I received another e-mail from a former student, Class of '68. Her name was Magda Machado...but she has another name now that she's married and living in Hallandale, I believe. Her husband's name is Knut and he's Norwegian. Actually, I don't know if he's Norwegian anymore...perhaps he's an American. Magda was in a number of my classes before she graduated. She came to North Shore H.S. as an exchange student from Brazil, and her English was somewhat fractured. Right now, her English is refined and she is having a fine career as a professional singer, having made several albums of song in Portuguese. She also teaches English as a second language. As I have said before, I want to share these communications I get from long ago students so that my children and grandchildren might have some information about their father and grandfather. Magda must be in her 50's by now because my daughter Robin was in the class of '68 and Magda spent some time living in my house. And so this is the e-mail I received from her:
It always happens: I "lose" you for a few months, and then find you again. And when I find you, I get to know, all over again, how essential you are to me. I have been reading your blog this morning and wishing that every person could have your clarity of mind and depth of feeling. There is always laughter where you are, the finest sense of humor - healing - its expurgation of self-pity. There is always meaningful and profound consideration of what it means to be human. Your vision of the world and of life is always fresh. In fact, you are a man of countless rich experiences of joy and sorrow, and yet, every time I find you, your heart is young and ready to go on loving all beautiful things, and your character always shows me the way to follow.
Magda
In the interest of being fair and balancing in this election year, I decided I'd better include a letter from a student who has a decidedly different vision of me. So here it is:
Dear “Doc”…I hope everything is not going too well with you. I know you are pretty old now and whatever ails you is OK with me. When I had you as a teacher, you were about the meanest 45 minutes I ever experienced. Not only were you mean and nasty and unforgiving and a hard marker, but you were the boringest English teacher I ever had in Junior or Senior high school. You must have taken a lot of classes in teachers’ college in how to be boring and I suspect you earned lots of A’s in those courses. I believe you graduated Magna Cum Laude in Meanness. I know that in your classes I learned nothing at all…less than nothing. Beowulf? Chaucer? Shakespeare? Who could understand them? It’s like the operator says, “Press 1 for English”. What the hell could we press for those guys? And, incidentally, I’m the guy who put that sign over your door saying, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” Much thanks to Dante. At least he’s Italian and I pressed 2 for that. Now go to your Germatologist and get those Squeamish cell Casanovas taken care of…or not. Please try not to take care of yourself.
Your worst nightmare, Tony Shmutzberger D'Angelo.
(See? I can write nasty letters to myself if I want to balance things out. Who ever heard of Tony Shmutzberger D'Angelo? As the Beatles would say, "He's a Nowhere Man.)
9 comments:
At the very least, Baron made a strong impression on Tony. He also seems to have taught the non-existent Anthony some halfway decent writing skills, but who's counting?
Oh, and very IMPORTANT. Magda was a gift from God and surely still is. Possibly a bit too conservative in her youth, but certainly a good influence on the Baron and his children, and vice versa.
If FDR is responsible for Baron not dispensing peanuts, that alone is enough reason for sainthood.
HOWEVER, the great liberal also did this:
On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which imprisoned the Issei (first generation of Japanese who immigrated to the US) and their children, Nisei (who were US citizens).
and this:
Upon Neville Chamberlain’s return to London from the Munich Conference, Roosevelt sent him a two word telegram reading “Good Man”, which has been the subject of much debate, with the majority opinion arguing that the telegram was meant to be congratulatory with the minority opinion opposing that interpretation.
And this:
Roosevelt stunned Congress in early 1937 by proposing a law allowing him to appoint five new justices, a "persistent infusion of new blood". This "court packing" plan ran into intense political opposition from his own party, led by Vice President Garner, since it seemed to upset the separation of powers and give the President control over the Court.
And there's MUCH more. But F.D. Czar did help put Baron in his barony, so he gets a thumbs up.
I can find no record of a Tony D'Angelo who went to NSHS. Keep in mind that there are "lurkers" who read random blogs they come across and then post comments to stir things up. They do this because they have no interpersonal skills in the real world. The Baron really should not use his valuable blog space with mutterings from some pathetic loser who has never met him.
First--too many readers thought the "nasty" letter was real, so I had to edit this blog by adding a sentence or two.
Second--phil b. has already established his credentials as an avowed Republican. Strange that Roosevelt is a highly regarded President and Dubya is not. phil b. should stop beating a dead horse. Norman would agree. He would say it's your God given & Constitutional right to vote for the wrong person if you wish to. He still admires your dogged determination to keep from changing the world.
Joel, please note what I wrote before Baron made the correction:
"the non-existent Anthony."
The Baron is guilty of sins of which he often accused students.
1. He is dismissive of anyone who does not agree with his Regal self.
2. Where was I supportive of Bush?
3. What basis does he have to call me a Republican? In fact, I am an INDEPENDENT who prefers McCain to Barack Hussein Obama for good and sufficient reasons.
4. When Obama is a dead horse, I will stop beating him. Until then....
5. I studied His Story with Alan Nevins; Henry Steele Commager; the ever-courtly Jacques Barzun, still going relatively strong at 100+; and others of that ilk. I was even friendly with some of them.
While all admired much of what he did, they had numerous caveats. To the simplistic, FDR may be a hero, but dig a little deeper.
Remember that Harry Truman was even less popular than the Busher is now. Today he is a hero.
6. (and by far most important) I do not know about anyone else, but I love the USA AS IS. If we can better it, fine, but change for the sake of change is not progress to me. Among those who took power on the basis of CHANGE were Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Stalin, Castro, and every tinpot dictator in the modern world.
The bubbleheads and bleeding heart liberals of this world may indeed turn me into a Raypublican.
One more time. I love this country just the way it is. An awful lot of people risk their lives to come here and I see no mass Exodus. Obama may change that should he, God forbid, be elected.
Always a pleasure to hear from Magda!1 she's an exceptional person and everyone is better for knowing her.
As for Tony.... well, as the saying goes, you can't polish a turd now can ya... We should call him "Tony the Turd" cause he's a real stinker...
Don Butler
phil b. appears to have indisputable evidence in his polical debate with his good friend, Norman, that several of our democatic presidents did bad things which, of course, Norman knows about but wouldn't admit. He hates to lose. And since Obama's middle name is "Hussein" as phil b. points out--of course you can't and ought not vote for someone with a muslim name like that. Danger lurks behind it. And phil b. knows it. And Norman shouldn't have voted for a guy whose middle name was "Delano"--surely a mafia type. So, since I'm a bleeding heart liberal and not a normal Independent as phil b. is, and since he is Norman's good friend, and since I don't want to be "dismissive" of anyone I disagree with-- (Baron would like to know if you don't agree with someone how else can you be but "dismissive"?)--and since the evidence and arguments he presents is so reasonable and thoughtful, how can one not switch allegiance and loyalty? How can one not lose this debate while phil b. loves the good old USA just as it is, and Heaven forbid that anyone dare change it if elected? How can anyone continue to believe that the country is in the worst shape since the Civil War if phil b.'s views and evidence dispute such a thought? And one dare not be so dismissive as to differ from his position since he has so much factual knowledge, and evidence. It's simply not possible in lieu of what phil b. says and believes
not to know whom to vote for.
Enough about politics, already. Let's change the topic to something more peaceful, something we can all agree upon. Might I suggest: Religion!
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