THE GHOST OF THANKSGIVING PAST

 

Everything changes. Everything. Nothing remains the same forever. That’s life. Even cherished family traditions that lasted for generations can gradually fade away. Such is the case with my life.

When I was a kid, Thanksgiving was a day to be cherished by sharing a staggeringly good meal while basking in the warm glow of my very tight, extended Sicilian family. After watching “Babes in Toyland – The March of the Wooden Soldiers” starring the magical Laurel and Hardy, my parents, brother and sister piled into whatever jalopy my father was driving at that time for the long trip from Fort Lee, NJ over the GWB, down the West Side Highway, through the Battery Tunnel, past the Verrazano Bridge and on to my grandmother’s house on Avenue W between Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Ave in Brooklyn.

When we arrived, the aroma of the feast to come was already filling the air. My grandmother, my mother’s mother, and matriarch of the family, was already hard at work preparing a magnificent meal for my aunts, uncles, cousins, and us. Shortly after, she would be joined by my mother and aunts to complete the repast. My grandmother would have shopped for days to search for the very freshest ingredients to use. Nothing but the best would be good enough for her family. I remember sitting (on a vinyl covered chair, of course) quietly in the living room, unseen, listening to them talk while they cooked, solving all the world’s problems while I inhaled that incredible aroma!

My family had emigrated from Sicily and as had so many immigrants, combined the traditions already considered American with those from the Old Country. The result was a multi-course feast that if you were to order in a restaurant, would cost hundreds of dollars. It included soups, salads, fruits, nuts, different pastas, a choice of meats, wine and, of course, turkey. It would all be topped off with dolce and a demi tasse. Perhaps, an anisette might be offered, too. It was a classic melting of the Old World with the New that was so important to my us.

My mother’s whole family, including her siblings with their children, i.e., my cousins, would be there. In keeping with an Old-World tradition, there were always TWO tables. One, of course, was reserved for adults. The other, located in the basement, was for the kids. Access to the adult table would have to be earned. That’s just the way it was. And, do you know what, even the kids didn’t mind. It all seemed to work.

But that time has passed and many of the key players are gone – long gone. Years ago, after my grandmother had died, I was married and owned a big house. I tried to maintain the tradition, but life got in the way, my marriage collapsed and it did not last very long. I don’t have any children and by some strange twist of fate, neither do my siblings. My partner, Amanda, has a son, but he lives in Tennessee. So, our families have shrunk considerably. There simply aren’t that many of us around anymore. So, for the last few years, it’s just been me, Amanda, and my sister Joanne for a quiet dinner. For his own reasons, my brother has decided to go his own way.

But this is not a “I’m lonely. Look at what has my life become?” kind of posts. Not at all. The memories are great, as were those incredible meals! They will be with me for as long as I live. But what is important to me now is to be with the people who mean the most to me. It’s simple. I don’t care if we share a pizza. I just want to be together. THAT’S what matters. It always did.

I am thankful for having love in my life AND for the memories, too. THESE are the things that last and are ALWAYS something to be thankful for. I wish the same for you, too. Look and you will find it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

LOVING THE BOMB

 

One of the tragic realities for school-aged children today is their need to prepare for the unthinkable by staging active shooter drills at their schools. The very image of it sends chills up my spine, especially since we know that even drastic measures like this can only keep them so safe. But, if you are a child of the 1960’s like I am, then you may remember a similar illusion of safety that we grow up with, i.e. Duck and Cover. Yes, the brilliant illusion that one could save oneself from a nearby nuclear blast by crawling into a fetal position under a desk. Really.

Even as a boy I remember thinking of the folly of it all. I had seen the newsreels and TV reports of the horrors of nuclear weapons. I was familiar with the images of the destruction caused by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They were terrifying. So, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how hiding under my desk could possibly save me from such a terrible weapon. And the political climate at the time, i.e. The Cold War made it all a very real possibility.

But then the reality of what global nuclear war ACTUALLY means set in. Men and women of vision finally realized that the destructive consequences of the use of ANY such weapon by ANY nation would mean nuclear winter and the potential end of humanity. It didn’t matter the ideology – there would be NO winners.  And, yes, that’s as frightening as should be!

So, the great nuclear powers of the world, including the United States, Russia, and China, have mutual agreed to turn down the rhetoric by limiting the creation and testing of new weapons. Various treaties were negotiated and signed to, if not end, at least limit the nuclear arms race. The U.S last tested such a weapon in 1992. China conducted the last such test in the world in 1996.

Just when we thought that sanity might have prevailed, we elected Donald J. Trump as President. It’s no secret that I find him not only flawed but willfully nefarious as well. But his recent declaration that he is instructing the Department of War (Nee: The Department of Defense), to begin testing of nuclear weapons may be his most frightening action of them all. It begs the question, “Why?” To what end, besides flexing his imaginary muscles and massaging his enormous ego, could this possibly lead? As the fact that China and Russia have responded that will react accordingly, the more terrifying answer is that it once again exposes the ENTIRE world to the prospect of its own destruction. Is this his plan?

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune of catching Stanley Kubrick’s classic dark comedy/satire, Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb on TCM. Made in 1964, how could Kubrick possibly have known that the film would be so relevant and prescient today? Or perhaps he did. Intimately woven into the fabric of the movie are the characters whose behavior demonstrates the absolute insanity of trying to find out how they got into that mess in the first place! The resolution is that there IS no resolution, only destruction.

Once again, what this man and his administration is doing to the laws and the very NATURE of this Country is appalling. The idea of inciting another nuclear arms race, AFTER we know the potential consequences of such folly is – or should be – anathema to not only every American but every citizen of the world.

“Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks.”

George C. Scott as General Buck Turgeson, Dr. Strangelove. 1964

 

SAY NO TO HUNGER

 

Words and Photo by F LoBuono

There were two noteworthy events that took place over this past weekend that I believe highlight the political chasm that currently exists in this Country. Both were triggered by the current Federal government shutdown (a story for another column). Because of the Congressional impasse, the funding for SNAP benefits, a.k.a. food stamps, was allowed to expire. This, of course, meant that tens of millions of Americans would shortly be in dire need of another way to feed themselves – or go hungry. Apparently, an emergency fund of millions of dollars that could have been made available to at least temporarily eased the crisis was for some unexplained reason not immediately released by the Trump Administration.

In response to the pending disaster, millions of my fellow Americans came through with profound kindness and generosity. Food drives were organized in virtual every corner of the Country filling food pantries with many tons of much needed groceries and cash donations. As is the case MOST of the time and with MOST Americans, our need to help others in a moment of crisis becomes the most powerful display of the American Way.

 Locally, the reaction to the loss of SNAP was immediate, coordinated, and enormously successful. In Nyack, where I reside, the Village council, under the leadership of Mayor Joe Rand and in coordination with several charitable agencies including Rockland County’s largest food bank, People to People, began a campaign cleverly called SnapShot. The goal was to organize food drop-off locations throughout the village, culminating on the same Saturday when the benefits were scheduled to expire. Over a hundred people participated in a two-hour shopping spree for food donations at the Nyack Fresh Market! Thousands of pounds of groceries were collected. And the effort continues throughout the village. I couldn’t be prouder of the place where I live or the people whom I live with.

 In contrast, the second telling event happened on the evening before. That Friday was also Halloween. The prospect of 42 million Americans about to thrown into food insecurity also loomed. Well, the President decided that would be a great time to throw a Great Gatsby themed Halloween party at his private residence, Mar-a-Lago. In addition to scanty glad dancing girls in over-sized cocktail glasses lining the walkways, guests were treated to a lavish meal and exotic desserts. Unconfirmed estimates of the cost for the bacchanalian feast are about $3.4 million. Whatever the cost may turn out to be, the fact remains that this stunt is more than tone-deaf, it’s downright cruel. Families and CHILDREN would soon go hungry! It will go down in the history books right next to Marie Antionette’s let them eat cake.

 His supporters will rationalize as they always do. However, once again the message is clear. It’s hard for ANY reasoning person to see anything but indifference at best and avarice at worst in staging such an affair. But this is no surprise to me. Mr. Trump has ALWAYS shown his disdain for those he feels lesser than himself. To this day, I’ll never know how anyone could look past him knocking a disabled reporter years ago. But now as the polling is being to show, more people are beginning to realize that cruelty IS the message because it lives within the man. What excuse could there possibly be that allows children to go hungry?

 On a positive note, there have been two recent developments that have at least temporarily eased the crisis. First, in an emergency session, the Rockland County Legislature appropriated $2 million to be used for food donations in the county. Secondly, a federal judge ruled that the Trump Administration MUST release the emergency SNAP funds and do so by Friday, November 14, 2025, once again proving people in this Country STILL have a conscience. At least most do. However, keep in mind, food insecurity is not going away. Resolving SNAP does not cure hunger. But we can.

 

 

LONG LIVE A FREE PRESS

 

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” Think of the consequences – the loss of our very freedom. It’s why one can easily find a plethora of quotes that associate the bedrock of our democracy with a free, unfettered press.

Yet here we are – again. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I’ve addressed this subject, and I fear that it may not be the last – unless we refuse to accept what’s being imposed upon us by the Trump Administration.

And that’s exactly what happened at the Pentagon just a few days before the filing of this article. We fought back!

Last month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s press office outlined new rules requiring Pentagon beat reporters to sign a pledge not to obtain or use unauthorized material, even if the information is unclassified. Any journalist who didn’t sign the pledge would be at risk of losing access to the Pentagon. Obviously, it’s a reporter’s job to question virtually everything and use every source legally available to find the answers, not only at the Pentagon but everywhere. So, in other words, he asked them not to do their jobs.

And as a fellow journalist, I’m very proud to say that it went over like the proverbial lead balloon.

On Wednesday, October 15^th, at 4pm, approximately 50 journalists MADE news by standing up from their desks at the Pentagon in an act of ultimate defiance, leaving everything behind including their Pentagon press credentials, and exited the building. These people were of all ages and genders, some long-time professionals, others early in their careers. Each had something to lose by this bold move. But it had to be done. Any journalist worth his credentials knows that to lose one’s integrity is to lose everything. And they weren’t having it.

Virtually every major news outlet participated in the protest. One expected the likes of CNN, MSNBC and the networks to lead the way, but even FOX, Hegseth’s former employer, and conservative Newsmax joined in. The only outlet to not participate was the ultra-conservative OAN. In fact, it has been reported that of the approximately 100 press people who work at the Pentagon, only 15 signed the pledge.

Now, there are some who may see this as a flawed action, saying, “Well if there’s no one there to report on them, hasn’t Hegseth really won?” In response to questions like that, the Pentagon Press Association issued the following statement:

“The Pentagon Press Association’s members are still committed to reporting on the U.S. military. But make no mistake, today, Oct. 15, 2025, is a dark day for press freedom that raises concerns about a weakening U.S. commitment to transparency in governance, to public accountability at the Pentagon and to free speech for all.”

But through the darkness, we saw a ray of light and that light came in the form of resistance to tyranny. It’s happened before and we pray that it will continue as long as is necessary. Reporters are used to obstacles, both physical and psychological. It’s our job to overcome and resist by speaking truth to power. We must act as a voice to the voiceless. Like Horatius at the bridge, the press must not yield to the constant attempts by this Administration to wear away at our essential freedoms. Because without a free press, we are in danger of losing EVERYTHING.

“Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Great Dictator

 

Last night while channel serving, I was thrilled to stumble onto Charlie Chaplin’s brilliant 1940 anti-war, anti-fascist satire, The Great Dictator on TCM. It was near the end of the film that features one of the greatest soliloquies in movie history. Chaplin in the dual role of a Jewish barber mistaken for a fictional dictator, Adenoid Hinkel, takes obvious aim at satirizing Adolph Hitler. With the barber subbing for Hinkel, Chaplin rants, raves, and bungles his way to the film’s dramatic ending when Hinkel is to deliver a signature speech to a massive gathering of his sycophants and soldiers. Expecting a Hitleresque diatribe extolling the virtues of his leadership and the power of fascism, Chaplin instead delivers a powerful statement about peace, equality, brotherhood, and universal justice.

In other words, the Jewish barber portraying Hinkel clearly shows how REAL leaders are made, how even in the face of brutality, men of integrity find a way to inspire others.

This brings me to my thoughts on OUR current leader, President Donald J. Trump.

In a string of how low can you go acts and statements from the very beginning of his candidacy, Mr. Trump has demonstrated an uncanny ability to find a way to lower an already pitifully low bar. In my mind, it began with his mocking of a disabled reporter and has continued unabated ever since. And, just when you thought it couldn’t GO any lower, Mr. Trump has set a new standard for abhorrent behavior from a President of The United States, i.e. The Most Powerful Man on Earth.

Using the latest AI technology, a video depicts the President in a fighter jet, facing us with a crown literally on his crash helmet. He then maneuvers the plane over huge crowds in the streets below – all with Kenny Login’s “Danger Zone” blasting in the background. The video cuts to the crowd where we can now see they were protestors from the days “NO KING” demonstrations. As the jet streaks into a strafing position, a stream of what appears to be liquid excrement flows from the planes bomb bay doors and explodes on contact with the people below.

Let me simplify the message: The President of the United States just shit all over the American people simply for exercising their sacred 1^st Amendment right to peaceably assemble and express their wishes! From THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD? It’s vile, unconscionable, despicable, unacceptable and completely INDEFENSIBLE.

But, of course, his reprobates sure tried.

On of the more common defense strategies was to claim that Mr. Trump did not make the video. Really? No kidding. He doesn’t have the technical skills to make it. But he sure had the will and power to approve it! And he not only approved it, but he also loved it. When asked about the video during a press conference, Speaker Mike Johnson, smirked and said something to the effect that after all, the President is one of the greatest ever in using social media. Really? THAT’S how you would attempt to defend the indefensible? It’s become a pitiful show of weak-minded men AND woman who continue to support an increasingly unhinged leader.

Still even though the President continues to show disdain for the rule of law and the Constitution, nearly half of all Americans polled still support him. The latest polls put his approval rating at 45.5%, a number higher than those in first term and higher still that Joe Biden’s. I don’t get it.

When Mr. Trump first entered politics, many people saw him as an antidote for a rigged political system. I get that, at least in the beginning. What I didn’t understand then and has become even more amplified now is in addition to his assaults on our Constitution, how can one look past his plethora of character flaws? I mean it’s gotten to the point where he’s literally crapping not only over people, but the Constitution itself.

I’ve never let that happen. And I never will.

 

 

 

 

SILENCE IS NOT AN OPTION

 

Words and photo by F LoBuono

Authoritarian regimes, dictators, despots are often, but not always, fools. But none is foolish enough to give perceptive, dissident writers free range to publish their judgments or follow their creative instincts. They know they do so at their own peril. They are not stupid enough to abandon control (overt or insidious) over the media. Their methods include surveillance, censorship, arrest, even slaughter of those writers informing and disturbing the public. Writers who are unsettling, calling into question, taking another, deeper look. Writers – journalists, essayists, bloggers, poets, playwrights – can disturb the social oppression that functions like a coma on the population, a coma despots call peace, and they stanch the blood flow of war that hawks and profiteers thrill to. “PERIL” by TONI MORRISON 

Rockland resident, Pulitzer AND Nobel Prize winner, Toni Morrison (1931-2019), wrote that in 2008. Obviously, she sensed the gathering storm of fascism that thrives on silence. Despite protestations to the contrary, it has come closer to reality on an almost daily basis. Under the leadership of President Trump and his Administration, a purge of ANY voice that he and his cadre of supporters deem uncomplimentary to the President has begun. 

 

These voices include not only journalists (my ilk) personally but all the content creators in the media outlets they represent.  In addition, they have promised to attack bloggers, poets, essayists, and even comedians whose whole profession is based on finding humor in ALL things!

 

Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) famously wrote “the medium is the message” in 1964. From this it is implied that whoever controls the media controls the message and, therefore, the PEOPLE. This, of course, is right out of The Fascism 101 Handbook. Dictators have employed this tactic since the beginning of time. And now, under this Administration, it has accelerated.

 

Mr. Trump has recently used his power and influence as President to force both CBS and ABC to capitulate to his demands. In addition to winning large monetary settlements from both media outlets, he got them to make major concessions in both their programming and personnel.

These changes included the eventual cancellation of CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, even though it is the #1 rated late night talk show and recently won an Emmy. There are two important factors to note here: 1. Stephen Colbert is an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump, often spending his entire monologue lampooning him. 2. CBS/Paramount needed Federal Communication Approval (FCC) to complete a multi- billion-dollar merger with another media company. 

 

Of course, we know that the FCC answers only to President Trump, so it’s not difficult to connect the dots. Virtually the same scenario occurred recently at ABC with the suspension of their late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel. After a rather banal comment about the murder of conservative activist, Charlie Kirk, a close friend of the President, ABC suspended Kimmel indefinitely. Mr. Trump is also often the target of Mr. Kimmel’s humor. It should be noted that Disney/ABC was ALSO in the process of closing another multi-billion merger deal. And guess who they needed approval from to make that happen? Yup, the FCC. 

 

It’s not hard to see what this is. This is the behavior of a criminal organization, not that of the most powerful nation on earth. It’s called putting the strong-arm on someone. As quoted in the film, “The Godfather” Trump made them an offer they couldn’t refuse – play ball or no deal! Even ardent Trump supporter Ted Cruz used a quote from another organized crime film, “Goodfellas”, to criticize the President.

 

But it’s not just the Big Guys they’re going after. It’s you and I, too. In fact, I’m sensing a palpable fear within the writing and publishing community. It’s as if instead of writing with a completely free and clear conscience, I’m now writing as if someone is looking over my shoulder – and not in a good way. This, of course, is anathema to a free society.

 

As a journalist I have always been a huge proponent of the 1^st Amendment. In fact, I find it sacrosanct. It is the FIRST Amendment for a reason. In my mind, none of the others could exist without it. I certainly have my point of view and until now, I’ve never had one moment of hesitation to express it. And, even if I am critical of another’s POV I would NEVER deny them the right to have and express it. THAT’S what made America great in the first place and will Make America Great Again. 

 

Remember, Democracy dies in silence. *

 

*Washington Post

 

ONE SMALL ACT

 

On another one of my frequent sojourns into the heart of the village of Nyack, I walked past an older woman sitting in front of one of the Main Street stores. I find her there frequently. Very petite, she showed the wear and tear of living what must be a hard life. She was painfully thin, had just a few teeth left and carried her meager possessions in a couple of ragged shopping bags. Perhaps she’s homeless. Yet, despite her hardships, I generally find her smiling and laughing with the others in her close circle of companions at the store.

On this day, she spotted me as I was walking by and blurted out, “hey, mister! I love your hat. Give it to me!” As is my custom, of course I was wearing a hat. It’s my thing. This one was just an old, beat up, straw pork pie style that I had for so long that I don’t even remember where I had gotten it from. Still, it was BECAUSE of all the miles on it that it was one of my favorites. So, I responded, “it’s my only one.” She quickly replied, “no it ain’t!” I had no idea how she knew that, but she was right; it’s not my only one. In fact, I’m known as a lid guy, i.e. I’m almost always in possession of some type of chapeau.  I have MANY. But it was ONE of my favorite hats, so I kept walking.

I must have gotten about a block away when I turned around to go back. My conscience was nagging me. She was right – it WASN’T my only hat. Besides, I could always find another. I HAD to turn around. So, when I saw her sitting in the same spot, I approached her and said, “this must be your birthday because this hat is now yours” as I placed it on her head. You should have seen the smile break out on her face! The hat was indeed perfect, fitting her way better than me. She simply couldn't stop smiling and giving me a hardy thumbs-up. It obviously made her day.

In subsequent journeys into the heart of the village I’ve encountered her several times, sometimes with the hat on, sometimes not. But every time that I do see her I inquire about it, and she always replies with a huge smile and a BIG thumbs-up saying, “I still have it and LOVE it!”

It was such a simple gesture. The hat had no real value except perhaps a sentimental one to me. Yet, to her, it meant everything. It made her joyful. What could be better than that? You see, my friends, it’s not necessary to save the WHOLE world. That’s a goal that no human being can accomplish or should even be tasked with. The very thought of it can overwhelm even the deepest thinker. Instead, it’s the little, daily acts of anonymous kindness that truly make the world go ‘round. No one has to see, hear, or even acknowledge these small deeds for them to be effective. Individually they might not seem like much, but collectively they are Mighty.

At the Nyack Street fairs, there is a group of volunteers that hold large soup pots out to collect donations for a local food kitchen. They are appropriately named The Soup Angels. Whenever I see them, I give them a dollar donation - just one $ and I say, “it’s not much, but think about it: there’s 15-20,000 people here today. If everyone gave just $1, by the end of the day, how many people could you feed?”

It’s simple. We may not be able to give much but virtually ALL of us can give a little. And it doesn't have to be just money. It can be time donated to a worthy cause, or a small act of kindness like bringing someone some real joy from an old, beat-up hat. We need it now, more than ever.

 

 

PRINCIPAL FINDS A PRICE

 

Hmmm. Let’s see. the Trump Administration sues the Paramount Corporation, the parent company of CBS, for $20 billion (yes, that’s BILLION) on a bogus charge claiming that the legendary CBS 60 Minutes program had deliberately used deceptive editing techniques to make then Presidential candidate Kamala Harris more appealing. I have already written in this publication about my position detailing why I believe that charge is completely illegitimate. Yet, despite protestations from the journalists at 60 Minutes and beyond, Paramount basically CAVED into Mr. Trump’s demands and settled with him for a mere $16 million. “This settlement allows Paramount to focus on its prospective sale, and CBS can maintain its principles,” said C. Kerry Fields, a business law professor at the USC Marshall School. “But principle has its price, and there certainly was one set here.” * More on the prospective sale in a minute.

Then, Paramount announces the cancellation of its long running and #1 rated late night talk show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert citing financial considerations. Of course, none of the executives at Paramount would bother to mention that Colbert uses a very particular AND popular brand of humor to regularly poke fun at the President. Mr. Trump has made NO secret of his dislike of Mr. Colbert or his sense of humor. Colbert and a plethora of other late-night personalities and media celebrities came together and challenged the REAL reason why the show was canceled.

Well, after 8 months of intense pressure from the White House, the prospective sale mentioned above by Dr. Fields, i.e. the purchase of Paramount by Skydance Media in the amount of $8 billion finally went down. It seems that the sale was exacerbated by the fact Shari Redstone and her family, the majority owners of CBS, are deeply in debt.

So. why is the timing of all this significant? Well, it seems that since both entities are media companies the sale would require the approval of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). And who basically controls the FCC? That’s right, one Donald J. Trump. And, without making HIM happy, it simply wasn’t going to happen.

It doesn’t take a 60 Minutes journalist to fathom how dangerous this is. And it’s just beginning; more purges have been promised. It’s so important to understand that whoever controls the media controls the message and, therefore, the people. Malcolm X once said: “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” The fact that this administration has severely cut back if not eliminated Federal funding to local PBS Stations is further evidence of Mr. Trump and his administration’s desire to control the message by eliminating ANYONE who might speak against him. THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN.

I am usually reluctant to compare American politics with that of Nazi Germany. It often simply leads to more division and hate. However, if it is appropriate then it must be said. In my research for this article, I found this. It’s the Wikipedia entry for Joseph Goebbels: Goebbels, who aspired to be an author, obtained a doctorate in philology from the University of Heidelberg in 1922. He joined the Nazi Party in 1924 and worked with Gregor Strasser in its northern branch. He was appointed Gauleiter of Berlin in 1926, where he began to take an interest in the use of propaganda to promote the party and its program. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, Goebbels's Propaganda Ministry quickly gained control over the news media, arts and information in Nazi Germany. He was particularly adept at using the relatively new media of radio and film for propaganda purposes. Topics for party propaganda included antisemitism, attacks on Christian churches, and (after the start of the Second World War) attempts to shape morale.

This is NOT hyperbole!  And I hate being a harbinger of doom, but if we do not act and stop this now, it will become our reality.

 

 

 

*https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-07-04/paramount-trump-60-minutes-settlement-how-deal-got-done

A CONEY ISLAND MEMORY

 

 HOT POTATO KNISHES, ICE COLD COKES HERE!

 

Words and photos F LoBuono

Every summer, when we were kids, my mother would pack up my older sister, my little brother, and me for our annual 2 week vacation at Coney Island. Since we lived in Jersey, the great majority of my friends went down the shaw, while we headed for Brooklyn. You see, my mother, Stella, grew up just a mile or so from the Boardwalk there and her family (and, our cousins) still lived in the same place. And, despite our protestations, there was no escape with Stella's reasoning for going always logical and never changing: I'm not sure what you guys are complaining about - same ocean!

So, usually in mid-August, while my father stayed in Fort Lee to work and he couldn't drive us there (he ALWAYS picked us up), Stella loaded us on the subway for the nearly 2 hour journey, and off to The Promised Land we went.

Truthfully, it really wasn't bad after all. In fact, we had a blast. My cousins where there and so was the beach. My grandmother's place was an old classic Brooklyn townhouse located on Ave.W, right between Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Avenue. And, of course, in Italian tradition, my cousins' family lived only about a block away. Every morning for the 2 weeks we where there, we packed a cooler of wonderful, fresh food, soft drinks, grabbed a beach blanket, an umbrella, and some beach chairs to make our pilgrimage down Ocean Parkway to the beach entrance at Bay 7th St.

One of my strongest memories was hitting the cool sand under the boardwalk that awaited us at the end of our long and hot journey down Ocean Parkway. I remember taking off our sneakers right away so that we could feel the moist, fresh sand between our toes. We ran squealing from the relative darkness and cool air provided by the shade of the boardwalk and into the blazing sun and scorching sand that we now felt under our feet. We ran as fast as we could to the water to dunk our toes in the chilly, refreshing ocean!

After a quick dunk, we staked our claim to some prime beach real estate. This was essential in the summer as the beach quickly filled up with thousands of other families. Let's face it, no one would ever mistake Coney Island for some deserted atoll! Eventually, we all settled into our beach routines - body surfing, swimming, beach combing, and the occasional trip to the boardwalk.

 

At some point, we settled in to eat lunch, usually lovingly prepared by my grandmother. After lunch, if we were particularly well-behaved, a special treat for dessert was waiting for us: an authentic Coney Island Potato Knish! Now, these were no ordinary potato knishes! They were purchased from a figure that, to me, was every much a part of Coney Island as Nathan's Famous. I never knew his name but he was there EVERY DAY, walking the entire length of the beach, over and over again, bare-chested, a shock of grey hair blowing in the sea breeze while he called out in a melodic voice: Hey, get your hot potato knishes - ice cold Cokes - HERE! And, it was always with the same cadence, pausing slightly before he finished we a flourish - HERE!

When we heard his booming voice as he made his way up the beach, we ran to whomever was chaperoning us that day to beg for money - a knish was $.50 and a Coke $.25. My mom or one of my aunts would give us enough money so that all of us could have a knish and a coke. We surrounded him like a pack of wolves might their prey. While we jumped for joy around him, he placed his 2 heavy sacks on the sand to deliver his bounty: one bag for the knishes which were served in a cellophane wrapper and one filled with dry ice to keep those Cokes ice cold. Of course, he always had extra deli mustard to slather those knishes in!
 

After eating our fill and exhausting ourselves in AND out of the water, we packed up our belongs for the long walk back to Ave. W. And, as Stella always says, "tomorrow is another day". Little did we know how those tomorrows would change. And, they did - adulthood, responsibility and the like replaced the care free days of Hot Potato Knishes and Ice Cold Cokes. But, the memories can never truly be forgotten.

 

For The Love of AC

 

Words and photo by F LoBuono

We just weathered the first heatwave of the season, i.e., 3 or more consecutive days of temperatures above 90 degrees. At least one of them was record setting with all of them reaching heat indexes near or above 105 degrees. In other words, it was hot – damned hot.

I tend to enjoy hot weather. It suits my dark complexion and Sicilian ancestry. So, I adapt easily to the extremes of heat. But it can get too intense (like it did in those days) even for me. That’s when you must use common sense and take the necessary precautions to avoid the potentially devastating effects that kind of intense temperature can cause. These include drinking plenty of water, limiting time outside especially in the sun, wearing sunscreen when you must be out, and spending time cooling off in an air-conditioned room.

Like most people of my generation, I remember a time when air-conditioning was a luxury, not the absolute omnipresent necessity it is today. Schools were not air conditioned. Nor libraries. Nor cars. It was considered such a luxury that when a place DID have AC it was one of the first things mentioned in their advertising. I certainly remember going to the movie theater to see movies that I didn’t necessarily even like just to spend a blisteringly hot summer afternoon in THEIR air conditioning!

One of the reasons for that is because we only had one air-conditioner in our house – the whole house. It was this gigantic unit that every year my father and I hauled out of the garage in the Spring to install in my parent’s window and returned it the same way in the Fall. The reason it wound up in my parents’ window was twofold: first, it WAS their house. And, secondly, my father suffered with extreme asthma. Hot, humid nights could prove deadly to him. So, it was more than a luxury. It was an absolute necessity. But we could only afford to actually buy and run one. Still, being the tight-knit family we were, we came up with the perfect solution: my older sister, younger brother and I pulled the mattresses and blankets off our beds and piled them all around our parents’ where we all slept blissfully and, most importantly, cooly, through the night.

As a kid I clearly remember taking trips down the Westside Highway into NYC with my parents and passing all of the tenement buildings with people sleeping on balconies and roof tops in a desperate attempt to beat the heat. The great majority of them had no sign of any air conditioning anywhere. My mother always remarked with empathy, saying “those poor people” even though we were not that much better off.

You know, I never forgot that. Even today as I sit in the AIR  CONDITIONED office in my house with its Central Air-Conditioning unit that pumps cool air day and night around the entire place, I take a moment to reminisce about that time when life may have been simpler but certainly was not without its challenges. And I think about all of the people who are less fortunate than me and may be struggling in front of a fan or with no means to cool off at all.

I feel like it’s important to acknowledge that we live in extraordinary times where, for most of us, the essentials of life are available to us at our very fingertips. Flip a switch and there is light. Turn on your computer and a world of information awaits. Move a lever and clean water (hot and cold) is instantly there. I think that’s the REAL meaning of privilege. Sure, some see it in its extreme sense, i.e. wealth and power. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Most of us have the means to live lives of relative comfort and stability - most, but not all.

So, don’t take simple things for granted. Instead use them as a catalyst to create empathy for those who may lack even the things we consider the most basic for human comfort and dignity. Like a good night’s sleep in a clean, air-conditioned room.