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Dozens of actors have portrayed Batman at one time or another on radio, in films, on tv, in commercials, in cartoons and on voice-overs, but, for me and those of my generation the “real” Batman will always be Adam West.  West, who portrayed the famous comic book character in the campy, popular tv series Batman from 1966 to 1968, passed away yesterday at the age of 88.  To many people, the character, Batman, and West are synonymous.  It’s as if Batman were the only role of his career.  In reality, as you will see, West enjoyed a seven decade career in tv, films, commercials and voiceovers.

William West Anderson was born on September 19, 1928 in Walla Walla, WA.  His father was a farmer; his mother was a former opera singer and concert pianist, who, as was customary in those days, abandoned her professional aspirations to tend to her family.  When West was 15 his parents divorced.  He and his mother moved to Seattle where he graduated from high school and Whitman College with a degree in literature and a minor in psychology.  Then, he was drafted into the Army where he primarily served as an announcer on Armed Forces Television.  After his discharge he worked at odd jobs for a while (including as a milkman).

Eventually, he moved to Hawaii to pursue an acting career.  One of his early jobs was as a sidekick to a chimp on a local tv show called El Kini Popo Show.  Sounds funny, but remember Ronald Reagan once played opposite a monkey, and look how he ended up.

In 1959 West moved to Hollywood.  One of the first things he did was to change his name to Adam West.  In his autobiography West explained he chose “Adam” because he “liked the way it looked and sounded with ‘West.’ ”

Perhaps, the best way to view West’s career is to divide it into “pre-Batman and post-Batman stages.  Pre-Batman, he appeared in more than a dozen minor tv and movie roles.  Most were forgettable, but among his more notable roles were in the movie, The Young Philadelphians starring Paul Newman, and guest spots in a variety of tv series, such as Sugarfoot, Colt 45, The Real McCoys, The Rifleman and Perry Mason.  Not much of a resume, but he made a living.

How did West get the role of a lifetime?  The story is that the producer of the show, William Dozer, saw him in a commercial for Nestle Quik in which he portrayed a “James Bond-like character,” and thought he would be “good for the role.”  Whether the story is true or not, it sounds good.  Incidentally, among the other actors who competed for the role was Lyle Waggoner, whom you may remember as the announcer and sometimes performer on The Carol Burnet Show in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Batman ran on ABC for only three seasons (1966-1968), but it was very popular, particularly with the teen and college set.  West and his co-star, Burt Ward as Robin, were also very popular individually, but in the long run the roles hurt their respective careers, because they became severely typecast.  Other roles were hard to come by, although West was offered the role of James Bond in 1970.  He turned it down, because, as he put it, in his autobiography, “the role should always be played by a British actor.”

West’s roles post-Batman were primarily related to playing a version of Batman.  For example, he made an appearance on behalf of the US Wrestling Association in which he engaged in a fake “war of words” with wrestler Jerry (the “King”) Lawler.  Also, he reprised the Batman role in the short-lived and forgettable animated series The New Adventures of Batman, as well as The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour and Tarzan and the Super 7, among others.   Furthermore, he performed guest roles on many tv shows, such as Love Boat, Hart to Hart, Maverick, Bonanza, and King of Queens.  Due to his distinctive voice, West was in demand to do voice-overs in many animated series, including, among others, the Simpsons, Family Guy, Rugrats and SpongeBob Square Pants, as well as a Batman video game.  Surprisingly, West never appeared in any of the Batman franchise movies (nor, for that matter, has Ward).

CONCLUSION

West was married three times and had a total of six children.  In 2012 he was honored with a “star” on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  As I said, even though West’s career spanned seven decades, he is primarily remembered for one role.  Ironically, West never took that role very seriously.  He often said he played Batman “for laughs.”  He just had to “pull on that cowl and believe no one would recognize [him].”

Mark Hamill, who met West while, doing the voice-over for the “Joker” in “Batman, the Animated Series,” remembered him as a “wonderful actor [and] so kind.”  Also, Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, tweeted “Adam West was a joy to work with…His positivity, good nature and sense of fun were undeniable.”

Rest in peace Batman.  You will be sorely missed.

D Day. That’s all one has to say. Most everyone knows what it was and what it meant. Just the very name conjures up remembrances and images of one of the bloodiest battles and one of the turning points of WWII. The battle has been memorialized in books and movies, and who can forget the poignant image of countless crosses and Stars of David neatly lined up in military cemeteries in Normandy.

Yesterday, June 6, marked the 73rd anniversary of this epic battle. The Allied Forces included 156,000 troops from various countries, including the US, UK, Free France, Canada and Norway, among others, 5,000 ships and landing craft, 11,000 planes, 50,000 land vehicles, and coordinated landings over a 50 mile stretch of beaches code-named Juno, Omaha, Utah, Sword and Gold, truly a massive undertaking. Allied and German casualties have been estimated as high as 20,000 killed, wounded, missing and captured. If you were involved in the actual landing, whether you lived or died was largely a matter of luck and happenstance – two men sitting side-by-side in an LST and the German bullet finds one and not the other. Think about that for a minute. The movie “Saving Private Ryan” depicts this fact clearly.

If you were lucky enough to survive the landing, you became a “sitting duck” on the beach.  Then, if you managed to fight your way off the beach you had to charge into several thousand heavily-armed German troops, which were placed strategically in fortified bunkers.   Once you fought your way past those, you were ready to commence the real battle to liberate France.  Keep in mind, many of these soldiers were just kids as young as 17.

Planning for the operation began as early as 1943. Russia, one of our allies at the time (“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”) had been lobbying strongly for a second front to alleviate some of the pressure from the Russian Front. Military leaders on both sides recognized the significance of a second front and expected the Allies to attempt to open one at some point. The question was where and when. The Allies were not prepared to attempt such a massive landing until early 1944 primarily because they needed time to build up levels of men and material. Remember, the Allies were fighting in the Mediterranean and North Africa as well. Plus, the US was involved in the Pacific War against the Japanese. Finally, the British’s fighting capacity had been severely damaged in the evacuation at Dunkirk in 1940, when they were lucky that the Germans had not captured or destroyed their entire army on the beach.

The Operation was code-named Operation Overlord. The landing, itself, was code-named Operation Neptune. General Eisenhower was in charge. Indeed, he was in charge of the entire Atlantic Theatre. As the story goes, when he was put in charge his orders were very simple – “Win the War.” No confusion; no limited rules of engagement, which hampered us in Viet Nam and other future conflicts.

The Allies considered four possible landing sites: Brittany, Cotentin Peninsula, Pas de Calais and Normandy. The first two were eliminated primarily because they were located on peninsulas, which would have afforded very narrow fronts that would have enabled the Germans to trap the soldiers in a counterattack. That left Normandy and Calais. Once the Allies decided on Normandy there were many attempts to deceive the Germans into thinking the landings would be at Calais. Historical evidence indicates that the Germans thought Calais the most likely site anyway, possibly because it was closer to England, but both sites were heavily fortified. Indeed, the Germans had planned to fortify the entire coast from Norway to Spain, a so-called Atlantic Wall. This would have included concrete emplacements, barbed wire, booby traps, mines, the removal of ground cover, and, of course, troops and armored equipment. Luckily for us, these fortifications were never completed. Interestingly, although most of the German High Command viewed Calais as the most likely landing site, General Rommel, perhaps the best general on either side, surmised correctly that it would likely be at Normandy.

Accordingly, he increased fortifications in the area, but, luckily for us he was out of favor for political reasons, so some key elements of his plans for defending the area were ignored or overruled. Most notably, some panzer divisions, which he had wanted to place in the Normandy area were, instead, retained in and around Paris. In addition, the German Army was stretched very thinly. Much of its manpower was committed to the Eastern Front and depleted by heavy casualties after five years’ of fighting. Finally, it was relying on captured equipment, which was not of high quality.

One of the biggest unknowns, and one that the Allies could not control, was the weather. Due to the complexity of the operation conditions had to be just so, including the tides, phases of the moon and the time of day. Only a few days of a given month satisfied all criteria. For example, a full moon was preferred to provide maximum illumination for the pilots. Remember, instrumentation then was not what it is now. Additionally, dawn, which was between low and high tide, was the preferred time of day. That way, as the high tide came in it would carry the LSTs farther in on the beach, and the men could spot obstacles, such as land mines, more easily. High winds, heavy seas and low cloud cover were not favorable. The planners were determined to wait for a day with ideal weather conditions so as to maximize the chances of success for a very risky and dangerous mission. In fact, the operation was postponed several times before June 6.

As we know, the operation was a success. Some of the major reasons for this were:
1. The aforementioned missions to deceive the Germans forced them to spread their defenses over a wide area.
2. The Atlantic Wall was only about 20% complete.
3. The Allies achieved air superiority quickly.
4. Much of the transportation infrastructure in France had been damaged by Allied bombings and the French resistance, which hampered the Germans’ ability to move men and material.
5. The German high command was disorganized and indecisive.

CONCLUSION

If, as many historians believe, winning WWII was one America’s greatest achievements, then it can be argued that D Day was one of our greatest victories. Certainly, its success shortened the war in Europe and, in the process, saved countless lives (combatants and non-combatants alike). In WWII we had a clear-cut goal, win the war; the nation was united in support of the war, our government and our troops; we knew who the enemy was; and there was no holding back. Sadly, we have never had such clarity again, and, perhaps, we never will.

President Trump pulled us out of the Paris Accord, and the Trump haters and the uninformed reacted as if he were out to destroy the planet.  I say, his critics are overreacting.  Mr. Trump’s action does not mean he is indifferent to the future of the planet as some Trump haters and pundits have postulated.  Everybody take a deep breath and repeat after me.  His action was not about climate change; it was about the economy!  Half of you probably think I’m way off base, but read on, and I’ll demonstrate why the president’s decision was beneficial to the US, especially in the long run and will have a minimal impact on climate.  Remember, he ran (and was elected) on “putting America first,” and, to quote former president Obama, “elections have consequences.”  So, as you read this, please take the politics and emotion out of it and use some logic and common sense, (which, as we all know, is not “common).”

1. The science surrounding the global warming/ climate change issue can be complicated, confusing and even a bit contradictory.  Global warming is the increase in the earth’s average surface temperature due to emissions of greenhouse gases, such as CO2 from fossil fuels or deforestation.  According to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) the earth’s average temperature increased an average of only 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit from 1880 to 2012.
2. Many people point to daily or annual warmer weather as evidence of “climate change,” but that is inaccurate and misleading.  Climate and weather are two different things.  Weather is day to day; climate is weather conditions that prevail over a long period of time – thousands of years or more.  Thus, year to year phenomena, such as El Nino, do not constitute climate change.
3. Although human activities, such as the emissions of fossil fuels can affect climate change, there are other external causes, such as biotic processes (e.g. effect of the melting of the polar icecaps on the ecosystem), solar radiation, plate tectonics and volcanic eruptions.  Throughout the earth’s 4.5 billion year history its climate has varied widely from time to time, for example, before, during and after the various ice ages.  However, according to Wikipedia, through the science of paleoclimatology (the study of ancient temperatures) scientists have determined that over the last 10,000 years the earth’s average temperature has exhibited minimal variance from the mean.  Moreover, again according to Wikipedia, although 16 of the warmest years on record have occurred in the last 17 years and 2016 was the warmest on record the average global temperature has only increased .13 degrees Fahrenheit per decade since 1880.  Is that cause for alarm?  I guess that’s up to each person to decide.  In my opinion, there is cause for some concern, but I don’t view the situation to be as dire as Al Gore and some others have postulated.  I think we would be better off focusing our attention on other issues, such as global terrorism, jobs, the economy and border security, to name a few.
4.  The stated goal of the accord is to prevent the earth’s average temperature from rising 1.6 degrees.  That is what all the fuss is about – 1.6 degrees.
5. Each signatory is required to submit voluntary goals for reducing emissions.  That’s right, VOLUNTARY. They are to be reported every five years to the UNFCCC Secretariat.  Provisions for monitoring compliance are weak, however, and will likely be largely ineffectual.  Moreover, there are no penalties for failure to meet one’s goals.  The UN assistant secretary general for climate change, Janos Pasztor, has labeled this a “name and encourage” plan.  I call it worthless.  Can you imagine these goals being enforced?  Who would do it, and by what mechanism?
6. Even some of the accord’s staunchest supporters think it does not go far enough.  Former President Obama opined “even if we meet every target….we will only get to part of where we need to go.”
7. The US and other “developed” countries are required to contribute $100 billion per year to “undeveloped” countries to assist them in attaining their goals starting in 2020 for a period of six years.  Obama pledged $3 billion, of which the US has contributed $500 million so far.  What is the likelihood of other “developed” nations “ponying up” their share?   So, once again, the US will be “footing the bill.”
8. The adverse effects on the US economy would be considerable, to wit:

a.  According to the National Economic Research Associates consulting group the accord will result in the loss of 440,000 manufacturing jobs in the US.  The coal, iron and steel industries would be particularly decimated.

b.  According to Christine Harbin of the Washington Examiner most of the lost output and jobs in these and other manufacturing industries would be transferred to other countries, such as China and India.  Thus, in essence, the US would be subsidizing the economies of these and other countries.  President Trump has derided this as a “massive redistribution of US wealth to other countries,” and I am inclined to agree.  Additional government regulations required to enforce this accord would constitute a further drag on business and industry.

d.  Energy prices would likely increase, making it costlier to heat one’s home and run one’s car.  In addition, businesses would likely pass on their increased energy costs to the consumer.

CONCLUSION

Under this plan:

1.  We will not be able to evaluate its effectiveness and member compliance for five years.
2. We will not be able to compel participants to meet their voluntary goals.
3. The plan’s goals, even if met, will be inadequate.
4. The US will be “footing the bill.”

I fail to see how the US would benefit from this accord.  Our emission standards are among the highest of any industrialized nation, and we are fully capable of policing ourselves.  As I see it, the primary results would be (a) we shell out billions of dollars annually to fund other countries’ compliance programs, (b) we put ourselves at a competitive disadvantage vis a vis other countries, (c) we eliminate thousands of blue collar jobs, and (d) we significantly weaken our economy.

So, tell me, do you still think this was a good deal for the US?  Once one removes politics and emotion from the equation and analyzes the deal and its ramifications, it becomes apparent that President Trump made the right call.    I don’t know about you, but I think we could find better use for the $3 billion per year within the US.  With a $20 trillion deficit our financial resources, though substantial, are not unlimited.

I welcome your thoughts and opinions.

The meteoric rise and precipitous fall of Tiger Woods has been astounding to watch – like a modernized version of “Chutes and Ladders.”   From 1996, when he first became a professional golfer to Thanksgiving Weekend, 2009 he had it all – fame, fortune, adulation and, yes, envy.   He was not only “Mr. Golf,” but his fame and influence transcended his sport.  Woods was viewed as a strong role model, especially for African Americans, and according to Golf Digest he had earned in excess of $1 billion in his career.

Virtually singlehandedly, he had revitalized the sport of professional golf.   His focus on weight training revolutionized the way golfers trained.  Physically, he looked like an NFL safety as much as a golfer.  Record numbers of people took up the game.  Corporations fought for the right to sponsor the telecasts.  Tournament operators competed with each other to lure him to their venues.  Millions watched him on tv.  Even non-sports fans followed his exploits.  You might love him; you might hate him.  You watched to see him win, or you watched to see him lose.  But, you watched.  He was the best golfer in the world, and, perhaps, the best ever.  He was so much better than the rest of the field that some tournaments became anti-climactic.  He didn’t just win.  Often, his margins of victory set records.  Many opponents were beaten before the match even began.  He was challenging Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record of 18 victories in majors and Sam Snead’s all-time record of 82 tournament wins.  (Now, he appears to be “stuck” at 14 and 79, respectively.)

And, then, suddenly, it all came crashing down.  Suddenly, we learned that he was an uncontrollable womanizer.  His cool, aloof, at times, arrogant demeanor, which fans had overlooked in view of his outsized success, became problematic.  He suffered one injury after another – his back, his knee, his shoulder.  His swing deserted him.  He parted ways with his longtime caddy.  He changed swing coaches multiple times.  In his mind, they were to blame for his sudden lack of success.  He went through a very public and messy divorce.  Suddenly, he went from the unbeatable, best golfer in the world to one who could not win a tournament or even compete on a regular basis.

And, then came the DUI, not from alcohol, but from excessive and ill-advised use of various prescription medications.  We are all familiar with the story.  A policeman found Woods parked in his car asleep at 2:00 am last Monday morning.  When the policeman awakened him Woods was not cognizant of where he was and how he had arrived there.  Furthermore, his speech was slurry.  At first, he appeared to be inebriated, but it was later determined that his impairment was due to a reaction to a combination of prescription medications. Either way, his situation appears to be serious.

Eldrick Tont (“Tiger”) Woods was born on December 30, 1975 in Cypress, CA.  His father, Earl, was African American, and his mother, Kultida, is of Thai descent.  He is their only child, although he does have one half-brother and one half-sister from a previous marriage of Earl’s.  According to Kultida, the name, “Eldrick,” was derived from the first letter in Earl’s and Kulida’s names (“E” for Earl and “K” for Kulida).  Tont is a traditional Thai name. The nickname, “Tiger” is an homage to a friend of the family, Col. Vuong Dang Phong, who was also known as “Tiger.”

Earl was a single handicap golfer, and he exposed Tiger to the game at an early age.  Tiger became a golf prodigy.  Before the age of three he appeared on The Mike Douglas Show where, in a piece that became famous, he putted against comedian Bob Hope.  At age five he appeared in Golf Digest and on That’s Incredible.  By age seven he was winning “age” tournaments against older competitors.  He was an All-American at Stanford and turned pro at age 20.

CONCLUSION

To paraphrase the opinions of some sports talk radio hosts, reporters and commentators, such as ESPN host, Dave Rothenberg, WFAN host Mike Francessa and many others, Woods has become a tragic figure.  Regardless of one’s previous opinion of Woods, now, one can almost feel sorry for him.  At the other extreme, some other people still feel animosity towards Woods, particularly because of his uncontrollable womanizing.  They feel no pity for him.  In their opinion, he is getting what he deserves.

In any event, I think most of us would agree that his current problems transcend the game of golf.  Rather than being concerned with whether or not he can regain his golf skills and surpass Nicklaus’ and Snead’s records, we should root for him to regain his health.

I know the title sounds like an oxymoron.  No doubt, you are thinking how could anything positive have emanated from the horrific and cowardly attacks of 9/11?  Read on, and you will see.

I would guess that not many of you have heard of Gander, Newfoundland, and even fewer of you are cognizant of the role this small Canadian town played in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.  You may recall that immediately following the attacks that brought down the World Trade Center towers everything was in total disarray, if not out and out panic mode, especially air travel.  No one knew what, where and when other terrorist surprises were planned, and there were hundreds of planes airborne, which made them and their passengers extremely vulnerable.  One of the top priorities was to somehow clear the skies.  Anything airborne was considered a potential target, as were the major airports, themselves, in both the US and Canada.  Both the FAA and its Canadian counterpart were frantically searching for less vulnerable locations to which they could divert these airborne planes.

One chosen destination was the Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada.  Few people had heard of Gander, much less could find it on a map.  As I said, that’s probably true today as well.  Gander was a small town of some 10,000 people located at the northeastern tip of Newfoundland.  Despite its small size, it happened to have an international airport capable of servicing large jets.  I think it’s fair to say that Gander owes its very existence to its strategic location and value as a military and civilian air base.   The town has a rich aviation history, and, indeed, many of its streets bare the names of famous aviators, such Eddie Rickenbacker, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh and Chuck Yeager.

The airport was first constructed in the mid 1930s to provide a fueling and maintenance stop for military planes flying between North America and Europe.   Its value expanded greatly during WWII.  After WWII, it became a civilian airport, again as a refueling stop.  Remember, at that time, planes generally did not have the capacity to fly across the Atlantic non-stop..  It became such a popular stop that it became known as “The Crossroads of the World.”   Over the years, the town of Gander grew up around the airport.

Fast forward to 9/11.  As I mentioned, Gander International Airport was selected as an emergency destination.  As part of what was dubbed Operation Yellow Ribbon, a total of 42 planes carrying some 6,600 passengers and crew descended on a town of 10,000 with only some 500 hotel rooms and limited resources.  (As an aside, one of the American Airlines pilots was Beverley Bass, who was the first female pilot in the airline’s history.)  In addition, the planes were carrying a wide variety of cargo that had to be stored and maintained, including two chimpanzees that were bound for the Columbus, Ohio zoo.  Furthermore, no one was sure how long it would be until normal operations would resume.

How could the town possibly accommodate all these people, the cargo and the equipment?

1.  First, the town’s mayor, Claude Elliott, declared a “state of emergency.”  Then, everyone pitched in.  “I didn’t go home for five days,” Elliott remembered.
2. The hotels were, of course, overwhelmed, so the town converted public buildings, such as schools, into temporary dormitories to lodge the overflow.  In addition, some residents took in borders, free of charge (no small accommodation in a town where people were used to not having to lock their doors at night).
3. Red Cross and Salvation Army volunteers provided free meals, as needed.  Some of the “guests” had special dietary needs, such as kosher meals for Jewish people, that had to be accommodated.
4. The town’s hockey rink was donated for use as a giant walk-in refrigerator to store perishables.
5. Local hospitals, doctors, and nurses provided free medical services.  A local veterinarian cared for the various cargo animals, including the aforementioned chimps.
6. Shortages in basic goods had to be resolved.  For example, Elliott later recalled that the town literally “ran out of underwear.”  Replenishments had to be trucked in from St. John, which was over 200 miles away.
7. Gradually, many “guests” became integrated into the town’s customs.  For example, Newfoundlanders have a custom known as “screeching in.”  The inductee “wears a yellow “sou’wester,” eats hard bread and pickled bologna, kisses a cod on the lips, and, then, drinks the local rum, called “screech,’ while onlookers bang an ‘ugly stick’ covered in beer bottle caps.”  Sounds delightful, but I’ll pass.

After five days, the crisis was over and the flights resumed.  By that time, as Elliott put it, “we started off with 7,000 strangers, but we finished with 7,000 family members.”

CONCLUSION

Some final points:

1. Gander’s residents really rose to the occasion.  They exhibited the finest in human spirit during a terrible crisis, and did so out of the kindness of their hearts.  Afterwards, the Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chretien, in recognition of their contributions, told them “You did yourselves proud… and you did Canada proud.”

2.  The two chimps made it to the Columbus Zoo in good health.  A few years later they had a baby chimp named, you guessed it, Gander.

3.  The story is now being portrayed in a Broadway play called “Come from Away.”  Elliott and others attended the opening, met the cast, and got to take a bow on-stage.  A nice and fitting tribute.  I have seen the play.  It captures the “can do” spirit of the townspeople and the camaraderie that developed between them and their “guests.”  It is most uplifting.  I recommend it.

Roger Moore, best known for playing secret service agent James Bond, has died at 89 after a bout with cancer.  Although most people, especially those of my generation, associate Sean Connery with the role, Moore actually played the super sleuth for a longer period of time – seven films over a 12 year period.  [How many of the eight actors who have played Bond can you name?  Answer appears below.]

Roger Moore was born in London on October 14, 1927.  His father was a policeman.  One day he was assigned to investigate a robbery at the home of film director, Brian Desmond Hurst.  Through that tenuous connection Hurst eventually hired young Moore as an extra for one of his films.

Moore was not exactly an instant success.  In the early 1950s he worked mainly as a model in print advertisements for knitwear, which earned him the moniker, “The Big Knit.”  Later, in the US, Moore appeared in a series of forgettable tv series, such as Ivanhoe, The Alaskans, and The Persuaders.  If you remember any of those, you get a gold star.  His big break came in 1960 when he was cast as “Beau Maverick” in the popular tv western, Maverick.  Beau was cast as Bret and Bart Maverick’s English cousin.  Ironically, Sean Connery had tested for the role but turned it down.  Then, in 1962 Moore was cast as the lead in the popular series, The Saint (1962 – 1969).

By the early 1970s Connery had made it known he was no longer interested in continuing the role of James Bond.  In 1973 Moore became the third Bond and, at 45, the oldest.  His style was different from Connery’s.  Connery was more physical.  Moore was more debonair playboy and exhibited more of a sense of humor.

The Bond role proved to be the highpoint of Moore’s career.  For the next 30 years or so he appeared in mostly minor roles.  He focused his energies on humanitarian work.  For example, he became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1991.  Also, he helped produce a video for PETA that protested against the production and sale of foie gras (fatty duck), which mistreats and exploits ducks.

CONCLUSION

In 2004 in an Academy Awards poll, Moore was voted the “Best Bond.”  Be that as it may, in my opinion, Connery was the quintessential Bond.  My favorite Bond movie was Goldfinger.  I even liked the villains in it – Auric Goldfinger (do you get the pun in the name?) and Odd Job.  Not to take anything away from Moore, when I think of the super sleuth, I think of Connery, not Moore.

Answer (in no particular order):  Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Barry Nelson, George Lazenby, David Niven and Daniel Craig.  If you named them all, you are a Bond savant, but, also, you really need to get out more.

Late last night, ISIS terrorists perpetrated another attack, this time in Manchester, England.  (Earlier accounts had not identified the responsible party, but this morning ISIS claimed credit for it.)  Once again, they picked a “soft” target, detonating a bomb in the lobby of a concert hall where the pop entertainer Ariana Grande had just concluded her performance.  The latest estimates of casualties were in excess of 20 killed and 60 injured.  A disproportionate number of the victims were teenagers and/or pre-teens.

This represents a continuation of terrorists’ predilection for attacking “soft” targets, such as malls, schools, churches, clubs and concerts.  Many people, including yours truly, have predicted this as an obvious strategy.  It enables them to inflict maximum fear and disruption of our normal way of life.  It can make one feel that “no place is safe.”

Witnesses described frightened teens and pre-teens, who moments before had been enjoying a concert, sitting around in groups sobbing for their parents.  The image is heart-rending.  The traumatic affect on these kids will likely be considerable and long-lasting.

This was the deadliest terrorist attack on British soil since 2005.  British Prime Minister Theresa May characterized it as “callous” and “cowardly.”  As I write this, police believe it was executed by a single suicide bomber, but based on past experience I believe their investigation will disclose that he had logistical and financial support from others.  According to CNN British police are citing this attack as evidence that there is a widespread terror network operating in the country, and more attacks are likely.

Terrorism has been on the rise in Europe in recent years, and GB has been on a “severe terror alert.”  Some of the significant terror attacks in Europe in the last 12 months include:

1.  7/14/16 – In Nice, France, a truck plowed into revelers celebrating Bastille Day killing 86.
2. 12/19/16 – In Berlin twelve were killed when a hijacked truck plowed through a Christmas market.
3. 3/22/17 – In London four people were killed when a terrorist drove an SUV into a group of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.  He then stabbed a policeman.
4. 4/17/17 – In Stockholm, Sweden a terrorist drove a truck into a group of pedestrians in a department store killing four persons.

CONCLUSION

Any objective observer cannot view this latest terror attack in isolation.  It should be obvious that it is part of a coordinated series of terror attacks by a group or groups of terrorist cells.

In my opinion, in Europe we are seeing the culmination of decades of lax immigration policies and an excess of political correctness.   At this point, a considerable amount of damage has been done and the problem may be approaching the point where it will become irreversible.

In the US we should view the European situation as a warning.  It is providing us with empirical information of what can and likely will happen here prospectively if we fail to take corrective action now.  The evidence is right in front of us.  It is actual, not theoretical. We must increase our border security, enhance our vetting procedures, and strengthen our law enforcement policies towards immigrants.  Otherwise, before long, we may find ourselves in a similar situation.

Most people are familiar with the movie Rocky (1976), which portrays a down-and-out boxer who gets a shot at the heavyweight title and shocks the world by nearly winning the bout.  Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay and starred as Rocky.  The movie was a huge success and won nine Academy Awards, including best picture.  It is generally considered to be one of the best sports movies ever, and the American Film Institute has ranked it as the second best boxing movie (behind Raging Bull).  In addition, it spawned six sequels, which have met with varying degrees of success.

What most people are unaware of, however, is that the character, Rocky, as well as much of the movie’s plot, was based on an actual boxer named Chuck Wepner.   Unless you were an avid boxing fan in the 1970s and 1980s you likely have never heard of Wepner.  Read on and be edified.

Wepner was born on February 26, 1939 in New York City.  He was raised by his grandmother in Bayonne, NJ.  Money was scarce.  For example, Wepner’s childhood bedroom was actually a converted coal shed.  He did not have any formal boxing training.  He learned to fight on the streets.  As Wepner put it, “it was a tough town… you had to fight to survive.”

After graduating high school Wepner joined the Marines, where he learned how to box.  He was very successful, primarily because he could “take a punch.”  After his discharge, he bounced around at different jobs, including that of a “bouncer” in a club.

He turned professional in 1964.  He became a successful “club fighter” in the NJ area and even managed to defeat former WBA Heavyweight Champion Ernie Terrell in one fight.  But, he was not in the same class as the top boxers, losing badly, for instance, to George Foreman and Sonny Liston.  His main forte was he could take punishment.  In fact, he took punishment so well that it became the basis for his nickname, the “Bayonne Bleeder.”

Wepner’s big break came in 1975.  Muhammed Ali’s handlers were looking to “book” a white fighter for Ali’s next bout, and Wepner happened to be the highest ranked white boxer at the time.  Wepner’s pedestrian record was also a factor as Ali’s handlers were looking for a non-threatening opponent before his next big fight.  The fighters’ respective purses reflected their respective status and expectations of success.  Ali was guaranteed $1.5 million; Wepner got a mere $100,000.  The pre-fight conventional wisdom was that Wepner was a sacrificial lamb.  The question was not whether or not he could win, but how long could he last?  Go the distance?  Not a chance!  In response to one reporter’s question as to his chances in the ring, Wepner quipped: “If I survived the Marines, I can survive Ali.”

Wepner almost made it.  He did, indeed, shock the world, not by winning, but by nearly lasting the distance when few had thought he could.  Ali beat him by a TKO with but 19 seconds left in the 15th and final round.  Moreover, in the 9th round Wepner had scored a rare knockdown of Ali (although Ali later insisted Wepner had stepped on his foot).  While Ali was down Wepner retreated to a neutral corner as required by the rules.  He was brimming with confidence until his manager told him, “You better turn around.  He’s getting up, and he looks pissed.”

Before leaving his hotel room to go to the bout Wepner had told his wife, who had remained behind, “Tonight, you will be sleeping with the heavyweight champion of the world.”  When he returned to the room afterwards, she asked him “Am I going to Ali’s room, or is he coming to mine?”  Apparently, she, too, had a good sense of humor.

The fight with Ali proved to be Wepner’s last big moment in the ring.  “I showed the world that I belonged in there,” said Wepner afterwards, and “that’s what I really wanted to do.”  Three years later he retired, and went into the liquor distribution business with his wife, Linda, where he remains today.

CONCLUSION

Stallone had watched the Ali-Wepner bout.  Supposedly, it had inspired him to write the script that became Rocky.  At first, Stallone denied any connection, but, eventually, he agreed to a monetary settlement with Wepner.  Furthermore, in a nice gesture, he offered him a role in the sequel, but it didn’t work out.

In my opinion, the parallels between the two are too compelling to be coincidental.  For example:

1. Wepner’s career and style of boxing were very similar to those of the fictional Rocky.
2. Wepner fought a wrestler, “Andre the Giant.”  In Rocky III Rocky fought the wrestler, “Thunderlips,” played by Hulk Hogan.  Additionally, during the fight Andre threw Wepner out of the ring, as Rocky and Thunderlips did to each other.
3. The personality of the fictional Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, bore a striking resemblance to that of Muhammed Ali.
4. Wepner really did train by running up steps, although not the 72 steps at the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as portrayed in Rocky.  He did not, however, eat raw eggs.  Anyone who does “better be wearing depends,” he once quipped.  Also, he denied training by punching slabs of frozen meat.  “I trained on punching [unruly bar patrons].  I was undefeated in about 87 bar fights.”
5. Rocky’s fictional bout with Creed exhibited many parallels to the actual Wepner-Ali bout.

As you can see from the foregoing quotes, Wepner was very personable and had a great sense of humor.  Currently, his story is being portrayed in the movie, Chuck, starring Liev Schreiber as Wepner.  I have seen it, and although it was not as good as Rocky, I found it entertaining, and I recommend it.  Don’t be put off by the fact that you may not have heard of Wepner.  Listen to Schreiber: “I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t know who Chuck was… and I was blown away when I found out.”

The following is intended to be a “fun” blog that tests your knowledge of various topics from pop culture to American history.  See if you can identify the person described.  I tried to find a middle ground where you will be tested but not frustrated.  I hope I succeeded.

1.  My real name was William, but I was known by my nickname.  I was a straight man in one of the most famous comedy teams ever.  I performed in vaudeville, on the radio, on tv and in the  movies.  My most famous comedy skit was about baseball.
2. I had the shortest tenure of any US President.  I was the last president to have been born a British subject.  I was the grandfather of another president.  I was a renowned Indian fighter.  My most famous victory came at the Tippecanoe River.
3. I was a versatile performer of tv, stage and film.  I could sing, dance and act.  My biggest roles on the stage were in Chicago and 42nd Street.  I appeared in numerous films, such as Dirty Dancing.  I played a police detective on a long-running tv series.
4. My given name is Robyn Fenty, but I am known by my middle name.  I was born in Barbados.  I have won eight Grammy Awards and have sold over 230 million records worldwide.  My first big album was Music of the Sun.  I have dated many celebrities, one of which was MLB star Matt Kemp.
5. My real name is James Todd Smith, but everyone calls me by my famous nickname.  I have achieved notoriety as rapper, actor on tv and in the movies.  In one of my movie roles I jumped out of an airplane.  Currently, I am starring in an action show based in LA.
6. I was a comedian with a very distinctive style.  I appeared in movies with both Clark Gable and Clint Eastwood.  I was a staple on tv variety and late night talk shows and had my own tv show for a few years.
7. My real name was Lawrence, but everybody knew me by my famous nickname.  I was born in St. Louis.  I played in the major leagues for many years and was considered one of the best ever at my position.  After I retired I coached and managed teams in both the National and American Leagues.
8. I was one of the founding fathers.  I was a wealthy merchant and statesman from Boston.  I was President of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
9. I am a radio personality best known as the host of American Top 40.  On tv I hosted a popular reality tv show for many years.  I am a talk show co-host on a popular daytime tv talk show.
10. I am the only person to have served as both US president and vice president without having been elected to either office.  Although I was often portrayed as being clumsy, I was actually an accomplished athlete in my youth.

ANSWERS:  1) Bud Abbott (Abbott and Costello).  2) William Henry Harrison (campaign slogan – “Tippecanoe and Tyler too”).  3) Jerome Bernard “Jerry” Orbach.  4)  Rihanna. 5)  LL Cool J.  6) Don Rickles. 7)  Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra. 8)  John Hancock.  9) Ryan Seacrest. 10)  Gerald Ford.

I hope you enjoyed this blog.  Please let me know how you did.