Daily Blues & Views

 We've been watching a few episodes of a Japanese TV program that Netflix recently introduced to this country.  It's called "Old Enough" and apparently has been very popular in Japan for a number of years now. The premise is simple.  Young children are given simple errands to run and are followed by a camera crew to see how they do.  Some of the youthful participants are as young as 2 or 3 years of age.  Japanese culture values independence and the ability to overcome challenges, hence the popularity of the show.  We see, on occasion, that the kids are tailed by adults and cameramen on occasion so there is some sense of security. Nevertheless, there is something about watching a 2-year-old trying t cross a busy 4-lane street with nothing but a little yellow flag held out in front of him that gives one pause. The show makes for some funny moments.  Often the kids forget to get something from the grocery store and have to go back.  They talk to them...

 My generation remembers how WWII was taught in history classes in high school.  Lots of "Good War" propaganda and black and white footage of kids collecting rubber and other recyclables for the war effort.  Of course, there was plenty of film footage of battleships, parades at home, and occasionally, some very grisly footage of American troops liberating concentration camps. My high school history teachers, Mr. Rubenstein and Mr.Elcott were more like Jewish comedians who were very knowledgeable.  Elcott was a dead ringer for the late Borsh Belt stand-up comedian Jackie Mason.  When a student told him that he was doing his term paper on Indonesia, Elcott was dumbfounded because that was too general a subject.  He replied, "What about Indonesia?  Should they or should they not wear a G-string?"  Stuff like that you never forget. It was Mr. Rubenstein, who had an equally strong sense of humor, and who inspired me to become a teacher.  He was on...

 The first week of April and the world still has eyes only for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.  And why not?  It's much more important than "the slap" which will soon evaporate.  But with COVID seemingly on the wane, some things are emerging like the early blossoms and buds of spring.   Here in the Northwest, we have a false Spring before we can even think about the turning of the seasons.  We get all manner of white and pink blossoms on the trees only to see them blown and then washed away by the cold rains of March and April.  But there are other signs that life is emerging. Change is in the air, along with the pollen.  Fewer masks are worn and some restaurants reemerging give way to silent hope.  In my neighborhood, a new restaurant has graced the string of abandoned storefronts.  It's someone's dream, and with a name like the Rockabilly cafe, holds promise.  The trouble is I see far too few folks giving it a try.  ...