REICH COMMUNICATIONS

A Sad Day on Sesame Street

 

Sesame Street will never be the same.  Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch passed away Saturday. 

Actually, it was Caroll Spinney, the 85 year-old puppeteer who created those iconic and beloved characters, who died.

Spinney was with Sesame Street from its beginning until he retired only a year ago.  He gave Big Bird and Oscar distinct personalities -- Big Bird a naive and sweet Bird who saw the good in everyone, while Oscar loved chaos, hiding his true feelings under a persona of gruffness.

I do publicity for the annual Christopher Awards.  In 2008, Caroll, who had previously won a Christopher Award for his children's book, was the presenter for the Children's Books Awards. 

Before he presented the awards, he told a story that touched me -- and it obviously touched him because he became choked up as he told it from the podium.

He told of a letter that came to the producers of Sesame Street from the parents of a young boy of about 5 who was dying of cancer.  He had lost the will to fight and was depressed -- never smiling.  The parents asked if it might be possible for the boy to get a phone call from Big Bird.

The letter was passed along to Spinney, who immediately agreed.  He called the boy and, in his Big Bird voice, spoke with him for several minutes.

A week later he received another letter from the parents, telling him how thrilled their son had been to get the call.  He showed excitement and smiled for the first time in weeks as he told his parents, who were at his bedside in the hospital, that Big Bird had called him and he was happy that Big Bird was his friend.  A few minutes later, he peacefully slipped away.

Spinney's voice choked with emotion as he told the story. 

I had a chance to chat with him for a while after the ceremony, as he posed for pictures with Oscar on his lap.  He told me that to that day he is glad that he showed compassion and called the boy.  As we talked about it, his eyes teared and he explained it still moves him, even after many years.

Spinney also told me that Big Bird's role originally was simply to teach about letters and numbers.  But he realized the importance of teaching about compassion after he walked past a man on the street who he assumed was a derelict muttering to himself.  Something made him stop, turn around and ask the man if he needed help.  It turned out, the the man couldn't walk well and had been asking strangers to help him across the street.  Spinney walked the man not only across the street, but the three blocks to his apartment building.

The next day, he told the producers of Sesame Street that he wanted Big Bird to teach kids about feelings and compassion.  And after a while, Big Bird became the character who expressed concern about others' feelings.

We talked for a while, and then I thanked him for taking the time.   And he said to me, "No. Thank you for coming over to talk with me."

And then Oscar gave me a hug. 

I feel lucky I had the chance to meet Caroll Spinney... and Oscar too.  He brought a lot of joy into the lives of many children (including mine) and adults.  Thanks to Sesame Street reruns, he will continue to do so.  I’m sure that makes him smile, wherever he now is.

 

Chestnuts

 

A story on CBS This Morning brought back some great childhood memories.

The story reported on an attempt at the University of Virginia to bring back from near-extinction the American Chestnut tree.  The tree, known for its sturdy hard wood and its tasty sweet chestnuts, was in forests everywhere in the east from Florida up to Maine.  The chestnut tree, so the CBS News story says, kept the people of Appalachia alive, as its timber was a major factor in construction while the chestnuts themselves provided food and/or crops for trading for many poor families.

And then, beginning in the 1950s, a blight began wiping out chestnut trees to the point that the American Chestnut is technically extinct.  Chestnuts we now get from street vendors or stores are from Japanese or European chestnut trees.

Scientists at the University of Virginia are developing a strain of American Chestnut trees that are resistant to blight, in hopes of eventually restoring the native tree to forests and farms in the east.

That’s all interesting, but for me the story brought back memories of my days growing up in the New York suburbs.  I don’t know if what I’m about to tell you was unique to Mount Vernon, southern Westchester and the Bronx or if it was something that kids elsewhere also did.  I’d love to know.

When I was in grade school, we used to walk to school past some homes that had big chestnut trees in their yards.  Every fall, chestnuts would ripen and fall from the trees, protected in pods covered with spikey thorns.  We would gather them and crack open the pods to get at the chestnuts inside.  But we didn’t eat them.

Instead, we’d use them for a game.  We’d poke a thin hole through the chestnut and pull a string or shoelace through it, tying it at one end.  And then in the schoolyard or on the street, we’d pit our chestnut against other kids’ chestnuts. The idea was simple… We would take turns holding our chestnut dangling from the string while a competitor would swing his chestnut, hitting it against ours.  We’d alternate taking shots until one of the chestnuts broke and fell off the string.  The triumphant chestnut would then be able to claim one “kill.”  If your chestnut beat a chestnut that had, say, 10 “kills” under its belt, your chestnut then inherited the defeated chestnut’s kills.  This game often went on for weeks, and some of the best chestnuts could be 100-killers or more.

We tried all sorts of things to strengthen our chestnuts, such as soaking them in vinegar.  I’m sure there were other secrets that I just don’t remember anymore.

I remember losing the two big chestnut trees on Primrose Avenue that were the main source of chestnuts among my friends.  We were sad when those beautiful trees got sick and were cut down, but we moved to other streets to find chestnuts, sometimes at the risk of encountering resistance from the kids on those streets, who were willing to fight to keep us poachers away.  Those chestnut trees seemed to be everywhere in Mount Vernon back in the 1950s.

We didn’t know it at the time, but the two trees we lost on Primrose Avenue were typical of what was happening everywhere.   I am pretty sure there are no chestnut trees left anywhere in Mount Vernon.  And, sadly, today’s kids simply don’t know what they’re missing without the fall ritual of playing chestnut. 

Maybe kids today wouldn’t play even if there still were chestnut trees around.  The simple game of chestnuts might not be able to compete with today’s video games and social media. 

These kids just don’t know what they’ve missed.

 

Give Thanks.

All the best for a Happy and Peaceful Thanksgiving!

Bagel Wars

 

Bagel wars have been going on for decades...probably since the first transplanted Eastern European Jews came to North America some 150 years ago.

Growing up here in New York, I was lucky to have early exposure to great bagels, made in Manhattan, the Bronx or Brooklyn.  I've recounted the days when, as a high school or college student, I'd drive down to the big bagel factory in the Bronx to bring home a baker's dozen...fresh and piping hot right from the oven.

Over the years as I've traveled, I'd sample bagels in other places.  Even major cities like Boston and Chicago couldn't match their bagels to the ones here in New York.  Montreal, I will admit, has some really good bagels.

The west coast, especially the L.A. area, was always seriously lacking when it came to good bagels.  I can't say how many times I was disappointed after being drawn into a bagel shop in California with a promising name like Einstein's or New York Bagels.  It got to the point where I just stopped trying; I usually reserve my bagel-eating for when I'm home or in Montreal.

So an item in yesterday's L.A. Times that linked to a lengthy feature in The Tablet, an online Jewish cultural outlet, caught my eye.  The opening line, under the headline "L.A. Ups Its Bagel Game," is:  Bagels in L.A. suck.

It's an interesting read, describing how over the years New York expats tried to duplicate the famous New York bagel, usually with little success.  Is it the difference between New York water and California water?  Some California bagel-makers even tried importing or "Brooklynizing" the water they used, with no luck.

One L.A. baker, Zach Liporice, has tried following old-school New York bagel recipes. 

"'They came out terrible,' he said. Because, of course, there’s a lot more to a bagel—and to any “soulful” cooking—than mechanically following the steps of some recipe. This is especially true for breads, for which the composition of flours, local water, and temperature during the proofing process can have drastic effects on a dough."

So, the story says, L.A. bakers have pretty much given up trying to duplicate the New York bagel. Instead, they now add their own distinctive L.A. touches to come up with what critics say are some pretty good bagels.  Not New York bagels, but still, good bagels.

We shall see.  I'm heading out to L.A. Thursday for work (and some fun) and I'll try to check out some places mentioned in the article... Maury's in Silver Lake, Pop's in Culver City near Fairfax (where the famous New York-style deli Cantor's is located), and Courage Bagels, near Silver Lake.

I'll try to do some taste-testing and report back here in a future post. 

Wish me happy bagel-hunting.

 

 

With the Same Eyes

 

I just don't understand how any intelligent and discerning person can watch what's been happening in this country over the past few weeks and come to the conclusion that Rep. Jim Jordan stated this morning during the impeachment hearings. 

Actually, I understand why Jordan says what he does.  There's no real defense for the wrongs the President has done, from attempted bribery to out-in-the-open witness intimidation and obstruction of justice/Congress.  So Jordan tries to blur the lines with irrational and untrue statements.  That's his job, as one of the chief defenders of Trump.  (It's not his job as a Congressman who has sworn to uphold and protect the Constitution.)

But I am amazed that people can watch what's happening and still believe the things Jordan says.  His statements and rationale defy logic and they defy the truth.  Folks who get their news only from FOX, Breitbart and Rush Limbaugh might fall for it, but I just don't see how anyone else can.

To hear Rep. Jordan explain it, the whole process has been a witch hunt by the Democrats to undo the results of the 2016 election.  As for what the President has done, Jordan claims it's nothing because the Democrats keep changing what they're calling his actions -- going from quid quo pro to extortion to bribery.  If someone robs a bank, the charge is robbery.  If someone dies later, after being shot during the robbery, the charge then becomes murder.  As more information is known or as a situation changes, the nature of a crime can change.  Because the charge has changed, it doesn't mean it's bogus.  But that's what Jordan would have people believe.

He blames the left-wing Democrats and never-Trumpers and the "fake" media -- in which he lumps the major networks, the AP, The New York Times, the Washington Post and any others that dare report the truth instead of the alternate-universe shown to viewers on FOX News.  Lots of blame to pass around, but no real explanation for the things the President has done and continues to do.

Excusing the President for his threatening live-tweets during the hearings, Jordan and his chronies say, the President enjoys the freedom of speech, like all of us.  But he is not like all of us.  As President, his words carry a weight that you and I simply do not have.

So enough with the ridiculous excuses for bad, unethical and, perhaps, illegal behavior.  It's not simply about party--Republican or Democrat, left or right.  It's not about removing a Republican president from office.  It's about maintaining some semblance of order and respect for the law and our Constitution.  It's something that should be way way beyond partisan politics.

If Rep. Jordan were really doing his job of upholding the Constitution, his words today would be quite different.  But because he seems to have sold his soul, his words should ring hollow and should be disregarded by anyone with eyes and ears and a mind.

 

 

What We Do: Drive Safe Campaign

For The National Road Safety Foundation, we do contests for teens to get them engaged in informing their peers about various safe driving issues.  We do this in partnership with three major auto shows around the nation.

Our Drive Safe L.A. Challenge, with the Los Angeles Auto Show, just ended.  We had invited teens from throughout California to give us their ideas for a 30-second public service message about drugged driving, which is a growing safety issue.

Our winner, Jasmine Coxley of Redding, CA., spent Tuesday working with our TV production crew to film the TV spot. We arranged for coverage by the local TV station.

Click here to see the story that aired on KRCR-TV. 

The finished piece will air on more than 160 TV stations nationwide on Teen Kids News.

Cookie!

 

My daughter Jen told me today is the birthday of a special friend -- Cookie Monster.

Cookie was one of my favorites when I used to watch "Sesame Street" with Jen when she was little, and then a few years later, with our son Michael.  I used to make them laugh when I'd imitate the furry blue guy by saying, in a gruff vice, "Me want cookie." 

But I knew Cookie long before my kids watched him.

Although no one seems to know how old Cookie is, he's been on TV for 50 years, since "Sesame Street" first went on the air in 1969. 

My friendship with Cookie began shortly after that, in the spring of 1970.  I was working on my Master's thesis.  I had books and note cards spread out on the living room floor, as I as trying to piece the thing together.  One afternoon, at around 4, I decided to take a break.  I turned the TV on and .  It was set on Channel 13 (PBS) and a kids' show was on.  I was about to change the channel, but I got caught up by the puppets and the cleverness of the fast-paced show.  I got hooked.

For the rest of the spring, I'd push my thesis notes aside every day at 4 o'clock to watch "Sesame Street."  Cookie and Big Bird were (and are) my favorite characters.  I like Big Bird for his innocence and sweetness and consideration for the feelings of others.  I identified with Cookie Monster because I, too, like to eat -- cookies and almost everything else.

So happy birthday, Cookie Monster.  Have a cookie...or two.

 

 

Boo!!

Put on the Blinders

Over the past three years, we've become accustomed to dumb statements and actions coming from the president and the White House.  Some we try to ignore and others are truly offensive and/or damaging to us and our society.

This one could fit in either category... an order by the White House to all federal agencies to stop subscribing to The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Clearly, the president wants to put blinders on us so we see only what's right in front of us, or in this case, only the news (or lies) he would prefer we see, rather than the truth of what's happening.

The facts of the Ukrainian quid-pro-quo episode, along with the attempts to cover it up, are right there in front of our eyes, so even with blinders, it can't be missed. 

But what's most troubling is the president's attempts to stifle the news media.  It's the type of move one of his autocrat heroes would pull.  It is not what an American president should be doing...even this one. 

Compared to so much of the chaos he is doing every day, this move is a small one.  But it should be noted and decried.  It is NOT the American way.  We will not allow blinders to be placed on us.

 

 

 

 

What We Do: National Teen Driver Safety Week

We met this morning with the Student Leadership Council of SADD, the national student advocacy group that's some 400,000 members strong.

As National Teen Driver Safety Week begins, we discussed planning for SADD's national competition sponsored by The National Road Safety Foundation -- Driving Skills #101.  The theme this year is "manage the merge," talking about safe ways to merge into traffic on roads and highways.  It's a challenging task for new and inexperienced drivers.

Unfortunately, traffic crashes continue to be leading cause of death for young people.  We and our friends at SADD are working to change that.

 

What We Do: Teen Driving Safety in California

 

Last week, we traveled to California to promote the Drive Safe L.A. teen PSA contest that's sponsored by The National Road Safety Foundation.

We did TV and radio interviews in San Diego, L.A. and Santa Barbara, talking about teen driving safety and the contest, which we do in conjunction with the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Here's a clip from FOX5 San Diego's morning news, last Tuesday.

 

KSWB 10-8-19 David Reich - Teen Driver Safety 7am.mp4