Save the Sazerac

Thanks to our wonderful Louisiana Legislature, the City of New Orleans now has its own official cocktail, the Sazerac. Many of my Cleveland friends will recall that two liquid refreshments kept me connected spiritually to New Orleans in my stay there. The mornings produced a heady cup of coffee with chicory (usually Cafe du Monde or CDM brand), which got me going throughout my busy day. However, when evening came, the choice beverage for me was a Sazerac, considered America's first cocktail and invented right here in New Orleans. The Sazerac has always been made with Peychaud's bitters, which are the second most popular bitters in this country. However, the most popular brand, Angostura, far outsells Peychaud's bitters and is used to make a plethora of popular cocktails like the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned. So, if one asks for bitters at most bars, they invariably get Angostura. Bitters are made with herbs suspended in an alcohol or glycerol solution. Like the name suggests, they have a bitter taste when sampled alone. However, they are used as starters for several alcohol concoctions and meld with spirits in such a way that they enhance the libation and provide it with a taste that stays well on he tongue. When pharmacist Antoine Amadie Peychaud, an immigrant from the West Indies, first came up with Peychaud's bitters, it was intended to be used as a digestif, or after-meal potable that would aid digestion. Peychaud began selling his proprietary bitters and created the original Sazerac cocktail using them with a special brandy imported from France. When liquor taxes became popular in the mid to late 19th Century, bitters were also passed as "medicine" and several popular watering holes, often colloquially referred to as "coffee houses," sprang up to dispense the potent potables. In New Orleans the most famous was the Sazerac Coffee House, constructed in 1852. It featured a 125-foot bar manned by as many as a dozen bartenders. The use of absinthe, then legal in the U.S. to coat the glasses of the concoctions gave the Sazerac its unique place in history and later, as American tastes dictated, whiskey was substituted for the original brandy. The famous Sazerac Room of the Roosevelt Hotel, later renamed the Fairmount, was world famous for dispensing their potent libations. It was reputed that Huey Long downed as many as six of these strong drinks before the long drive back to Baton Rouge. Today, the Sazerac is made with rye whiskey and Herbsaint (a substitute for the now banned absinthe) stands in for the licorice or anise flavored liquor used to coat the glasses. So, I am off to class and we will see if my version stands the test of the experts. Hmmm...it will be the best "class" I've attended all year.

Happy Birthday, America

With all of the hoopla surrounding yesterday's July 4th celebrations, it was hard for me to get a word in about the importance of our Independence Day. As someone who is keenly aware of the rights and privileges we Americans entertain in our daily affairs, I am always concerned that ever more of our rights are being given up voluntarily at the expense of so-called security. Anyone who has boarded a plane in the last seven years knows of the travails one must endure in order to successfully move from origin to destination. How many women have had to give up their children's box drinks because they didn't think about their being larger than 3 ounces? How many times have we wanted to bring a bottle of water on board only to remember that the one we just purchased outside the airport has to be disposed before boarding? It's not just the annoyances, it's the flights that have been delayed due to everyone trying to stuff their overloaded carryon items into the overhead bins. Now, with American Airlines and others charging for any suitcase checked into a flight, that battle for overhead bin allocation space would seem to get more heated. Red light camera enforcement has given way from catching motorists who flagrantly run red lights to capturing the license plates of those who drive nine miles above the speed limit. I can't wait till the cameras start recording those people not wearing seatbelts or using text messaging while driving. Not that I'm apologizing for those scofflaws. It's just that the technology has made it much easier for government (or private concerns working for government) to intrude into personal lives as a way of seeking more profit and revenue streams. The ability to monitor the private lives of citizens has taken on Big Brother status in recent times. As Benjamin Franklin so eloquently pointed out: "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." I hope we keep that in mind as we continue to lose more and more rights at the sacrifice of "security."

Death by bulldozer

In one of the most bizarre terrorist attacks I've heard about, a Palestinian wreaked havoc in the busy streets of Jerusalem by using an unconventional weapon, to wit, a runaway bulldozer. During the course of the attack a packed city bus was turned on its side and a number of cars were smashed, and pedestrians were struck before the assailant was shot dead by an Israeli motorcycle division police officer who climbed into the cab of the vehicle while on its rampage. It is ironic that a bulldozer would be the weapon of choice. That's because the images most Israelis associate with them are that of bulldozers razing the houses of Jewish settlers in disputed areas of the West Bank or Gaza Strip. Dozens were injured in this brazen assault, but the fact that three women were the ultimate victims of the attack in the heart of Jerusalem serves as a reminder that terrorism is intended to disrupt the normalcy of life. Women buying items in food markets or using public transportation to make purchases at retail outlets make ideal victims for terrorists. Because they stand for innocence and have no political agenda, women killed in senseless tragedies like this strike terror in the heart of everyone. The case can certainly be made that if it happens to them, it could happen to anyone. Reports from Jerusalem suggest the terrorist, a 31-year-old East Jerusalem Arab and father of two, was very well-versed with how to use the bulldozer as a weapon. A witness watched as he used the shovel portion of the powerful device to hit a van head-on and then to use it to smash and flatten the front of the vehicle. Reports say dozens of other vehicles were smashed along busy Jaffa Street unable to get out of the way of the oncoming earthmover because of concrete barricades that have been erected on the sides in prepartion for a light rail system being constructed there. Ironically, the attack occurred as Israel opened up its borders to Gaza, a move orchestrated by Egypt in a deal with Hamas, who promised to stop lobbing missiles into Israel from their positions in Gaza. Despite promises to the contrary, Kassam missiles had been launched yesterday, breaking the cease fire so tenuously negotiated. Meanwhile, Israeli politicians have pointed to the dead assailant's status as an occupant of the former East Jerusalem section. All former East Jerusalem residents were offered citizen status following the Six Day War in 1967, when Israel captured the Arab section of the city and unified it. Most refused to accept citizenship. Some Israelis, like Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai, the chair of the right-wing Shas Party, have called for stricter measures to limit the movements of East Jerusalem residents. Others point out that such measures would threaten to partition East and West Jerusalem again, making East Jerusalem a likely capital of a Palestinian state should that occur. There is no doubt that this adds to the ongoing malaise in Israeli politics brought about by constant bombardments in places like Sderot, the double military problems of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbellah in Lebanon, the looming nuclear threat from Iran, and ineffectual and scandal-plagued leadership from Olmert's government.

A sudden goodbye and a sudden change of mind

When I joined the Cleveland Jewish News staff in October of 2005, I did so with the knowledge that I would be taking a very big chance. I would be leaving behind all of my friends and social connections in New Orleans to take up roots in a community of which I knew very little. The fact the CJN was a Jewish newspaper made the prospect seem a bit more reassuring, but it was a giant leap of faith to be certain. Among the members of the staff who made me feel at home was a quiet, tall figure who worked in the Production Department as a graphics designer. His name was Matthew Narby, but everyone called him Matt. Matt had started working at the newspaper in 2004, the year before I arrived. Like the late Tim Russert, he was a native of Buffalo and had graduated from State University of New York before moving to live and work in Cleveland. Prior to joining the CJN staff as a member of the production team, he had worked as a production manager and graphics designer at Trader Publishing as well as a designer at a nearby Kinko's. A devout Catholic, in his spare time Matt wrote children's books and taught religion classes at St. Clare's parish in nearby Lyndhurst. The ever-present smile he wore and his general demeanor always suggested he was happy. I recall Matt as a tireless morning reader of the Plain Dealer. He was an inveterate sports enthusiast who followed the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cleveland Indians and the Buffalo Sabers with a passion. He had an amazing head for sports trivia and kept his mind active during periods of downtime at work through a series of mental gymnastics, which always meant solving the daily crossword puzzle. Sometimes I even supplied a word or two in Matt's quest to finish the task. I really liked Matt as a fellow co-worker and found his unbending spirit refreshing. He was never without an opinion on sports or politics, but he mostly kept to himself and concentrated on his work. Perhaps it was because of his deep-seated religious background and compassion, he always seemed concerned with me as to what progress or lack thereof I could tell him about restoring my damaged home in New Orleans. Recently, Matt submitted a book review on a historical novel that was published in the CJN's March 28 edition. A dedicated husband and father, Matt was often on the phone with his loving wife Tara or conversing after school let out with his two daughters, Victoria and Grace. He worked hard through the day, but when it was time to go, he headed out through the door with a twinkle in his eye, making way for his home in South Euclid. In short he was a mensch, a Yiddish term for a responsible adult. Despite his being Catholic, it is a badge I believe he would bear with honor. Matt rarely missed a day of work due to illness, although he kept a mighty big secret from staff members; he had a congenital heart defect that put his life at risk. This past Sunday that big heart of Matt's suddenly and unexpectedly gave out. He was only 35. Like all of the CJN staff, I will mourn his loss and offer my deepest sympathies to his surviving family members.

Meanwhile, Governor Bobby Jindal acted like a responsible adult yesterday when he suddenly changed his mind, after saying he wouldn't, and vetoed the whopping pay increase that Louisiana state legislators had voted for themselves. The veto kills any chance that the measure can be considered again this year. It also derails the recall petition that had been launched two days prior, precipitated by angry voters who demanded he take such action.

Gone are the days of June

It seems hard to believe that June has flown by. I was just in San Diego and Los Angeles at the end of last month it would seem and now, after having just returned from Washington, D.C. for the AJPA conference, I look back and question where all the time went. June is no longer "busting out all over," as Rodgers and Hammerstein would have us sing. It has burst and it is waning with scant hours remaining before the entrance of sizzling July. For those of us who remember the lure and charm of the summer, June has always been a special month. It was hot, but not nearly as oppressively hot as July or August. I think back on my days at Camp Blue Star in Hendersonville, North Carolina. During the first few nights in June, the temperature in the Blue Ridge Mountains would plunge into the 50s, quite chilly for a native New Orleanian. I would spend many a night shivering in my bunk bed, thinking about warm things and wondering why I couldn't have one more blanket. However, if the truth be known, I loved the hearty weather. I grew to love the few cold days New Orleans afforded me. There were those miserable, overly humid days that were not nearly as much fun when the mercury plummeted into the teens or 20s. My days in Cleveland following the Hurricane Katrina disaster were also quite pleasant and my first winter there turned out to be quite mild by Cleveland standards. The second winter of 2006-2007 was considered "normal," by most Clevelanders and that one nearly broke my penchant for cold forever, but to be accurate it wasn't the cold. It was the snow. Brrrrrrr. That's how I deal with the oppressive heat and high humidity of a typical New Orleans summer. I think about the Cleveland winter and I reckon it's not nearly so bad.

A recall for Governor Jindal

Wow! Talk about your ill-advised efforts. The backlash due to the Louisiana Legislature's voting themselves a 127% pay raise has finally spilled over into the governor's mansion. Bobby Jindal, the wunderkind of the Republican party, is now the target of wrath for those voters who can't jibe with his political stance of not wanting to muck up the waters in Baton Rouge by vetoing the pay hike they voted for themselves. Jindal stated in very emphatic terms that he opposed the pay raise and found it distasteful for them to do so. However, he is pragmatic. If he squashed their pay raises now, he might be sacrificing any chance to get specialized legislation through the House and Senate in future years. He looked very impressive in detailing his plan to neither veto or refuse to sign the new legislation. Yet, Jindal could not have perceived how upset voters were across the state with regards to their representatives helping themselves to the money trough created through historically high taxes on oil and gas. It was easy to consider a pay raise that kicked in right away rather than, as had been the case previously, issue a pay raise for the next legislative session. Ann Duplessis, the author of the pay raise, will probably become the poster girl for unbridled greed in Baton Rouge. It seems to me to be unfair to lump Jindal into the same category as the others. Considering it will take a million signatures for the effort to suceed, I don't expect to hold my breath about Jindal being removed from office. As someone keenly interested in enacting reform legislation, it is a shame to lump him with the greedy legislators who complain about how little they are making when they knew full well of how poor the salaries were when they ran for the positions. It reminds me of the fellow who killed his parents and then begged for the mercy of the court because he was an orphan.

Newspapers feel your pain

With the 2008 American Jewish Press Association meeting now history, I have returned from the nation's capital to consider some of the highlights from the sessions that were conducted throughout the week. First of all, for those newspapers that are experiencing a loss in subscriptions and/or declining readership, it will get a lot worse before it gets better. As a matter of fact, if present trends continue, print newspapers as an entity in America and worldwide could cease to exist in a far shorter period that the exhaustion of paper resources that have been bandied about by ecologically minded alarmists. Not that I prefer to have to choose between the two, but I think a number of other newspapermen, as print journalists used to be called, would wish they could keep their readers and start to worry about where they were going to get paper products. The declining numbers are due to a number of factors, but the largest are the proliferation of broadcast media for news, especially cable outfits like CNN and Fox News and the burgeoning Internet. When revenue streams from advertising are lost to competitors like these, the print medium has to do some quick footwork to keep from becoming the Edsel dealers of tomorrow. Several business model suggestions to make local connections with communities were suggested and ways to "sell" these were considered during brainstorming sessions. The biggest three sources of new revenue for newspaper websites were listed by a representative of the American Press Institute as e-mail, video and search engines. Local businesses will look to expand their position in the marketplace through adjacent advertising or by links that publicize their products and services. It will be up to the newspapers to expand their websites (or launch new ones) in order to capture these ever-increasing revenue streams or lose them to others who are more responsive to their needs. Newspapers are still reeling from a loss of advertising revenue due to broadcast TV and radio competition decades ago. The Internet poses both the greatest threat and the greatest opportunity for the future of the newspaper industry. With a depressed economy they are feeling your pain even more than they had hoped. Say a little prayer for the newspapers of today. They are at a critical crossroads and there is little doubt that the decisions they make and the solutions they implement will ensure their continued presence or their ultimate demise.