The dissolution of Camelot

"Camelot," the popular Lerner and Loewe musical concerning the Arthurian legend has been used by popular historians to describe the short-lived period of high expectations and general good feeling of the young John Kennedy presidency. The mythical kingdom imagined by T. H. White in "The Once and Future King" was used by the successful Broadway team as the basis for the book for their musical vehicle that starred Richard Burton and Julie Andrews as Arthur and Guinevere and also launched the career of Robert Goulet as Lancelot. That it came to the Great White Way around the same time that Kennedy and his young wife moved into the White House was propitious. Although decided by an extremely close margin, the 1960 election led to high hopes for this young, dashing president as he assembled a new administration during the peak of the Cold War. The nation's expectations were palpable. There is little doubt that when Kennedy was assassinated and the nation was left to mourn his loss, the feeling of dread and regret was also similar to that felt at the end of the musical where King Arthur sees all he had hoped to institute has been lost. It was no secret that the great hope of tycoon Joseph Kennedy, ironically a former ambassador to the Court of St. James's, was that he would have a son elected as the first Catholic President of the United States. After losing his oldest son and namesake, Joe, in a World War II plane crash, the former isolationist pinned all of his hopes on second son John, who had emerged as a genuine war hero during maneuvers in the Pacific. When in 1953 then-Senator John married the former Jacqueline Bouvier, a photographer for Look Magazine, the dynamic couple went to the top of the A-lists in Washington society. Despite a tragic miscarriage, the young Senator's family grew with the addition of daughter Caroline and his wife was pregnant for most of the campaign. Two weeks after his election and before they moved into the White House, a baby boy, John, Jr., arrived. Here was an idyllic young family that enchanted a nation. "For one brief shining moment that was here in Camelot," King Arthur would sing. Because of their unwavering sense of duty and service to their country, the entire Kennedy family has been likened to American royalty. Notable monarchies have had their share of tragedy, but the Kennedy family beginning with Joseph Sr. and matriarch Rose has had more than most of them. The additional assassination of middle brother, presidential candidate and former Attorney General Robert Kennedy; the plane crash of youngest brother Edward, known as "Teddy," which left him in pain for the rest of his life; the 1969 automobile crash that killed his companion, Mary Jo Kopeckne; the more recent plane crash that killed John Jr. and his beautiful wife Carolyn and her sister; the drug overdose and skiing accident that took the lives of David and Michael (Robert's sons); and several others that need not be mentioned. In Louisiana, Judge Edmund Reggie from Crowley first became friendly with John Kennedy when he first ran for vice-president in 1956. Later, he was crucial in Louisiana's support of Kennedy in the 1960 election. The Kennedy and Reggie families became close. Years later, after the breakup of his marriage, Ted Kennedy would begin to date Reggie's daughter Victoria, affectionately known as Vicki. I've known Judge Reggie and his son Ed Michael, who worked for my mom at our family's record store and was a classmate of mine at Tulane University. As his second wife, it was Vicki, a divorced Washington attorney, who has been credited with changing Ted Kennedy and making him much more grounded over the course of the last 17 years. In fact, Vicki might have been responsible for transforming the last of the Kennedy brothers into a legislator with more respect and clout than he might have enjoyed without her. Senator Kennedy's death signals the last vestige of the era of Camelot has dissolved into the mist. While it is true that Caroline has her children and that several Kennedy heirs from Bobby and Teddy are still very involved in public service, it seems to me that this most recent passing signals a break from the past. That generation is now gone and America is left to mourn for the last Kennedy brother. Regardless what we may feel about his political philosophy, there are few detractors who won't give Senator Kennedy the credit that is due to home as one of the great lions of the Senate and a man whose influence will dim only with the passage of time. We are all somehow less without this giant politico and I feel a sense of great loss that is only tempered by the knowledge that he, unlike his brothers, had the gift "of the length of years."

Fourth Year Anniversary of Katrina

Four years ago I was preparing for a weekend jaunt to Cleveland, Ohio. It was to be a short weekend vacation and then I was to wing my way back to my uptown New Orleans home. There is an adage: "Man plans and God laughs." That's probably appropriate here because in three days time my ordered world and plans for the foreseeable all were changed dramatically by the events leading up to and following Hurricane Katrina. I found myself in Cleveland, a refugee looking for a job, shelter and a way home. I wrote about it and that story became the front-page cover of the Cleveland Jewish News the following week. More stories were published and eventually a job offer followed. The last four years have passed slowly and, while I am ensconced again in my hometown of New Orleans, I think about the turbulent time I underwent 48 months ago and what it meant to my life for the nearly two years I lived there. I can honestly say that my life improved in many ways due to the Hurricane Katrina experience. Oh, yes, I lost possessions and much of my home was destroyed. There were many things that can and never will be replaced, but in the long run, these were simply possessions. What matters most to me today are the connections I made in Cleveland: the management I worked for and co-workers I labored with at the CJN, the members of the Jewish community who befriended me there and the people of Cleveland who extended me many courtesies. The experience sharpened my work as a reporter and made my writing seem much more important. That the CJN has experienced a downsizing and like the rest of the industry is in the throes of economic upheaval is unfortunate. It turns out I was working there at the height of its most productive period. I feel honored to have shared that experience with them. There is no doubt that the financial uncertainty there today would have sent me packing to New Orleans eventually, so it is fortuitous I made the decision to move back when I did two years ago. The winters were cold and the snow was difficult to manage for this Southern boy, but the feelings I have for my Cleveland exile are still very warm and I maintain many of those friendships even today. Perhaps I should re-word that adage to read: "Man plans and God provides."

Tell me a story

When "60 Minutes" producer Don Hewitt passed away two days ago, the tributes were staggering. How this one man, a photo editor at the time of his hiring in 1948, could have shaped the way we receive our news over television today seems implausible. In many ways he and others he worked with in the early days of the medium were making it up as they went along. He acknowledged that he said "tele-what?" at the time of his hiring at CBS Radio. But this was a broadcasting giant that didn't let inexperience hold him back. Hewitt was the man responsible for the first televised presidential debate between Senator John Kennedy and Vice-President Richard Nixon and set a standard we follow today. He was the original producer for the "CBS Evening News," worked with the venerable Edward R. Murrow on "See It Now" and had a long relationship with the late anchorman Walter Cronkite. Of course, there has always been the combative and hard-nosed Mike Wallace (with whom Hewitt sparred over many an issue) and the amiable Morley Safer, both of whom Hewitt hired for the news magazine he envisioned four decades ago. In many ways Hewitt upped the ante on what network news correspondents would be paid. The salaries he paid Wallace, Safer, Harry Reasoner, Steve Kroft and the late Ed Bradley were huge compared to journeymen broadcasters on their way up. Along the way he chose Diane Sawyer and Leslie Stahl for coveted positions on "60 Minutes" and made their distaff stars shine evermore brightly in the process. Hewitt had the enthusiasm of a cub reporter, many said. He tackled each news project with verve, vigor and vinegar, admitting his sometimes volatile temper. Although few agreed he had truly slowed down later in life, the handsome and virile octogenarian said he had "mellowed" near the time of his retirement from "60 Minutes" five years ago. When Hewitt wrote about his success in a memoir a few years back and spoke at tribute dinners shortly thereafter, he put it all into four little words. These were four words, he said, that every kid knew: "Tell me a story." Whether we refer to TV newsmen, motion picture screenwriters, playwrights or radio broadcasters like Paul Harvey, that's really the four words that define greatness. If one can tell a story that captivates, wrenches one's heart, creates pride or elicits myriad other feelings, there is little doubt that success will follow as surely as day follows night. Hewitt instinctively knew this and great writers the world over prove his point daily. Although Hewitt was not considered a great writer, he had the knack for news to know a good story when he heard one. That important lesson qualified his entire career and continues to be a source of inspiration for abecederian and fledgling writers like me and would-be broadcasters, filmmakers and dramatists. Hewitt's legacy may be distilled into just four words, but most of us realize it is so much more than just that.

Al Shea and Beth Trepagnier

Al Shea at the 2009 Big Easy Theatre Awards holding his Lifetime Achievement Award

Sometimes my many different worlds collide. In my work as an IT consultant, I am constantly traveling from one side of the city to the other and meeting clients. In my volunteer work as a member of the Big Easy Theatre Committee, I am usually occupied watching local productions on most weekends and seeing members of the theatre community. Many of my friends and associates know of my deep commitment to Scouting, while others know of my work as a journalist in the New Orleans Jewish community. In the last week several divergent forces have come together with me as their focus. First of all, I began the week heading over to the assessor's office to deal with my home assessment. I wasn't there more than an hour before I saw one of the leaders of the Order of the Arrow, Connell Valette, who had just traveled with me to NOAC in Bloomington, Indiana earlier in the month. It turns out he works for one of the seven assessor's offices at City Hall. No sooner did I see him then I spotted the Fleur-de-lis District Chairman Eugene Green, who was working in yet another assessor's office to help during the very busy time of year. Eugene and I are two of the key leaders in the district that covers almost all of Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes. Since the two had never met before, I was compelled to introduce one to the other. But the colliding of worlds was far from over there. As a member of the Big Easy Committee, I have been very familiar with a fellow member, Al Shea, a local TV legend. Shea began his career at WDSU-TV back in the 1960's and I grew up watching him in various capacities over the course of the last four decades, especially at PBS affiliate WYES-TV, where he served as a panelist on"Steppin' Out," a local review show focused on the arts and media. He was an acknowledged authority on local theatre and had worked at the New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD) Theatre in his halcyon days as well as at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré, the nation's oldest continuously operating community theatre. Only a few months ago, Shea had been acknowledged by his own theatre committee at the Big Easy Theatre Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award. He was a happy, sincere fellow, who was compassionate about theatre and the arts. Sadly, it was announced some weeks ago that he was suffering from the effects of bladder cancer and that his prognosis was not good. Hospice care was advised, according to my sources. It turns out that I work as a consultant with a very good hospice in Harahan, River Region Hospice. I was called in to do some work on premises and, fortuitously, I found that he was spending his days there with his daughter Jennifer and several close friends nearby. It was nothing less than Providence intervening. I visited with him for a short while. I could see the apparent strain on his face. He claimed he wasn't in pain, but I had the impression he was uncomfortable, but was being a trooper, in the storied tradition of the stage and wasn't letting on about it. In the meantime the technician from the internet service provider and phone company I had been working with last week let slip that she had been at the last show of "Livin' Janis," a production starring Dorian Rush that detailed the life of Janis Joplin. Then she let me know she was also a performer. I'm not sure why, but phone companies seem to be a haven to erstwhile musicians. David Malone of the legendary Radiators has been a line technician in the past and so it seemed downright appropriate that Beth Trepagnier also work in the field. Trepagnier showed me her website , her MySpace page and told me about her new CD, "Louisiana Lover." She's been getting play across Europe and in various U.S. markets. She let me know about a CD release party being held this coming Saturday night, August 22. I'll be there for a bit to support her in her efforts. Trepagnier's past studies as a guitarist led her to become an instructor some years back. She's clearly at home playing and singing and her voice is sometimes raw and sweet, which is good for honey and blues singers as well. Since I was in the neighborhood again, I stopped by Shea's room two days ago. He was alone, resting and moving in and out of sleep. I said my goodbye to him softly and urged several friends I saw on Tuesday night to make all haste and see him soon. Regrettably, I must report that Al Shea departed this world earlier this morning. His "light and love," as our dear, late friend Cynthia Owen would have said, has moved on. Rest in peace, my friend, and may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

Blogging about "Julie and Julia"

I saw the new movie "Julie and Julia" last night and I must admit I am still very much in love with films by Nora Ephron, even when they are downright silly. This wasn't silly and in fact turned out to be something of a romp. The premise of this storyline is that Amy Adams, who plays real life New York blogger and writer Julie Powell decides to channel Julia 'Child, the author of "The Art of Mastering French Cooking" and a PBS television legend, played so incredibly by the delightful Meryl Streep. It is important to remember that this story takes sometime after 9/ll, when struggling writer Powell was employed helping families of victims of the Twin Tower tragedy and when Julia Child was quite elderly and still very much alive. The two lead very different, yet very similar lives insofar as they are both shown as newlywed couples. The Childs live in the McCarthy era at a time after the war when living in Europe could lead some to be suspected as foreign agents. The Powells are a very cute couple who move to Queens in search of more breathing room, only to land on top of a noisy pizzeria. Both Child and Powell are looking to give purpose to their lives. Adams decides that cooking her way through Child's 524 recipes in 365 days will give her life purpose and maybe spark increase interest in her writing. The blog she writes, "The Julie-Julia Project" documents the highlights and lowlights of Adams' character as she delves deeply into hitherto unknown culinary practices like trussing, boning and boiling lobsters. Powell's well-received book "Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously" was a best seller. Child's "My Life in France" was used as the basis for her scenes, especially those with husband Paul Child, played warmly by Stanley Tucci. Streep and Tucci's scenes are set in Paris and Marseilles, but much of the action takes place in restaurants, their kitchen and (gasp!) their bedroom. As to the film's characters, I was endeared by Adams, but let there be no mistake about it. I was enchanted and enthralled by Streep. She reflects the haughty and slightly irreverent spirit of Child and her speech patterns, guffaws and chortles are dead on. I was laughing hysterically at much of the script, which was also penned by director Ephron ("When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle"). It's definitely a chick flick. After all, what guys really want to see two independent women living their lives purposely and succeeding without their husbands' helping hands? Guess I'm not the macho, misogynistic type because I thought the film was just great. And any guy who disagrees, I would like to challenge them to a duel in the kitchen. I''ll belt them with my Béarnaise and maul them with my Marchand du Vin. I'll hammer them with my Hollandaise and...well, you get the picture. Just one thing more. You are advised to eat ahead of seeing the movie. Some of the food shots are so delicious that my poor tummy was thinking dessert was going to be served. "Julie and Julia" is rated R for ravenous. Bon Appetit!

So when is kosher "kosher?"

Oh, my. I don't need Ray Charles to serenade me with "Georgia on My Mind." The American Civil Liberties Union and the Conservative Jewish movement are pushing ahead with a case filed August 7 that is designed to topple the Orthodox Union's monopoly on determining what is "kosher" in that state. As designated by a state law enacted in 1980, the suspect legislation was designed to ensure the public's safety and peace of mind in setting up the standards of Orthodox Judaism (their board is known as the O-U) as being the determining factor by which food is sold as "kosher" in Georgia. Apparently, there was a question of fraud having been perpertrated in the past, so by using the Orthodox Union's high bar of kashrut (dietary laws), there was no question that everyone -- from the most observant Haredi on down to secular Jews -- would feel assured and comfortable with a "kosher" designation. The problem came about when some people began to question whether a Conservative rabbi who might supervise a restaurant or kitchen for a community event would be de facto violating the law. Although Conservative standards are less stringent than the O-U's, their designation of a restaurant, bakery or kitchen as being kosher would be held as valid by members of the Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism. The problem is by lending its official state sanction to the standards of Orthodoxy, the division between organized religion and the state is blurred. The ACLU named Rabbi Shalom Lewis of Congregation Etz Chaim in Marietta as the plaintiff in its suit in which it specifies that the Georgia law discriminates against other forms of Jewish religious practice by strictly adhering to Orthodox Judaism to determine what is considered "kosher." It is important to point out that the statute in question does impose criminal sanctions for violations, so Rabbi Lewis could have been arrested and prosecuted over the course of his career in Georgia had he been challenged. Lewis admits that he has "technically" been a criminal by merely doing his job as kosher supervisor for his own synagogue and for kosher events held under its auspices. This has triggered an immediate response from the Orthodox movement, who claim that not one non-Orthodox rabbi has ever been prosecuted, despite the fact many have provided kosher supervision information to the state. Some suggest an overturning of the law as unconstitutional might lead to more fraud being perpertrated against the public in the future. As of now, a few cases of probable fraud are handled per month. Orthodox kosher supervisors fear a more relaxed code could result in a spike of such irregularities. All of this seems to go along with the Conservative movement's attempt to become more proactive in the field of kosher supervision. Similar designations of kosher as being determined only by Orthodox standards have been overturned in New York (2003), Baltimore (1995) and New Jersey (1992). Whether Georgia becomes the fourth such state or municipal government to change its standards remains to be seen. I'm sure the rabbis pleading their cases will be very persausive. Perhaps they will need to daven (pray) a bit more devoutly as well.

The sad case of William Jefferson

While I was enjoying the revelry and brotherhood associated with the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) last week, I lost touch with what was happening in the Virginia courthouse where the federal government had laid out its case against former Louisiana Second District Congressman William Jefferson. Jefferson, a political icon from New Orleans, has been a civic leader in New Orleans for decades. After he lost the mayoralty two times while a state legislator, he ran for an open seat vacated by then-retired Congresswoman Lindy Boggs some 18 years ago. He had withstood challenge after challenge until this past election when he won the Democratic primary, but failed to muster his troops in the general election. In a surprise defeat, he was bested by Loyola professor Anh Joseph Cao, a Republican and the first Vietnamese elected to Congress. Cao (pronounced Gow) has acknowledged he probably won't be re-elected in the largely black district that was designed in effect to ensure that an African-American would represent New Orleans in Congress. While still a congressman, Jefferson was able to thwart prosecution, but once he was ousted from office, the federal government sped up its case which resulted in 16 indictments. The most compelling evidence seemed to be $90,000 that was videotaped being given to Jefferson from an FBI informant that was allegedly to be used for bribes. The cash was found in a freezer along with a lot of other cash that could not be directly proven to be payouts for influence peddling. According to the government, the money was to be used to ensure that members of the Jefferson family would reap financial windfalls in the form of stock in foreign enterprises and percentages in businesses held in Africa. The 11 guilty counts out of 16 that were returned last Thursday after five days of jury diliberations signal the end of the career of a high profile politician, who wielded tremendous power both in New Orleans and in Congress. Ironically, the count that involved the $90,000 received a not guilty verdict. Nonetheless, it is another closed chapter in a history of corruption, malfeasance and influence peddling that seems to repeat itself year after year. Meanwhile, Mose Jefferson, the older brother of William goes on trial this week on charges that stemmed from the federal investigation that eventually felled his brother. If prosecutors have their way, though, the Jefferson family might be spending a considerable time living at government expense for the near future.