Christopher Annino overcomes the Odds

Christopher Annino https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0030399/ is an award-winning Athlete, Actor, Journalist, Broadcaster, Filmmaker, Pro Wrestler, Musician, and Writer. Christopher Annino was diagnosed at a young age with severe disabilities and at one point in his life he was homeless. He is now a successful business owner and philanthropist. Annino is the co-founder of the www.womenswrestlinghalloffame.com  ,the New England Music Hall of Fame www.nemhof.com  ,and Tag Team Hall of Fame www.tagteamhalloffame.com He is also the ambassador of the Blues Hall of Fame http://blueshalloffame.com/Local_Blues_Talent/Local_Blues_Talent_of_Massachusetts.html  

Christopher Annino’s success is based on his roots. Born with severe neurological disabilities and severe Aspergers. Despite his disabilities he put his focus on academics and athletics. He had great support from his parents, and extended family especially his cousin’s NCAA hall of fame inductee Brenda Post Killebrew https://wnegoldenbears.com/honors/hall-of-fame/brenda-post-killebrew/63 , Andrea Tega Post, and former teacher Leanne Williams. He learned a lot from his amazing teachers throughout middle school and high school, Police Sargent Doug Hoffman, DARE Officer Timothy Curtis, and Fire Chief Danny Keogh. Christopher grew up with a New England work ethic instilled in him at an early age. Growing up he looked up to basketball hall of fame inductees John Stockton, Larry Bird, Red Sox all-star Mike Greenwell, Olympic Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner, one-armed major-league pitcher Jim Abbott and Baseball Hall of Fame Cal “Ironman” Ripken Jr because of their work ethic.

He competed in the AAU in multiple sports including fencing, judo, weightlifting, and track and field. In his teen years he would volunteer his time at the Mystic Noank Library, and Special Olympics Connecticut and became Volunteer of the Year of Arc of Southeastern Connecticut2009. He was a state barrel racing champion with the Tri State Horsemen’s Association https://tristate-horsemens-association.square.site/  he was trained by world class equestrian trainer Trish Babcock. He went to school with the former New York Mets all stat Matt Harvey at Fitch Senior High School in Groton, Connecticut. There he lettered in Football, Track and Field, Drama, Choir, and was the first member of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society and International Thespian Society. Before he graduated, he was inducted into the National Honor Society, he was a junior firefighter, was a cantor for Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mystic, Ct, achieved life rank from Boy Scouts of America, wrote for the school newspaper, was runner up for poet laureate and went to prom four times including his senior prom with his close friend world recording artist Samantha Urbani https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantha_Urbani After he graduated from high school he attended and graduated from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSB_Media_Arts_Center  He later went to pursue his dream to be a pro wrestler. He was trained by NWA legend Susan Tex Green, Big Hoss Furman Jeffords, Chris Blackheart, ECW original Gary Wolf and is an honorary graduate from WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Handsome Jimmy Valiant’s Pro Wrestling School. In 2024 Jimmy Valiant himself made him an instructor and gave Christopher his official name and he now wrestles as Rescue911 Chris Valiant https://www.facebook.com/rescue911prowrestler  and when he is teamed up with ECW original Pitbull #1 Gary Wolf  he is The Intimidator Pitbull # 3. In pro wrestling he won the Ox Baker Memorial Cup, SPW Tag Team Titles, NWA New England Brass Knuckles title https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NWA_Brass_Knuckles_Championship_(New_England_version) , USA World Six-person Tag Team Title, VPW tag Team Championship, USWF Tag Team Championship, Costa Rican Trios tag Team Championship, and the World Six Person Tag Team Championship. In 2022 he successfully inducted the inaugural class of the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame and made Yahoo News https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jazz-madusa-luna-vachon-inducted-011613073.html  At Mitchell College he thrived and was an NCAA athlete playing Lacross https://www.mitchellathletics.com/sports/mlax/2007-08/bios/Annino_Christopher  and was on the first Rugby team. There Professor Marc Goldsmith acted as a great mentor to him and as a result he was able to get an internship with Stan Lee of Marvel Comics. While there he was editor of the then school newspaper The Beacon, a member of the Mitchell College drama society, Mitchell College Choir. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2009.  At Mitchell College he was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa International College Honor Society https://www.ptk.org/ , National Leadership Society https://www.nsls.org/ , Collegiate Athletic Honor Society https://www.chialphasigma.org/  While at Mitchell College was also an on-air personality for WBLQ, Jammin 107.7, Soft Rock 106.5. He also at one time wrote for The Day Newspaper, The Westerly Sun, Soundwaves, Norwich Bulletin, and The Scope Newspaper. He graduated from Mitchell College with honors and competed in professional powerlifting, strongman competitions, and was starting offensive lineman for the semiprofessional football league NEFL. Shortly after graduating Mitchell College, he graduated from the Connecticut Fire Academy and became a Firefighter, EMT, and a Haz Mat Operations Specialist. He was a career firefighter for a few years until he was injured in an accident. He had badly injured his back to the point where he was not able to walk. He found out that his friend Claudia was sick with Cancer and he decided to train to do a fundraiser to help raise funds for people like her for the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer foundation   www.tbbcf.org   So he decided to set a world record  as seen here on WTNH Channel 8 News  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7_AumTlQAU&t=73s by pulling a 3,000 lb SUV for a mile and raise money for the cause. He became a Certified Chaplain and ordained Minister through the Universal Life Church and won a community service award for his involvement with LGBTQ advocacy, and just produced a film on LGBT community Directed by Constance Kristofik called Holding Space https://gardearts.org/events/holding-space/  in2024 he was given a proclamation from the state of Connecticut for his involvement in music preservation through the New England Music Hall of Fame www.nemhof.com  as seen here in the Connecticut Insider https://www.ctinsider.com/shoreline/article/ct-sin-sisters-inducted-new-england-music-hall-18499331.php  He met his now fiancé VanessaMarchewka aka Marsha Maraschino aka Vanessa Valiant who was trained by former WWE superstars Mario Mancini, and Paul Roma. Together they have become a power couple and both New England Music Hall of Fame www.nemhof.com , NEMHOF News, Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame www.womenswrestlinghalloffame.com  , and are together producing several films. Both are also involved in pro wrestling and often Marsha manages Christopher Annino.  Vanessa Marchewka is a Criminal Justice Major at Central Connecticut State University and currently works for the state in victim advocacy.  Vanessa is directing several documentaries including the 2025 New England Music Hall of Fame Induction. Both volunteer their time to help the homeless, both attribute their success to their faith in God and their strict training at Black Bear Karate Dojo http://www.blackbearkarate.com/index.html in Westerly, Rhode Island, The form of karate is traditional Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Reihokan. In 2023 Christopher Annino had his first leading role in a feature film called Covid Karma https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22036900/   Directed by international award-winning filmmaker Biju Viswanath. The film won a staggering 33 international awards including 12 best actor awards won by Christopher Annino. He was recently featured in the Westerly Sun Newspaper https://www.thewesterlysun.com/lifestyle/entertainment/covid-karma-to-be-screened-on-sept-11-in-mystic/article_65f106a0-4667-11ee-87e8-7bde40455247.html  and he was recently featured in Yahoo News when he inducted the group The Monkees into the New England Music Hall of Fame https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/monkees-receive-england-music-hall-142837096.html  Christopher Annino plays a Russian assassin in a feature film thriller “Midnight” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33094181/?ref_=rg_mv_close starring Rosario Dawson (Rent, Sin City, Clerks 2, Star Wars) , Milla Jovovich(5th Element, Resident Evil, Ultra Violet) , and Ryan Guzman star of the TV show 911 and it will be coming out shortly. He will be wrestling January 25, 2025, as Rescue 911 Chris Valiant in Florida with Negdog Championship Wrestling at Circle S BBQ LLC 14698 US-19, Hudson, FL 34667-3349, United States https://www.facebook.com/events/541269312043440?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D

  And on February 15, 2025he will be hosting the 2025 New England Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New Bedford, Massachusetts with the voice of Charlie Brown Duncan Watson https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914603/  special guest presenters Detroit Debbie, ECW original Angel Orsini, former Mrs. Rhode Island Marie Catherine Parente, the NEMHOF Inaugural best artist Renee Leavitt,2025 best new artist Frankie Justin, NEMHOF News editor Steve Prescott,  NEMHOF inductee’s Mach Bell (Joe Perry Project), Hirsh Gardner (New England), Cliff Goodwin (Joe Cocker), New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Don Vega, promoter John Ippolito, DJ Gadget, author Vikki Vine, Co-owner of NEMHOF Vanessa Marchewka, Senator Heather Somers. The official NEMHOF induction ceremony will be at The Vault, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The event will be a food drive for PACE https://paceinfo.org/  and50/50 raffle for the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network https://www.sclgbtqnetwork.org/  The NEMHOF All-star band consists of Connecticut’s Sophia Coppola, Sinthea Sinatra, NEMHOF Inductee Liz Borden, Co-founder of the New England Music Hall of Fame Kathy Steahle, and 2025 NEMHOF best young artist16-year-old New London Ada Mae Florek. The 2025 NEMHOF inductees include Massachusetts very own Charlie Farren (Joe Perry Project), David Hull (Aerosmith), Grammy Nominated Jon Butcher, Doug Wimbish (Living Color), Broadway producers Tom & Michael D Angora , Broadway singer’s  Maya Days (Law and Order), Mary Callanan(Mama Mia), Daniel Coughlin, Linda Viens, Sal Baglio, Joe Pet, BJ Snowden, D-Tension, Manchester Pipe Band (the oldest competitive pipe band in America),Albert O (WUMB), Loren & Wally (WROR) , The Nervous Eaters, The Bristol’s,  Bob Metzger (Don McLean),Freddie Mercury (Queen), Emmy Award Winning Charles Ives, Chris Brubeck, Canadian musician Stompin Tom Connors, The B-52’s,  Kennedy Center Honoree Dave Brubeck, Joey Melotti, Roomful of Blues, Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Nammy award winner Felipe Rose (Village People), John Chan ,Marion Meadows, Arti Dixon, Dan Brubeck, singer/ songwriter Martin Page, The Monkees, Toni Lynn Washington, WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Jimmy Valiant,  Toads Place, and, Alison Kaufman (WCNI).  Previous inductions can be seen on ECUSA TV www.ecusatv.com   or the app https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ecusa-tv/id1665898621    Two documentaries will be filmed that evening, one on the 2025 NEMHOF induction directed by Central Connecticut State University alumni Vanessa Marchewka & STF media & and on The Fools Directed by Karl Preusser. Mystic River Foundry www.mysticriverfoundry.comalong  with Norwich resident Steve Prescott builds the Wailer Award that each inductee receives. New England Music Hall of Fame news affiliate NEMHOF News can be watched on local access station SEC-TV www.sec-tv.org  located in Groton, Ct. Tickets are available: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-new-england-music-hall-of-fame-tickets-1099604349209?aff=oddtdtcreator  After February he will be working on finishing co-directing comedy feature film The Lollipop Gang https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9481630/   with Angel Orsini. The film stars original Glow Girl Jeanne Basone https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1067428/bio/  who just released official autobiography https://www.amazon.com/Hooray-Hollywood-True-Story-Original/dp/B0DPGMJGQL  He will be working with Marvel comic artist Rusty Gilligan https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0319207/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_1_in_0_q_rusty%2520gilliganon  an Emergency Medical Services comic book series based on his pro wrestling persona Rescue 911 Chris Valiant and his real life firefighting career. Special guests will include original GLOW Girl Tiffany Mellon, Dennis Lytle Wrestling N Wrecovery, Lacy Traylor daughter of WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Big Boss Man, Ms. USA Dolly Sharrow, US Navy Veteran Coryann Armstrong, police officer Gil Maffeo, and Captain Klaus D. Cat created by Fire Fighter / Army Veteran Steve Jordan. The goal for the comic book is to raise awareness in mental health, drug addiction, alcoholism, first aid, fire safety, and help with recruiting for the armed forces and local EMS.  

 RONNIE,DAVID, GOLIATH AND ME

By Peter Vuono

   Generally speaking, I had a happy childhood but there was oftentimes looming over my head, a shroud of fear. I was both physically and somewhat emotionally inferior to most of my peers. I was extremely diminutive in size; I oftentimes couldn't even digest my food. This in turn gave me a complex of interiority. I was often bullied and often afraid.

   Once in a movie theater, I was bullied away from a drinking fountain so a young tough and his sister could drink. At the same theater, I was so frightened by one  of  Ray Harryhausen's creations that I fled from the monster on the screen and walked out of the theater. I was so afraid of one of my parochial school teachers, that I ,on 3 occasions, got sick to my stomach and raced to the men's room! A butterfly's metamorphosis has 4 stages of development and mine would begin with my two cousins David and Ronnie Zoia.

   I never needed to read about the Titans of ancient Greece because they were personified by my two cousins. Ronnie was about 6"2" and a solid 220 lbs. He was a football phenom and once in his kitchen he pressed me over his head! Ron was the quarterback  for Hofstra. At about the same time a famous comedian did a popular monologue about the Hofstra team. He stated, "The smallest guy on the team was 6"1" and 490lbs!" He would later be drafted by the Buffalo Bills. This was quite commendable as he was working along side of NFL legend Daryl Lamonica  which made competition fierce! A knee injury caused him to move into another field where he would excel- Education.

   I'll not ever forget the day Ronnie, as an administrator, jumped out of a window like Batman to chase a recalcitrant motorcyclist  on foot whose revving engine disrupted the school environment!

  If cousin David were painted green I would never have had to read about the Incredible Hulk. Dave was a bit shorter at about 5"10" and weighed a solid 218! He had a penchant for bodybuilding and I'll not forget the time in his living room where after much prodding he flexed his left bicep. I'll never forget the gasps it drew including one from my father! Dave had a heart of gold. He knew I loved dinosaurs and he bought a dino comic book from the corner store next to his home. He saw me salivate over it as he reached his front door and without even reading the 1st page he gave me the comic. I never forgot the memory!

  I wanted to be like these guys but I didn't, at the time know how. Ronnie and David were the 1st two phases of my metamorphosis in defeating MY Goliath of fear and inferiority. It would continue by my being mesmerized by the mighty men of the silver screen and TV. The final stages of my changeover occurred after my being inspired by Steeve Reeves, George Reeves and of course, Bruno Sammartino.

  I started lifting weights and never looked back. In 74 I came in 2nd in the Eastern States Powerlifting Championships in Nashua. When the time came for a teaching job interview, my superiors Messrs. Phinney and LaBranche were so impressed with my powerlifting  that they gave me a job on the spot.

  I would win the NH State Powerlifting Championships in 77 but more importantly the love of my wife Diane.This lead to two wonderful children and a 35 year career in special Ed. thanks to the inspiration of my two cousins coupled with the mighty men of the silver screen and TV. I had come full circle and felled the Philistine. My Goliath is now dead.

 God sent his grace to king David. In a different manner he sent inspiration to me to defeat my demons. He did it for me and he can do it for you!

"Reaching into his shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in his forehead, and he fell faced down to the ground"- 1 SAMUEL 17:48

 VICTOR

By Peter Vuono

   In 1922 6 year old Adolph Truesdell hated his given name. In part it was because he was often bullied for it. When he could take the bullying no more, he took on and beat up and older bully. From that moment on all friends, and acquaintances called him "Tuffy".

   Tuffy would join the US Army and fought in WWII. After the war he took on a penchant for two things; he loved animals and pro wrestling. Truesdell had a very interesting and unique angle however in his act. He would certainly wrestle men but also his PET ALLIGATOR which he kept in a tub in his bedroom!

   After an accident with his pet which caused Tuffy to suffer 45 stitches he retired his gator and pondered what he could do next. There was no internet back then but Tuffy got a call that a mother bear was accidentally shot to death in Ontario and had two cubs. Upon receiving the "tip", he drove the same day 500 miles to Ontario before the authorities could claim the body.

  The mom black bear was dead as was her baby girl cub. Still surviving, however was the male cub and Tuffy wasted no time in taking him home. He would name the male "Victor", give him a home and fed him all sorts of treats such as Coca Cola that Victor should never have had. Then, Tuffy got the idea to train Victor to wrestle.

  At an early age, the vet would cut the claws short enough so that they couldn't tear opponents apart. Next Tuffy would put a muzzle on Victor for his matches only. It's VERY hard to ascertain how many matches Victor hade. He wrestled pro athletes, Tuffy himself, pro wrestlers and audience volunteers . His record was approx. 10,000-0-1. The only draw was to Peggy Jones, the heaviest female wrestler of all time.

Victor would become a celebrity and was on Tell The Truth, Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas and of course, Ed Sullivan. In an old Youtube video, Sullivan can be seen feeding Victor his beloved Coca-Cola!

 Animal rights activists often criticized Tuffy and personally I would have to agree that it was exploitation for profit. In fairness to Tuffy, however, because of his love for his pet and his zeal for making a living it caused him to be blinded in knowing that Victor MIGHT have fared better in the wild.

   Victor passed in 1975 at age 17. All other substitute bears that Tuffy used failed miserably and bear wrestling would be banned in the US in and around 1992. Truesdell's wife, Lee stated that Tuffy was devastated upon Victor's death and although exploitation was INDEED  in effect Victor lead a happy life albeit not a terribly long one and in an odd sort of way it endorses adoption of pets. Victor would have died had he been left alone. Like wise, all pets in shelters WILL live short lives if we don't adopt. The story of Tuffy and Victor  is one of love for a pet and adoption of them  and is clearly illustrated here in this unique friendship.

  On March, 30, 2001, Tuffy would pass away at age 84. At the Swain Memorial park in Hyson North Carolina the grave of Tuffy A. Truesdell bears the engraved emblem of a smiling bear.

 

THE FINEST KIND

By Peter Vuono

  One of my favorite movies is one filmed locally called "The Finest kind". I like it because the most dramatic scene was filmed at the Supreme House of Donuts on Crescent St. in my home town of Brockton. Other beautiful scenes were filmed by the sea in New Bedford and Fairhaven.

  In the movie's tear jerking and action packed climax, Tommy Lee Jones tells his son, "Some day if you ever have a son, the first time you look at him you get a feeling all at once that you'd die for him. A little thing you've never seen before and you'd stone cold die for him".

  I think that this thought is probably agreed upon by most of us who are parents but as I was driving along one day, I thought of the movie and then asked myself" We would die for our kids but what does it say about a man who would and DID die for his dog"?

  When we think the Pittsburgh Steelers we are full of fond memories and excitement about Franco Harris, Terry Bradshaw, Jon Kolb, Mike Webster, LC Greenwood, Jack Lambert and, of course, Mean Joe Green et al. All sports heroes  for certain but there was one who gave his life for his pet who stands far above so many others.

   Steve Courson was a Massachusetts native. He played for the Steelers in 4 Superbowls and won two Superbowl rings. Upon his trade to Tampa, The 300lb Courson who registered an official 605 bench press in a contest, contracted  a virus of the heart and was a candidate for a transplant!.

   He decided to get off steroids and write about the sad abuse of them in the NFL in his fine book, "False Glory". Amazingly, he nursed himself back to good health. He was  clean and was no longer in need of an artificial heart. He went to Tampa Bay camp, worked hard to get his weight up and won the "Ed Bloc" trophy from his teammates for the best  injured player comeback for the Bucs that year.

   In 2007 at his home in Farmington Pennsylvania, Steve decided to take on by himself the chore of felling a 44 foot tree on his property. After the cut a strong wind caused the tree to fall the wrong way toward his black labrador retriever. The former offensive lineman still had great speed and rushed to quickly and successfully push his dog out of harms way. In doing so, the tree fell on Steve killing him instantly. When EMT's arrived, his dog was standing guard over Steve's lifeless body.

  So when I hear Tommy Lee Jones prophetic words in the movie talking about dying for a loved one, somehow I always think of this football hero who became so much more than that.

  Josh billings once said, that "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. Steve Courson knew it and acted upon it. He was truly, "The Finestkind".

  

 SO WHAT IF IT'S A "WORK"!

By Peter Vuono

   I noticed this morning that a great many of my FB friends are livid with the thought that the Tyson/Paul fight was not legitimate; that it may have been staged. First, you the reader need to know two Carny terms used by wrestlers. The first one is "work". This means the match is predetermined and the wrestlers trust each other to not  hurt each other, take home their pay and perform again a day or two later.

  The second term is a "shoot". This is a term which means that someone got hot under the collar and the match is quite real. This happens rarely as wrestlers want to be safe so that they can"work" again.

  Did anyone actually say that the Tyson/Paul match was legitimate? I don't think so and I don't fault the fighters or promoters for staging a fight if that is what happened. YOU got excited to see the fight and were entertained. Secondly, both Paul and Tyson were unharmed as far as this author knows and took home a great deal of money to feed their families.

  Do you remember Evil Knievel's Snake river Canyon jump with the Sky Cycle? He went over the canyon half way, parachuted and had no intention of risking a complete jump. You and I were "worked".  Sports that actually are legitimate run the risk of seriously hurting the athletes and fans!

  Think of the concussions involved with  pro football players and CTE. How many fans are injured a soccer games by fans trampling others. Remember after a Boston Red Sox celebration where a young girl had a misplaced pepper ball shot in her eye causing her death? There's a lot to say about an event being "worked". We wrestling fans know well of the "predetermined" match. We can usually guess the outcome and go home both entertained and delighted. So my question is," Why can't you"? There are so many more things in life so much more important.

  One final note; with the enormous amount of "scammers" out there, don't forget that YOU can be worked and taken advantage of in just about every facet of your life. Something to keep in mind if the fight was indeed a "work"  Worse things could happen to you. I hope they don't

  

 A BOY AND HIS DOG

Title by Harlan Ellison

Story by Peter Vuono

   In the 70's and 80's my favorite books were by Ray Bradbury. He was such an incredible story teller that after each story, I'd have to put the book down and just ponder the impact that he had such a knack at conveying .There was another favorite of mine, however who made the reader really work to find out what he was trying to say. This was Harlan Ellison who successfully sued James Cameron for borrowing the premise of Ellison's story "Soldier" for the Terminator.

   I read Ellison's "A Boy and His Dog" in 69. It's a very harsh read with a great deal of sex, violence and social decadence but every time I think about it I realize that Ellison had a message which is even more relevant now then in 69.

   It's a post apocalyptic tale of a teenage boy- Vic and his beloved dog "Blood". They spend their days only trying to eat and survive. They violently encounter a female protagonist- Quilla- who in time has feelings for Vic. Quilla, however was part of a ruse, to lure Vic underground to help populate a dying race of men who could not produce children.

   Vic knew, that Blood would not survive without him and he, Vic, would not survive without Blood. He makes the only

altruistic decision he's ever made and leaves with Blood. Quilla screams at him,"Don't you know what love is?". Vic answers, "Sure I know. A boy loves his dog".

  This graphic and hard to read tale has immense irony attached to it. The dog has been domesticated for 35,000 years going all the way back to the Pleistocene period under the Cro-Magnon Man! However, after all this time and an apocalypse, it is the dog, not the humans, that maintains the noble quality of loyalty and love. Here, in this one instance, Vic does what the dog would have always done. He would become as loyal as "Blood" was.

  Our age, here in the 21st century, is without an apocalypse but is rife with the horribleness of Ellison's story with a society rampant with violence, immorality, profanity, war and selfishness and yet, it is the dog, an alleged lower functioning animal, that maintains purity.

  Ellison's tale was a warning that is just as relevant now as it was in 69. I'm not a super idealist. I know that we can't all at once turn back many pages. However, didn't Confucius say that a thousand mile journey starts with one step?

  There as so many things we can do to insure that the savage society that Harlan Ellison predicted doesn't happen.

Instead of Tik-toc- read a book,

Encourage rather than discourage,

Praise rather than vilify,

Never pass up an opportunity to be kind,

Give the homeless guy a dollar,

Rather than sleeping in on Sunday, go to a house of worship,

Open the store door for a stranger,

Occasionally pay for the guy behind you at the doughnut shop,

Help the poor when you're able,

and vote for candidates that will protect mother earth.

   Harlan Ellison was a self proclaimed atheist. It is ironic that the work and thoughts of an atheist are,  at times,  just as important and meaningful a message as  that of some religious scholars.

If we heed his warning and try to slowly turn back the pages one at a time, the apocalypse he foretold will remain a parable and we will truly be on a path to redemption and salvation.

 LETTERS FROM BEHIND BARS

By Peter Vuono

   A long time ago, I befriended a fellow who was a much admired, world class athlete. He had been an Olympian and a Pan American Champion. He then gravitated to professional athleticism and made a more than decent salary. I met him in January and February of 1985. It was at the old Boston Garden. during our 2nd visit that I handed to him a copy of an article I wrote about him that was written in an Australian Magazine. He thanked me, shook my hand and it would be the last I would ever see of him.

   Some unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances would land him in prison for a two to three year sentence which would be extra hard as he had two young children. A few months after his incarceration, I received from him a very warm, heartfelt and uplifting letter of thanks. I didn't think too much of it then but now, decades later, as I look at the letter, I realized that it spoke volumes!

  One of the biggest persecutors of Christians was Saint Paul who actually witnessed the stoning murder of Saint Stephen. When he converted over to Christianity, he too was incarcerated and wrote all of his memorable letters of the New Testament from prison. I realized that my friend's letter was so much more than a letter of thanks.

   There can't be a more vile place to be in than a prison. Yet my friend took the time to thank me and uplift my spirits which are too often down from one of the worst places on earth. He had done on a smaller scale what Paul was doing and in doing it proved the credo of Saint Augustine which was, "Every sinner can be a saint and every saint was once a sinner."

   Perhaps not as important but still notable is that my friend, unlike so many of us actually wrote to me while his spirit was broken, his family vacant and  his safety in danger. What does this say about some of us who don't write letters or cards of thanks or only say a half- hearted or casual "Thanks"?

  If my friend, a former prisoner can show this kind of virtue, much in the same way that Paul did, it isn't just a personal letter; it's a message, for me, for you and for all that read this.