This blog is about two quotations and the dancing of Ginger Rogers. I hope you will see the connection between these two things by the end.
The first quotation occurred during my freshman year of college, several decades ago. At that time a US Senator from the State of South Dakota, Karl E. Mundt, was coming to address the Young Republicans at my college. For some reason, I was briefly a Republican in those days before switching to the Democrats. I think his visit had something to do with my change of heart. After the meeting, we were asked by the state chairman to assist at a nearby dinner meeting of Republicans, who were coming to hear the same distinguished visitor. I agreed to join the other students and had a good time at my first ever large scale political rally, but was shocked to hear Sen. Mundt claim that JFK was solely responsible as president for the country's economic problems. After his speech I was so outraged that I sought him out backstage and voiced my objection. I said it was wrong to blame the president, as if he controlled the economy by fiat, and that as a former teacher and economic specialist himself that he knew better and shouldn't mislead people this way. Mundt looked around to make sure no one was listening to us and then leaned forward and quietly said the following : When I was first running for office, a veteran politician told me that the most important thing was to get yourself elected. If you couldn't do that, nothing else you believed in or wanted to do would matter, so don't worry too much about what you say. That was the end of my conversation with Sen. Mundt, who served in the US Senate from 1948 to 1973. I never forgot his words. They guide me now whenever I hear politicians speak, particularly when they make campaign promises. Mitt Romney may or may not make a good president, but nearly everyone-- Democrat or Republican-- and maybe even himself privately, would agree that he sure takes that advice to heart.
The second quote comes from a member of my extended family, who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons but might not actually mind being quoted by name. Unlike Senator Mundt, this family member is one of the few Republicans in our family (I think) and sincerely believes what I am going to tell you. At a recent family gathering, after discussing current adverse economic conditions in the country and the millions of ordinary Americans who require help desperately, this otherwise quite nice and very religious person said the following : My question is-- How much of MY money do I get to keep? Spoken like a true Republican and TEA (taxed enough already) Party supporter. He was totally unsympathetic to the plight of his less fortunate fellow Americans. The only thing that mattered was his earnings after taxes. I wouldn't look forward to higher taxes either, but this total rejection of any thought to the concept of being in the same boat together was as shocking to me as what Sen. Mundt had said many years before. I'm sure he'd change his tune in a minute if he were the one suffering !
This brings me to Ginger Rogers, the great Fred Astaire's dance partner. I sure wish I could dance like Fred Astaire. I rarely watch "Dancing With the Stars" on TV but I am endlessly mesmerized watching Fred Astaire dance in old movies. I thought he had no equal until I heard some commentator say the following about Ginger Rogers: "She did everything he did, except she did it backwards and in high heels." This quote was as startling and revealing to me as the two discussed above.
All three comments are permanently etched in my mind, but I like the third quote best. All three provide great insight but only the third is inspirational in a way that the prior two will never be.
Toucan
Friday, March 23, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Republican Politicians
This is my first political blog. To people who know me, having a blog and never commenting on the political scene may seem surprising. After all, I majored in Government in college, had a summer internship with a New York congressman, worked in the Koch administration for several years (in a non-political position),and follow the news passionately. I think my reticence derives from all the passionate noise I hear lately, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, as William Faulkner wrote, and not wanting to add to the din.
Anyway, here goes. I am appalled at the Republicans and what they are doing. It has nothing to do with my being a life-long Democrat. Some politicians I most admire were Republicans, such as Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and more recently, Senators Everett Dirksen, Howard Baker and Lindsay Graham.
My objection stems from their obstructionism and hypocrisy. Regarding the former, I do not think it is OK to block action in Congress on almost any matter simply to make a Democratic president look bad. That is what they are doing, and as an American first and foremost, I consider this to be cynical, destructive behavior. The hypocrisy part is that they are intelligent people and, when you look closely, it is obvious they treat themselves differently. For example, I have yet to hear the Republicans in Congress say that they would be delighted to ditch their own gold-plated health plans provided by the US Government and accept the eviscerated health care plans they are attempting to foist on 99% of the American people. To top it off, they raise smoke screen issues like contraception and prayer in school to distract the American people from the real issues facing them at a critical time.
It amazes me how many Americans seem to be seduced and misled by these false prophets and their "concerns" which to me have as their primary and sometimes sole objective to garner financial support from special interests and ensure their continued tenure in political office. No wonder moderate Republican Senators like Evan Bayh and Olympia Snowe a leave their seats and retire. To be fair, many Democrats these days are also problematic, but I think the Republicans in general are far worse.
My main reason in writing these words is to express the (vain?) hope that America will wake up and insist upon the election of good, moderate, pragmatic leaders from both parties who have the nation's best interests at heart and will restore our pride and achievement. This may be far too idealistic to expect when big money has so poisoned our political well that it is sometimes hard to differentiate us from some countries around the world that would never be thought of in the same way before.
When I watch the Republican presidential candidates on TV, I daydream a little. Mitt Romney, except for the dog on top of the car thing, strikes me as intelligent, steadfast and pragmatic, if only he could say what he really believes. Rick Santorum seems very appealing personally, and if what came out of his mouth didn't spoil everything, I could understand why his support is rising. Though I would not vote for him, Newt Gingrich has a certain rogue appeal. Lastly, Ron Paul seems sincere and lovable. But I digress.
The needs of the people are all that matter, and obviously many millions today are in dire need of assistance. Sadly, the Republicans are capable but not stepping up to the challenges. I wish it were otherwise and I was in a position to consider voting for a Republican for President.
Anyway, here goes. I am appalled at the Republicans and what they are doing. It has nothing to do with my being a life-long Democrat. Some politicians I most admire were Republicans, such as Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and more recently, Senators Everett Dirksen, Howard Baker and Lindsay Graham.
My objection stems from their obstructionism and hypocrisy. Regarding the former, I do not think it is OK to block action in Congress on almost any matter simply to make a Democratic president look bad. That is what they are doing, and as an American first and foremost, I consider this to be cynical, destructive behavior. The hypocrisy part is that they are intelligent people and, when you look closely, it is obvious they treat themselves differently. For example, I have yet to hear the Republicans in Congress say that they would be delighted to ditch their own gold-plated health plans provided by the US Government and accept the eviscerated health care plans they are attempting to foist on 99% of the American people. To top it off, they raise smoke screen issues like contraception and prayer in school to distract the American people from the real issues facing them at a critical time.
It amazes me how many Americans seem to be seduced and misled by these false prophets and their "concerns" which to me have as their primary and sometimes sole objective to garner financial support from special interests and ensure their continued tenure in political office. No wonder moderate Republican Senators like Evan Bayh and Olympia Snowe a leave their seats and retire. To be fair, many Democrats these days are also problematic, but I think the Republicans in general are far worse.
My main reason in writing these words is to express the (vain?) hope that America will wake up and insist upon the election of good, moderate, pragmatic leaders from both parties who have the nation's best interests at heart and will restore our pride and achievement. This may be far too idealistic to expect when big money has so poisoned our political well that it is sometimes hard to differentiate us from some countries around the world that would never be thought of in the same way before.
When I watch the Republican presidential candidates on TV, I daydream a little. Mitt Romney, except for the dog on top of the car thing, strikes me as intelligent, steadfast and pragmatic, if only he could say what he really believes. Rick Santorum seems very appealing personally, and if what came out of his mouth didn't spoil everything, I could understand why his support is rising. Though I would not vote for him, Newt Gingrich has a certain rogue appeal. Lastly, Ron Paul seems sincere and lovable. But I digress.
The needs of the people are all that matter, and obviously many millions today are in dire need of assistance. Sadly, the Republicans are capable but not stepping up to the challenges. I wish it were otherwise and I was in a position to consider voting for a Republican for President.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Good Fortune
The day began routinely enough. There was a GROUPON offer for a restaurant deal in the West Village that I remembered to get. Unfortunately, by the time I logged on, there was a "Sold Out" banner across the offer and the words "Limited Quantity Available" written underneath. This was not a major loss, but it was annoying to acknowledge that all I had to do was press a few buttons several hours earlier and it would be like finding a $20 bill on the street.
This disappointment was a good warm-up for what came next. The telephone rang and it was my younger son calling on his cell phone from Michigan to report that he had inadvertently left his new laptop in the airport bus on his way back to college and was now in a cab racing across Michigan in an attempt to recover it. Since we had recently gone through a similar experience with my older son, who left his laptop in a taxi returning to Boston and failed to recover it, I was not optimistic about the outcome. The benefit of the call was that I stopped thinking about the prospective "loss" of $20 on the GROUPON dinner and could now concentrate on the loss of a computer costing well over $1000. As time went by and there was no word from Michigan, I started thinking about my good fortune earlier in the morning when my loss was only $20.
After waiting over an hour and imagining what else might go wrong, the phone rang again. My son reported that they had arrived at the bus stop in East Lansing, MI two minutes before the bus arrived and that the nice man who had been sitting next to him came out and handed him the computer with a big smile. The taxi mileage was more than half the distance from NYC to Albany, but at only $1 a mile and a total bill of $90 with tip, I considered this loss to be a gain ! The taxi driver said this occurs more often than you might realize. The bus driver felt bad for my son and let him ride back to Ann Arbor for free.
Soon enough all of the preceding events were put into sharp perspective when the phone rang again. This time it was my wife, calling from work to report that a friend had just sent a long email with the heart-breaking news that the friend's breast cancer had recurred and that another operation and round of chemotherapy would be required. I immediately realized how ridiculous I was to concern myself about a GROUPON, a 78 mile taxi ride, or even the loss of a new Apple laptop in the face of something like this. In passing, I also couldn't help thinking that even if my "losses" materialized, they were nothing compared to our friend's chemo injections at $4000 each and that she had to self-administer them, not to mention that she would be fighting for her life.
Now it is evening and all is quiet. There were no more phone calls and soon it would be time for dinner. On a net profit/loss basis, I am roughly in the same position as I started out this morning. However, my actual good fortune is boundless.
This disappointment was a good warm-up for what came next. The telephone rang and it was my younger son calling on his cell phone from Michigan to report that he had inadvertently left his new laptop in the airport bus on his way back to college and was now in a cab racing across Michigan in an attempt to recover it. Since we had recently gone through a similar experience with my older son, who left his laptop in a taxi returning to Boston and failed to recover it, I was not optimistic about the outcome. The benefit of the call was that I stopped thinking about the prospective "loss" of $20 on the GROUPON dinner and could now concentrate on the loss of a computer costing well over $1000. As time went by and there was no word from Michigan, I started thinking about my good fortune earlier in the morning when my loss was only $20.
After waiting over an hour and imagining what else might go wrong, the phone rang again. My son reported that they had arrived at the bus stop in East Lansing, MI two minutes before the bus arrived and that the nice man who had been sitting next to him came out and handed him the computer with a big smile. The taxi mileage was more than half the distance from NYC to Albany, but at only $1 a mile and a total bill of $90 with tip, I considered this loss to be a gain ! The taxi driver said this occurs more often than you might realize. The bus driver felt bad for my son and let him ride back to Ann Arbor for free.
Soon enough all of the preceding events were put into sharp perspective when the phone rang again. This time it was my wife, calling from work to report that a friend had just sent a long email with the heart-breaking news that the friend's breast cancer had recurred and that another operation and round of chemotherapy would be required. I immediately realized how ridiculous I was to concern myself about a GROUPON, a 78 mile taxi ride, or even the loss of a new Apple laptop in the face of something like this. In passing, I also couldn't help thinking that even if my "losses" materialized, they were nothing compared to our friend's chemo injections at $4000 each and that she had to self-administer them, not to mention that she would be fighting for her life.
Now it is evening and all is quiet. There were no more phone calls and soon it would be time for dinner. On a net profit/loss basis, I am roughly in the same position as I started out this morning. However, my actual good fortune is boundless.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Ode to Brooklyn
My wife thinks that Brooklyn is the center of the universe. Whenever we return to Brooklyn from destinations near or far, she always says the same thing: so good to be back at the center of the universe. When we return over the Brooklyn Bridge, for instance, she waits until the car actually touches Brooklyn soil before making this comment.
Brooklyn is famous all over the world. Lately, I notice that it is included on the list of popular names for newborn girls. I also read somewhere that something like one in seven of all Americans can trace their ancestry back to Brooklyn at some point in their family history.
The list of things and famous people connected with Brooklyn is indeed very long. This itemization would include, besides the Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island, Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Brooklyn Navy Yard (where the Civil War ironclad Monitor and the WWII battleship Missouri were built), and such native personalities as varied as Al Capone, composer Aaron Copland, chess master Bobby Fischer, and singer Barbra Streisand. Who knows what great artist may emerge from the large concentration of young artists living today in Williamsburg.
A pretty impressive record for a borough that was the independent city of Brooklyn until it surrendered its "independence" and became part of the greater City of New York in 1898! If Brooklyn were independent today, it would rank as the fourth largest city in the US with a population of 2.5 million people. Some Brooklynites wouldn't mind at all returning to its unconsolidated status.
There are two historical events that stick out in my mind whenever I think about Brooklyn. The first occurred during the Revolutionary War. Did you know that the first major battle in the war for independence was the battle of Brooklyn, fought in August 1776 just one month after the July 4 declaration of independence? It was fought near my home in and around what is now Prospect Park. General George Washington observed the battle from a hill in downtown Brooklyn on which a Trader Joe's now operates. The American troops were badly beaten but were fortunately able to retreat by boat to Manhattan. A total defeat here would have destroyed the Continental Army and ended the war at its inception. Thereafter, Washington never again engaged the British in a full scale pitched battle. The battle of Brooklyn was not some isolated skirmish. A total of tens of thousands of men were involved in this critical engagement, which is commemorated in Brooklyn every year.
The second event demonstrates the pivotal role played by Brooklyn in world history. The Ice Age, as everyone knows, covered large portions of North America. It turns out that the glaciers ended their downward path in Brooklyn, about a mile from where I live. This was the furthest point south that the glaciers were able to travel. Only Brooklyn was able to halt their momentum ! One can stand on a hill next to Greenwood Cemetery and observe the outwash plain from that point stretching about 5 miles to Brighton Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. I often raced down that hill by car in the morning to get my kids to elementary school before the late bell rang, totally ignoring the historic significance of my route.
Brooklyn is famous all over the world. Lately, I notice that it is included on the list of popular names for newborn girls. I also read somewhere that something like one in seven of all Americans can trace their ancestry back to Brooklyn at some point in their family history.
The list of things and famous people connected with Brooklyn is indeed very long. This itemization would include, besides the Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island, Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Brooklyn Navy Yard (where the Civil War ironclad Monitor and the WWII battleship Missouri were built), and such native personalities as varied as Al Capone, composer Aaron Copland, chess master Bobby Fischer, and singer Barbra Streisand. Who knows what great artist may emerge from the large concentration of young artists living today in Williamsburg.
A pretty impressive record for a borough that was the independent city of Brooklyn until it surrendered its "independence" and became part of the greater City of New York in 1898! If Brooklyn were independent today, it would rank as the fourth largest city in the US with a population of 2.5 million people. Some Brooklynites wouldn't mind at all returning to its unconsolidated status.
There are two historical events that stick out in my mind whenever I think about Brooklyn. The first occurred during the Revolutionary War. Did you know that the first major battle in the war for independence was the battle of Brooklyn, fought in August 1776 just one month after the July 4 declaration of independence? It was fought near my home in and around what is now Prospect Park. General George Washington observed the battle from a hill in downtown Brooklyn on which a Trader Joe's now operates. The American troops were badly beaten but were fortunately able to retreat by boat to Manhattan. A total defeat here would have destroyed the Continental Army and ended the war at its inception. Thereafter, Washington never again engaged the British in a full scale pitched battle. The battle of Brooklyn was not some isolated skirmish. A total of tens of thousands of men were involved in this critical engagement, which is commemorated in Brooklyn every year.
The second event demonstrates the pivotal role played by Brooklyn in world history. The Ice Age, as everyone knows, covered large portions of North America. It turns out that the glaciers ended their downward path in Brooklyn, about a mile from where I live. This was the furthest point south that the glaciers were able to travel. Only Brooklyn was able to halt their momentum ! One can stand on a hill next to Greenwood Cemetery and observe the outwash plain from that point stretching about 5 miles to Brighton Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. I often raced down that hill by car in the morning to get my kids to elementary school before the late bell rang, totally ignoring the historic significance of my route.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Delaware and Raritan Canal
There is a fabulous canal built in the 1830's within easy travelling distance of NYC.
Everyone of course is familiar with the famous Erie Canal in upstate New York, which connects the Great Lakes to New York City. I have always wanted to see it, since it is still in existence and has its original locks in place. But, generally unknown, there is another canal right across the river in New Jersey which was similarly busy.
The Delaware and Raritan Canal and its feeder stretches a distance of over 60 miles from New Brunswick down to Trenton and then up to towns like Lambertville across from Philadelphia. The reason I am bothering to tell you all this is that for the bike ride lovers of the world, like me, there is a first-rate jogging and bike trail to enjoy along the towpath next to the canal. Canoes can also be rented for paddling on the canal itself.
My wife and I had a terrific fall weekend riding over 30 miles with our bikes on this trail. The amazing thing is that if this well-maintained trail were located in NYC, it would be mobbed and heralded for the beautiful experience it provided, but in New Jersey it was nearly deserted. Every once in a while, one would pass a few joggers or strollers, especially around Princeton University. But, for the most part, it was quiet and wonderful. All kinds of wildlife, especially ducks and other acquatic fowl, were visible along the way.
I recommend a weekend trip if you love the outdoors and don't want to travel far. You can get there by car from the City in an hour. You could even bring your bikes with you on NJ Transit from Manhattan as we did during off peak hours. We stayed in a hotel outside Princeton, which is at about the halfway point. There is lots to see and places to eat at in Princeton.
There is one other thing to bring to your attention about the canal itself. It was dug by hand by thousands of Irish immigrants with shovels in order to bring coal cheaply by barge pulled by mules from the coal mines in Pennsylvania to the furnaces of New York City. The workers were paid $1 per day, and many of them died and were buried along the route. It took 3 or 4 years to complete. The original locks and spillways are still in place, and there are explanatory signs and pictures along the route providing detailed information about this major engineering project.
Today all is still and almost starting to return to nature. Sic transit gloria mundi. ( Thus passes the glory of the world.) Along the same lines, just outside of Princeton University, as you head towards Trenton, there is a totally unexpected marker next to the trail. It is an engraved stone monument to General George Washington, commander of American forces during the Revolutionary War, showing a place where he passed with his troops on his way to battle. Somewhat hidden and probably unknown to most, it is strangely moving and very gratifying to encounter this modest memorial along a formerly busy route from a bygone era.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Newspaperman-- Part II
To date I have covered my exploits as a reporter in various academic environments. The two final episodes involve my adventures on the regional and national scenes.
Some years ago an uncle wrote a weekly syndicated column entitled "The Bible On Broadway" for several newspapers in New Jersey. In this capacity he got complimentary tickets for Broadway shows several times a week. He often called me at work and invited me to join him. Over a period of several years, I got to see lots of Broadway shows, good and bad. I always enjoyed reading his columns and trying to figure out the biblical connections, especially since I had g religious instruction when I was growing up. On occasion I would suggest topics or biblical references which occurred to me and would sometimes see them mentioned in his reviews. Eventually his reviews were published as a book.
The reason this activity counts as my fourth reportorial experience was that on occasion the frequent trips into Manhattan and back to New Jersey at night made my uncle tired. One time he looked totally exhausted and faced an impending deadline for the paper. This happened to be a play that particularly resonated with me, so I offered to write the entire review that night and send it to him in time for publication. He was skeptical but, after listening to me enthusiastically propound a number of plausible biblical themes, he finally agreed. As it turned put, he liked my writing well enough -- although it would never approach his level of erudition. Thereafter, we increasingly became collaborators, or so I liked to think. From time to time, I got to write his column or at least contribute to it. IQt was always under his byline, but I couldn't care less. This was a lot of fun for years : he got assistance on occasion and I got to be with him and have the pleasure of seeing my writing syndicated.
I leave the bible on Broadway with one hilarious episode. My uncle visited a new editor, carrying his "tear sheets" and seeking to expand his franchise. The editor said he was busy and had no time to read all of these columns, so He selected one as an example. My uncle noticed it was one of mine and that his fate now depended on me. The editor finished reading and said : " OK. This isn't so bad. I'll take you on ! "
The final chapter is this blog. Thanks to technology, it can be my most successful effort. I can write for billions of readers, self-publish the columns as a limited edition book, and even make a very low-budget movie about it. Some people think I look a little like the actor Richard Dreyfuss. Maybe he'd be interested in playing me.
Some years ago an uncle wrote a weekly syndicated column entitled "The Bible On Broadway" for several newspapers in New Jersey. In this capacity he got complimentary tickets for Broadway shows several times a week. He often called me at work and invited me to join him. Over a period of several years, I got to see lots of Broadway shows, good and bad. I always enjoyed reading his columns and trying to figure out the biblical connections, especially since I had g religious instruction when I was growing up. On occasion I would suggest topics or biblical references which occurred to me and would sometimes see them mentioned in his reviews. Eventually his reviews were published as a book.
The reason this activity counts as my fourth reportorial experience was that on occasion the frequent trips into Manhattan and back to New Jersey at night made my uncle tired. One time he looked totally exhausted and faced an impending deadline for the paper. This happened to be a play that particularly resonated with me, so I offered to write the entire review that night and send it to him in time for publication. He was skeptical but, after listening to me enthusiastically propound a number of plausible biblical themes, he finally agreed. As it turned put, he liked my writing well enough -- although it would never approach his level of erudition. Thereafter, we increasingly became collaborators, or so I liked to think. From time to time, I got to write his column or at least contribute to it. IQt was always under his byline, but I couldn't care less. This was a lot of fun for years : he got assistance on occasion and I got to be with him and have the pleasure of seeing my writing syndicated.
I leave the bible on Broadway with one hilarious episode. My uncle visited a new editor, carrying his "tear sheets" and seeking to expand his franchise. The editor said he was busy and had no time to read all of these columns, so He selected one as an example. My uncle noticed it was one of mine and that his fate now depended on me. The editor finished reading and said : " OK. This isn't so bad. I'll take you on ! "
The final chapter is this blog. Thanks to technology, it can be my most successful effort. I can write for billions of readers, self-publish the columns as a limited edition book, and even make a very low-budget movie about it. Some people think I look a little like the actor Richard Dreyfuss. Maybe he'd be interested in playing me.
Newspaperman-- Part I
I want you to know that you are not reading the column of some amateur.This is actually my fifth stint as a newspaper reporter.
My first endeavor was as editor in chief of my high school newspaper, The Oracle. This was a prestigious position for a four or six page glossy publication which published about once a month, depending on the amount of news since the last time and available time between homework and tests. It undoubtedly helped me get into a good college. There were 60 students in my graduating class.
In college I attained the rank of Features Editor and got a valuable card that had my name on it and in big bold letters the words "Working Press". To my delight, this card got me into events with other full-time working reporters and photographers. Two events stand out in my mind from working on my college paper-- one good and one bad. The good experience came from being able to interview the college president for hours. Normally, a busy and very distinguished person like that would have little time for a lowly undergraduate. But for an in- depth article which covered an entire page and dealt with his personal and professional life, I got an entire afternoon. The interview ended when all of my questions had been answered and following a house tour. It was a great experience for me, and he got a lovely article. I have always cherished the comments to me about it from one of my government professors -- a former Rhodes scholar and author of the definitive biography on Diderot-- that he knew the president very well, personally and professionally-- and that I had captured him very well. All of the foregoing remains in my mind not as a tribute to me, but rather an indication of the power of the press.
The second college experience seems amusing in retrospect, but did not seem so funny to me at the time. I thought I was a pretty good writer, but there was another classmate on the staff whose writing always blew me out of the water.I decided my "talent" wasn't as good as I thought. It was only years later, in introspect, that I came to realize that the staffer was none other than David Shipler, who went on to an outstanding career as a reporter for the New York Times, author of best selling books, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
Then came my law school newspaper, to which I contributed articles occasionally. One article made a lasting impression on me. A group of us, who used to go jogging in the afternoon, decided to enter the Boston Marathon. I ran the marathon in a little under 4 hours and told everyone about it. Few people believed me until they saw an article about it in the school newspaper which included my name, whereupon everyone believed it and apologized to me for their error. What I didn't tell them was that I wrote the article for the paper at the editor's request but omitted my usual byline. This demonstrated to me how the power of seeing something in print influences people's belief in the truth of things.
My first endeavor was as editor in chief of my high school newspaper, The Oracle. This was a prestigious position for a four or six page glossy publication which published about once a month, depending on the amount of news since the last time and available time between homework and tests. It undoubtedly helped me get into a good college. There were 60 students in my graduating class.
In college I attained the rank of Features Editor and got a valuable card that had my name on it and in big bold letters the words "Working Press". To my delight, this card got me into events with other full-time working reporters and photographers. Two events stand out in my mind from working on my college paper-- one good and one bad. The good experience came from being able to interview the college president for hours. Normally, a busy and very distinguished person like that would have little time for a lowly undergraduate. But for an in- depth article which covered an entire page and dealt with his personal and professional life, I got an entire afternoon. The interview ended when all of my questions had been answered and following a house tour. It was a great experience for me, and he got a lovely article. I have always cherished the comments to me about it from one of my government professors -- a former Rhodes scholar and author of the definitive biography on Diderot-- that he knew the president very well, personally and professionally-- and that I had captured him very well. All of the foregoing remains in my mind not as a tribute to me, but rather an indication of the power of the press.
The second college experience seems amusing in retrospect, but did not seem so funny to me at the time. I thought I was a pretty good writer, but there was another classmate on the staff whose writing always blew me out of the water.I decided my "talent" wasn't as good as I thought. It was only years later, in introspect, that I came to realize that the staffer was none other than David Shipler, who went on to an outstanding career as a reporter for the New York Times, author of best selling books, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
Then came my law school newspaper, to which I contributed articles occasionally. One article made a lasting impression on me. A group of us, who used to go jogging in the afternoon, decided to enter the Boston Marathon. I ran the marathon in a little under 4 hours and told everyone about it. Few people believed me until they saw an article about it in the school newspaper which included my name, whereupon everyone believed it and apologized to me for their error. What I didn't tell them was that I wrote the article for the paper at the editor's request but omitted my usual byline. This demonstrated to me how the power of seeing something in print influences people's belief in the truth of things.
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