good talk

This past Spring I flew from Ben Gurion in Israel to Istanbul (Israel has heated up since I was there, probably chaotic). This was my third time in Turkey and I've always found it to be a fabulous destination. My last time there had been 7 years before and it had cost a whopping $60 for the visa that you get automatically on arrival but this time it was only $20, the first time I was there was 17 years ago and the visa was free, that was more like it---hey, you go to these foreign places and you spend all this money so why would they gouge you for a visa? And now they have a subway system to get you from the Airport to where all the attractions are. In Istanbul most things that you'd want to see are within walking distance of each other. And I got a hotel room including breakfast for 30 Euros, that's cheap by the standards and it was close to everything. But 7 years before the prices were half of what they are today due to disastrous economic policies everything has gone up. And previously I've always found the Turks to be very friendly and now they were unfriendly. I asked why and was told it was because the people have no money (so keep your problems to yourselves and don't take it out on me). So I leave my hotel and walk to the Hagia Sophia, finished in 536 by the Emperor Justinian for almost a thousand years it was the largest building in the world and of course the largest Cathedral. It's very impressive. Once I was finished there I went to the "Blue Mosque," the only Mosque in Islam that has 6 Minarets. Built by the architect Mehmet Aga for the Sultan Ahmet it was completed in 1616. The tiles inside are blue hence the nickname, it has iron bars running throughout to guard against earthquakes, it's very beautiful. The Hippodrome is a large area outside the Blue Mosque and it has a gory History. Twice 40,000 people were slaughtered within the Hippodrome, which was bigger in those days, once in 532 by Justinian to save his throne and again in 1826 when 40,000 Janissaries (the Turks' best soldiers) met their fate there. There's a great archeological museum to see close by and other museums. This entire tourist area is on the peninsula known as the Golden Horn and you can walk across a bridge going from Asia on one side to Europe on the other. The next day I went to the Topkapi Palace which was the palace of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1863. There's fabulous things to see here and you'll be there for quite some time. One of the mosques I went to was that of Suleiman the Magnificent who ruled from 1520 to 1566 and his tomb is outside the mosque. Istanbul began when Constantinople was captured by Mehmet ll (the Conqueror) in 1453 after a 53 day siege, it had been on the downslide for a long time. Since the end of WW ll Turkey has been a great friend of the United States, when NATO was going strong the U.S. had the largest Army in it and Turkey had the 2nd largest. And how many people of Turkish descent have you ever met in the United States? Unlike other nationalities they don't leach us.

good talk

You People find me to be an interesting guy, isn't that cute? I was just listening to the radio and I heard Lorrie Morgan singing "Out of Your Shoes," I haven't heard that in a long time. Back in Ohio I listened to both Pop and Country Music (back there it was usually called "Hillbilly") and people regarded it as strange that I liked Country Music, I remember one guy looking at me quizzically and saying "You do?" Country Music has gotten a lot more popular over the past 30 years but most of the elegant and poignant phrasing has always been in Country as compared to other Music. I've been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville and of course I liked them both. Natalie Maines of the "Dixie Chicks" made critical comments in 2003 in relation to President Bush and the Invasion of Iraq and immediately drew the ire of Toby Keith probably to get back at her for criticizing a song of his the year before. Toby Keith referred to her in vulgar language saying that she was unpatriotic. And then everybody jumped on Keith's Bandwagon and Natalie Maines seemed to back down somewhat from her position in order to save her career. You can't even talk anymore, you're not allowed to have a political opinion, which was actually that of a lot of people at the time, or else you'll be hounded until your Career is dead (and she did receive "death threats") That's the Mentality in this Country today, the way that people think has degenerated, what used to be rational thinking has become influenced by base emotions. People were after Maines like hounds relentlessly chasing a fox through the woods. Maybe people have become traumatized from watching so much TV. A while back Dave Bing who starred for the Detroit Pistons opined that he thought that the People of Detroit had been on Drugs for so long that it has permanently affected the Way They Think. Ha, ha, maybe this is true for the entire Country. It's Unfortunate, I can remember when it was a Great Nation.

good talk

Tony Galento who was one of the leading Heavyweight Contenders of the 1930's said that he got his strength from Beer. The affable Tavern Owner said "I think when I was a baby that my Mother instead of milk must have fed me Beer." Indeed when Galento fought Joe Louis he was able to knock the "Brown Bomber" down before eventually succumbing. In my day I've toured 5 Breweries as I've supported that Industry for decades; the now-defunct Pabst Brewery and the Miller Brewery in Milwaukee, the Olympia Brewery in Olympia, Washington, the Stroh's Brewery in St.Paul, and the Coors Brewery in Golden, a suburb of Denver. To be at these breweries was very exciting. At the end of the Tour 4 of them gave you a free beer, as the Tour Guide at the Olympia Brewery said at the time, "You can't always get a free beer!" Indeed not. At the Stroh's Brewery you were allowed a Half-Hour to drink all the beer you wanted and they even furnished Pretzels! I had a daydream where at the end of the Half-Hour some guy being pulled away from the table. I never have drunk to excess and I hardly drink at all anymore, I pop a couple every few nights. I remember the first beer that I ever bought was "Fort Pitt," and it cost 85 cents for a 6-pack. In Ohio you had to be "21" to buy 4.5% beer and I was "17," I just walked into a Supermarket and bought it, no questions asked. In my adult life I've gone for as long as 6 weeks without drinking alchohol, I could always take it or leave it. But it never ceases to amaze me all of the people I've noticed who have an addiction to alchohol, their numbers are staggering, no pun. Alchohol will give you the blahs, give you depression, but they guzzle it anyway. Alchoholics Anonymous was begun in Akron, Ohio in 1935 and in my part of town, west Akron and Akron St. Thomas Hospital was the first hospital in the Country to treat Alchoholism as a Disease and not just a Weakness of Character. There was a Ward set aside exclusively for the Treatment of Alchoholics which was run by a no-nonsense Nun. This is certainly something that Akronites can be proud of. My younger brother, Tom, was born at St. Thomas and I, who was "5" suggested that he be named Thomas for that reason. I'll bet half of the boys born at St. Thomas were named Thomas. I know a guy here in Las Vegas named Tom who's from the Akron area and I asked him if he was born at St. Thomas and he said----yes. In 1979 I was driving through Wine Country in California and I saw the sign as I passed one Winery inviting people to stop by for a tour, so I did. I remember the Tour Guide said that it was the 2nd largest Winery in the Country, and I think it was Italian-Swiss Colony. I was the only one on the Tour, and I found it to be very nice, I remember the Tour Guide said that he was about ready to retire. At the end of the tour you could have a complimentary glass of wine and there was about a hundred bottles to choose from. The Tour Guide said "...Try this..." and I drank the glass of wine. Then he said, "Try this" and "Try this...." Before I left I had drunk 5 glasses of wine, I rode in sober and drove away half-drunk, maybe that's why I'm not quite sure of which Winery I was at.

good talk

Washington Crossed the Delaware on Christmas Day and defeated the Hessians at Trenton on December 26, 1776. It was a hundred years ago today that Boxing saw its first Negro Heavyweight Champion when Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns at Sydney, Australia on December 26, 1908. Jack Johnson had been following Burns around the World trying to get him to fight him and finally Hugh "Big Deal" McIntosh of Sydney offered so much Money that Burns was willing to risk his Heavyweight Championship against Johnson.. The two fought before 20,000 Spectators, which was actually a fair chunk of Australia's population at the time. Johnson was bigger and many thought better than Burns but Burns was a 7-5 betting favorite. The Referee? It was "Big Deal" himself. Johnson dominated the fight throughout and taunted Burns with "Poor Little Tommy," and "No Good, Tommy, I'll Teach You," and "Let's See If You Have Any Guts!" Burns would Reply "Come On and Fight (N-Word)!" It Was a Pretty Spirited Affair. Burns Was Being Beaten from Pillar to Post Until Towards the End of the 14th Round the Police Rushed the Ring to Stop the Fight. All Considering Burns' Staying Power and Will to Fight was Pretty Good. Jack Johnson was a Very Colorful Figure and a Very Likeable Guy, the Son of an Ex-Slave Jack didn't Come From Much and Made a Big Success of Himself. Only a 5th Grade Education, but 5 Years of Schooling Wasn't Too Bad By the Standards of the Day, One Could Learn Quite a Bit in 5 Years. Baseball Didn't Become Integrated until 1947, so Boxing was Ahead of Its Time. Ohio is Called the "Buckeye State" and Ohio State's Nickname is "the Buckeyes." When I was a Little Boy growing up in Akron there were Buckeye Trees all over the Place and I would often Play with Buckeyes, They were White When They Were Immature and Brown when Ripened. Later On in Akron I Never Saw Any Buckeyes Although I'm Sure That Out in the Country There'd Be Plenty. It's Better Than With Michigan As Naturalists Tell Us That Not Only Are There No Wolverines Living in Michigan Today, None Ever Have Lived There.

good talk

I don't need expensive things, they don't matter to me-e-e.... I always celebrate my half-birthdays on Christmas, I'm always something and a half on Dec. 25, so when's my birthday? June 25th, people have a hard time figuring this out for some odd reason. I always was aware of this, I remember when I was "10" thinking on Christmas, mmmm I'm halfway to being an adult. I was a thinky little boy. It's spelled "seamy" and not "seemy." The Presidential Libraries are Museums and I've been to 7 of the 12 and naturally I want to go to all of them. To be at one is very exciting. I've always thought that Washington's Crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve and attacking the Hessians at Trenton was a SuperMasterStroke. Washington knew that the Hessians being Germans would be drunk on Christmas Eve and be hung over when he attacked them Christmas Morning. I've seen the huge painting of "Washington Crossing the Delaware," it's not regarded as great art but us Americans sure like it. Washington never did win a pitched battle, he relied on Stealth. Where are those Great Men of Yore, They're Not Around Anymore. In the current "Ring" Magazine the 6 highest ranked Heavyweights are all from Eastern Europe and 8 of the Top 10. It used to be and for decades that American Blacks dominated the Heavyweight Division and the most prestigious title in Sports has always been "Heavyweight Champion of the World." Be there no "Great Black Hope" willing to Rise Up and Throw Off the Yoke of these Eastern Invaders? Those Eastern European Guys know how to fight good, I think that's their Secret. In Ring's Ratings the 2 highest ranked are the Klitschko Brothers, Vladimir and Vitali, and between them they have all the Heavyweight Titles. The Klitschko's said that they will never fight each other and rightly so It'd make me feel queer watching such a thing. Both of the Klitschko's have PhD's in Physical Education and they come from Something, their Father was a Colonel in the Soviet Air Force. For the past 4 years they've lived in Beverly Hills. They speak a number of languages amongst them, Yiddish, although I don't think they're Jewish, but it makes one wonder, why do they know Yiddish? I saw Vladimir fight about 7 years ago, he TKO'd a Black Guy named Phil Jackson, who had quite a good and extensive record, it was sort of a young guy taking advantage of an older guy. In the 2nd Round Phil Jackson turned to the Referee and I sensed that he was telling him that he couldn't see when Suddenly Jackson fell to the Canvas, only time I've ever seen that. Even in "Ring" I've seen them mention "...The Ugliness of Boxing..." and certainly that term would often apply. Phil did his Best and I wish him well. On October 11, 2008 Vitali Klitschko TKO'd Samuel Peter (from Nigeria) when Peter wouldn't come out for the 9th Round, exposing Peter for the Limited Fighter that he is. On March 8, 2008 Samuel Peter won a TKO over Oleg Maskaev in Cancun when the fight was stopped with 2 Seconds left in the 6th Round. I lost a good chunk of dough on that fight. Samuel Peter is well-known for Rabbit-Punching his opponents, that is hitting his opponent behind the head or neck, This is a Major Foul. I'm sure that Peter Rabbit-Punched Maskaev 15 times during the course of the fight and all he received was a Single Warning, there was no point reduction. And even the TV Announcers were making excuses as to why it really wasn't Peter's Fault that he had Rabbit-Punched Maskaev so many times. Sometimes you see a Fight and you know it's been at least Semi-Fixed and that was the Case Here. I don't think there's a Seperate Set of Rules for Samuel Peter and Another Set for Everybody Else. Maskaev never did go down, he was just groggy from all the Rabbit Punches. I had the Fight Handicapped Correctly, Maskaev was in very good Condition and had the Fight gone into the Later Rounds Maskaev would have Prevailed. Too bad.

good talk

In 1917 a Munitions Ship blew up in the Harbor of Halifax, Nova Scotia killing 2000 people mostly residents on land. The first city to come to the aid of Halifax, and in a big way, was Boston. Every year since Halifax has sent Boston a Giant Fir Tree to be the City of Boston's Official Christmas Tree. I've often taken trips around the Country and Canada on Greyhound, my last 5 years ago when I bought a 45-day "AmeriPass" good for unlimited travel on Greyhound and all the other bus lines and you could even go up to 4 places in Canada on it; Vancouver, Winipeg, Toronto and Montreal. I got a hundred dollar discount for some jive reason and the AmeriPass which was good for 45 consecutive days only cost me $345. That wasn't a whole lot more than nothing. And about half the time I didn't have to get a Motel Room because I was going somewhere at night on the Bus, the entire trip was dirtcheap, the Way we like it. About half of the Greyhound Drivers were Black, the Greyhound would be floating down the Interstate at 3 A.M. and everybody would be asleep except for the Driver----the Grey Knights of the Road. On that particular trip I went to Kansas City, Missouri (went to Kansas City, Kansas also which doesn't amount to too much). I was asking where this famous Kansas City Barbecue was but got no answers suprisingly. And yes, I went to 12th Street and Vine, I asked a City Bus Driver where it was and he laughed. I stayed in a Motel in a somewhat seemy part of town, I often do that as it's cheaper, I have no car to vandalize or steal, What are they going to do, gnaw my elbows? I went to the Fine Building that was in its 2nd year housing both the"American Jazz Museum" and the "Negro Leagues Hall of Fame." All of the Jazz Musicians they showed were Black, they could have added one more, Benny Goodman was the only White who was considered to be the Best (clarinet) on a Jazz Instrument, quite fine all considering that Jazz is not indigenous to Whites. During Prohibition Jazz thrived in Kansas City as there were hundreds of 24-Hour Clubs in this domain of the local Democratic Party Leader, Tom Pendergast, "Boss" Pendergast. Notoriously Corrupt, Boss Pendergast ruled Kansas City with an Iron Hand with Shootouts and Beatings commonplace on Election Days. Interestingly, Harry Truman who was scrupulously honest was a Product of the corrupt Pendergast Machine, I went to his Presidential Museum in Independence outside of K.C. Charley Parker, nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird," grew up 2 blocks from the Jazz Museum and was a Heroin Addict from the age of "17." A very good movie about Charley Parker, directed by Clint Eastwood who had seen him in Concert, from 20 years ago was "Bird." Forrest Whitaker played the title role and well. When Charley Parker went into cardiac arrest from a heroin overdose supposedly the attending paramedics thought the dying man was about "65," Charley Parker was "35." "Bird" said, "If you don't live the life it's not coming out of your horn." I went across to the other side of the Building and saw the "Negro Leagues Hall of Fame." I felt very honored to be there as the Negro Leagues produced many of the best players of that era. Banned from the Major Leagues due to their race, the White Major League Players would often play against the Negro Players and knew how good many of them were. Josh Gibson seemed to be the one that wowed everybody who saw him play, was a great defensive Catcher and a powerful Slugger. Towards the end of his Career and Life, Josh Gibson was beset by physical and mental illness and would spend the week in St.Elizabeth's in D.C. where they keep Hinkley, and be let out on the weekend to play in games. Josh Gibson also died at "35." As I left Buck O'Neil walked in still Tall and Spry in his late 80's.

good talk

A year ago last spring I was in Montevideo, Uruguay and I went to their very fine Cathedral and while I was perusing its features I saw a man go the entire length of the Middle Aisle from the rear all the way up to the Communion Rail on his knees. That's the only time I've ever seen anything like that, maybe Regis and Kelly....... In 1987 and again in 1988 I saw "Kid Akeem" Anifowoshe fight twice in Las Vegas on Boxing Undercards, winning both times. Kid Akeem was about 19 then and an up and coming prospect at 122 pounds. Very statuesque for that weight at 5'9" which is how tall I am at 217 (I'd be very lean were I an even 200, wish I was), Kid Akeem was originally from Nigeria but came to the U.S. at a young age and even graduated from Rancho High School in Las Vegas. Kid Akeem climbed the ladder in Boxing until he stood undefeated and challenging Robert Quiroga of San Antonio for his share of the Championship at 122. In a brutal and bloody Battle that was Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year for 1991 the 2 Warriors fought at the Hemisfair in San Antonio with neither Fighter Clinching and Both Fighters emptying their guns in the 12th and Final Round. Quiroga won a Decision and Kid Akeem not only suffered his first defeat but also collapsed in the ring with a blood clot on his Brain. Kid Akeem underwent emmergency surgery which saved his life with the Neurosurgeon who had performed the Surgery saying afterwards "I'll write every Boxing Commission in the Country" that Kid Akeem should never be allowed to Box Again. Robert Quiroga continued to Box and did well and eventually retired and became a Car Salesman. But Quiroga hung around with some Bad People one of whom stabbed him multiple times to death in 2004. Kid Akeem having his boxing ambitions destroyed and not knowing how to Make a Living any other way turned to Dealing Drugs. Kid Akeem never had become a Citizen of the U.S. and was caught dealing drugs and deported back to Nigeria. Away from the Constraints of U.S. Boxing Commissions Kid Akeem sought a familiar livelihood and began Boxing Again, after a training session in 1995 Kid Akeem Anifowoshe collapsed in the Shower and never regained Consciousness. Kid Akeem was 26. Boxing is a Melodrama, I must like Melodrama.