Paul Williams Is Still Alive

Yes, he is still alive. He's been sober for over 20 years and still tours at age 76. The voice may have lost its depth and breadth but his personality shines through in a wonderful documentary:

Paul Williams Still Alive

You might recall:

An Old Fashioned Love Song covered by Three Dog Night


We've Only Just Begun covered by The Carpenters

Evergreen covered by Barbara Streisand 

Out In The Country by  Three Dog Night

Just in case you were wondering, the term a "Three Dog Night" comes from Australia. On cold nights the dogs are invited into the bedroom to provide warmth to their owners. On a particularly cold night three dogs would sleep in the bed.

In any event, if you want to feel the vibe from the 1970s watch the documentary. Paul Williams is an Academy Award winner, Grammy Award winner and is enshrined in the Song Writers Hall of Fame.





 

Helicopter 710

Thought back to the days of Fred Feldman and helicopter 710, while stuck in traffic on the Northern State Parkway on Long Island. There were 4 helicopters covering the traffic, which I could see. Overkill, maybe?

In my youth, on the little radio in the kitchen, there was only one helicopter pilot and that was Fred Feldman.  Here is his obituary from 20 October 1996:

"Fred Feldman, New York radio's first helicopter reporter who spent 16 airborne years monitoring traffic for rush-hour commuters and who invented the term ''rubbernecking delays'' to explain why they would be late for work, died on Friday at his home in Roseland, N.J. He was 63."

 It is amazing to compare our little kitchen radio which gave us school closings on winter days, and Fred Feldman's reports on the roads from his perch in Helicopter 710 on Monday through Friday.

There were not many helicopters reporting on traffic in those days, let alone in wind and snow. Fred did it for a long time and we appreciated his insight even if we we not on the roads he was reporting upon. He provided a soothing patter, as did many of the radio broacasters or the era.

Our mothers were at home and looking out their kitchen windows for trouble on the street. The calming voice of Fred Feldman was often in the background, as well as the generations of John Gamblings:

Rambling with Gambling:

Newsreaders

In Europe the people who give us the news on TV are called Newsreaders. 

In these United States, behind their backs the same people are sarcastically called
"The Talent." On both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, these are the folks entrusted by 
government regulatory agencies with the obligation to speak free from ambiguity or 
evasiveness on the public air waves.

Megyn Kelly is not a nitwit. So why is she playing nitwit games? 

Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, and John Chancellor were voices from the 1960s and 
1970s, we grew to trust as we watched them "by appointment" each evening on the national
news. When compared to the bunch of average intellects propelled by their looks, 
in our more modern age, and advertised on urban buses as people to listen morning,
noon, and night, this is a travesty.

This works for no one. 

 "And that's the way it is."

RHS in Cuba

Looking forward to the first RHS Reunion aboard a Carnival Cruise Ship to Cuba from Manhattan.

Just throwing an idea into the Internet. I expect this reality to be a potentiality in the Autumn of 2016. So sorry I won't be able to coordinate.

To everyone planning an RHS Reunion. Please imagine a change from the tired, "Let's go to a Football Game."

My concern for our teenagers and our pre-teens, can be summed up in a word: Concussions.

I predict RHS will eliminate the Ridgewood High School Football program within the next 7 years. My choice is to be on the safe side of living. I hope the establishment (Football coach and supporters) consider this a wake-up call.

It is a tough choice, and I will surely be flogged for my opinion. All the feedback will just give me the support I need to carry on.

Peace.

Cuba Allows First Cruise Ship

The Obama legacy will no doubt include the opening of relations with the tiny Communist island 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Today a cruise ship from Carnival was allowed to land. Hopefully, both sides will stand to gain from this momentous event. Yes, there were concessions but both sides win when conversations are allowed by government.

The cruise ship with roughly 700 passengers arrived in Havana with no incidents. I can hardly wait till I can take a cab to the pier in New York and travel freely to Cuba. Whether I leave the boat will depend upon the heat. :-)

This set of circumstances is huge. Not as large as the Internet but close.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/02/travel/us-cuba-cruise/index.html?adkey=bn