Click here to go to my Facebook page, to hear an interview I did last week for The National Road Safety Foundation, promoting a contest we do for teens, talking about traffic safety. It aired on several radio stations this past Sunday, with thanks for host Renee LaSalle for a great interview.
Was in beautiful Savannah today for a round of media interviews to promote Drive Safe Atlanta, a contest The National Road Safety Foundation does to engage teens in traffic safety messaging.
The theme for the contest this year is speeding, which accounts for more than a quarter of all traffic fatalities.
The local media recognize the importance of what we're trying to do, so I've done 3 TV interviews and a radio spot here.
Tomorrow, more of the same in Augusta and then Thursday in Atlanta.
Here's a clip from WSAV-TV, the NBC outlet in Savannah.
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SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Speeding is the number one killer of teens in Georgia, claiming more than 9,000 lives each year. The National Road Safety Foundation is challenging Georgia teens to help crea…
www.wsav.com
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... and I still miss his puppy kisses. My Loki.
from New York City
Here's something I posted four years ago, but I feel it's worth repeating at this time of year, especially these days when we could use a little smile and spiritual uplift.
I hope you enjoy it.
My daughter Jennifer was taking her older son Jack, 10, to school recently and, as he got out of the car, he asked a question that worries many parents at this time of year. His question -- "Is Santa real?"
Jen didn't have a simple answer, so she said it was complicated and she'd tell him when he got home from school. She thought about it and wrote down her thoughts in a beautiful letter that I'm sharing below, with Jen's permission.
An interesting side note... Jen is Jewish and her husband Jon is Christian. The boys, Jack and his brother Gabriel, 6, are being raised with traditions from both faiths. Not necessarily the religious dogma, but traditions like lighting the menorah on Chanukah, having matzoh for Passover and, of course, at this time of year decorating the Christmas tree and waiting for Santa.
I am so proud of my daughter for expressing her thoughts so beautifully and helping keep alive a beautiful tradition that makes this time of year magical for so many people -- especially children. Wouldn't it be nice if in this way we could all retain our inner child?
Here's Jen's note to my grandson Jack...
Dear Jack,
You asked a really good question earlier and I didn’t have time to answer it then. It is a question I knew was coming sooner than later, and I had a feeling it might come around this Christmas. It is a question that parents all over the word have to face at some time, and it is bittersweet. So I came home and gave it some serious thought and here is my answer to your question, “Is Santa real?”
Yes and no. Your image of Santa, as a big, fat, jolly man in a red suit and a beard, flying all over the world in s sleigh, is not real. You are a smart kid and you probably have questioned for some time how that could be possible. The presents under the tree that are from Santa are in fact from Daddy and I, and we fill the stockings too. After you and your brother go to sleep on Christmas Eve, Daddy and I are hard at work, sneaking quietly to make Christmas magical- just like Grammy and Poppy did for Daddy, and their parents did for them.
And that is where the other part of the answer comes in- Santa may not be real in the way you thought, but the spirit of him is a real part of Christmas. The story of Santa has been around for hundreds of years and the magic his story creates for children is a beautiful thing. And for adults too! I know that Santa is not real in an actual sense, but I still believe in his spirit as a grown up. I still feel the beauty and magic and love on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, even though I know the truth. And I hope you will too.
Santa teaches love and magic, and hope and happiness. He creates the ability to believe that anything is possible, that there are miracles in the world, and that giving to others freely is the surest way to fill your heart- and theirs- with joy.
So while now you may know that Santa himself isn’t sneaking down our chimney at night, I sincerely hope that you can still believe in the magic and beauty of his story. I hope that Christmas still feels special for you and that one day, you will make the Santa story come alive for your own children.
Learning about Santa is a big step in growing up. I have to admit, I shed a tear or two writing this as there is a certain part of childhood you are leaving behind. But here is the neat thing: you now get to be a creator of this magic, a helper, and elf, if you will. It is important to let each child realize the Santa story on their own, or the magic can be ruined. You are now a guardian of Santa- like Daddy and I have been for you. You must keep his story alive for those that still believe, like your brother and your friends. It is a really big responsibility but one that you must take seriously. You can now help spread the love and the belief in miracles and the magic of Santa- you are now on his team, as Daddy and I have been for all the Christmas mornings you can remember. Welcome.
You may have more questions, and I am happy to answer them. Or you may just need to let this sit for a while. Just know that while the Santa you see at the mall surely is not real, the love and generosity and spirit of kindness and giving that he instills in people is very real and very important. Be sure to carry the Santa story with you in your heart forever.
With love and respect, as you grow up--
Mama
Such beautiful sentiments and so nicely written. I'm so proud of Jennifer.
Here's a link to the latest newsletter from The National Road Safety Foundation, outlining work we do for this non-profit organization.
A major traffic safety issue we are beginning to address is speeding, which is an often-overlooked challenge.
When it comes to speeding, it's something that most of us do whether regularly or infrequently. We tend to think of the consequences for speeding as getting stopped for a ticket, paying a fine and possibly having points on our license, which can lead to higher insurance rates.
But we usually don't think of the more tragic consequences of speeding -- crashes, injuries and death. Speeding is a factor in one-third of all fatal crashes, killing about 9,700 people every year. It's clear that speeding can cost a lot more than a ticket. That's the message we'll be working to get out to the public, in cooperation with the Governors Highway Safety Association and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
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.
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.
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.