Klooka

Elections will always have problems because humans are humans, not gods. Elections are the best way we have to choose our political representatives, our leaders.

If a state or a county or a city has election problems, they should clean it up ASAP. Period.

If you want to see a good movie about politics, watch "The Last Hurrah" (1958) directed by John Ford and starring Spencer Tracy. It's now 50 years old but still one of my favorite movies. It is based on Edwin O'Connor's novel of the same name, which I read while I was a senior in high school in 1957-1958.

I worked for Jane M. Byrne while she was Mayor of Chicago (1979-1983). One of the many things I enjoyed about working there was the chance to meet many, many people at City Hall who had worked there for years. It was fun to see politics first hand. I majored in political science at Northwestern, so seeing politicians every day absolutely intrigued me.

I came to know some of Chicago's aldermen. One of my favorites was Lou Farina from the Northwest Side. His wife, Rose, worked for the Chicago Cultural Center. Lou had a heart of gold. But Lou got into trouble because he accepted some contributions that were interpreted as bribes. Maybe they were; I really don't know. After Byrne was defeated for re-election in 1983, Lou went to jail, I think for two years, if I remember correctly. It really saddened me to see that happen. Lou was a nice man who loved his family, his job, and his constituents. And they loved him.

What was my job? I was assistant director of the Mayor's Office of Special Events. We produced concerts and festivals, such as the Chicago Jazz Festival and Neighborhood Festivals. We didn't charge any admission fees.

We produced a Neigborhood Festival at Riis Park in Lou's ward on the Northwest Side that broke all records. Lou's ward was predominantly Italian. We had about 100 vendors and three stages of entertainment. The festival was held on a Sunday during the summer of 1982, beginning at noon and ending about 7 PM.

Our main stage featured several top Italian performers from Chicago throughout the afternoon, leading up to the last act at 5 PM -- Tony Bennett.

Tony Bennett at the Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, Calif., 2005

Chicago by Tony Bennett with Count Basie and His Orchestra

More than 100,000 people showed up, mostly Italian, many from the neighborhood surrounding Riis Park, while the rest were from all over the city and suburbs.

Tony Bennett's limo had a tough time driving through the traffic to reach the park -- even with a police escort. They finally arrived about 45 minutes before showtime. I had arranged for a 27-piece orchestra of Chicago's top musicians to back him. They were led by reedman and orchestra leader Kenny Soderblom, one of the best musicians in Chicago. Tony rehearsed with Kenny and the orchestra that morning at a downtown hotel. It went very smoothly.

I greeted Tony when he arrived. We never met before. He asked me how many people were there.

"Let me show you," I said. We walked over to the main stage and climbed the steps just enough so he could see the audience.

"Holy smoke!" Tony said. "How many are here?"

"About 100,000, according to the Police Commander," I said.

Tony was stunned. "I've never performed before a crowd this large before," he told me. I could tell he was genuinely humbled.

I assured him that everyone would be able to hear him beautifully. In addition to the large speakers we had on the outdoor stage, we had three sound towers out in the park. Think of left field, center field, and right field.

I walked Tony to the mobile home we had reserved for him so he could relax before showtime.

Mayor Byrne and Lou and Rose Farina arrived backstage a few minutes before Tony was scheduled to perform. The orchestra was ready. Lou said a few words, then introduced Mayor Byrne, who said a few more words. Tony was waiting on the steps near the back of the stage. Finally, Mayor Byrne introduced him.

I'll never forget the roar of that crowd when Tony came onstage and the band began playing! It was a song everyone knew: "Chicago!"

My girlfriend drove my mother to the festival earlier in the afternoon. I arranged for them to sit in the VIP section in front of the stage. They had a great view and a great time! So did everyone.

When Bennett finally finished, after several encores, he thanked me for this festival. "You don't have to thank me," I said. "You did it! These people love you!"

He thanked me again.

This festival, and others we produced during the Byrne Administration, showed me a side of politics that I'll never forget -- the politics of joy. I'll always be grateful to Jane Byrne for giving me the opportunity to be part of her Administration.

George Spink
Los Angeles

Billy Eckstine (1914-1993)


My Silent Love
Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra
Recorded Oct. 6, 1946 - Los Angeles

Since October 2000, I have built, revised, and expanded my big band web site, Tuxedo Junction. In April and May of this year, I rebuilt my site from start to finish -- except for my Juke Box Pages, which I began rebuilding in August, knowing they would take several months. I've now finished about a dozen of them, doing one or two a week. I should finish them by the end of the year.

Yesterday, I finished Tuxedo Junction's Billy Eckstine Juke Box Page, which will allow you to hear a variety of Billy Eckstine's songs.

Those of you under 40 years old might be asking "Billy who?"

Let me tell you about him.

Billy Ecsktine was one of the greatest singers in the United States during the big band and postwar years. He was a bass baritone singer who also played trumpet and trombone. My parents heard him sing in the early 1940's with Earl Hines and His Orchestra at the Grand Terrace Ballroom on Chicago's South Side.

Billy left Hines to start his own band in the mid-1940's -- and what a band it was! You can see some videos of Billy and his great band on You Tube.

As you listen to Billy's songs, you'll understand why he was the first major black male singer, paving the way for Nat King Cole and many others in the years that followed.

For any women who read this blog and might be feeling a little down, listening to Billy Eckstine will chase your blues away. I learned this from my own mother when I was a boy in the late 1940's and early 1950's. In her book, Billy Eckstine could do no wrong!

I bet that even though Billy sang a long time ago, the women who visit this blog today will love his singing as much as my mother did more than a half century ago....

If you would like to know more about Billy Eckstine, you can begin by reading his Wikipedia Page and then by searching his name on Google.

George Spink
Los Angeles, California

I often watch FOX News on my 5-1/4" black-and-white TV next to my computer as I work on my web sites and blogs. But as much as I like most FOX News anchors, there is one who annoys the hell out of me. His name is Sean Hannity. He espouses his conservative political viewpoints constantly during his show with Alan Colmes, a timid and meek liberal anchor reminiscent of Clark Kent.

For example, every night this year, Hannity has blasted Senator Barack Obama for one reason or another. Hannity's Irish really comes through during his nightly Obama tirades. Hannity is vicious, unfair, and unbalanced, acting just like many Irish bigots I have known over the years.

He also was relentless in his coverage of Senator Hillary Clinton, sometimes in the extreme, as when he did a story about the liberal law firm in Oakland, California where she worked as a summer intern when she was in law school.

Hannity often said his political hero was President Ronald Reagan. Many Americans share his view, but I am not one of them. Hannity, of course, is entitled to his views, just as I am when I criticize them.

What annoys me most about Hannity is that, like other FOX News anchors, he claims to be "fair and balanced," but Hannity is as far from being fair and balanced as Archie Bunker. At least Archie made us laugh at his political bias and naiveté. We can only imagine how Archie would be ranting and raving about Barack Obama this election season.

Can you imagine how Archie would react if he woke up on November 5th to find out that Barack Obama had been elected our next President?

Can you image how Sean Hannity would react to such an outcome?

George Spink
Los Angeles

Can it be that long ago?

Can a half-century have passed by already?

Where does the time go?

As we finish September 2008, I am thinking back to September 1958. I rode the train from my home in Chicago to attend my first semester at UCSB.

My father died a year earlier, and my mother remained in Chicago because she had a job at the nearby Hotpoint plant. Her brothers and sisters already had moved from Chicago to Santa Barbara. She hoped to join them one day.

I can still recall my days at UCSB as though they were yesterday. I lived in Sequoia Hall for my first semester. Like other campus dorms, Sequoia Hall had been a Marine barracks during World War Two.

There was a large "living room" as you entered each dorm, and each one had a television set. One of the most popular new series that autumn was a detective show called "Peter Gunn" starring Craig Stevens. Peter Gunn hung out at a hip local nightspot called "Mother's." His girlfirend, Edie (Lola Albright) sung with the jazz combo at Mother's.

Yes, a jazz combo -- on network TV!

In fact, music was central to "Peter Gunn," just as it would be to another detective show, "Miami Vice," a quarter of a century later. The music was composed and conducted by Henry Mancini. "Peter Gunn" made Mancini very famous and opened the door to his long movie career. Remember "The Pink Panther" (1964) and its sequels?

What those films and "Peter Gunn" had in common besides Mancini was their producer, Blake Edwards.

For half a century now, I have loved the music featured in Peter Gunn. It sounds as fresh and as exciting to me today as it did back in Sequoia Hall in 1958. Just give it a listen!

Peter Gunn 1

Peter Gunn 2

George Spink
Los Angeles

I am very sad over Paul Newman's death, my favorite actor since the late 1950's.

One of my favorite Newman films is "The Young Philadelphians," which came out in 1959 when I was in college. Newman's character worked construction in the summers while he attended law school.

During the summers I was in college, I worked at the Cities Service Oil Refinery in Cicero, Illinois -- unloading box cars and trucks filled with 55-gallon drums and cartons containing empty one-quart oil cans, then stacking them inside the warehouse. It was hard, dirty work, but it paid very well, about $3.25 per hour, compared with about $1.50 per hour for most summer jobs in the late 1950's.

Seeing Newman's character in "The Young Philadelphians" working construction made me feel a lot better about the hard, sweaty job I had at Cities Service. The company employed about a dozen college students each summer. We were all grateful for being able to make that much money.

Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, married in 1958 and enjoyed one of the longest relationships in Hollywood history.

I think I've seen everyone of his films. For those of you born after 1970, you have no idea of the excitement Newman and Robert Redford created with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" when it was released in 1969. It was a Western with humor and a hit song sung by B.J. Thomas, "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." Young and beautiful Katherine Ross appeared in the film, making her one of the most famous young actresses in Hollywood. She resembled my wife -- a resemblance that lasts to this day.

Another of my favorite Newman films is "The Color of Money" (1986), some of which was shot in a poolroom in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago, where I lived from 1964 to 1986. I remember some of the pool hustlers I knew back then. Fortunately for me, I was lousy at pool. But in the early 1980's, my mother became very good at pool. She lived in a senior citizens building a mile south of Old Town. She learned how to play pool on the two pool tables in their rec room and did so almost every day.

Newman was one of life's good guys. I am glad he was here, and I am so sorry that he is no longer.

Thank you for all that you gave to all of us, Paul. Adios....

George Spink
Los Angeles

The other day I posted an item about "The Romance of Helen Trent," a popular radio soap opera that aired from 1933 to 1960. It tried to answer the question of whether a woman who has turned 35 can still find love and happiness. What do you think?

Claire Booth Luce wrote a popular Broadway play produced in 1936 called "The Women" about a group of New York females who were in the same boat as Helen Trent. George Kukor turned it into a popular movie in 1939 starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard, and Joan Fontaine. It was a smash!

Now there is a brand new, 21st Century version of "The Women" that the 1939 cast would have lovingly embraced. Yesterday, my roommate and I saw "The Women" at the AMC Theater in Marina del Rey near our home. We attended the first showing at 1:45 PM (only five bucks on Tuesdays!). There were about 25 people in the audience -- all women except for another man and myself.

The 2008 version of "The Women" stars Meg Ryan as Mary Haines and Annette Bening as her friend, Sylvia Flower. Eva Mendes plays Crystal Allen, whom Mary and her friends gradually learn is having an affair with Mary's husband. Sylvia and Mary's other friends wonder how to break this gingerly to Mary. Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith play Mary's friends Edie Cohen and Alex Fisher. Candice Bergen plays Mary's compassionate mother. Debi Mazar plays Tanya, a makeup woman at Saks Fifth Avenue who is at the center of gossip. And Cloris Leachman plays Mary's housekeeper, as funny as she ever was on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" some 35 years ago (can it be that long?).

My roommate and I watched George Kukor's 1939 version of "The Women" on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) a couple of weeks ago. I had seen it before, but she hadn't. Norma Shearer played Mary Haines, Rosalind Russell played Sylvia Fowler, and Joan Crawford played Crystal Allen. Another funny movie, another time, and another example of all of the fine films made in the 1930's and 1940's. My parents often told me how good movies were "in their day." They were so right! They would have loved TCM!

In fact, many of these films were made at M-G-M in Culver City, about a mile from where I've lived for almost 20 years, and across the street from St. Augustine' Catholic Church (my parish). M-G-M is no more, but the studio is still there, now home to Sony-TriStar-Columbia.

Meg Ryan hasn't had a role as good as this since "When Harry Met Sally" (1989). She glows! Annette Bening will crack you up. Debra Messing is terrific throughout but especially when her character goes into labor. And Eva Mendes is as hot as she can be, sometimes over the top as Crystal Allen.

This is indeed a women's film. There are no men in it. When I was a boy in the 1940's and early 1950's, one reason I liked westerns was that there were so few women in them, none of that mushy-mush and lovey-dovey stuff you saw in other films. Funny, but I began liking women in films around 1952, when I turned 12. I've never seen a movie without women, but now I've seen one without men!

I'm sure when this version of "The Women" comes to cable TV in a year or so, I'll watch it again. For that matter, I might go see it at the theater again! Like the original, it is brilliantly written and beautifully done. Its actresses deserve Oscars! Its director, writer and one of its producers is the highly talented Diane English -- whom you'll recall created and produced the television series "Murphy Brown," which ran from 1988 to 1998.

One more thing: The soundtrack of "The Women" is dynamite. But there's one song that wasn't in it that should have been:

George Spink
Los Angeles

I've been having an annual prostrate exam since I turned 50 in 1990. Many hospitals in Los Angeles give them for free. For awhile, I went to Cedars-Sinai. Many people who worked in that department were from Russia. I always said "Hello" and a few other words to them in Russian, which I studied at Northwestern in the early 1960's.

I found Russian difficult to learn, but I think I would have had trouble with any language. I stuck with it. My teachers were very good. In the afternoons, I spent many hours in the language lab practicing Russian.

Living in Los Angeles since 1990, I've met many people from Russia. Most came here during the Reagan Administration. Our government has been more than generous in helping them settle here. Many live in the Fairfax area just east of Cedars-Sinai.

When I turned 65 three years ago and qualified for Medicare, I began seeing doctors at St. John's Medical Centre in Santa Monica. I had my annual prostrate exam last month. Once again, my results were OK, which is always a relief to hear. My doctor attended Northwestern Medical School and studied with my physician in Chicago, who taught at Northwestern -- and at Moscow University during the summer! He was not of Russian background but studied Russian when he was in college in the early 1950's.

My father died of Hodgkin's Disease in January 1957, about three weeks before his 47th birthday. I know the horror of cancer and leukemia and how it affects a loved one and their family. 

Seeing my father become weaker and weaker made both my mother and me cry. We prayed so hard for him. He was always an active man, working on our old house or helping our neighbors with theirs, driving us to the lakes in Northern Illinois for Sunday picnics in the summer, and in late autumn, helping me build a new Lionel train layout in our spare bedroom, getting it ready by Christmas so we could add new locos, cars, and accessories that Santa Claus delivered.

My dad played football when he was in high school and on a semi-pro basis for seven years afterwards. He was a good friend of George Halas, who owned the Chicago Bears. Mr. Halas came to my dad's awake and funeral.

In the early 1980's, I met Mr. Halas again at a luncheon at the Chicago Cultural Center. We sat next to each other. He told me how much he had enjoyed knowing my dad over the years, sharing stories about him I had never heard. I've always been grateful to Mr. Halas for sharing his memories of my father with me.

I was only 16 when my dad died. My mother came alone to my graduations from high school, college, and graduate school. We both were so sad that my father was no longer with us, especially on days like those....

George Spink
Los Angeles

I want the New York Fire Department to know how much I appreciate all that they do every day, and how much they did on Sept. 11, 2001.

I want the Los Angeles Fire Department to know how much I appreciate all that they do every day.

I awoke on Sept. 11, 2001 about 6 AM. The first thing I did was check my emails. Two were from big band buddies I had met online who live in the U.K. I opened their emails first.

"Please know we stand beside your countrymen and you, George."
-- From Pete in Cornwall

"I am so sorry about what happened in New York City."
-- From Rex in Lincoln

I had no idea what they were talking about, but I soon found out when I turned on my television....

I simply could not believe what I saw and heard -- and then I saw the second plane crash into the other Twin Tower building. Within minutes, I saw some people leaping off the upper floors of the buildings. Then I watched in horror as the buildings collapsed. How many just died, I wondered?

Like other Americans, I was filled with anger and rage. I didn't have a clue as to why this happened, how it could happen, or who did it. I watched Peter Jennings on ABC-TV most of that day. I'll never forget how at one point Peter couldn't go on and had to take a break.

My mind flashed back to my last visit to New York City in September 1983. On previous visits, I always stayed at the Algonquin Hotel. I liked its history and its character. I liked the people who stopped by for drinks late in the afternoon. The sofas and easy chairs in the lobby offered a great way to meet people. I thought it was charming that you had to reserve a seat on a sofa or an easy chair if you wanted to sit on one between 4 and 7 PM.

But in September 1983, I stayed at the Vista International Hotel that was situated between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center because I had to attend two days of meetings at one of the Towers. It was simply easier to stay at the Vista International. I left Chicago early on Sunday so I could spend the day walking around Manhattan. When I arrived at the Vista International, I discovered one of the local TV stations was showing Peter Sellers films all day long, so I stayed in my room to watch them.

I never knew what happened to the Vista International on Sept. 11th until a few months ago. Another online friend, Margie Gacki, checked on it for me and emailed me that when the Towers collapsed, they completely obliterated the Vista International. Fortunately, many people inside it had been quickly evacuated before the collapse.

When I was growing up, I remember my father told me about Dec. 7, 1941. We lived in a Chicago suburb. My dad was a Chicago Bears fan all of his life. He was listening to the Bears game on the radio. Sid Luckman was the quarterback. I can't remember who they were playing. My dad said that about 1:45 Central Standard Time an announcer interrupted the game to say that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, adding that details would be announced as they became available. My dad said he pulled out our atlas to see where Pearl Harbor was located. Like many Americans, he didn't have a clue!

Never in a million years did I dream anyone would ever attack the United States again. As I watched so many helpless New Yorkers running through the streets on Sept. 11th, covered with ashes and dust, I felt outrage, anger, and a deep desire to kill whomever did this to us! My God, I saw older men and women struggling to run, to get to safety. And I saw younger men and women struggling just as hard.

Firefighters rushed to the Twin Towers, hoping to help, to save lives. No one knew so many firefighters would be among the nearly 3,000 who perished on Sept. 11, 2001. It is a lasting tribute to their bravery and devotion that so many people escaped from the World Trade Center.

A friend of mine married a New York fireman last year. They are now expecting a son. She has every right to be proud of her husband. I know her son will be proud of him, too.

"My dad is a fireman," he'll tell his friends one day. "FDNY."

George Spink
Los Angeles

When I was a boy in the 1940's, my mother's favorite radio soap was "The Romance of Helen Trent." She listened to it faithfully everyday, as did millions of other women. My mother was born in 1916 and gave birth to me in 1940, when she was 24. Just like today's TV soaps, the radio soaps aired between 11 AM and 2 PM.

"The Romance of Helen Trent" always began with a male announcer saying:

"And now, 'The Romance of Helen Trent,' the real-life drama of Helen Trent, who, when life mocks her, breaks her hopes, dashes her against the rocks of despair, fights back bravely, successfully, to prove what so many women long to prove, that because a woman is 35 or more, romance in life need not be over, that romance can begin at 35."

Here are four episodes, each less than 15 minutes long, that will introduce some of you to this wonderful radio show and reacquaint others of you with it:

"Helen Walks Into a Trap"

"The Faye Granville Story - Part 1"

"The Faye Granville Story - Part 2"

"The Faye Granville Story - Part 3"

I thought about "Helen Trent" today when I read this gem by Andy Rooney:

Just a Thought: In Praise of Women Over 40
by CBS correspondent Andy Rooney

"As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

"A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think.

"If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.

"Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.

"Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

"Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.

"Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

"Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

"Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize.

"For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?' - here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage."

George Spink
Los Angeles

Reading about the ferocity of these hurricanes reminds me once again for the kazillionth time that I really live in "the land of the loons," as Nathaniel West once described Los Angeles.

When we have our semiannual drizzle, usually less than an inch of rain over a 24-hour period, L.A. freeways are home to thousands of fender benders and massive traffic jams. Motorists out here don't have a clue about how to drive on a slippery freeway or major thoroughfare. They just bang into each other.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Today, I stay home when this happens. Of course, now that I'm retired, I don't really have to go anywhere.

But before I retired seven years ago, I worked at the Los Angeles Times. I rode the bus from my home along Venice Boulevard on the westside to downtown L.A., about 10 miles east, usually a 45 minute trip during rush hour. I made a number of news friends on these bus rides. We called ourselves "The Bus People." We went for dinner a few times each year, taking our spouses or whomever along. That was always fun! It was nice seeing familiar, friendly faces whenever I boarded the bus.

I'll never forget the day the 10 Freeway was closed from downtown L.A to the westside. My express bus (No. 436, which was terminated in June 2001 for reasons unknown to mankind) usually took the 10 freeway, but the 10 was closed because of all the fender benders when it drizzled that afternoon.

Our driver simply drove west along Adams Street, which runs parallel to Venice Boulevard and the 10 Freeway. Adams Street goes through the northern edge of South Central. The black lady with whom I often sat pointed out the famous landmarks along the way, including the Baptist churches I had only seen on TV before. By the way, Adams Street is only two blocks south of Venice Boulevard, which my local buses  rode along to downtown L.A. and back. But riding down Adams Street that day was like visiting a different city.

In Chicago, home of the Morton Salt Company, we always said, "When it rains, it pours!"

In Los Angeles, the land of the loons, I always say, "When it rains, we have 10,000 fender benders!"

And, the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain....

George Spink
La La Land

Tonight Senator Barack Obama accepted the nomination of the Democratic National Convention to be the party's candidate for President of the United States -- 146 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order known as the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 at the height of the American Civil War. Those who opposed slavery applauded President Lincoln's order.

Here is how Wikipedia summarizes the Emancipation Proclamation:

"The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. The first one, issued September 22, 1862, declared the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863. The second order, issued January 1, 1863, named the specific states where it applied.

"The Emancipation Proclamation was widely attacked at the time as freeing only the slaves over which the Union had no power. In practice, it committed the Union to ending slavery, which was a controversial decision in the North. Lincoln issued the Executive Order by his authority as 'Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy' under Article II, section 2 of the United States Constitution.

"The proclamation did not free any slaves of the border states (Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia), or any southern state (or part of a state) already under Union control. It first directly affected only those slaves who had already escaped to the Union side. Hearing of the Proclamation, more slaves quickly escaped to Union lines as the Army units moved South. As the Union armies conquered the Confederacy, thousands of slaves were freed each day until nearly all (approximately 4 million, according to the 1860 census) were freed by July 1865.

"In this, Lincoln's proclamation echoed that issued at the beginning of the American War for Independence by Virginia's royal governor, John Murray, Earl of Dunmore. Lord Dunmore's Proclamation (dated November 7, 1775) declared "all indentured Servants, Negroes, or others, (appertaining to Rebels,) free, that are able and willing to bear Arms" for King George III. Although it applied only to slaves belonging to rebels, it still inspired thousands of African slaves (regardless of whether their masters were rebels or loyalists) to join the British Army throughout the war in hopes of earning their freedom.

"After the war, abolitionists were concerned that since the proclamation was a war measure, it had not permanently ended slavery. Several former slave states passed legislation prohibiting slavery; however, some slavery continued to exist until the institution was ended by the sufficient states' ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment on December 18, 1865."

I wonder how many Americans would support or oppose the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment if history had been different and they were being considered today?

Given the choice, would you support or oppose them?

Given the choice, would you prefer slavery or abolish it?

Given the choice, would you strip black people of their civil rights?

Given the choice, would you vote for or against a black man running for President of the United States?

Before you answer these questions, think about them. Look into your heart. Look deep. Think about your own religious convictions. Think about what is right and what is wrong.

Think about all of the Americans -- from the North and the South -- who died during the Civil War.

Think about those blistering hot days, July 1st through July 3rd, 1863 when the North and the South fought to the death, culminating in the South's attack on July 3rd at Cemetery Ridge. It was known as Pickett's Charge. After brutal fighting -- including hand-to-hand combat in which thousands of Americans killed one another face-to-face, Southern forces were routed and retreated.

Think about the tens of thousands of casualties on both sides during this three-day battle at Gettysburg.

Think about how nearly 10,000 men on both sides felt as they lay dying below Cemetery Ridge in the blistering summer heat.

Gettysburg was a major victory for Union forces and marked a turning point in the Civil War and American history. But when the battle began on July 1st, 1863, the outcome was highly uncertain.

Today, the battles fought at Gettysburg and throughout the Civil War are being echoed in this Presidential campaign.

Whose side are you on?

George Spink
Los Angeles

My Uncle Bob and I always ask each other that question.

I don't know the answer. It just goes.

For instance, I published quite a few posts to this blog in July, but this is my first in August. It is now the 21st of the month.

I'll do better. Promise.

George

I certainly felt the 5.8 (later downgraded to 5.4) earthquake here in Southern California at 11:45 AM Pacific today.

When this earthquake hit, I was taking a nap in my old easy chair in the living room. I awoke right away and walked to the safest place in my apartment, namely, the small hallway connecting my living room, bedroom, and bathroom. I stayed there for about a minute after my building stopped shaking.

The epicenter of today’s earthquake was about 35-40 miles from my home, so those living closer felt it more strongly than I did.

The 1994 Northridge earthquake was much stronger. I was living in an apartment about a mile from where I live now. Books, photos, and knick-knacks flew off my book cases. That happened about 4:30 AM, woke me up, and scared the hell out of me. It was much worse, but all earthquakes are frightening.

I moved from Chicago to California in 1986 and settled in Los Angeles in November 1990. No one, even L.A. natives, ever gets used to earthquakes. I always have visions of the earth opening up and swallowing all of us. Let’s pray that never happens.

George Spink
Los Angeles

My apartment is in the rear of a two-story apartment building and overlooks the backyard of a home that faces the next street over. When I moved here in 1995, an elderly lady lived there. Sometimes she left the spotlight on all night that illuminated her driveway. It was very bright and sometimes kept me awake.

One evening about 8:30, after her light had been on a couple of hours, I walked over to ask her about it. I didn't want to startle her. When she answered her doorbell, I introduced myself, said I lived right behind her, and told her about the light.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "It's suppose to shut off automatically after it's been on for a half hour, but that hasn't worked for a long time. I'll turn it off for you right now." She gave me her name and phone number and asked me to call her next time she forgot to turn it off. It never happened again.

Sadly, she died about a year later. She left her home to a niece in her 30's who loved to garden. Within a year, the almost barren yard behind me with a lawn that was mostly yellow and brown became a lush garden surrounding a beautiful green lawn. It was always a joy to look from my window upon that yard. The young woman had a beagle who always barked at me when I went downstairs to empty garbage.

I saw her a few times when she walked her dog around the block. I introduced myself. Her dog seemed to like me. Whenever I saw them again, he always wagged his tail and pulled her toward me. But when he was in his own backyard and heard me, he still barked like crazy at me. He was a good watch dog.

About four years ago, she sold her home and moved away. The new owners keep up the yard somewhat, but it hasn't looked as nice since she left. She had the magic touch.

George Spink
Los Angeles

It's one of the most useful things I own. I bought it in 1974 while I was taking evening classes at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. I believe I paid about $30 for it, perhaps a little more. What am I talking about? My Texas Instruments TI-2550 Memory Calculator.

I relied on it in all of my classes, especially those in accounting and finance. After I earned my MBA in June 1976 and began working full-time, I bought a more expensive TI Business Analyst Calculator, but I never used it regularly like I used my TI-2550 Memory Calculator.

I bought a couple of Canon personal calculators in the late 1970's, but my TI-2550 Memory Calculator was -- and is -- my favorite.

Younger people today don't realize what a Godsend personal calculators were when they were introduced 35 years ago. This was a decade before personal computers became popular. They sure beat using a Friden Calculator -- or Comptometer, as it was called. I often used one when I was in graduate school in the early 1960's.

I later learned how to use an IBM keypunch machine and took advantage of "batch processing" at the campus computer center. The latter was tedious in that you typed a separate IBM card for each variable entry in an equation, then took all of your IBM cards for that problem to a batch processing center on campus.

You had to wait until the next morning to pickup your cards and a printout on large paper with your results. If you made a mistake, you had to retype the incorrect IBM card, re-submit the whole of batch of cards, and go back the following morning to pickup your cards and the new printout. What a drag!

But the advantage over using the Friden Calculator was that -- once you were positive each of your IBM cards was punched correctly -- the printout results were absolutely correct.

My TI-2550 Memory Calculator works as well today as it did when I bought it almost 35 years ago! I can't say that about too many other things I own.

By the way, Hewlett-Packard introduced the first personal calculator in 1974 -- the HP-65. TI, Commodore, and the heavily advertised "Bowmar Brain" soon followed, as if they had been standing in the wings waiting for their cue.

George Spink
Los Angeles