Being Presidential

Pundits have largely applauded the President’s address to Congress, praising him for being “presidential” and sticking to the Teleprompter. We have a new standard for judging our leader. Simply not going off the rails during a speech now is the measure of success. (Editorial comment: Exploiting a grieving person – at her most vulnerable – is truly despicable.)

Here for comparison, here are excerpts from previous presidents.

More About the Academy Awards

Contenders for 1939’s Best Picture Oscar included “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Wuthering Heights,” “Stagecoach,” “Of Mice and Men.” And the winner was… “Gone With the Wind.” GWTW won eight awards out of thirteen nominations. Hattie McDaniel was named Best Supporting Actress, the first African-American to win an Oscar. (She was also the first to be nominated.) Judy Garland won the Juvenile Award. No one attending the ceremony in that pre-television era was surprised.

Digression

“Gone With the Wind” moviegoers gasped when Rhett Butler delivered his departing remark to Scarlett O’Hara in the final scene. Today, with profanity so prevalent and used as a crutch for lazy writing, we see the shock of seventy-plus years ago as amusing. Maybe we’re coming full circle, with this year’s best-picture winner having dialog with few expletives, surprising considering the story line.

End of digression

Beginning with the 1940 awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences kept the names of winners in sealed envelopes, not to be opened until announced at the ceremony. Previously, the Academy released the list of winners to news organizations prior to the awards banquet, so they would be prepared to publish the results to their waiting readers and listeners. The genteel arrangement ended in 1939 when the Los Angeles Times published the winners’ names prior to the event. The Academy was not happy and from then on kept the list of winners secret. The system heightened suspense and worked well until this year’s fun ending.

 

Why the Ashes?

You may see people on the streets, or maybe co-workers, displaying black smudges on their foreheads today. If you’re wondering what’s going on, if it’s an after effect of too much Mardi Gras partying – by you or by them – well, it’s mostly a Catholic thing. One of the benefits of Catholicism is the aura of mysteriousness it conveys to others. The smudge is actually supposed to be a cross, applied by a priest during mass.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, a time of reflection. Ashes are a reminder of humankind’s humble place in the great cosmos: “Remember, you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.”

Click here for a primer on Ash Wednesday’s meaning and symbolism.

Preparing for Lent

For Christians, Shrove Tuesday is a traditional day given to self-examination and seeking absolution for wrongdoing. The day is also known as Fat Tuesday – or Mardi Gras – the last day to indulge in rich foods such as butter, eggs and sugar, before beginning forty days of Lenten fasting. A pancake feast is the custom for many. If pancakes aren’t enough for a last-day blowout, then take to the streets and join the Mardi Gras or Carnival celebrations. Which brings us to Professor Longhair.

Roy Byrd, born in 1918, grew up on the streets of New Orleans. He progressed from tap dancing for tips on Bourbon Streets and gambling with card games, to becoming a piano legend, revered long past his death in 1980. Fats Domino, Huey “Piano” Smith, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Marcia Ball and many others paid homage to Professor Longhair – nicknamed for his shaggy mane – as their inspiration and whom they did and still do try to imitate.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Orange You Glad….

Having lately emigrated from northern California, I still keep up on the news from my previous home. Other parts of the country, or even other parts of northern California, deal with raucous town hall meetings or rioting in the streets over speakers invited onto campus. Sonoma County, by contrast, is mired in controversy over Superior Court Judge Elliot Daum’s artistic – or political – expression. After the recent peaceful transfer of power with the inauguration of a new president, Judge Daum removed the portrait of Barack Obama from his courtroom. The space previously reserved for the president’s image now displays a single piece of fruit, an orange. A real orange. Local Republicans and some lawyers have criticized the judge’s allegedly expressing political opinions in court and showing disrespect for the president.

A Sonoma State University criminal justice professor said Daum’s orange “pushes the limits of what we hope for from our judges in terms of their involvement in the politics of the day.” He went on to say, “I also think it is pretty funny.”

Judge Daum so far has made no public comment on the matter.