Bobbi's Political Space: Entertainment

Moshe's Story

Thu, 15 May 2008 03:30:11 GMT

While reading the CNN.com articles online today, I came across an article on a 10-year old boy named Moshe who is already a college student. He is about to finish his associates degree and move on to a 4-year university program. Moshe wants to study the wormhole/black hole phenomenon and its relationship to Einstein’s theories pertaining to time travel. As Moshe says, “I want to prove that Einstein’s theories are correct.” Well, Moshe, I hope that you do, I need that Star Trek teleporter. What really struck me about Moshe’s article was his assertion that all students can accomplish what he has. “If students stay focused on their studies, any level of academic success is achievable.” You’re right, Moshe. Students who “stay focused” on their studies, and avoid the social temptations, do achieve higher academic levels. Most students working on high school and college academia fall prey to peer pressures and social interactions. Then, too, most college students are not 10 years old. But, no matter how much parents pressure kids to study hard and excel in school, it’s ultimately the student who must “stay focused” and achieve academic goals. Not that a parent’s efforts should go unlauded; but, parents can’t live their lives or attain unaccomplished goals through their children. The child will obtain their own goals, or not, through their own hard work, by “staying focused.” So, congratulations, Moshe. I’m looking forward to that time traveling

My Son Jack

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:40:24 GMT

Last night I watched the evening movie with Daniel Radcliffe, "My Son Jack." It was about the Kipling's son, Jack, fighting in WWI. Kipling had never fought in war and pushed his 18 year old son to go and fight in WWI, so that Kipling could live his dream of fighting in a war through his son. His son is killed, but he dies a hero; however, Kipling is left to live with the guilt the rest of his life. Daniel Radcliffe, star of Harry Potter movies, talked about making the movie and how the trench parts of the movie were made to look real by pumping in ice cold water. Freezing in the trenches were a big part of WWI. The key here was that the producers tried to make the movie look real--movies can be started and stopped and made to look real, but war is real. When you die in a war--it's real, you can't start, stop, and come back. All our veterans who have served in real wars are true heros, not the actors in movies. I thought about how Americans do not want to continue the Iraq War, but it is a war that our government started, we can't just start, stop, and rewind this war. It's a war that our government started without the vote of the American people. However, our government was founded on the ideal that the "US Government" was the people. Of the people, for the people, by the people. But, the people had no say--usually less than half of the American people vote on any issue--even issues that define our foreign policy, the image that foreigners base their image of Americans on. I'm proud to see the high percentages of Americans voting in the primaries this year and last. For once over half of Americans may actually vote for the person that will represent us for the next four years. Even Pennsylvania, the state where I was born, has finally gotten a majority of its citizens out to vote today. Congratulations!!!! And, for once, I didn't hear about anyone in Pennsylvania voting for presidents long dead. Usually at least one person there votes for Lincoln. So, take a moment to think of what our country stands for. What we want it to stand for in the future. What image we want others to have of Americans. Think about it and vote your conscience.

Today's Blog an Inspiration

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 22:09:12 GMT

Today's blog was an inspiration from The Adventures of Thotman 4/5/2006, "An Unforgettable Teacher."

I was in high school in the 1960's. My graduating class was 1968, in a small city in northwestern Pennsylvania. Back in those days kids were separated into: College Prep, Business, Technical, or Special Education. Your yearly national test scores determined which program you fit into and someone in charge of such things, determined your class schedule. Students didn't have any input unless for some rare reason a College Prep student was sure they couldn't afford college; then they could be placed in Business or if a male student, Technical.

Unfortunately, if you were a gifted student, in those days, you struggled to keep from being bored to death in your College Prep program among your not-so-gifted peers. I have to say that I really struggled. It seemed to me that year-after-year we studied the same material over and over, until I was just spinning my wheels (so to speak) getting nowhere. Even though I volunteered for extra credit or read the fatest or more advanced books for book reports (a.k.a., In Cold Blood), I still struggled in most classes to stay interested, and where there are bored youngsters there is trouble.

But, in my senior year of high school, I happened upon Mr. Huffman a new, young teacher of History. He was a big man of German decent and quite loud. I hated his class because he seemed to enjoy intimidating students. He'd give us an assignment, give us directions on how it was to be done, and then launch into individual tirades. He would point at me and shout, "DiBlasi----I know you're too stupid to figure this out, so don't even bother."

These remarks in front of fellow classmates only served to spur me on to the highest grades of all his history students; however, it never slowed down, or stopped, Mr. Huffman's pointed classroom remarks on the low level of my intelligence.

Of course, in those days, kids had to work evenings after classes if we wanted to possess any amenities in life. I was one of those who worked evenings in the City Hospital Emergency Room. Usually until quite late. One morning, after a late night of work, I found myself falling asleep in Mr. Huffman's boring class. He, as usual, ignored me. However, he decided to pick on a fellow student who sat in front of me. This student was a blonde young man who also attended the same Lutheran church as I, and it had been noted that when teased or embarrassed, this young man would start turning red from the neck of his shirt, slowly rising up his face to meet his blonde hairline.

Being his typical jerky self, Mr. Huffman pointed at this young man and yelled, "Didn't I see you kissy facing with her in the hallway?" Huffman pointed to a shy, wallflower across the isle. Of course Miss Wallflower started crying and hid her face, the young man started turning red in stages until his entire face was beet red. Now, the classroom erupted in laughter, pointing fingers and jeering.

Mr. Huffman loved the reaction, which fed his ego and kept his tirade going. When I came out of my sleepy stupor and realized everyone was enjoying the show except Miss Wallflower and my friend (the young, red man), I stood up at my seat and told Mr. Huffman what a true jerk he was, feeding on the feelings of students too afraid to talk back to him, which in those days was unheard of. Silence ensued. I was removed from Mr. Huffman's class, never to return.

Several years later my younger brother suffered in Huffman's class because our last names happened to be the same. But, whoa not our personalities (my brother endured).

Now you would think that I'd never want to see Mr. Huffman again; but, you'd be wrong. Years have past and I often look back on Mr. Huffman's class, and saw that this was his way of inspiring otherwise bored to death students. By insulting my IQ level in his class, he ensured I'd make the highest grades (he knew that, but I didn't). On the occasions (and they are very few) that I've returned to my hometown, I've tried to find Mr. Huffman. I haven't. I know that he left the teaching profession and became a Pennsylvania Highway Patrolman and he still lives somewhere in the state.

If he, or anyone who knows him, happens to read this blog, I'd like him to know that SMART-MOUTH kid figured it out, and thanks.

Investigations I Have Worked On

Thu, 04 Aug 2005 11:56:10 GMT

I thought I would blog about some of the investigations I worked on in my younger days. I'm not going to give the names of the individuals involved or the locations of the incidents, to protect the guilty, I guess. I thought you folks would like to see how irresponsible (stupid) some folks can be.

At an Air Force Base Hospital Pharmacy, when the patient was not there to pick up the prescription when their name was called, the prescription was placed in a small brown bag with the patients name on the outside, and placed on a shelf for later dispensing. It was noticed that over a period of several months, the bags with narcotics would become missing before the patient came to retrieve them. It had to be an inside job, since only the pharmacy staff had anyway of knowing what was in each bag. We decided to install a surveillance camera in the pharmacy to try to catch the thief. Now one weekend during the month the reserve medical personnel are on duty at the hospital. A female captain and a male senior master sergeant decided to use the pharmacy (since it was not used on the weekend) as a place to have sex. We got it all on film. The captain was ask to leave the reserves and the senior master sergeant was transferred to another reserve unit. We never caught the thief because the word of the camera spread too fast, but we changed the policy. Now narcotics are not dispensed until the patient is present and signs for them.

A chief master sergeant, with close to 30 years time in service was accused by a female airman of sexual harassment. When she came to my office, she stated that the chief wouldn't leave her alone, but that he only made moves on her when no one else was present. I interviewed the other members of her office, who stated the chief walked on water, never bothered anyone. So, I was honest with her, if I can't get anyone to make a statement in her behalf, they would take the chief's word over hers.

One day this entire office decided to go out to the base bowling alley after work to have a few drinks together and unwind. They had pushed several tables together near one wall and were having a nice time. The female airman lended back in her chair to speak to another female airman a couple seats down the table. The chief jumps up, grabs his lighter, and says to her in front of everyone, "Lean back a little further so I can look up your skirt." It only took 2 months to throw the chief out of the service, with no job, no retirement pay, and no more wife.

One morning when I arrived at work, I was told that a Lt Col, Commander of one of the squadron on base, had been stabbed the night before (this was a single male). He was going to live, but we had to determine if the stabbling was an "In-Line of Duty" to determine if the Government would pick up the bill for the hospital stay or if the Lt Col would pay.

During an interview with the Lt Col he relayed the following story: He had stopped on the way home from work at a XXXX Adult Store in town. He was in his AF uniform and a homeless guy picked a fight with him because this guy was offended that a military member was in the store. He said he ask this man to come with him to his home so that the Lt Col could call his commander to come to the home and settle the fight. Somewhere during this dispute the homeless man stated he wanted money or he would blackmail the Lt Col. When the Lt Col refused to give money, the homeless man stabbed him.

During an interview with the homeless man he relayed the following story: He had met the Lt Col several times at the adult store and they had gone to the Lt Col's home for sex. This time the Lt Col didn't want to pay the man and a fight ensued and the Lt Col was stabbed. During an interview with the adult store clerk, the meeting part of the homeless man's story was confirmed. During a talk with the base Family Practice doctor it was confirmed that the Lt Col spent a lot of time at the clinic getting Preparation H for his "medical" problem. Since the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was not in effect back then, the Lt Col was shown the door, after paying the hospital bills himself, no job, and no retirement.

One day at lunch time, someone robbed the base BX. The Security Police came and blocked off the area and the base gates were closed down. After lengthy interviews with several cashiers and the store manager, we all took a walk outside to talk to some customers who were present. While standing around talking, one lady walks over to the Security Police and says the guy that robbed the place is standing behind the police barracades over there (she pointed at a young man standing in the rear). The Security Police captain walks over to the guy and says, "You're under arrest for robbing the BX." The guy shrugged his shoulders and ask, "How did you know?"

Do you have any stories about the dumb things people do? How about sharing them.

Who Really Was William Shakespeare?

Tue, 28 Jun 2005 08:40:54 GMT

To get away from current issues, here's a subject I researched for a history thesis. Written in 1997

There did exist a man named William Shakspere, who was baptized in Stratford-on-Avon on 26 April 1564 and died in 1616. He married Anne Hathaway at 18 and had 3 children. Shakspere is not known to have attended Stratford grammar shcool and no one who did attend it remembers him as a classmate. It is implausible that Shakspere never went abroad, as travel to the continent was both dangerous and expensive. He was a shareholder in the Globe and Blackfriars theaters and an actor. But, there is a great gulf between the life of this man and the works of William Shakespeare.

Shakspere's father was a constable and glover, who couldn't write, he signed documents with his mark. Shakspere's youngest daughter, Judith, could not write; his older daughter, Susanna, could only sign a wobbly signature. She coulnd't read even her own husband's signature. Shakespere himself had 6 different signatures, executed in uncertain hand. A document examiner with the forensic-science laboratory at Georgetown University stated that the signatures were that of a man not familiar with writing his own name.

Now let us look at the talents of William Shake-speare, the playwright and poet. Philologist Max Muller states that "Shakespeare displayed a variety of about 15,000 words in his vocabulary, more than any writer in any language." Muller's statement leads us to believe that Shakespeare, the playwright, was very well educated, even more than the Stratford-on-Avon grammar school could have taught. J.T. Looney states that there are two characteristics of Shakespeare that suggest that the author was not a small-town burgher but rather a well-traveled nobleman. They are: (1) the very attitude expressing little sympathy for the class of upwardly mobile strivers of which Shakspere was a member, and (2) the author's apparent knowledge of foreign lands. A 1640 epigrammatist addressing Shake-speare wrote "we must be silent in our praise," you must, "let thine own histories prove thy chronicle"--in other words "let your plays tell your life story."

J. T. Looney, a schoolmaster, submitted to the Librarian of the British Museum a sealed envolope containing his discovery that the plays and poems of Shakespeare were really written by Edward De Vere, eventeenth Earl of Oxford. After reading all the theories on who William Shakespeare really was I do not think that the Stratford man could have written these works, I believe J.T. Looney's theory. In support of my opinion I submit the following: De Vere grew up as a royal word in the court of Queen Elizabeth in the household of Lord Burgley. He was thoroughly grounded in Latin and French, was quite good at boating, had an ambition for travel and was well known for his temper. Between 1584 and 1587, De Vere, now the Earl of Oxford, owned a company of players who acted in London.

In those days, however, it was not acceptable for noblemen to be associated with the public theater. Public theater was at that time considered low-rent/low-life enterprise. De Vere squandered part of his fortune on this theater life style. Peer pressure at this time, however, could have been great enough to cause him to hide his name on any manuscripts. However, the Dictionary of National Biography wrote about De Vere: "among the best for comedy in his day;" and "no specimens of his dramatic productions survived." He won honorable place among early masters of English poetry as "the most hopeful" of all courtier poets. It is known that De Vere did write numerous works, but only one was ever published. His last poem was composed around 1593 which was when Shakespeare was first published.

I believe that De Vere's travels are represented in Alls Well That Ends Well where Bertram is believed to be De Vere. De Vere couldn't seem to restrain himself from putting in appearances in his writing--Love's Labour Lost he is Berowne, in Hamlet De Vere was Hamlet. It is thought that De Vere made references to himself in his works--"Why write I still all one, E.ver the same, and keep invention in noted weed, That E.VERY word doth almost tell my name, showing their birth and where they did proceed?" It is agreed that some of Shakespeare's plays appear to have been written by more than one person. How about the possibility that De Vere died leaving unfinished work which later was completed and published by someone else? From 1594 to 1604 Shakespeare's work were published regularly in London but then publication stopped until 1608 with the appearance of Lear.

Why did William Shakspere not object to the attaching of his name to plays he didn't write? It seems likely that the acting company, knowing the author was dead, decided to go on using his name as a drawing card. Not until 1598 was the name Shakespeare ever appended to the plays, before then no name appeared on the title page. The mystery of who Shakespeare really was not solved by J.T. Looney or by myself. There is no way of knowing for sure since all parties involved have been dead for almost 400 years.

Maybe the Klingon Ambassador, in Star Trek VI, The Final Frontier said it best when he stated, "you can't fully respect Shakespeare until you have heard it in the original Klingon!"

What do you think? Who do you think wrote the Shakspeare plays and poems?