The horror, the humanity - Haiti!

The first stories that told of the incredible devastation from the earthquakes in Haiti were horrific. The news reports that were broadcast yesterday and this morning suggest that words can never quite give full measure to the heartbreak, pain and hopelessness being felt by millions of Haitians. There truly is an international response that is doing its best to counter the effects of 40 seconds of damage that will be felt for decades by survivors and their progeny. Americans have found themselves in a remarkable competition with Canadians, Chinese, Icelanders and others to rescue victims and get aid and supplies to those in need. It is ironic that Haiti, a survivor of four hurricanes in 2008 and terrible mudslides in 2009 that killed hundreds and left thousands homeless, was struck so ferociously by this latest disaster. History tells us that tragedy - whether from nature or man-made - has been a constant companion for Haitians. It was a revolution in Haiti an resulting unrest that caused waves of refugees to seek shelter in New Orleans two centuries ago. The city fathers took them in and they added to the melting pot of what was still then in large part a French-speaking province. Their influence and culture led to the practice of voodoo by large segments of the population and forever changed the complexion of this cosmopolitan city. Ever since its discovery by Christopher Columbus in the Fifteenth Century, Hispañola, has been host to scores of disasters. Haiti, which occupies the western portion of the island it shares with the Dominican Republic, always seems to get the brunt of the natural disasters. Recent history has shown HIV-AIDS as rampant and a string of kleptocracies have taken undue advantage of the already impoverished people there. This latest tragedy may well be more than this troubled people can take. There is not one section of Port-au-Prince affected by collapsed or heavily damaged buildings. The appalling death toll is almost unimaginable. There is little medical help available and so the lucky wounded and homeless can only sit in the street waiting and hoping for help. The lack of supplies and basic human needs like food, water and sanitation will no doubt ramp up the numbers of dead and dying. This is a race against time and the humanitarian effort underway will have to be increased to meet the demand. My hope is the nations of the world, including the United States, will see what needs to be done and rise to the challenge.

Midori is not a liqueur

Midori at the LPO concert on January 9, 2010 in New Orleans

For those of you who don't already know my propensity for music, allow me to explain. My mother and uncles ran one of the oldest record stores in New Orleans for nearly 50 years. The inventory ran the gamut - from popular music to classical to Broadway to opera to New Orleans funk to rhythm and blues and even world music and country thrown in for good measure. I was first steeped in classical music appreciation as a child, but preferred the popular tunes for my first two decades. Later, I became an authority on all music because I sold it at the store and managed it after my broadcasting career was over. Even as a child working at the store on Saturdays, it was important for me to become familiar with the artists, repertoire and, in the case of classical and opera, to be able to recommend one performance over another. When CDs were a fairly recent addition, Deutsche Grammaphon helped launch the recording career of a young Japanese prodigy in several performances. Her name was Midori Gotõ, but everyone knew her simply as Midori. In the classical world, there are rare instances where a figure or personage has but one name. It is not unlike those one-named popular stars such as Cher, Madonna or Sting. Midori at 12 was an astonishingly accomplished star, who played like an experienced veteran of decades of play. She had been playing since she was seven and was a student at the Julliard School of Music for four years before she left as an artist in her own right. One night she played a performance at the Tanglewood Music Center, a music complex outside of Boston. In the middle of her play of the very difficult Bach "Chaconne," her e-string on her violin broke. She was forced to borrow the concertmaster's instrument in order to finish when that e-string also splintered. After she finished the concert with a third violin, Leonard Bernstein was reported to have bowed to her in admiration. She actually played here with the New Orleans Philharmonic back in 1986, but that was before the reorganization of that hallowed group into the present musician-run Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, a necessary outgrowth of self-preservation. To my delight Midori returned last night to New Orleans. She appeared on the Mahalia Jackson stage in a program along the side of the very capable Maestro Carlos Prieto. She played the Sibelius Violin Concerto, a 37-minute long classical ride that was both lilting and powerful. The support she received from the orchestra and the conductor was outstanding, but none of that lessened her skillful play nor her graciousness after the performance, when she insisted on greeting doyens at intermission. It was one of the opportunities that I could not pass by. I had 15 seconds to tell her how I used to sell her "records" and to have two pictures snapped of the now nearly 40-year old classical star. The first picture was of her alone beaming her lovely countenance and the second showed the two of us together that a member of the LPO staff took on my behalf. As you can see, it was a very proud night for me and the second half of the performance included one of my favorite symphonies, the Dvorak Symphony 9, titled "From the New World." It was an exquisite night of music and one I will always treasure. It is my understanding that Midori and the LPO will perform for local underprivileged youth today, part of the work she does now as a psychologist. This has been a lifelong passion for her. In 1992 she formed a group in New York City called Midori and Friends and has held numerous concerts to benefit the inner city youth there. About ten years ago she graduated from New York University's Gallatin School with a psychology degree and subsequently earned her master's degree in psychology a few years later. Midori is not only a great performer, but a great humanitarian too. Currently she is the strings department chair at the Thornton School of Music and the Jascha Heifetz Chair at the University of Southern California near her Los Angeles home. If I am fortunate, I shall one day hear her perform yet another time.

Broussard's resignation

Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard video

Just two days after his Chief Adminstrative Officer Tim Whitmer stepped down in a hail of controversy, Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard, a lifetime politician with a career three-plus decades old, abruptly resigned from his office yesterday. In a shocking turn of events, precipitated by a months-long federal investigation in alleged improprieties in parish government, Broussard did by himself what thousands of angry homeowners had hoped he would do right after Hurricane Katrina. It was Broussard who decided he wanted to not imperil the lives of parish employees who worked the drainage pumps in Jefferson Parish. Fearing the housing complexes where they worked would not stand up to the pummeling from the hurricane's winds, Broussard ordered the men to leave their posts and evacuate the area. Many of them resisted, wanting to man the pumps despite the risk to their lives and limbs. When the drainage canals overspilled from excessive water backed up from the storm and from breaks in levees leading to Lake Pontchartrain, Jefferson Parish suffered extensive damage to homes and businesses. Broussard took the brunt of the criticism, but defended his actions as having potentially saved lives. Angry homeowners saw things differently. They surmised that had pumps been working during and after the storm, much of the billions of dollars in damages to personal and public properties would have been lessened. Broussard survived a recall petition launched against him in 2005 after the storm, but his criticism of the federal government's response in the wake of Hurricane Katrina helped him regain favor in some voters' eyes. Broussard was featured on two segments of Meet the Press with Tim Russert in the weeks after the flooding had occurred in September of 2005. On his first appearance on September 4 he made emotional statements about the death of one of his employee's mother in a St. Bernard Parish nursing home and the lack of a response to save her before she died. Broussard was challenged about the accuracy of his earlier statement on a later show on September of 25 by Russert when it was determined that statement contained glaring inaccuracies. While never disputing the discrepancies, Broussard claimed he was only repeating the story told to him by his staffers. It took Broussard two years to climb in popularity again and he narrowly escaped having to be in a runnoff against one of his more outspoken detractors only two years ago. If ever there were an example of an entrenched politician, Broussard was it. It was such a surprise to everyone in the news media that special local reports broke into regular programming throughout the day. Speculation now is rampant over whether Broussard resigned in the face of an impending federal indictment for malfeasance in office or other impropriety. Tim Coulon, a Jefferson Parish mainstay and a close confidante of Broussard, was forced to resign his position with the Louisiana Superdome Commission at the behest of Governor Bobby Jindal over allegations of wrongdoing - or the appearance of the same - not that long ago. Following Whitmer's resignation under fire and Broussard's decision to follow him, political observers are now wondering if the veritable straw that broke the camel's back wasn't a story that leaked to the news media a day after Whitmer stepped down. The story dealt with the possibly improper leasing of a Nova Scotian lodge owned by Broussard to vendors who had done extensive work with the parish government. The Metropolitan Crime Commission questioned the practice and Broussard was on the defensive just the day before he decided to quit, telling reporters he was innocent of any wrong-doing. At the time that Broussard was making his decision to resign Friday, Jefferson Parish officials were busy handing over documents to federal investigators related to the 25-year River Birch garbage disposal contract with the parish that experts suggested could be worth $160 million over the life of the contract. Between allegations of improper awarding of parish contracts and other finger pointing by critics, Broussard was in a no-win situation. He probably did himself and the parish government a great service by stepping down. Now the question is who will fill his very large shoes? Only five days ago Jose Gonzales was a middle management employee, who assisted CAO Whitmer. By Tuesday he was the CAO and with Broussard's departure is now the defacto parish president. An interim president will be named by the parish government soon and by law he or she cannot run for the permanent office. Sources suggest the election for a permanent parish president will be next February, but that will only be for the final two year's of Broussard's existing term. For the pundits it could be a very interesting race. For the voters of Jefferson Parish, it's either an embarrassment or a blessing. With the ongoing investigation ramping up, it shouldn't be long before we hear from the federal prosecutors if Broussard is in their sites for more attention. Many of us will recall Broussard as a district councilman and school board member prior to his entry into the Kenner mayor's race in 1982. That bitterly fought race against two other established politicians - Raoul "Skip" Galan and Kernan "Skip" Hand - cost Broussard dearly. It took him nearly a decade to pay off his gargantuan campaign debt. Only days after taking the oath of office, Broussard became a national celebrity when a tragic Delta plane crash occurred just outside the boundaries of the New Orleans International Airport. Beside the 146 on board the plane, eight residents in their homes or on the ground were killed in the explosion and fire that raced through the Kenner neighborhood. Broussard was given high marks for his take charge attitude and the baseball cap he wore with the "K" for the city of Kenner became an overnight best seller. Following two more successive terms as mayor, Broussard decided to venture into more powerful positions in Jefferson Parish politics. He won election to the Jefferson Parish Council and was selected as chairman from 1995 to 2003. Voters gave him the parish presidency in 2003 and he last ran for office in 2007, winning re-election without having to enter into a runoff by 1.5% of the vote. There is little doubt that he leaves behind a formidable legacy. Whether he is fortunate to stay retired and not become the target of the federal probe remains to be seen. Lips are pretty tight down on Camp Street at the Hale Boggs Federal Building, where the prosecutors led by U.S. Attorney Jim Letten have been quietly pressing forward, interviewing witnesses and pouring over large caches of documents. Who will follow Broussard as interim president and who will run for what's left of his term is anybody's guess right now. It all shapes up to be more local politics as usual, but how history will recall Broussard - as hapless victim or corrupt politician - no one can say.

Art Clokey, the animator of Gumby and Pokey, first premiered on the "Howdy Doody Show," passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Clokey resisted putting replicas of the green bendable figurine on store shelves because he didn't want critics to suggest he was only in the animation field to reap retail sales. Despite his late entry into the marketplace, Gumby and Pokey figures eventually rang up millions of dollars in sales, but not before two television series were aired 20 years apart starring the green figure with the slanting head and his horse friend. Clokey figured it took him 40 years to make substantial money from TV receipts and merchandising. Eddie Murphy's "Saturday Night Live" depiction of Gumby was well regarded by Clokey, who said Gumby needed to laugh at himself. Now that Clokey is gone, one wonders what will become of the green animation figure? I've heard of one report that says a distraught Gumby and Pokey have both gone on a bender. (Ouch.)

Thank you. Thank you, very much, Elvis

I will forever be indebted to Elvis Presley for a number of things, but foremost are my patented combination lip curl and pelvic thrust. Elvis was a star when I was just a toddler, so my recollections of him were as some sort of throwback to an earlier era when I was growing up in the Sixties. Yet, despite his lack of importance in music at that time (compared to his absolute domination in the late Fifties), everyone respected Elvis Presley as the guy who came around at the right time. He was the fresh faced Southern boy who not only could sing rhythm and blues music, but could make it accessible to other white music buyers at a time when "race" music was starting to be broadcast over mainstream radio. I still find it incredible to hear that Pat Boone's version of "Blueberry Hill" outsold Fats Domino's at one time. But that was the way the music industry was run back then. I should know because my mom and uncle ran a very successful record store at that time. My collection of Elvis albums and Elvis books all died during the flooding after Hurricane Katrina, so I now have to rely on a few greatest hits CD collections to muddle me through. There are a number of fans, women mostly I guess, who still think of Elvis as "the king," and I won't ever denigrate then for that. He was a spectacular iconic figure who inspired millions of fans both young and old alike by changing the face of popular music. He will forever be remembered for his legacy of song, although not as many people feel his work in film was as noteworthy. Frankly, I always had a more than grudging admiration for Elvis the star performer. Anyone who could star against Ann-Margret, Shelley Fabares, Juliet Prowse, Nancy Sinatra and Mary Tyler Moore had to be able to hold his own as an actor, although many of the latter scripts were pretty simplistic and left one wondering where the production values had been left in the process of making these films. In any event Elvis is dead, but he's never been bigger. He's 75 and bringing in tons of cash each year, now managed by his estate, at Graceland and through continuing sales and leasing of his images and songs. Happy Birthday, Elvis! If you ask me, when it comes to "the King," cash is definitely king!

A new year and a disturbing trend

I have just completed my second year as a blogger and noted that the first year I had posted 266 blogs. Not bad when you consider weekends and holidays, I thought to myself. But this past year the number of blog entries was half of that at 130. I am aghast. I am appalled. I am concerned. But will this change my seemingly lackadaisical approach to this blog? Probably not. I make no apologies because I am truly doing the best I can. I regret the fact I cannot add more, but I am delighted when I do have the time to add to my commentaries here. Please forgive me if I am not more steady, but I promise that I will try to make up the lack of quantity with more quality. That's what Kander and Ebb called "razzle dazzle 'em" in "Chicago. Meanwhile, happy anniversary to us. Another year for Kosher Computing and a year which already has had some very interesting things occur. Meanwhile, Twelfth Night was last night. Carnival is just around the corner and I am busy preparing manuscripts for the various balls I will narrate beginning next weekend. Be still my heart. It's Mardi Gras time in New Orleans. Meanwhile, anybody care to reveal what resolutions you've made for the new year?

Dome field advantage

After two disappointing straight losses at the hands of Dallas on a Thursday night and Tampa Bay this past Sunday, many Saints fans were beginning to believe that their team had peaked too soon. Frankly, a couple of plays late in each game might have made the difference to have helped the Saints maintain a perfect season. But perfection is not everything as Indianapolis learned this past Sunday. After all, it is far more important to keep fixed on the goal of getting to the Superbowl and to play the very best games possible in the playoffs. Frankly, the last game of the season against the Carolina Panthers on January 3 doesn't count for anything other than bragging rights about whether the Saints can defeat them twice in one season or split the two decisions. I would not be surprised to see Coach Sean Payton keep Drew Brees out of a portion of the game in order to keep him rested and out of danger of a possible injury prior to the start of the playoff season. So, surprise of all surprises last night when I tuned in to the Chicago Bears game against the Minnesota Vikings. The score in the third quarter was Chicago 16, Minnesota 0. What? I gulped hard and thought to myself "Be still my heart." The Minnesota Vikings with the fabulous Brett Favre (almost a local boy from Kiln, Mississippi) should have been way ahead of the Bears. Indeed, it didn't take long for Favre to play catchup in the remainder of the third and fourth quarters. The score was evened at 23 each and then again at 30 a piece. Then the game went into sudden death overtime. The Bears won the coin toss and elected to receive. They got down to within potential field goal range, but the kick was errant. Then the Vikings took over and they took their shot, but were denied by the tenacious Bears defense. After the Bears failed to capitalize on the following drive, Favre looked like he was about to put the game away. He tossed a short pass off to one of his receivers who added nearly ten yards on the carry when the ball was punched out of his arm by a crafty Bear defender. The ball popped out as a fumble and was jumped on by the Bears, setting up a near perfect touchdown pass into the endzone by Bear quarterback Jeff Cutler. In this case Cutler, the student, taught Favre, the master, a lesson from the playbooks. It was an incredible see-saw battle, but in the end the winner turned out to be the New Orleans Saints. Based on their 13-2 record and Minnesota's unbelievable third loss in the last four weeks, New Orleans secured home field advantage at the Superdome for what Saints fans hope will be the next two games played there before a shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Miami. Nothing good ever comes from something easily obtained, but the Saints have achieved one of their major season goals by the most unlikely of friends, the same Chicago Bears team that denied them a shot at the Superbowl a couple of years back. Politics and football make strange bedfellows, it would seem.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Theta Theta chapter of Sigma Alpha Rho fraternity right here in New Orleans. Many of my contemporaries will recall that this high school fraternity reached its height in the late Sixties and early Seventies. After that time the relevance of high school fraternities became lessened and many Jewish students gravitated towards AZA, a B'nai Brith Youth Organization. Sadly, the local chapter lost much support from the local community and quietly died sometime in the late Seventies, as best I can tell. It's a shame because some of my best memories from high school revolved about many of the events sponsored by S.A.R. Some of my earliest writing can be found in some of the old newspapers we printed on a mimeograph machine owned by the fraternity. I learned much about putting together a newspaper as well as the necessity of selling advertising for much of the more upscale publications such as the program printed for the White Orchid Formal, held each December 29. There are no such opportunities for Jewish youth these days. The high school sorority, Sigma Theta Pi, also shut down around the same time. High school fraternities are indeed dinosaurs and have lost out to organized sports and other school-related activities. I still feel the loss, even though most of today's kids don't really know what they're missing. Many of my closest friends today were S.A.R. fraternity brothers and given the fact that I never did pledge a college fraternity, those friendships are still dear to my heart.

"A Christmas Story" explored

Every Christmas like clockwork, TBS runs 24 hours of "A Christmas Story," a 1983 picture based on the writing of Jean Shepard about the travails of an eight-year-old in search of his ultimate Christmas present, a Red Ryder range model air rifle. This "holy grail" of holiday presents becomes the quest that little Ralphie seeks in the weeks leading up to Christmas morning. Jean Shepard serves as both the writer and the narrator for this wonderful little movie that has an abundance of classic scenes. Some people may not know of the connections this film has with both New Orleans and Cleveland. Some of them will know that the film was shot in downtown Cleveland as well as at a house on the West Side of Cleveland that today serves as the official A Christmas Story Museum. Believe it or not, there is a a manufacturer of plastic leg lamps similar to the kind that figures in the movie. The president of that company decided that tying in the promotional value of that house with his product would be a great marketing tool. So, when I was still in Cleveland following the Hurricane Katrina related flooding, news stories followed the restoration and conversion of the house into a museum. Today it stands as a testament as to how a little known film could be transformed into a tourist site in a city that has very few of which to boast. Some people know that the late director of the film, Bob Clark, also wrote the film with Shepard. Clark was tragically killed two years ago by a drunk driver, but many don't know he was born right here in New Orleans, although he was raised in Fort Lauderdale. So there you have it. A Cleveland and New Orleans connection to "A Christmas Story." I didn't say this would be earthshaking, but after all, it is Christmas and that makes it all worthwhile, don't 'ya think? (Photo © 1983 MGM Studios)