Wednesday, July 7, 2010

[1860 - Gustav Mahler, composer, conductor,
born in Kaliste, Czech Republic]

   
[1887 - Marc Chagall (Mark Zakharovich Shagal), artist, born in Vitsyebsk, Russia]

[1899 - George Cukor, director, born in New York City]

   
[1902 - Vittorio De Sica, director, born in Sora, Italy]

   
[1906 - Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige, baseball great, born in Mobile, Alabama]

[1911 - Gian Carlo Menotti, Pulitzer prize-winning composer,
born in Cadegliano, Italy]

<

[1917 - Lawrence Francis 'Larry' O'Brien, Postmaster General,
HoF NBA Commissioner, born in Springfield, Massachusetts,]

[1919 - William Kunstler, defense attorney, born in New York City]

                                                                       
[1921 - Ezzard Mack Charles, Boxing Hall of Fame heavyweight champion, born in Lawrenceville, Georgia]                [Photo Credit: Cincinnati Museum Center.]

[1924 - Mary Ford (Iris Colleen Summers), singer, born in Pasadena, California]

[1978 - Solomon Islands gain independence]

Bankruptcy Next for Uncle?

Our favorite Uncle has fallen on hard times indeed. Bad enough that his moral leadership was compromised by a falsely justified aggressive assault on a foreigner, and by recent revelations about his shameful abuse of those placed in his care. His profligate spending has put him in serious debt because he continues to indulge his favorite children at the expense of the most needy, and mortgages the future of his family for unnecessary new foreign adventures, clothes, vehicles, and gadgets. He has been labeled a poor neighbor who only talks to others when he needs their help, and who litters the landscape with the waste products of his excessive lifestyle, all the while refusing to obey the laws made to protect the environs. His neighbors may, in future, forgive him these transgressions if he continues to acknowledge his vices along with his virtues, and behaves more responsibly.

All this has the family mighty worried, but the thing that really should trouble us has not even been mentioned yet. One notices that his bad temper and autocratic manner have, in years past, driven off some of the foreign exchange students who used to flock to his mansion and study here at the local schools. Many of them stayed on in the neighborhood and contributed important innovations to his business ventures. If they go elsewhere and hook up with the competition it could create a serious imbalance in intellectual capital to match the current trade deficit. If Uncle doesn't reverse this alarming trend he could lose his competitive edge. Should this happen, he will be in real trouble.

William's Whimsical Words:

Uncle now must translate his improved attitude into good deeds to prove he is again a good and welcoming neighbor.

to Summer 2010

to Almanack Main Page