Rant #647: Happy New Year

2011 is just about over--thank goodness for that--and we are about to move onto 2012.

Looking back at the nearly past year, I really don't think this was the greatest year we have ever had.

The country is in a mess. We continue to have high unemployment, the economy is lousy, and we have legislators who really need a reality check on who they are and what they were elected to do.

The rich keep getting richer, and the poor keep getting poorer. Protests around the world showed that people have had it up to here with promises, they want action.

Unfortunately, those protests--including the "Occupy" folks--became parodies of themselves after awhile, and people, myself included, started to look at them as a joke, a place for hangers-on and never-will-bes to congregate, to hang out, and, unfortunately, to physically, emotionally, and violently attack others.

The weather was miserable. We had snowstorms, hurricanes, you name it, all over the country. It seemed like we got hammered this past year.

And one good thing--we got out of Iraq. Now they can kill themselves rather than kill our men and women.

Next, Afghanistan.

And yes, some world leaders who were our enemies met their end in 2011.

Good riddance to them and theirs.

Onto lighter things, the entertainment industry pretty much stunk up the place this year. People aren't watching television or going to the movies like they once did, because nothing is being created that interests people.

As I previously said, this holiday season produced the worst stench of movies I have ever seen, and I was backed up in my opinion by the fact that movie attendance has plummeted to record low levels during the holidays.

I wonder why?

In sports, well, my beloved Yankees and Knicks didn't really win anything this year, but there is a lot of hope on both sides for something better in 2012.

And I guess that is my final thought in this blog for 2011.

There is a lot of hope that 2012 will be a better year than 2011 was.

Heck, 2011 wasn't as bad as, say, 1968 was, but it was bad enough.

Like Howard Jones once sang in his hit song, "Things Can Only Get Better."

See you next year. Have a great New Year's, and I will be back on Tuesday to rant and rave once again.

Rant #646: No, It Wasn't Me

You probably heard that there was a $208 million lottery ticket sold on Long Island for the recent Mega Millions drawing.

No, I am not the recipient of this prize.

It was sold at a King Kullen supermarket in Middle Island, and it was a Quick Pick ticket bearing the numbers 23, 32, 33, 39, 43 and a Mega Ball of 8.

The lump-sum cash option checks out at $153.3 million over 26 years before taxes.

No, it wasn't me.

At work, when these types of drawings get very high in cash value, we all chip in our dollars hoping to eventually cash in on a dream.

We won in this drawing, but just $2. That breaks down to like 50 cents each person who participated.

Oh well, one can dream.

One can dream of leaving his or her job, paying off every dollar you owe, and setting a course for yourself for the remainder of your life.

But it wasn't me.

When I heard that the ticket was sold at a King Kullen in Suffolk County, I immediately thought of my wife's brother, who has worked out there for the supermarket chain for decades.

But I guess it wasn't him either.

And who knows who it is? Customarily, the winners of such jackpots take their time before they make their good fortune public. They get a lawyer and a financial advisor, and make sure that they say the right things when they hold their news conference.

And sometimes, the winners never show, not realizing that they had won.

But it wasn't me, wasn't anyone I knew, but I still want to hear about who won and what they plan to do with the money.

I know what I would do, but I guess it wasn't in the cards for me this time.

Maybe the next time around ...

Rant #645: Downer Christmas, Part 2

And you think what happened to me is an isolated incident?

No, I don’t think so.

There is a rise in anti-Semitic activity this holiday season, whether anybody acknowledges it or not.

Just several weeks ago, a Hassidic Jewish enclave in Brooklyn was attacked when several cars were set on fire and others were painted with swatstikas and other anti-Jewish venom.

Several synagogues have been desecrated recently with swatstikas and anti-Jewish hate.

I received my letter in the mail, with about as much anti-Jewish venom as I have ever seen.

Now I read that a man who was in mourning for his recently passed away wife has another burden to bear: his Hanukkah menorah, which has been displayed on his lawn for many years during the holiday season, was smashed to bits yesterday.

And this happened in a place called Plainview, one of the Long Island areas with a high rate of Jewish residents.

No, I don’t think the incidents are at all related, but there is a definite rise in anti-Semitism out there.

Just look at the Republican presidential candidates. Most of them are evangelical Christians, meaning that they don’t recognize the Jewish religion at all. They are out to convert us to their ways.

One candidate, Ron Paul, is so virulently anti-Jewish that I can’t believe that people are even considering him for the top spot in the land.

And people—and yes, I include many Jews themselves—accept this type of behavior. They look the other way when things like this happen, because it hasn’t happened to them.

But let me tell you, Jews that have so blended themselves into our society that they forget who they really are aren’t doing anybody any good—including themselves—with their behavior.

Yes, they are part of the problem, but the greater problem is answering the question, “Why is this happening in the first place?”

It is hard to pinpoint the reason, but I think that during tough times, scapegoats are always sought, and Jews are often categorized as the reason for whatever mess we are in.

That is wholly unfair, but to uneducated, ignorant people, that is what they believe.

And many Jews, by ignoring these incidents, just add into the senselessness of it all.

Well, I am not ignoring what happened to me. I did what I had to do—reporting the incident to the police—and when I hear of others who have been violated, it turns my stomach.

Both Jew and Gentile alike should be alarmed at these incidents.

If they aren’t, I feel sorry for them. Something is missing from their makeup that prevents them from being saddened by such incidents.

Hanukkah ended last night. The menorahs and all the decorations will come down, but my Jewishness will not be taken down at all.

It is who I am, what my family is, and what my ancestors were.

And if people don’t like it, that’s tough. I really don’t care.

Rant #644: Downer Christmas

This will be a short Rant because I am not feeling too well today.

I had a lousy Christmas break.

Period.

I was sick virtually the entire time, and I still am.

I hope to make a doctor's appointment today, because as you can imagine, it was pretty impossible to get a doctor over the holiday.

On Friday, my first day off, I received a mysterious letter in the mail which had no return address.

I should have known this was going to be trouble.

Let me preface it by saying that a few weeks ago, I had a Letter to the Editor published in my local paper, Newsday.

The main crux of the letter was the lack of Jewish representation on network TV, but Newsday highlighted the portion of the letter about the popular coverage of Hanukkah, as opposed to Christmas.

Basically, I said that network TV shows ignore the holiday, and Jewishness altogether, unless it is used as a plot device.

Well, all hell broke loose with that letter.

About a week later, several replies were printed by Newsday, and they weren't pretty.

One person called my letter "anti-Catholic," and both Jews and Gentiles alike pretty much condemned what I said ... although I didn't think I said anything that wasn't out there already.

I mean, name me one Jewish family on network TV ... there, I have pretty much proved my point.

Anyway, fast forward to this past Friday, two days before Christmas.

I opened the letter, and there was this anti-Jewish diatribe that had to be seen to be believed.

It was scrawled--and I do mean that literally--across several sheets of paper, in often unreadable scratch. It was even worse than my own handwriting, which is pretty bad.

It blamed the Jews for everything, from the war overseas to 9/11.

It showed how all the evil people in the world are or were Jewish.

And it also included this final sendoff (paraphrased) "Most people in the world don't like Jews."

Very nice present for the holiday, wouldn't you say?

My wife had me call the police, and they made up a report on it.

On Facebook, I found that most people didn't want to acknowledge such a thing could happen during the holiday season, and I mean Jews and Gentiles alike--and mainly Jews, I might add.

I got ripped by both for even talking about this thing.

Of course, few of the people expressing displeasure at my nerve to posting such an entry forget that I called the police because I thought my family's well-being was in jeopardy.

I guess few people care about that when they are opening their presents and drinking egg nog and sitting by their tree--Jews more than anyone, by the way.

So I really couldn't win during this time off I had.

I got lambasted, and I got sick.

Oh, how I look forward to New Year's!

(I guess the rant was longer than I thought it would be.)

Rant #643: Snoopy's Christmas

A continued Happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish friends, and a three-day-early Merry Christmas to everyone else.

Even though I am Jewish, I still occasionally get caught up in the frenzy of the Christmas holiday season.

And part of that frenzy is the music, more to the point, the contemporary music celebrating the holiday.

While there is scant little for Hanukkah—more than you might think if you want to look for it, but still not that much—for Christmas, of course, there is plenty.

Some radio stations jump onto this point with a loud crash, playing Christmas music—and nothing but Christmas music—from like September on.

Other stations mix it in with their usual fare, but during the week prior to Christmas, they mix it in ad nauseum.

But I’m one to talk. I have so many Christmas recordings that you might think I am a good goy, as in gentile. But I’m not, of course. I just have lots of Christmas recordings in my collection.

What’s my favorite Christmas record? Or more to the point, what's the favorite Christmas record of this Jewish guy (not goy)?

A year ago, I told you it was "Riu Chiu" by the Monkees, which really isn't directly a Christmas song, per se, but a Spanish folk song dating from the 1500s that the Monkees used on their Christmas episode. Thus, for the past 44 years, it has morphed into a Christmas recording.

And if there is a No. 2, it most definitely has to be "Snoopy’s Christmas”/”It Kinda Looks Like Christmas” by the Royal Guardsmen. Yes, the entire 45 that was released in 1967.

Both songs--and the Monkees recording--bring me back to a different time, so they are both nostalgic and Christmasy at the same time.

Although on their Christmas episode, "Riu Chiu" was never officially released until many years later. I will bet that if it was released in 1967, it would have been a huge holiday hit.

The Royal Guardsmen tunes are another thing altogether.

Dating from the same period as the Monkees’ tune, the A side of the single is simply a continuance of the band’s “Snoopy” saga, which would encompass at least four singles: “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron,” “The Return of the Red Baron,” “Snoopy’s Christmas,” and “Snoopy For President.”

(And I found two more: "The Smallest Astronaut" and the Royal Guardsmen reunion-related "Snoopy vs. Osama.")

It kind of blends bubblegum with the holidays, and it works to perfection.

It did not chart on the Hot 100 of the time, although it did chart on Billboard's Christmas chart. It has been a favorite for the past 44 years, and you regularly hear it during this time of year.

The B side is basically a standard Christmas song, but it works wonderfully with the more popular A side.

It's very light and fluffy, almost like aural snow.

The Royal Guardsmen kind of got pigeonholed into the Snoopy thing, and they aren't remembered for much else. But they did have several other terrific singles, including my favorite "Behind Enemy Lines."

But they will always be remembered for those Snoopy records, and I will always love "Snoopy's Christmas."

I still have the original single that I bought in late 1967 in my collection, and it still plays well.

So have a Merry Christmas everyone. I will take a few days off, and be back ready to look at the New Year on Tuesday.

"Christmas bells, those Christmas bells, ringing out from the land ... "

Rant #642: Phil 'Em Up To 76 Today

Phil Donahue turns 76 today.

Although I often did not agree with his liberal politics, Phil Donahue, in my mind, is an icon of the TV talk show circuit.

Without him, there would be no Oprah, no Morey, no Ellen, and none of the other clowns who populate that genre today.

I used to watch Donahue's show--with a theme song by Don Agrati, better known as Don Grady from TV's "My Three Sons"--on occasion, when I was home, so I am by no means an expert on him.

But when I saw his show, I knew I was in for a roller coaster ride.

Whether he had on a famous politician or a porn star, you knew you were going to get everything Donahue had in him.

He was one of the first of the talk show hosts to run around with a microphone, trying to get the impressions of what was going on from his audience. He stuck that wand in front of their faces, and he let them speak their mind.

Donahue was as comfortable with important people as he was with the average Joes, and I think that is why people liked him so much.

I believe his very first guest was a young girl born without arms or legs. He treated her with dignity, and had her on several times as she grew into a woman to see how her life was progressing.

He had on transvestites, the latest TV and movie stars, everyday people with incredible problems, and the like.

And everyone seemed to like him, as his show seemingly went on forever.

And when he announced that he wouldn't do the show anymore, there wasn't this big fanfare like what Oprah wanted and got.

He just ended it.

Sure, he went onto cable TV, pretty unsuccessfully I might add, but when his regular show was over, that was pretty much it for him.

And I can't forget that I have always been a fan of his wife, Marlo Thomas, of "That Girl" fame.

So there you have it.

Have a happy birthday, Phil. You weren't the first TV talk show host, but you were certainly among the best of the lot.

Rant #641: Hanukkah, Hanukkah

Tonight is Hanukkah.

I know that for most of our culture this means absolutely nothing, but for many of us, this holiday, which begins at sundown tonight, reflects the culmination of a year's work, and the time to party and celebrate.
Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah.

I know to most people, this means absolutely nothing, but to us 3 percenters--the percent of the U.S. population that is Jewish--it does mean something, maybe more to some than others, since there seems to be a rising tide for Jews to celebrate Christmas. No, I don't get it either.

Anyway, on the Jewish calendar, Hanukkah is not a major holiday. But it is a joyous and festive one, celebrating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean revolt, during the second century BCE (before the common era).

After the Jews regained control of the temple, they found that they only had one night's oil for their candelabra, their eternal light. Somehow, through some type of miracle, the oil burned for eight days, hence the celebration of Hanukkah for eight days and the use of a menorah to signify the eternal light.

It is a joyous holiday and a festive one, but, as I said, it is not a major holiday on the Jewish calendar.

That is the reason that many give for high-profile Jews basically ignoring the holiday, at least out in public.

But of course, that is nonsense.

Whatever anybody says, Hanukkah is a huge holiday for Jews around the globe.

It is a gift-giving holiday, a holiday where you reaffirm your family ties, a holiday that is to be celebrated, and not shunned, like some unfortunate Jews do.

Sure, it's always right near Christmas, and a lot of people believe that it is the Jewish Christmas.

Well let me tell you, it isn't. It has nothing to do with Christmas at all.

However, because of the actions of some high-profile Jews, many people think that Hanukkah simply doesn't measure up, that Jews celebrate Christmas.

Sorry, at least in my family, we don't.

Christmas is a wonderful holiday, with its direction very similar to that of Hanukkah.

But Hanukkah isn't the Jewish Christmas much like Christmas is not the Gentile Hanukkah.

No matter how much society wants the two holidays intertwined, one has nothing to do with the other.

On that note, I wish everyone a joyous Hanukkah. Eat lots of sweet things, get and give your presents, and feel content with who you are and what religion you are.

I know that I am content, very content indeed.