2009 — Tags: Article, by, Dashboard, philosophy, Powered — earthood @ 12:40 am

Mendacity. A lot to say on a strange Friday afternoon; actually it’s been one of the heavier emotional days of my earthly stage run. Where do I begin; let me count the ways; which means, let streams of consciousness take over the depression of the computer key board. You know what? I’m free at last. It seems there is no power in my soul to bridge the gap of communicating understanding; it’s one of those blood versus thick water deals and I failed, but am taking half responsibility. Confusing so far? Let’s backtrack to the cat.

Erwin Schrodinger, in 1935, proposed a theoretical experiment in which a cat was put in a steel box along with a vial of hydrocyanic acid (with a tiny amount of a radioactive substance). If just one atom decayed during the test period, it would trigger a sequence in which a hammer would break the vial and kill the cat. As long as the box stayed closed, you wouldn’t know whether this had happened or not, so with quantum law and the superposition of states, the cat is BOTH alive and dead at one and the same time. When a measurement is made (look in the box); the superposition ceases to be and the cat is either alive or dead.

The paradox is that observation (measurement) affects outcome, so the outcome doesn’t exist until the measurement is made. I brought this cat up because it fits the stream of my thinking this afternoon.

Now to our cat sitting precariously on a hot tin roof; you bet (chocolate syrup?), I’m referring to the movie ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Burl Ives. Funny: they were supposed to film the movie in black and white but decided not to in order to take advantage of the popularity of Liz’s violet and Paul’s blue eyes.

Why bring the movie up? Big Daddy’s (Burl Ives) character seems to resonate more with me these days; perhaps because we’re basically the same age now; I caught up to him after watching it decades ago. I love Brick (Paul Newman) because he was the only one who never lied to Big Daddy and was disgusted with the complicated rules of social conduct in Southern society and culture; so am I. Mendacity has been swirling around my life since I learned what the word meant, studying for my college boards when I looked it up after I saw the movie. The older I get, like Brick; it seems I can’t have falsehood in my life anymore. Part is expected idealism of the human spirit. Part also is sharing the same womb with a view. Idealism once made me not to talk to a room-mate fraternity brother for seven months because I believed fraternalism was real and when I was let down, I withdrew. It is a burden to pretend. Sometimes I think I’d like to find a cabin in Montana, hang out, grow bananas and apples in the backyard and live final days (like Big Daddy) in a mendacity free environment. By the way, I mentioned examples of white fruit because eating it daily may drastically cut down odds of suffering a stroke. Now the cat is off the roof; I’m saddened, heart broken, disbelieving that thick water is now flowing through my veins. Maybe I’ll knock on the big greed doors at Emerald City and find that rascally Wizard? This blog is always carefully edited. One more elusive thought which may shine a dim light: Not in the past eight years could I find even a sentence of moral support, as I’ve become a writer, from two people who are supposed to be close. So that makes me nothing and them too. And the burden of pretending they care is just too heavy; therefore they must become less than nothing in my life. La De Dah. There I’ve done it. I sound like Taylor in the last scene of ‘Planet of the Apes.’ “I’ve finally really done it.” Perhaps burden free thick water living is really the best for me.

Now to the swimming hole; there’ll be no more of that until next May or June or perhaps if global warming really gets a head of steam going, on some future February, we’ll be swimming outside here in central Jersey. 58% of tea party members say global warming doesn’t exist. Alas, the swimming hole is just a way to convey how my head is swimming around. No matter what ever I say, always remember my ultimate goal in life is getting to 150 years. Taking 40 supplements a day for 40 years is one way, my way. I do hang out in several health food stores; even have been elevated to VIP customer status. But I’m saddened to learn that only 7% of health food store employees give good advice, the rest (93%), perhaps were used car salesmen. Poor abused used car salesmen having to endure endless stereotypes. Once, a long time ago in that galaxy far away, I went to buy a new car. I told the salesman that I myself am a salesman and just give me the best price; please no games; I’m too intelligent. In a few minutes he got up and said, “Let me talk to the sales manager. See what we can do.” In a few minutes he came back and said, “Just for you, we’re going to give you this discounted price.” And I said, “Just for me? I just walked in off the street. No one knows me here. Why just for me? Goodbye.” And I left.

harrison ford. as indiana jones.

Now another digression; remember the Harrison Ford swordsmen scene in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’? (He takes a gun and shoots the Cairo swordsmen rather than engage him) As the story goes, Harrison was not feeling well, and just couldn’t draw out that scene more than another hour (instead of three days), so Harrison said to Spielberg, “Hey Pal…..” Here’s the link to the story and video.

harrison ford/steven spielberg video

More swimming; 366 million people world-wide have diabetes; every 7 seconds someone dies from it. 22% of children in Texas have no health insurance. In 2010, 7.6 million children world-wide died before they were five. In 1990, the number was 12 million. Two million children in Somalia are starving.

porsche design baby stroller.

Porsche (yes the car) has designed an elegant baby stroller that matches their lavish car. Edith Bunker used to say, “Isn’t that something, Archie?” Congress now has a 12% approval rating (lowest in history?) and there are 11.2 million undocumented immigrants and a 1 in 3 chance of another recession. Today has been a hard rain’s going to fall day and I’m running on emotional empty.

sponge bob. keeping college graduation rates down???

So what’s all this stuff about ‘Sponge Bob’? SAT average scores: Verbal 489. Math 514. Down 33 points since 1972. Funny: College graduation rates are down while ‘Sponge Bob’ viewing is up. Young children who watch fast-paced, fantastically wild television shows may become “handicapped” in their readiness for learning, according to psychologists who tested 4-year-old children immediately after they had watched nine minutes of the popular show “Sponge Bob Square Pants” and found that the ability to pay attention, follow rules, remember what they were told, solve problems, and moderate behavior had been severely compromised. Why? Too much extreme fantasy, schools are too boring or maybe teach video games in schools. There are more than 7.5 million Facebook users younger than 13 and more than 5 million are 10 or younger. I’m glad my son is over 25 and living in Brooklyn. Facebook hit 750 million world users and is valued at $100 billion. Ah, good ole intellectual property is alive and well.

I’ve been following the case of Troy Anthony Davis in a Georgia prison who is supposed to be executed next week despite the fact that seven of the nine witnesses have changed their story and no physical evidence links Davis to the crime. No one should be executed, especially if there are doubts about guilt. I’ve learned to ask, from a lecture I attended at the University of Michigan on equal justice initiatives; is it better to be rich and guilty in America rather than poor and innocent? If anyone is interested, here’s a link to a petition.

stop-the-execution-of?source=mo&id=31059-19471797-IlAXqJx

surfer mark from north carolina and me

David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards, a Delta blues artist (gosh am I loving blues more and more) just died at the age of 96. He toured almost to the time of his death. Remember living to 150? We’re getting there. Here’s a YouTube interview with David in Chicago a few years ago.

David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards interview and singing in Chicago a few years ago

What amazing precious talent.

This living to 150 year gig is all consuming. Part is think young and dive into life, stretching telomeres and playing tricks with DNA. So Thursday, I went down to Belmar,N.J.(the place of my dreamy jetty since I was ten years old) at 8:30 AM to catch the first heats of short board in the Belmar Pro Surfing Tournament (National scope). Surfing stereotypes are doing just fine (ripped folks with long blonde hair everywhere). I saw Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) sitting on the side listening to Van Halen.

Zion Balbuena and me at surfing tournament

Zion surfing on Thursday.

I actually had my IPod pumping in Beach Boys surfing sounds to get me in the spiritual surfing mood. Spicoli’s character was iconic from ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’. I love when he pounded his head with a sneaker. Since I’m a columnist for OUR TOWN, I do these things; found a surfer and asked if I could interview and photograph. I call him ‘Spicoli’, and he said, “I’m wasted, stoned and drunk. Sorry.” Soon I found this ebullient young surfer named Zion Balbuena from the Dominican Republic more than willing; he was one of the more impressive surfers. Hey Mah, look at me at a surfing tournament! I confessed to Zion, I lost my desire to surf over forty years ago. And I still can’t find it.

Now it’s Friday night and I’m emotionally drained. I don’t know why but I’m in a desert now; dunes and emptiness. It’s hot and unforgiving. Now I’m in Gloucester, Massachusetts at a bar. It’s 2 AM. The Juke-box is playing ‘Harbor Heart’ by Slim Chance and the Gamblers (really really great blues) (find them and listen on Reverbnation).

Slim Chance and the Gamblers

I’m shipping out in the morning; I keep promising it’s my last beer. Sure I’m worried; we keep going further out into the Atlantic; no fish around here anymore. So there’s a huge rogue satellite due to fall from the sky in next few days. The government won’t know where until two hours before; odds of me or you getting hit by that: 1/3200; bad odds. I’ve rambled around this blog tonight; it’s a profound sense of loss and failure. Thoughts just fire away. Bear with me. Now I see Scarlett sitting on the steps after Rhett left. “After all, tomorrow is another day.” And I think I’ll go to You Tube and listen to excerpts of the movie music. I’ll drift far away, not back to Tara, but to Newark,N.J. when those near and dear were still on this earth, and frankly my dear, I really do give a damn that I can’t get advice and consent anymore. Suddenly Saturday. Good night Gracie and reckless ostrich.

a foot up on my belmar jetty.

jeff spicoli. awesome.

Contact Information:

website: http://vichywater.net

Facebook: Cal Schwartz

Twitter: Earthood

book trailer. hey its 65 seconds long

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Immortality Institute (which represents advocacy and research for unlimited lifespan)

http://www.imminst.org/

August 2011. Guest on Alicia Cramer Show (podcast) “Thin Healthy Happy” :
http://wausauhypnotherapy.podbean.com/2011/08/02/calvin-barry-schwartz-interview-on-living-life/

ARE you in search of another blog that is also outspoken, unique BUT
unbridled which means uninhibited ???? Meet Linda Chorney:
http://lindachorney.wordpress.com/

Comments (2)

September 10, 2011

Somalia (East Africa) Famine and Western Monmouth County Boutique Food Markets (a long title). OUR TOWN/Barfly Newspaper. A Hero Comes to Town (John Dean): Dilemma? Living beyond 150 Years: IMMORTALITY INSTITUTE. A Riveting Documentary: “Rebirth” Saturday September 10, 2011

Filed under: November 2009 — Tags: Article, Dashboard, idealism, philosophy, Powered — earthood @ 12:59 am

Somalia: I’ve been blogging about it ‘subliminally’ the last month. No more subliminal. A few weeks ago we hit the beach at the Jersey Shore with an old Newark high school friend, wife and daughter. Friendship began during Eisenhower’s last year in office and wrapped up in September, 1963 when Michael went to Rutgers, New Brunswick(was it really called the ‘Berkeley’ of the east referencing Rutgers’ free speech movement involvement?) and I was sent to Toledo; thus began our drifting apart which lasted through 35 years and a few wars. At a Weequahic High School 35th reunion, we fittingly reunited and now share bonds of being Rutgers alumni (I made it to Rutgers, Newark in 1965). In April, 1963 my friend Michael mailed (without a stamp) a forged, concocted letter indicating I’ve been asked to represent America in a basketball tournament overseas. You can imagine my jubilation until my father pointed out the fabrication. Now we laugh about his practical joke.

corn shucks

On the beach under an increasingly cloudy sky, we invited Michael and family to dinner. Three hours before they arrived, I accompanied my wife to Wegman’s food market for supplies and ammunition (wine). Once a year, I make it into that store as I’m not from the shoppers and care little about food, preparation, presentation or origins. When I stopped eating red meat in 1975, I soon discovered that lettuce is lettuce and people are people; lettuce has the same taste on top of the 66th floor as in a basement cafeteria. Walking into the vastness of Wegman’s, I gasped while barely able to see to the other end of the store while millions across southern Somalia abandoned their homes looking for food. My wife said, “Just push the cart, stay close and don’t throw any impulse things in.” And a man carried his two children on his shoulders during their hundreds of miles trek eastward for food. When he realized they were dead, he stopped to bury them. Our first stop in what I call a boutique food market experience was produce.

Presentation is everything; there was even a display for shucking corn (shucks?) and fancy containers (garbage cans) for depositing silks and excesses. Fruits and vegetables as far as myopic eyes could see; some varieties actually looked GM (genetically modified, not the car company) or props from the movie, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids;’ huge succulent fruits and vegetables.

Grocery stores take in $470 billion a year. Wegman’s carries 70,000 items as compared to the industry average of 40,000. The number of Somali children with severe acute malnutrition was 170,000. Droughts in Somalia used to occur once a decade; now every two years. Climate change? While Somalia has a famine producing drought,New Jersey has been socked by the rainiest August in history and the lines of food buyers at Wegman’s in preparation for impending storms have been as bad as the gas shortage lines of 1973. I had a Volkswagen back then and had the temerity to attempt illegal siphoning and caught a gaseous mouthful because I didn’t know what I was doing. Somalia has a war going on which complicates food deliveries. A little boy in a shopping cart was fighting with his mother in front of me. Two bags of bite size branded chocolate candies were adeptly swiped off a shelf while cart was in slow motion and another bag fell to the floor; the woman picked it up yelling, exposing a flowery tattoo. That was enough for me; I walked down the vitamin aisles. Living to 150 years, I’m always looking for better mouse-trap organic anti-oxidants. Meanwhile, my wife called me on the cell phone to find out where I was.

me doing a real keg stand. gold medal?

Western famine aid agencies are fearful because of unrest and fortify themselves near the airport where relief food is flown in. Three weeks after the UN declared a famine (and several flights of food arriving daily) food had yet to make it out of the airport (Mogadishu) to a refugee camp 300 feet away. When supermarket check-out food lines are long, a loud-speaker calls for more cashiers up front. Dinner with Michael and family was sumptuous; they left after 1 AM. At 2 AM tossing and turning, I came downstairs to my computer and read more about Somalia. I don’t know. I don’t know. There, I said it twice and I feel strangely helplessly empty.

My wrists hurt; rope burns? Google just announced they are buying Zagat’s restaurant review, which services millions of readers and reviewers who love to talk about their favorite restaurants. Google wants to be closer to us. While I’m on a foodie roll here in Western Monmouth County; ‘Whole Foods’ is coming to town near Wegman’s and rumor has it that ‘Trader Joe’s,’ another upscale food store is also thinking about coming here; people love to eat and spend middle-class money. A ‘Costco’ just opened a month ago near me with humongous industrial sized packages of food. Word on the street, how successful they’ve been, spread like a wildfire, so perhaps ‘Trader Joes’ wants a piece of our food fight pie. The WFP (World Food Programme) tweeted back in August that their airlifts will bring enough high-energy biscuits to Eastern Africa to feed 1.6 million people. They later clarified the tweet; the 1.6 million people would be fed for just one day and that airlifts were not to Mogadishu. A few of my friends were ecstatic about ‘Trader Joe’s.’ I think they tweeted their followers with this news that’s not really fit to tweet. I just rubbed a soothing balm on my wrists.

Kutsher's Hotel in Catskills

This just in, keeping with ‘food theme’ of the last paragraph; ‘Kutsher’s Tribeca’ is a new restaurant, opening soon in Tribeca, New York City, taking its name and heritage from Kutsher’s Hotel in the Catskill Mountains. A hotel son, Zach Kutsher got the idea to bring it to life. Expect matzoh crusted chicken and other traditional modernized foods.

The blog title says OUR TOWN/Barfly newspapers. I should formally acknowledge that I’ve become a columnist for a new dynamic Monmouth County newspaper; my beat; music, theatre, jetties, culture, art, film, eclectic people and happenings throughout the county. Funny thing forum wise: I’ve been partaking all along. The Barfly section features local bar/music/sports-viewing scene. Another funny thing; in the past, I’ve referred to my youthful accomplishments/milestones relevant to the ingestion of beer in Olympic style events; keg stands and beer pong. A picture of me keg-standing is herewith included. It should also be stated that these undertakings are strictly for the purposes of bonding with the millennial generation (younger than springtime and letters x, y and z?); all part of a grandiose picture and favorite pursuit; living to 150 years (you have to believe); ergo do young things.

Who said, “You have to believe”? Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) said those words in 1985 ‘Fright Night;’ an enjoyable horror fantasy that my son and I watch all the time; part of my keeping up and young. They just remade that movie. We’re not talking about 1939 ‘Wuthering Heights’ being remade. ‘Fright Night’ is 25 years old. Hollywood can’t come up with originality; maybe budget constraints. Speaking of budgets, enough states are turning to expanded casino gambling for added tax revenue. Governor Cuomo in New York is looking at non-Indian casinos; same thing in Chicago. Now back to the 150 year future.

Roger Bacon 13th century

This 150 year gig has been a regular feature of this blog from inception. As a sophomore back at Rutgers, I decided not to age traditionally. So what is written here is practiced. A long time ago (13th century) the English philosopher Roger Bacon wrote that aging is caused by the progressive loss of vital spirit. To extend life span, he advised old men to spend time in the company of young women. He was right about aging and the loss of vital spirit. Biologists at USC discovered major declines in the availability of an enzyme, known as the Lon protease, as human cells grow older. The finding may help explain why humans lose energy with age and could point medicine toward new diets or pharmaceuticals to slow the aging process.

A few weeks ago, after careful research, I joined the Immortality Institute (which represents advocacy and research for unlimited lifespans)

Please explore their website: http://www.imminst.org/

There’s a brave new world out there. A few weeks ago I went to a lecture with Ray Kurzweil, futurist, genius and Dr. Michio Kaku, astro-physicist, genius and an array of intellects. Bottom line: If we can make it the next fifteen years intact, then with knowledge (and computer chip’s power) dramatically increasing, we’ll really be able to get to 150 years with quality of life and abundant tennis court time. Maybe grow a new liver or heart when you need it (in an hour?) Thing is, you have to begin understanding prospects and realities; start fighting for your right to live to 150 years and way beyond.

On the wing. Still scares me. From the Twilight Zone.

And I’m not Rod Serling or some strange dude sitting on the wing of an airplane. Jump into the Immortality Institute, jump off a sofa or easy chair and open mind. In 2005 Kurzweil published ‘The Singularity is Near’ where he writes that in the not too distant future, the human brain may be uploaded to a computer. Jumping around a bit more, there’s some buzz about lemons (citrus) not liking cancer. More cancer info( if no cancer, 150 looks better): Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists have successfully disrupted function of a cancer gene involved in forming most human tumors by tampering with the gene’s “on” switch and growth, rather than targeting the gene itself. The results, from multiple myeloma cells, offer a hopeful strategy for treating not only myeloma but other cancer types driven by the gene MYC. But who decides who shall live?

On Wednesday night I went to a Long Branch business networking party to support ‘Kick Cancer Overboard.’ Got a chance to meet a bright, effusive, energetic young man running for Monmouth County,N.J. Freeholder (Bill Shea).

Monmouth County Freeholder Candidate Bill Shea and me.

I love youthful exuberance, idealism, sincerity and beginnings of a new promising political career. And I never look at red or blue just content of character. In a couple of months John Dean is coming to Rutgers University to talk. Here’s my John Dean dilemma story. In the waning months of my first marriage, in an attempt to save it, we took a few weeks off and hit three capes on vacation; Cod, May and Hatteras.

The summer of 1973: John Dean is testifying in the Watergate Hearings while we’re inCape Cod. Heavy rain all week so I stayed in the motel room glued, watching Dean’s power of total recall (telling Nixon “that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed the president himself would be killed by it.”) The mind of Dean fascinated me; so did Watergate; and so did Nixon telling America he wasn’t a crook. And my marriage was washing away as I absorbed John Dean and wife Maureen sitting right behind him (a show of support that I never got). My marriage ended when “the leaves that are green turn to brown” (from a great Simon and Garfunkel song) )see below for YouTube link to song)

All these years I’ve wanted to tell John Dean that he’s a hero of mine. Ben Bradlee was my hero too; (‘All The President’s Men’) Editor of The Washington Post. I got to tell Bradlee my hero stuff a few years ago. When John Dean appears, the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team play Boston College at the same time. I don’t miss many Rutgers teams playing; a palpable dilemma. “We’ll see,” my mother used to say as a deflection.

John Dean testifying, I watched in Cape Cod for a week.

Ben Bradlee(former editor of Washington Post) my hero. and me.

Last night I went to a preview showing of the documentary “Rebirth,” at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, N.J.

(For more information: http://projectrebirth.org/

The film, wondrously directed by Jim Whitaker, documents the lives of five people impacted by the events of 9-11 from 2002 to 2009. It’ll be on Showtime. I was riveted and for a rarified time in the life, I hardly moved for the entire full feature length; my knees frozen imbedded into the soft fabric of a rare empty seat in front(my cuticles reddened). I just spoke to my son living in Brooklyn and suggested he come home for the 9-11 remembrance weekend. He said, “Dad, I have to live.” He’s right. I’m kind of blitzed right now; Somalia. 9-11. Think now I need to pour a little borscht (that red beet Russian soup still popular in Europe).

Borscht

Streams of consciousness move me. A reckless ostrich is in my garage, scratching on the kitchen door, wanting to come in from the cold. I hear Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor cracking jokes; they make me laugh. I need that. Laughter is the best medicine but it doesn’t take reality away. Strange: this morning while playing doubles tennis in a local park, I heard bagpipes. And it was hard to play after that. I missed a few balls, staring at blue sky; the exact same sky as a decade ago. I always blog about sitting on my Belmar, N.J. jetty, watching ships head to Kilimanjaro. Now, suddenly, I wish all those ships were heading to Mogadishu, Somalia. I’ll keep wishing that while rubbing more anesthetic balm on my wrists.

Richard Pryor. How he made me laugh. and laugh.

Contact Information:

website: http://vichywater.net

Facebook: Cal Schwartz

Twitter: Earthood

Book Trailer 65 seconds long

Leaves That Are Green (Simon and Garfunkel): You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZid4klb9OU

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Immortality Institute (which represents advocacy and research for unlimited lifespan) http://www.imminst.org/

August 2011. Guest on Alicia Cramer Show (podcast) “Thin Healthy Happy” :
http://wausauhypnotherapy.podbean.com/2011/08/02/calvin-barry-schwartz-interview-on-living-life/

ARE you in search of another blog that is also outspoken, unique BUT
unbridled which means uninhibited ???? Meet Linda Chorney:
http://lindachorney.wordpress.com/

Comments (3)

August 31, 2011

Eye Rene, Eye Dream of Hurricane. More Living to 150 years. Gloria Steinem. Climate Change. Jersey Music, Tomatoes and Cranberries. College memories. Thursday September 1, 2011

Filed under: November 2009 — Tags: a, extractions, mighty, mouse, prevent — earthood @ 11:29 pm

Gloria Steinem

From my earliest recollections, I’ve been infatuated with a hurricane, going back to when they were named after women exclusively. Last week I was glued and immobile watching an incredible documentary on HBO, “Gloria, In Her Own Words;’ an incisive insight into the remarkable career and life of Gloria Steinem. Much to be said, huge amounts of prop praise for her courage and vision; just the facts about her can be found all over our world; no need for duplicity here. But I would like to see her around until at least 100 years old; she wants that too. Kind of a heavy thought: we’re quite evolved, but always find ways to subjugate specie differences; gender, religious, color; that kind of stuff.

A white dove, again, flying into a calmer ocean, (without a hurricane) but not finding places to rest, worries about the human species; environmental degradation, Somalia, climate change, bigger hurricanes, Mid-east unrest, and county fair patrons in Iowa who eat deep fried butter on a stick(60 gm of fat, duh). And my cousin Stuart, near Dallas, experienced 44 days in a row over 100 degrees and his Texas governor says no to global warming. Hey, I call it as I see it: New Jersey’s governor Christie, a few months back, spent a day with climatologists and environmentalists to learn about global warming. Failing to fall into the trap of taking a political swipe or two at the Texas governor who denies global warming, leaving me in a state of frustrated disbelief, I shall not seek nor will I say anything else. “What’s the difference?”

Back to hurricanes; I do love to digress, regress, egress and progress; that’s why I jump around in this blog. Hey, ‘Saturday Night Live’ is starting its 37th season. And I miss John Belushi, John Candy and Chris Farley. A strange reaction to Belushi’s passing: I was really angry at him for denying us his gifted talent.

John Belushi in Animal House

Hurricane Irene a few hours after leaving Belmar NJ beach

My love affair to remember with hurricanes began in 1954 on this very day. Hurricane Carol hit New Jersey with powerful winds. My younger sister was born just about now, then. Mother Nature’s windy symphony in thrashing trees around, breaking branches and creating piles of leaves intrigued me. Since then, I’ve wanted to experience storms first hand. So I just did to an extent.

But Hurricane Irene beat me up and wore me down these last days; prior to her arrival, I watched hours of weather message boards to see which prognosticator said the most wind for Monmouth County; that person I liked and followed. A few said 90 mile per hour winds. I liked that big time wind forecast but then it gently hit me, people could really get hurt and lose property so I felt better as the storm would weaken; winds wimped down to the 60 mph range.

Power of hurricanes at Belmar beach NJ

Company came Friday night as portions of New York City and Long Island were under mandatory evacuation. My sister-in-law and journalist niece arrived along with Rufus; I swear a human dog who communicates with the best of them. My son also showed up; told to leave Brooklyn(subways stopped running on Saturday; fear of flooding) By Friday night, Asian food leftovers on counter, we played Mexican dominoes until wee hours, talking and laughing. Nary a cell phone was used. Confession: I pretend talking on a cell phone (and really proficient) when I’m not in the mood to communicate with other human species. And I’m not alone. 13% of cell phone users do that.

Saturday night electricity was gone; winds and rain intensified. Preparedness meant flashlights and candles. We played on; it was tough making out colored dots on game tiles. Later my Ipod eased me to sleep instead of CNN. Sunday morning: a flooded basement and no sump pump; no power and no hot water. But we talked; our group of five adults; about everything. As the storm eased, I looked for a reason to believe; I needed to get to my jetty at the ocean and witness last gasps from Irene.

Rufus. somewhat human.

Shark River jetty 4 hours after irene. there was a morning after.

The sun came out; the back side of the storm wind was ferocious. I sat on my jetty and wondered about the protons, neutrons and electrons which make me up; then I wondered about the glue holding me together; about quarks, elementary particles and constituent of matter; then Higgs boson particle, which has never been seen. Gosh, I’m far from a physicist but I still wondered, sitting on my jetty with no ships heading to Kilimanjaro, what holds me together. Higgs has been called God’s particle; that missing link which may explain. I think all the time about the Universe in easy to understand terms; there’s something out there.

Hurricane ocean waves were towering, thrashing and almost caught me off guard; my sneakers escaped white with foamy water. Sunday night it all fell apart; no electricity, no treated air, no CNN, no cold yogurt, no hot water and suddenly the room was dizzy spinning and carbon monoxide alerts were sounding. A few minutes later, the fire chief, an ambulance, police, fire engine and the gas company arrived at my dark world. Life’s first oxygen took place for me; I declined transport to a hospital. Dizziness and spinning is still a mystery. Enough of my travails; no more hurricane interest for me or weather message boards; I love electricity, dry basements and cold yogurt as nature intended or did she? Tropical Storm Katia just formed in the Atlantic near Africa and I don’t care; a newscaster snuck that in before I could mute.

Wisconsin Governor Scott 'king' Walker

A couple more thoughts on climate change which I think means global warming. Take this governor of Texas (for some reason, I refuse to mention his name, although in past blogs, I took plenty of pot shots at Wisconsin’s Governor Scott (‘King’) Walker who may face a recall for monstrous ineptitude and who’s seen several of his party’s elected officials already recalled), I don’t want to take the Texas Governor. (Henny Youngman shtick) Oh, for more information on Scott Walker’s recall go to: http://www.recallscottwalker.com/

But if there’s no climate change and global warming why this:?

The tiny South American nation of Suriname recently joined its neighbor Guyana in creating an agency dedicated to dealing with climate change. Suriname, the continent’s smallest country, is a low-lying nation on the northern coast of South America. A majority of the population live at the coast. More importantly, Suriname counts itself as one of the five nations already most vulnerable to effects of climate change. And I do remember hearing about a Massachusetts sewage treatment plant near Boston moving to higher ground now in preparation. For a few weeks, 40 years from now, I’ll be worth a fortune as I’ll finally have beach front property. (I live 16 miles inland from the Atlantic)

a cranberry bog

In November l959, just days before Thanksgiving, the Secretary of HEW set off a national food panic when he announced that domestic cranberry products were “contaminated” with a weed-killer called aminotriazole which is a chemical that in huge doses; equivalent to eating 15,000 pounds of cranberries every day for several years was found to cause cancer in laboratory rodents. As a result of the federal warning, schools discarded cranberry products, restaurants changed menus, supermarkets suspended sales and millions of Americans had Thanksgiving dinner without cranberry sauce. To this day I’m still haunted by that; haunting means still tentatively eating cranberries. And my home state, tiny New Jersey is third in cranberry production behind Wisconsin and Massachusetts. And New Jersey is in the top eight tomato producing states. Jersey pride guy am I. But Jersey music is uniquely special and this summer I’ve discovered many venues, performers, types of music; part of my new gig writing for OURTOWN/Barfly newspapers.

Stormin Norman Seldin, me and Ronnie Brandt at their gig 2 days before irene. amazing music.

A few days before Hurricane Bitch (Irene) (see how fast I’m turning), I went to see/hear Stormin Norman Seldin and Ronnie Brandt gig in Monmouth Beach; simply amazing music. I pinch myself up to five times when I’m at these gigs. Point being; there’s so much out there to take in; here (Jersey) there and everywhere. And thanks to the spirit and Higgs particles created by Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi and so many others, Jersey percolates and I grow and stick like glue.

(xalkori $115,000/yr to live.)

Living to 150 years: here’s the deal if middle and beyond age groups make it the next 15 years, we’re there; technology- wow. Biologists at USC discovered major declines in the availability of an enzyme, known as the Lon protease, as human cells grow older. The finding may help explain why humans lose energy with age and could point medicine toward new diets or pharmaceuticals to slow the aging process. That’s good stuff. I love this: Xalkori is a new targeted therapy drug by Pfizer that really works well in 5% of lung cancer cases usually involving non-smokers. The drug messes with a specific protein on the cancer surface and sometimes within days it could wipe out an entire tumor. (it’s not a cure and very expensive; $115,000 per year). This cost thing makes me think (usually on a jetty). As cures arrive, and cost cutting is rampant, well then, who shall live and who shall die? Scary thinking, I think.

You Tube video of Seinfeld /Kramer ‘Junior Mints’

And to this day I still worry about eating ‘Junior Mints’ since Seinfeld’s Kramer dropped one into the open incision of an operating room patient being viewed by a class. Oh, even 15 minutes a day of exercise can lower the risk of dying and give you three more years of global warming and climate change to live through.

me 4 hours after hurricane on the beach.

There was more to blog about but truthfully, my head is still spinning, I’ve got the munchies; I didn’t smoke anything. But I did find out it’s all the hypothalamus’ fault that folks get the munchies. I just winced, winding down this blog entry: 48 years ago on Saturday, I arrived on college campus to begin life education for real. How many times these last decades have I clenched my fists; I want back those six years (I prolonged my education to avoid travel to distant lands and jungles). Life is funny sort of: I spend the equivalent of 14 weeks a year on Rutgers campus now absorbing, attending, listening, beer ponging, cheering and learning. So I think I can un-clench my fists, for I’ve got the best of all worlds and I never have to open a blue book again. Once I threw a blue book (looking back, a crowning moment) in the face of my German professor for flunking me for wrong reasons. It felt good and so did summer school in 1965. The music was particularly great that year; folk, protestation, civil rights and British invasion. ‘The Temptations’ hit number one with ‘My Girl.’

Temptations sing ‘My Girl’ number one in 1965

I went ‘downtown ‘Toledo with Petula Clark and got jumped by townies. ‘As Tears Go By’ is fitting to wind down. Damn, I’m clenching again. If I had a child heading to college, I’d walk around the block several times and exhort my child to absorb every precious moment, sometimes with determined clenched fists. Ah, I’ve got Rutgers Football kickoff tonight and a full plate of autumnal activities, Jersey tomatoes, bag of dried cranberries, notions of 150 years, oceans and jetties, working electricity and water heaters and cold yogurt; so I’m grateful. Someone told me recently to frequently express gratitude to the universe. I do. Why wait for Thanksgiving, just around the corner.

CONTACT INFORMATION

website: http://vichywater.net (vichywater bottle)

Facebook: Cal Schwartz

Twitter: Earthood

book trailer video( 65 seconds):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj2ko9gcC_M

GOOD LINKS:

August 2011. Guest on Alicia Cramer Show (podcast) “Thin Healthy Happy” :
http://wausauhypnotherapy.podbean.com/2011/08/02/calvin-barry-schwartz-interview-on-living-life/

Are you in search of another blog that is also outspoken, unique but
unbridled which means uninhibited ???? Meet Linda Chorney:
http://lindachorney.wordpress.com/

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October 2, 2011

“Parsley. Wise Sage. Don’t Like Rosemary. Thyme Machine? ” I Still Hate NCAA. SINGULARITY SUMMIT UPDATE OCT 15,16. Beware Prudential Life. October 2, 2011

Singularity Summit Explores Ground-Breaking Technologies, Features IBM’s Watson’s Computer and Record-Breaking Jeopardy! Winner

What is the future of artificial intelligence?

September 23, 2011

Troy Davis. Caryl Chessman. Diabetes Update(Living to 150). A Freehold,NJ Civil War Encampment. Tennis: Althea Gibson. Train Whistles. Big East College Conference. September 23, 2011

September 17, 2011

Schrodingers’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (a heavy entry)(Mendacity). Swimming Hole. Belmar Pro Surfing Championships. Sponge Bob??? Living to 150 years. Equal Justice Initiative. David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards. Saturday September 17, 2011

September 10, 2011

Somalia (East Africa) Famine and Western Monmouth County Boutique Food Markets (a long title). OUR TOWN/Barfly Newspaper. A Hero Comes to Town (John Dean): Dilemma? Living beyond 150 Years: IMMORTALITY INSTITUTE. A Riveting Documentary: “Rebirth” Saturday September 10, 2011

August 31, 2011

Eye Rene, Eye Dream of Hurricane. More Living to 150 years. Gloria Steinem. Climate Change. Jersey Music, Tomatoes and Cranberries. College memories. Thursday September 1, 2011