By

Andrew DeMarco

 

I recently had to meet my wife in Manhattan regarding some personal business so I took Metro North to Grand Central and since it was a beautiful day I decided to walk up Madison Ave. to 74^th Street. While the train was pulling into Grand Central I was preparing myself to dodge, taxis, buses, pedicabs and many disgruntled motorists. Once I started my trek I realized that wasn’t the case. I didn’t have to worry about any of this but what I did find however was that I was dodging Zombies. That’s right you heard me correctly Zombies! They are all over New York, every avenue, every street and on every corner all totally mindless. These zombies also come from all walks of life as they are dressed as business men and women, blue collar workers, tourists, you name it. They are easily recognizable in that they have wires and other contraptions oozing from their ears or covering their heads. They also have what I call a mobile zombie device in one of their hands. (In a nod to technology I will use an acronym which techies love and call it a MZD)

I tried to avoid them at all cost because I was afraid if I should come into contact with one I would turn into one of them. Then it happened. At 51^st, St, and Madison Ave. a young female zombie just stopped short while using her MZD and I accidentally bumped into her. I apologized and then she hissed at me. I was about to apologize again but she just continued to hiss, so I thought I better get out of here before she accused me of groping her and report me to the #Me Too movement. One good thing I realized was I had not begun to change into one of them.

At the corner of 57^th St. while waiting for the light a woman tending to an elderly gentleman in a wheel chair was tapping away at her MZD. I thought a health care provider zombie, which proved my point that they come from all walks of life. I feared that the elderly gentleman might roll into traffic and in front of a crosstown bus but fortunately that did not happen.

A few blocks further north a gentleman in a suit and tie with a brief case in one hand and a MZD in the other turned the corner and crashed into me. He was a big man and judging by his snarl and grunting I thought that I might be devoured right then and there. After getting another snarl and some choice words thrown at me he moved on and to my relief I still had not turned into the walking dead.

I finally made it and met my wife and we conducted the business which I came down to do. We then both decided to take our chances and walk back to Grand Central, but instead of Madison Ave. we thought we would walk down 5^th Ave. While crossing 5^th Ave. to the park side we almost got struck down by a Citi Bike Zombie. A man riding a Citi Bike and texting ran the light and just missed the both of us. Where is that crosstown bus when you really need it.  But it still wasn’t over. While walking along the park a mommy zombie wheeling two children in a double stroller ran into my wife, while you guessed it using a MZD. I felt sorry for those two children who will be subjected to a life of nurturing by Zombie iPads, tablets, and X boxes.

Then my wife and I saw it. Right there on 5^th Ave. a glass temple, hive or whatever these Zombies call it stood in front of us. My wife and I peaked in and it was swarming with Zombies all moving about with mindless grins and looks of ecstasy on their faces as though they were in some Garden of Eden but alas it wasn’t. It was an Apple Store!

Fearing for our lives and also being hungry my wife and I decided to get something to eat. I thought this was a good idea and a way to escape the Zombies since everything I read about them told me that they only ate human flesh. I was surprised when we were seated next to 4 or them, two who were again tapping away and the other two had their MZDs at the ready on the table probably awaiting a call from the collective. Regarding the eating human flesh thing, well it is a myth since the four of them were chowing down on burgers and chef salads.

It was time to get out of Zombieville and we carefully made our way back to Grand Central avoiding contact with the walking dead. We boarded the train and felt some relief and made our way through the train to find a seat. Then the relief quickly faded as we realized the Zombies where headed for the suburbs. While walking through the train everyone had their heads down and were engrossed by their MZDs. Some were playing games, watching movies, texting but there was no human contact. We found seats and the two of us sat huddled together hoping that we would make it home. I was looking out the window and then it happened. I turned back and there was my wife tapping away and I thought “My God I’ve lost her.” But then she looked at me and said it was a friend and that she told him she would call him later. Realizing that my wife was not among the living dead gave me that feeling that Cousin Bob would call that Rosy Glow.  Then again, she said him would I have to worry if it was a boyfriend she was tapping away to, who cares, I survived the Zombie Apocalypse.

 

 

By Andrew DeMarco

“I want the broadcast to sound like two guys sitting at the ballpark, talking about the game, with the viewer eavesdropping. It’s not High Mass, and it’s not a seminar – it’s a ballgame.”   Joe Garagiola

With the baseball season just around the corner I thought I would regale all of you with what has become my annual Opening Day musings although some might call them rants. As always, with a new season hope springs eternal for all the teams and unlike other years even the Chicago Cubs have hope. This year presents many questions that will be answered over the course of the season and I would like to address a few of them here. After the Mets’ World Series appearance, one of the big questions here in New York is whether or not the Mets have taken over the town from the Yankees. Right now the answer would be yes but for Yankee fans hope springs eternal that will change over the course of the season and that they will make the World Series this year. I personally hope they do and get to play the Mets in another Subway Series so we can decide this once and for all, plus a Subway Series would annoy all the other baseball fans out there. (Yeah I’m a New Yorker; you got a problem with that.)

With David “Big Papi” Ortiz announcing his retirement this past November following the 2016 season, leads to another question. Will his retirement tour net him more goodies than that of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera? When Big Papi announced his retirement he clearly stated that he did not want anything like the circus that followed the retirement of both Jeter and Rivera. However, the chance of that seems slim since the festivities seem to already begun. At spring training Big Papi’s number 34 is already painted on the grass at the Red Sox training facility, so it should be interesting following his farewell tour. This led to another question as to why Alex Rodriguez would announce that he will retire after the 2017 season. I guess he wants to make one final repentance tour before he goes for the loot too, not that he or any of them need the gifts they get showered with. Here is an idea, no more retirement tours! Announce that you are done after the final game of the year and move on.

Here’s another question, how many ridiculously expensive cars does Yoenis Cespedes own? The early big news from Met’s spring training was Cespedes showing up every day with a different car each one probably more expensive that what the average fan earns in a year. This isn’t bad for someone who only five years ago defected from Cuba. While most found it amusing, which I did at first, I later thought of it as a slap in the face to the fans. They are the ones who help pay this man’s salary and yet they have to shell out a small fortune for them and their families to attend a ball game. Maybe Yoenis should sell one of his cars and take the money and treat a few families to a game and still take care of some charities which I hope he does.

Which leads me to a question for you. Recently Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage went off on players today calling them a disgrace and embarrassment with a few choice words which I cannot repeat here thrown in. I would like to know how you feel about his comments. Are players a disgrace today or have times and attitudes changed? Is it like comparing players of different eras? Let me know your thoughts on this

Finally, I would like to take a moment to remember Joe Garagiola who recently passed away and just about six months after his childhood friend Yogi Berra. These two took that road which Yogi always spoke about and when they got to the fork in the road, they took it, however not in the same direction. Yogi took the fork to the Hall of Fame as a player while Joe took the other fork and made it in as an announcer. Yogi would be known for his Yogi-isms while Joe would be known for his simple calling of the game and his sense of humor. I remember watching a Yankee game years ago and Joe was doing the play by play, it was a boring extra inning game and you can hear it in his voice. He then went on to describe a “vicious pop-up” to the pitcher, by saying that as a batter, “that hurts two things, it hurts your batting average, but more than that it hurts your feelings.” Yogi could not have said it any better.

As this season gets underway let’s remember these two sons of immigrants, who would and should both be examples that ballplayers of any era would be proud of and should emulate them. And as Joe reminded us that although we all love the game and cannot wait for a new season it is that, just a game, not a High Mass or a seminar. So let’s gather at the ballpark, the local bar or at home with friends and family and enjoy the season and hopefully your team will provide you with that feeling in October that Cousin Bob would call that ….. Rosy Glow.

By Andrew DeMarco

I often wonder if today’s politicians have ever picked up a history book, read The Constitution, or took a civics lesson. With the recent passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a whole new issue was thrown into the circus which is the Presidential Primary season. With Justice Scalia not even mourned by family, friends and colleagues, both sides started the political games. Immediately they both became embattled in worrying about which way the Supreme Court would swing. If President Obama gets to nominate another Justice the court could and probably would then lean to the left. The Republican controlled Congress wants to maintain the status quo with a conservative right majority but here is the problem; both sides see themselves as either Republicans or Democrats and not as Americans.

Have any of these politicians read the Constitution? The President has every right to nominate a Justice to replace Justice Scalia with the advice and consent of the Senate, which gives them the right to reject a nominee. If both sides had any courage they would let it play out as it should and let the political chips fall where they may. It would not be the first time that a nominee would be rejected and it won’t be the last. It would also not be the first time that the Court swung in a different direction. We have had liberal courts in the 50’s and 60’s and since then they have gone back to the right since the 80’s. The swings with the Court may take longer since appointments are for life but it is all part of the ebb and flow of not only politics but more importantly of a democracy.

Have today’s politicians forgotten American History? Let’s look at the other two branches of government. (Civic Lesson for our politicians there are three branches of our federal government) We do not have to go that far back in our history to see the ebb and flow in either the Executive or Legislative branches we can start from WWII. Since then we have had the following Presidents FDR and Truman, Democrats (D), Eisenhower, Republican (R), Kennedy and Johnson (D), Nixon and Ford (R), Carter (D), Reagan and Bush (R), Clinton (D), Bush (R), Obama (D). Does anyone notice the ebb and flow here? In that same period of time in the Legislative branch the Democrats have clearly been in control in the House of Representatives 27 times to the Republicans 11 and in the Senate 26 times to the Republicans 12. Although not as dramatic, here is from time to time a changing of the tides.

Here is another history lesson for both parties who are so worried about their ideologies, leanings and domination. Take a look at a few countries in history where there wasn’t that ebb and flow of politics. Let’s start this lesson in Germany from 1933 to 1945. In case you have forgotten, a certain man named Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party dominated Germany. Here are a few more: Italy from 1922 to 1943 with Mussolini and the Fascist Party, the old Soviet Union from 1917 to its collapse in 1991, and if history isn’t enough for you just look at North Korea and the theocrats in Iran today. Do you get the idea as to what happens when there is no ebb and flow and one party dominates?

So stop worry about moving the Court one way or the other and stop thinking like Republicans or Democrats and start thinking like Americans. To those who are reading this, remember it is “We the People” not “We the Democrats or Republicans” and we can effect change. If you are not happy with what is going on exercise your right to enforce term limits and vote and not just for President, but for your congressmen down to the local level. When you do, do not think like a politician but think like an American, it is okay to split your ticket and do what is best for “We the People.”

No matter what, we still are the greatest nation on this planet and we do not need to make America great again or whole again, but what we need to do is make it greater. Finally, a little homework for the politicians and ourselves is to read more about our Founding Fathers and their principles and ideas for this country and when you see how timeless their ideas really were it will give you that feeling that Cousin Bob would call that ….. Rosy Glow.

 

 

 

Dear Mr. Franklin,

Some might find it strange that I am writing a letter to someone who has been dead for over 220 years, but in reality it isn’t. Do you want to know what is strange? It is this Presidential election cycle.  With all the news about the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire Primary my head is spinning. I’m sorry Mr. Franklin you probably have no idea what an Iowa caucus, primary or Presidential Election cycle is. Heck Iowa wasn’t even a state when you were around! The best way to explain this is that it is like a carnival with elephants and donkeys, but really there are mostly clowns.

The real reason for this letter is for me to vent about politics and who better to dump it all on than a Founding Father. When I was in college some 200 years after you and 55 other gentlemen signed a document in Philadelphia that got this all started, we learned that politics is the power of persuasion, to try to make the other guy see it your way and if not try to find a compromise that benefits the people. I am sure you would agree that politics hasn’t really changed. What has really changed are the issues. Terrorism, the Affordable Care Act and the economy are just some of the big issues today but these would be Greek to you. However, some of the issues today can be downright petty.

One of the issues which both sides seem to be tossing about is one where they accuse one another of flip-flopping or changing their views and opinions. With many more important things to focus on why they are all so concerned about this is beyond me. I know this idea of waffling, flip-flopping, or whatever you called it then has a special meaning to you. After all you were probably one of the first and foremost wafflers of your day or for that matter any day.

I remember reading about one of your most famous and important flip flops which occurred during the Constitutional Convention in 1787.  At that time you were not sure that the Constitution would work and you favored a unicameral government while those around you were for a two house legislature. But you listened to all the arguments for and against and made your decision based on what you knew and felt would be the best for the people. I would like to remind you of your quote at that time:

“I confess that I do not entirely approve this Constitution at present, but sir, I am not sure I shall never approve it: For having lived long, I have experienced many Instances of being oblig’d, by better Information or fuller Consideration, to change opinions on important Subjects, which I once thought Right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow the more apt I am to doubt my own Judgement, and pay more respect to the Judgement of others…. In these Sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a General Government necessary for us…”

If you hadn’t changed your mind which influenced a great many of the other delegates, this country and form of government as we know it now might have looked quite different. It was your willingness to change your mind and influence others which made you a leader that was highly respected.

I guess what you were saying is that it is not a bad thing to change your opinions, as long as it is for the good of the people or the will of ones’ constituents. I am sure that you would have been opposed to waffling for personal or professional gains. So by listening to the opinions of others one can learn and make more informed decisions. This is something that is missing from politics today as political parties have gained more influence over their members. But that is another letter for some other time, perhaps to Mr. Washington.

So Mr. Franklin thank you for taking some time to listen to someone who still feels that it may not be the best form of government but it beats the hell out of all the alternatives.

Sincerely,

Andrew DeMarco

 

P.S. Maybe politicians today should stop worrying about the other guy changing his mind and focusing on the real issues because circumstances change and so do opinions. I think if they all listened to you Mr. Franklin and the other Founding Fathers a bit more, maybe they could solve more of our problems. This I am sure would give us all that feeling that Cousin Bob would call that …..Rosy Glow.

 

By

Andrew DeMarco

It is that time of year where we are getting ready to spend time with family and friends and putting together our Christmas wish lists. While spending more time with family can be challenging, putting together a wish list can be simpler. These lists will include the usual items which we could use and others that make no sense at all, but we accept them with gratitude in the spirit of the holiday. (Note to family, please no more socks or golf balls.) There are other items on our wish lists that can be elusive; these might include winning the Lottery, health and happiness, and the biggest most elusive wish of all peace on earth.

With all that is going on in the world, terrorism on the rise, gun control, a dysfunctional government, the resurgence of the old Soviet Union, climate change and a still sputtering economy it is easy to see why peace on earth and happiness seems the most elusive and also seems to be a wish that will never be fulfilled. Other issues such as immigration and the homeless make peace and happiness become an even more distant possibility.

The recent terrorist attacks in Paris and California, especially coming during the holiday season, have added to our angst to the point where some believe that nothing can be done to protect ourselves from terror. Add to that the fact that many see our government as dysfunctional which means that they cannot agree on how to protect us which further adds to this angst. This dysfunction is multiplied even more by the fact that we are in a presidential election cycle so politics and policy dominate the news even more than usual and differences become even more pronounced. All this leads us to a feeling of utter despair and pessimism that there is no hope and our wishes will never be fulfilled. Despair and pessimism have never lead to anything being accomplished.

Before we can make strides in achieving our wishes for peace and happiness we have to rid ourselves of our negative thoughts and angst. This leads me to what I want for Christmas, which is simply defined as a hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. You all know what that word is, and if not I will remind you, it is the definition of optimism. That’s right all I want for Christmas is for everyone to get a new dose of optimism! It is an elusive gift to wish for but one that is absolutely necessary at this time.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.

Helen Keller

Helen Keller had it right! Before there can be peace on earth or anything else on our Christmas wish list, anything we have to achieve has to begin with more optimism. We have to have that hope and confidence that we can achieve optimism, and that we can be a catalyst in making that change. That through our hope and confidence we can be the change to our dysfunctional government, which can lead to other changes and finally that by alleviating our angst with optimism anything is possible.

So for this Holiday Season my wish is that we all take that first step and get that dose of optimism. As we have proven time and time again there is nothing we cannot achieve with hope and confidence which is optimism. I’m optimistic this year that I will not get those socks or golf balls but if not I will continue to be optimistic for next year. May this new optimism give us all that feeling that is synonymous with what Cousin Bob would call that…. Rosy Glow!

 

Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays

&

A Happy and Healthy New Year