Feeds:
Posts
Comments

DOPPELGANGER IN DALLAS – Conspiracy Theory Wednesday

September 15, 2010 by pbenjay

So here I am about to post the 16th installment of COUP D’ETAT, the conspiracy theory about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and I’m wondering….how many of you all out there are reading these Wednesday posts? Do you have any comments about what you’ve read so far?  I know many of you are way too young to know anything about this except for what you may have read or heard in a history class (uh oh I just dated myself even MORE) uh, I mean CIVICS class.  So what do you think? Please comment and if you don’t want to be public, then send your thoughts to pbenjaytoo@gmail.com

TOO MANY OSWALDS

While Oswald was supposedly en route to Mexico, a strange incident occurred at the Dallas home of Cuban exile Sylvia Odio.  She was visited by three anti-Castro activists, two Latin men, and an American introduced as Leon Oswald.  A few days later one of the Latins told her over the telephone that Leon Oswald thought the  Cubans had no guts and should shoot President Kennedy.  When Miss Odio saw pictures of Lee Oswald after the assassination she was sure he had been one of her visitors.  Though Odio was too scared to report the incident, a friend who told Odio’s story to the FBI also claimed that Oswald had been seen at two Cuban exile meetings that were addressed by General Edwin Walker.

An Oswald “double” was clearly at work in Dallas during the 7 weeks Oswald lived there prior to the assassination.  On Nov. 23, the FBI received a report that “Lee Oswald” test-drove a car two weeks earlier, speeding the demo at 80 mph, claiming he would have a “lot of money in the next two or three weeks ” and mumbling something about “going back to Russia where they treat workers like men”.  The real Lee Oswald id not know how to drive.  On Nov. 24, Dallas police found a gun shop receipt in Oswald’s name for mounting a telescopic sight on a Mnnlicher-Carcano rifle.  Oswald’s had come with a sight.  A day after having retrieved the rifle, “Oswald” had fgone to a firing range and drawn attention to himself with obnoxious behavior.  A month earlier he was seen firing a rifle on private property in the company of two other men, one of whom was “Latin, perhaps Cuban”.  The landowner have a shell to the FBI, who later said it had not been fired from Oswald’s rifle.

Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK assassination, Dallas, Dealey Plaza,

The Weapon

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Obscure Origins of Common (and not so common) Phrases

September 15, 2010 by pbenjay

Phrases and clichés are generational and so many of the ones I heard growing up have practically disappeared from our language.  I thought I’d resurrect a few if just for the amusement of my younger readers.

  1. Going to hell in a handbasket – used to describe a situation headed for disaster.  It’s thought that the use of the word handbasket came about because the heads of guillotine victims fell into a handbasket and headed straight to hell.
  2. Fiddle dee dee – an expression of impatience, disbelief or frustration.  Most famously quoted in Gone With The Wind.
  3. A stitch in time saves nine – a timely effort will prevent more work later. The stitch in time is simply the sewing up of a small hole in a piece of material and so saving the need for more stitching at a later date, when the hole has become larger, Clearly, the first users of this expression were referring to saving nine stitches.
    proverb, cliche, homily, antiquated phrase

    A Stitch in Time

  4. The cat’s pajamas – a slang phrase from the 1920’s used to describe  something that’s the best at what it does and pajamas had just come into fashion.
  5. Tomfoolery – playful or foolish behavior; silly trifling.
    What is a tomfool? Today, it’s simply someone who acts like a fool, but in the Middle Ages it was a nickname for any half-witted man, a Thom Foole.

Posted in Obscure Origins of Common and Not So Common Phrases | Tagged | 3 Comments »

Tomato Chickpea and Arugula Salad

September 14, 2010 by pbenjay

Tasty Tidbits Tuesday

So the lazy hazy crazy days of summer are over and some people actually expect you to go back to the office.  What a bummer especially when one of the chief joys of summer at the shore was eating tons of fresh fruit; juicy peaches that DID run down your arm, musky cantaloupe so sweet in your mouth, and of course Jersey  Tomatoes!  Well there are still fresh tomatoes to be had and I say enjoy them while you can because in two months they’ll be serving tinted styrofoam balls.  This is a great dish to make and divide into two containers and take it to work!!!

canned chickpeas,

I use Progresso

3 oz. baby arugula (about 4 cups)

2 scallions,thinly sliced

1 can (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted if desired

2 TBS red wine vinegar

2 TBS olive oil

coarse salt and pepper

Divide evenly between two airtight containers. Layer arugula, scallions,chickpeas, tomatoes and walnuts and refrigerate up to overnight.

In two more airtight containers, divide vinegar and oil for vinaigrette: season with salt and pepper. Cover and store at room temperature. To serve shake vinaigrette in containers and to combine and pour over salads and toss.  Serves 2

recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Every Day Food

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Six Word Memoir Monday-Channel Your Ernest Hemmingway

September 14, 2010 by pbenjay

Unusual strains of maize are collected to incr...

Image via Wikipedia

Each week that I receive someone’s Six Word Memoir, it ‘s such pleasure to publish it.  This week is no exception and you will see that there are new contributors as well as a couple of readers who ARE SO GOOD at this!!

Leaves turning, pumpkin sightings, corn mazes –Celtic Lady

Life is moment to moment, enjoy! – DB

September 11th, still hard to believe – Gail

September 11th, we shall not forget – Me

Posted in Friends, Six Word Memoirs | Tagged , | 3 Comments »

9-11 Then and Now

September 12, 2010 by pbenjay

There’s no question or denying that nine years later, we have NOT forgotten but the raw wounds have healed into white scars.  I’m sure every blogger planned on writing a post about 9-11 and many started with the question; Where were you on 9-11? I know where I was; walking back from the primary polls with  my husband in the Upper East Side when a car stopped to speak to our Assemblyman and shouted out, “Did you hear? A plane hit Grand Central”.  We looked at each other and said, well that’s seems pretty crazy-how could  a plane hit a building that is much lower than the ones  surrounding  it.  When we reached the corner, I got on the bus to go to work and then I heard people talking on their cell phones-it wasn’t GCT, it was WTC!

September 11 2001, WTC, twin towers,
With The Smoke Came the Smell of Destruction

From that point on, I’m sure my story is similar to thousands of New Yorkers who were on their way to work; what to do? how to get there? I was afraid to go into the subway.  The buses were mobbed.  Two other women (strangers) and I shared a taxi to midtown.  My cell phone wouldn’t work.  From my office I called Peter, the horror unfolding.  We couldn’t get internet access to a TV station….I walked home from 55th Street along with thousands of scared, worried New Yorkers.  The Avenues were thronged with people heading north, the smell of smoke was in the air, the fear was palpable.  I had the presence of mind to get some cash out of an ATM machine before that too was impossible and I walked on.  I stopped at pay phone to tell Peter I was on my way.

That afternoon, my friend Helen and I walked to Lenox Hill Hospital to give blood – they didn’t need any;  because blood is ONLY needed for survivors!

That night, my friend Gail, and my cousin Christine stayed at our house, there were TV’s on in every room and like zombies we watched the towers fall over and over and over again, as if perhaps the next time they wouldn’t crumble.

The rest of September was spent in mourning, anxiety and fear.  The only comfort I remember was the sound of the fighter jets as they zoomed around Manhattan for several days after 9-11.  I thought, ‘we are an island, they are protecting us’.  October was worse as the New York Times began to publish a brief bio for each of the thousands of victims.  Each day there was a full-page of death; the Portraits of Grief – I remember crying on the bus on my way to work.  I was so depressed, I thought maybe I needed to go to therapy.

I purchased some photos taken by amateur photographers that horrific day and those that followed as new revelations of the wreckage became known and were recorded for posterity.  I framed the pictures, hung them in my office and gave one to each of the kids because we should never forget!

World Trade center, September 11th attack, New York City, 9-11, Twin Towers
You Can’t Believe What You Are Seeing

Nine years are a very long time and I have not forgotten.  However,  I am at peace with my memories and I keep one special victim in my heart and mind every day; Captain Timothy Stackpole, Division 11, father of 4 children, husband and hero.  He died that day along with hundreds of other  members of New York’s Bravest and New York’s Finest.  With very few exceptions (two weddings), I have worn his name and rank on my wrist for nine years.

September 11th, 9-11, New York's Bravest, WTC
Captain Timothy Stackpole

September 11th 2010: I ‘m working at a Flea Market in New Jersey, the bells toll, we are all silent for several moments while the memories of that sunny day in September flood back into our collective minds.  We have not forgotten.

Related Articles

Posted in BY THE WAY, New York Speaks, Only in New York | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Jersey Shore Sunset

September 12, 2010 by pbenjay

It was one of the most glorious sunsets I had seen all summer!

Ocean Grove, Jersey Shore

Ocean Grove Sky at Sunset

photo by Lori

Ocean Grove, Jersey Shore

The Beautiful Setting Sun in Ocean Grove

photo by Lori

Ocean Grove, Jersey Shore

Deepening Sky at Sunset

photo by Lori

Ocean Grove, the Great Auditorium, Jersey Shore

The Glory and the Glorious

photo by Lori

Posted in Fab Fotos, Ha-P 2 B in OG | 4 Comments »

The Desperate Mothers of Manhattan or D-Day Unplugged

September 10, 2010 by pbenjay

So what REALLY happened on Tuesday, the day the Desperate Mothers of Manhattan set their collective jaws and bear down on the Nursery School system with the same intensity as giving birth is this:

Chiara strong arms a couple of her closest friends in Boston and those who she is sure love Finny and her enough to commit to this craziness.  Who knows, maybe she bribed them or worse yet blackmailed them!  At any rate, three good souls said “yes, I’ll help you, even though I think the whole thing is dumb”.  Clearly you can tell they weren’t New Yorkers!  Dumb? Why this is practically a rite of passage to become a denizen of the Capital of the World.

There was Jocelyn, a dear friend who happens to love Finley even more than she does Chiara!  Jocelyn has babysat more times than I can count just for the joy of being with Finley and it was Jocelyn who formed the now world- famous and exclusive Finley Ray Fan Club.  Jocelyn had to be at work on Tuesday morning and therefore she would have to go to her office extremely early so she could man the phone there before her own work began.   Jo-Jo went willingly into battle.

Vanessa, affectionately known a V, had lived in New York for awhile and knew the frenetic pace and intensity with which things got done in Manhattan.   So not-with-any-stars-in-her-eyes,  V went off to her office at BC at the crack of dawn and prepared to attack upon command.  Mmmmm, I wonder what her boss thought when she was at her desk so early in the morning AND the day after Labor Day!!!

Manno whose real name is Brandon was a reluctant recruit from the beginning.  He’s known as Manno, a nickname that has lovingly stuck because Cash, Finley’s cousin could not say Brandon clearly the first time he met him and subsequently, Finley latched onto that easy to pronounce moniker.  Now Brandon had strong feelings about the potential move which would not only take his fun-loving neighbors away but also put Finley, who is one of his greatest fans out of sight.  AND on top of that, we have the elitist issue; the sheer audacity of this politically wracked, social-climbing, money talks and everyone else walks system which was distasteful to Manno from the get go. See  Extreme Sports: Portable Cribs and New York Nursery Schools

The rest of us were family and really had no choice – we were all committed to the cause; Finley Ray MUST get into a good Nursery School!!  Tom, the doting father was at ready by the phone at his desk at his very new job, prepared to call for as long as it took on company time because everyone in New York City knows this has to be done on this day; the Tuesday after Labor Day when a segment of the population goes crazy and resorts to pulling out all the stoppers to achieve success.

Chiara was in a command post in the City, housed in a corporate apartment and Finley, the object of this madness had been scooted off with a babysitter so there could be no distractions during the execution of the battle plan.  Surprisingly cool and level-headed, Chiara issued directives through-out the morning and maintained control of her troops, redirecting when necessary.  With the skills of an experienced battalion commander she led us all to victory in at least 8 of the 10 battles for the coveted application.

The morning started off jolly enough; we  were part of a great adventure and in it together!  So for the first thirty minutes or so, everyone happily dialed and re-dialed, assuming success was with the next ring.  NOT SO! Pretty soon it began apparent that some equipment was better for this frontal attack than others; a land-line was an advantage, a fast internet connection a plus. How quickly what started out as fun rapidly turned into a repetitive task.  And why didn’t the phone line at the 92nd St. Y ring?  And what was going on with Garden House? Ring, ring, and then dead!! I’m pretty sure the circuits and lines across Manhattan were beginning to shrivel and die from overheating as masses of moms burned up the lines trying to reach their chosen schools.

An hour or so into this madness, some of the troops did have legitimate gripes. After all, it was no fun to be the one calling the school where the phone was constantly busy when others were achieving success and Chiara was issuing email exultations in their behalf.  AND then of course there were work considerations;  Brandon had a meeting, V had to do some work for BC, Jocelyn couldn’t keep  blatantly calling from her desk.  The breakdown in morale was contagious;  Manno created  new names for some of the schools, V wanted to switch assignments, Tom began suggesting even more schools (clearly undermining Chiara’s authority) and for a while it seems as if chaos had taken over our well-organized battle plan.  Chiara calmed everyone down and by 11:30 the results were in.  We had been successful for the most part and there was still Plan B to be put into effect.  See

It Was Like D-DAY All Over Again

Related Articles

Posted in Finley Ray, Friends, New York Speaks, Only in New York | Leave a Comment »

It Was Like D-DAY All Over Again

September 9, 2010 by pbenjay

New York City skyline with Empire State Building

Image by meironke via Flickr

Of course we’re ALL too young to remember D-Day when it happened – June 6,1944, BUT you’ve seen the old war movies, you’ve heard your parent’s and grandparent’s stories about WWII-The Big One and you may have even watched Band of Brothers – the HBO series about D-Day and the invasion of Normandy.  This past Tuesday was D-Day all over again.

The general in command of a motley band  of brothers and sisters  was Chiara Clark.  She had assembled her squad earlier in the month and with consistent email reminders and one to one training she had turned us all into crack soldiers ready, willing and able to march in battle for the cause: Finley Ray MUST get into one of the chosen Nursery schools for next year.

You think I’m exaggerating about this soon-to-be executed attack on the New York Nursery School system?  Then you haven’t met General Clark!  Two days before the set date of the invasion, assignments were reviewed, personnel notified to be on ready alert. On the day before the big battle, encouraging words from our leader were sent out via email.  A few of us even received personal greetings from our esteemed commander.

We were under strict orders to man our battle stations by 0800 the morning after Labor Day.  Not one to let anything possibly interfere with the plan, General Clark personally called each combatant to make sure they were at their stations at least an hour prior to the sounding charge.  This battle plan was well thought out, success was almost assured – but as in any war zone, you never know what might foul up the works.

Not like the actual D-Day which relied heavily on man’s willingness to take risks of personal injury for the cause, this day’s battle would rely the human capacity for patience and frustration and the advanced state of modern communications technology.  The troops were in a Tri-State formation; New York, Boston and New Jersey.  Our means of keeping abreast of the various battle fronts would be thru G-mail (appropriately named).

The trumpet was sounded, the call went out and each of us in our own foxhole attacked the schools we had been assigned.  I was one of the lucky ones;  removed physically from the actual battleground of New York City, I was able to perform my duties while tucked safely away in New Jersey, far from the fray of the raging fronts all over the City.   Armed with a land line, a definite advantage in this kind of warfare and a laptop, I stepped into battle confident I would succeed.

Things went well; there were some early on victories, exalted by our leader who spread the word through the G-Mail system.  However, shortly thereafter,  battle fatigue began to set in with some of the squad.  The pent up frustration, the potential of carpal tunnel dialing finger and the sheer repetition of the dialing was beginning to fray some nerves.  A few of the soldiers resorted to name calling and derision of certain recalcitrant application offices.  The schools wouldn’t answer the calls and in some cases the lines went dead.  There was even talk of physically storming one the schools!!

General Clark tried to keep the troops in good spirits and in line, while she  remained firmly in command.  However, there were a couple of soldiers who were too smart in their subordinate roles (or at least they thought so) and eventually we had a short period of mass confusion and communications breakdown.  Not to point fingers at anyone in particular because we all know who it was that began to use the G-Mail to send out his own directives about battle fronts and assignments!

By the end of the second hour of the battle, we had lost a few soldiers but the core remained on the line so to speak and in the end we had lost St. Thomas Moore and worst of all, the 92nd St Y – which was only disappointing because we felt we never even had a chance.  So disheartening to receive an email stating the 3 year old tours were all booked up.  HOW COULD THAT BE WHEN THE PHONE WOULDN’T EVEN RING?  Well when one plan of attack doesn’t work, a good general has a back up plan and in fact she did.   Personal calls to several well-connected people were made and I’m happy to report that by the next day, we had Finley not only on a waiting list BUT ALSO within the hour, she had been given a tour date.  Wow! You know it’s who you know, don’t you?

Clearly the Tuesday after Labor Day in New York City is its own kind of special day; the day that every determined mother marshals her forces and gets  applications for the coveted few openings in a New York Nursery School.  See  Extreme Sports: Portable Cribs and New York Nursery Schools.

On Wednesday, the New York Times ran the following article:

A Frenzied First Day for Applying to Private Kindergartens

Thank God, the bun in the oven now (known as Frankie, Cessca, Franny) will be able to be among the elite corp of toddlers who gain entrance into those hallowed halls by virtue of being a sibling!

Posted in BY THE WAY, Finley Ray, Friends, New York Speaks, Only in New York | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Conspiracy Theory Wednesday – The Mysterious Traveler

September 9, 2010 by pbenjay

This is the 15th installment of a conspiracy theory of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  If you believe Lee Harvey Oswald was the sold killer of our young president, JFK, read on and catch up from the beginning by searching the Conspiracy Theory Wednesday category.

“OSWALD” IN MEXICO

Oswald left New Orleans on September 26, 1963, and traveled by bus to Mexico City.  Passengers remembered the man who said he was going to Havana, was quite open about his leftist beliefs and conversed with an older man who spoke with an English accent.  The latter was identified by the FBI as Albert Osborne, alias John Bowen.  FBI records from 1942 described Osborne as a fervent Nazi supporter. A member of the fanatical anti-communist American Council of Christian Churches, he ran a missionary school for orphans in Puebla, Mexico, that allegedly served as a cover for training marksmen.

Oswald registered at a Mexico City hotel frequented by anti- Castro Cuban exiles, but his activities over the next few days are cloudy.  The CIA later reported that Oswald visited the Cuban and Soviet embassies seeking a Cuban visa.  CIA surveillance photos and tapes from bugs inside the embassies were sent to the FBI on the evening of November 22.  They were of someone else (still unidentified), and the CIA has never released any photos or tapes of the real Oswald at either embassy, though 12 pictures of the impostor were made public.   The purpose of Oswald’s trip to Mexico City may have been revealed by the CIA in a memo sent to the FBI ten days before he left.  It read: “[The CIA is] giving some consideration to countering the activities of [the Fair Play for Cuba Committee] in foreign countries…CIA is also giving some thought to planting deceptive information which might embarrass the Committee in areas where it does have some support.” The House Select Committee on Assassinations sealed for 50 years its 265-page report entitled “Lee Harvey Oswald”, the CIA, and Mexico City.

Posted in BY THE WAY, Conspiracy Theory Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Six Word Memoir Monday

September 6, 2010 by pbenjay

Six-Word Memoir book cover image

Image via Wikipedia

This week’s Six Word Memoirs have taken a decided outlook towards the oncoming season.  For several weeks the summer with its fun activities as well as the heat and its debilitating effects were the subject of many of the submitted memoirs.  Labor Day is the unofficial end of the summer and this week’s contributions to the Six Word Memoir Project are right on season.

Back to school, new plaid skirt – Gail

Fall’s freshness rejuvenates me once again – Susan Celtic Lady

Crisis of faith, must be Monday – Weez

Earl? No rain, No wind-wtf? – Me

So new season, school starts, time to get your brain back in gear and take a couple of minutes to think about your present state of mind, your life in general, your passion for… or your philosophy of ….    AND send me your Six Word Memoir, there’s a bit of writer in all of us.

ONE LIFE, SIX WORDS, WHAT’S YOURS?



Posted in Six Word Memoirs | 1 Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »