WWJD?

By Peter Vuono

   After seeing the death of an innocent at the hands of law enforcement in Minneapolis last week ; I drew my own opinions and conclusions from the Bible. In the days of John the Baptist, the closest thing to police were soldiers. They came to John who was even revered by Herrod and asked, "What should we do"? John replied, "Plunder no one and accuse no one falsely". Plunder means taking another's goods or property  by force. I think it's easy to say that the death of a helpless individual at the hands of the police goes way beyond plundering and the 4 should be punished accordingly.
   Then I thought about the rioting and looting. Didn't Martin Luther King Jr. say,"Darkness cannot drive out darkness ;only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that"? I don't ever recall Dr. King inciting the  violence that we see today as an adjunct to the protesting which, in itself is just.
   Many innocents can be injured such as fire fighters, bystanders and shop owners. If a person's car is destroyed or his business looted, it effects his or her family and livelihood. The loss of one's property and business can only trickle down to others who are innocent. Some of us in Massachusetts well remember Victoria Snelgrove, who at age 21 was shot in the eye with a misplaced pepper ball killing her for only being a bystander at an out of hand Red Sox victory celebration in 2004.
   So what possible biblical referenced could I allude to in my denouncing of violence? Some of us remember the scenario in the Garden of Gethsemane 2000 years ago. When Jesus was about to be taken into custody by the high priests, Peter decided to get violent. He drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. Jesus rebuked him saying,"Put up thy sword. For those that live by the sword die by the sword". He then touched the servant's ear, healing him completely. A strong statement 2000 years ago and a strong statement now. Many didn't listen or take heed to what he said then and I marvel at why 2000 years later too many of us still do not listen or take heed now.

SAINT ROCH-PATRON SAINT OF EPIDEMICS AND DOGS

BY PETER VUONO

DEDICATED TO ALL DOG LOVERS


     When I see the incredible valor of all of our health care workers throughout the world I can't help but think of their predecessor, Saint Roch of France who , in spite of being a nobleman, traveled to various cities in Italy to cure those afflicted with plague at the age of twenty.  Just prior to the passing or Roch's parents, his father,  a wealthy nobleman ,on his death, bed decreed that his son would be the new governor of Montpelier France.
     Very much like Prince Harry,Roch denounced his birthright and traveled to Italy to the hospitals of Acquapendente, Cesena, Remini, Novara and Rome to assist in healing the sick who were inflicted with plague all across Italy. It was said that Roch healed victims completely by merely laying his hands upon the afflicted.
     While assisting in the town of Piacenza, Roch contacted the plague himself. Not wishing to infect anyone, he ostracized himself to the woods and constructed a hut made from branches and leaves. Miraculously, a small spring of water arose nearby.
      Living in the town of Piacenza was a count Gotthard Palastrelli who enjoyed taking his dog to hunt. Palastrelli didn't realize however, that the dog found Roch and stealthily made trips to Roch's refuge with bread each day! When the count followed his dog to see exactly what was happening, he found Roch fully healed and later became an acolyte.
      When Saint Roch retuned to Montpelier, France was at war. He was arrested by the soldiers of his own uncle as a spy and thrown into jail. Roch refused to say who he was thinking that he would fully obey any fate that God would bring to him. After 5 years in a dungeon he succumbed and passed in the year 1376 at age 28. He was identified after his death by a birth mark in the shape of a cross on his chest. He would later be made a saint by Pope Gregory XIV and is the patron saint of infectious diseased, epidemics, persons unjustifiably jailed and dogs because of the bond he shared with the count's hunting dog.
     In Saint Roch cemetery in New Orleans there is a chapel constructed at least 100 years ago. In a side room of the chapel there is an enormous cache of ex-votos made from plaster and plastic along with dozens of crutches and other apparatus of assisting the afflicted. An ex-voto is a realistic "thank you" given to a saint for healing.
     Only a few visit his chapel and appeal to him for help. Very few of us either know of  or appeal to him However, I wonder how better off we'd be and how many fewer would suffer and die if we did.
   

DISORDER IN THE COURT

Title by Felix Adler
Biography by Peter Vuono

Dedicated to Joel, Rosalie and all die-hard Stooge fans

   Sophie Kischnerman was born in Brooklyn on March 21, 1912. Sophie was educated at Hunter College which is part of NYU. She was a natural born athlete and won a high jump contest in NYC. However her parents frowned upon her making athletics her source of bread and butter and Sophie was denied the chance to compete in the Olympics. Fortunately for Sophie, she had many other talents She was a superb dancer which didn't surprise anyone. Sophie became one of the very first Rockettes. She danced at the Radio city Music Hall on the first night that the Rockettes opened.
   Sophie continued to both model and train as an actress in Philadelphia. She went to Hollywood and worked for Monogram,. Republic, Metro and Columbia. She would change her name to Suzanne Kaaren. Kaaren was brought to this author's attention by playing in three 3 Stooges shorts; :What's the Matador" as Dolores Sanchez, as dancer Gail Tempest in "Disorder in the Court" and in "Yes We Have No Bonanza" as a saloon singer.
   Kaaren married actor Sidney Blackmer in 1946 . Attending the wedding was Raquel Torres who played a major part with the Marx Brothers in "Duck Soup". Unfortunately, Kaaren and Blackmer separated only a few months after their marriage but decided to remain together until Blackmer passed in 1973.
   Kaaren lived in North Carolina until a fire destroyed her home. She and Blackmer had been renting an apartment for $203.59 a month  at 100 Central Park South in NYC. Kaaren, at this time was a senior citizen and was making less than 10,000 per year. She had no choice but to move in; plus the property was rent controlled. Shortly after, a new real estate developer bought the property and tried to evict Kaaren and any other rent controlled tenants. The developer was a fellow named Donald John Trump. Kaaren and her fellow renters took Donald John to court in the 80's and won. She was allowed to remain there until her failing health warranted more care. Upon her death in 2004, she was laid to rest next to her husband in North Carolina. According to the Three Stooges Journal, the Associated Press headline read,"Actress Who Stood Up to Trump Dead at 92".
   Prior to my writing this, I had no knowledge of Kaaren's feistiness and chutspah. I loved her characters but from now on I'll  watch the hilarity of "What's the Matador" and not just laugh but admire a brave woman, who like David stood up to a Goliath for what she thought was right.


REFERENCES: Three Stooges Journal Winter 2019

WIKIPEDIA

WALKING TALL

By Peter Vuono

     Many years ago Mother Teresa said, "Kind words are easy to say but their echoes are truly endless". I guess that's why I was so in love with a small college in MA called Massasoit Community College which is in SE Massachusetts. From 1973-1995 when I both went to school there and worked part time, I met a miasma of people who were kind, soft spoken, inspirational  and professional. I needed this back then as I was rather immature and at times, insolent. The names are too many to mention but if I had to categorize these  folks, I'd say that they all had the "It" factor.

    To me, the "It" factor is having all the physical, emotional and most importantly inspirational qualities of being a good and noble leader. People are drawn to these leaders  which is a great asset to those that meet them. On March 5th, I went to the retirement party of a young lady who definitely has the "It" factor- Mrs. Julie Mulvey.

    Julie is a tall person at over 6 feet and started her youth as a super athlete in the field of basketball.There was an opening at Massasoit for a basketball coach and athletic director Bruce Langlan(who also has the "It" factor) recognized one of his own and wisely hired Julie as coach.

As the time keeper or shot clock operator, I got to see Julie's style as a coach. She was so much more than that. She was always calm yet commanding of her "Warriors". She never lost her temper or raised her voice. I remember Bruce Lee once saying, "Be soft yet not yielding; be firm yet not hard". Julie must have read his book.

    I distinctly remember one of her teams  as being without question one of the roughest, toughest groups I had ever seen. These girls were so tough that they would go to a restaurant after practice and order broken leg of lamb. I remember many of them well from Brockton High. Yet Julie molded them without a single cross word into one of the best teams that his author had ever seen.

   When I first started at the clock in 1973 Coach Walter Birchler said at the sports banquet that the basketball table personnel were always unnoticed until they made a mistake. Julie caught me making one  at a game. I'm kind of quick on the trigger finger for the shot clock and this time too quick. Julie caught it and said,"Peter, that wasn't a shot". I replied, "I know, Julie, I'm sorry". To this she answered, "That's all right". She had enough understanding to know that I was just human and very capable of error but I never forgot how she refused to vilify me.
   Julie went on to spread her inspiration to other great venues such as director of student activities and athletic director. From 1981 to 2020 she touched legions of young showing them the Tao(or the Way).  She may be absent from school but as Mother Teresa stated, her echoes of kindness are "truly endless".


"The key to immortality is to live a life worth remembering"- Bruce Lee

ARE YOU HEARING THE SOUND OF THUNDER?

(A cautionary blog entry) By Peter Vuono

SOUND OF THUNDER IS A SHORT STORY BY RAY BRADBURY.

   In Chinese Taoism, the Yin and Yang represent two interlocking parts of a whole; Yang(whiteness) and Yin (darkness) The two forces, although they appear to conflict ,are actually interdependent. You may NOT have darkness without light and vice versa.. I have not delved into the internet stats but it is clear to me that there is becoming an imbalance of forces. Simply put, there is more and more evil being propagated in the world at perhaps a greater rate than goodness. This puts the two complementary forces out of balance.
   We are seeing acts of evil in the form of guns, drugs, pedophilia, human trafficking, hate crimes, bullying, denial of basic human rights violence against women and children and a host of others so much so that we are desensitized.
A long time ago, I heard comedian/activist Dick Gregory say on TV that a saving grace for humanity was that,
"The good folks outnumber the bad". I went to see him speak twice and he mentioned(in 1970), that we were no longer picking the better candidate in an election but "The lesser of two evils".After each 5 minute interval of speaking , Gregory said,"You young people have a big job and you haven't got much time." I wonder what Dick Gregory would say now in 2021 with all that is happening.
   My favorite short story is a cautionary tale by Ray Bradbury called,"A Sound of Thunder". The gist of it is that every thing that you and I do, both great and small will impact the future and very possibly, in a big way. We all have to be aware and become examples to the young ones so that there is a perfect balance between Yin and Yang.With a new school year upon us; this author is most worried!
   Years ago one of my favorite tunes was "Smoke" by the Tubes. The refrain said"The whole world is smokin and I can't stop chokin". Maybe this will change if we stop and listen to the sound of thunder.

"Those who are unaware that they are walking in darkness will never seek the light"- Bruce Lee

EVERY SAINT WAS ONCE A SINNER
AND EVERY SINNER CAN BE A SAINT

THE STORY OF SAINT MOSES THE STRONG, PATRON SAINT OF NON-VIOLENCE

Title by Saint Augustine

Story by Peter Vuono

     In the 3rd and 4th centuries the indigenous people of the many countries of North Africa were called the Berbers. Berbers can be loosely translated to mean "Barbarian" but in truth, many Berbers were great kings, warriors and even Christian saints. St. Augustine was one of these.
    In Egypt lived a servant to a nobleman called "Moses". Moses was a large man of great physical capabilities. He found it an easy sideline to rob and plunder anyone. Once he was accused of murder and was dismissed by his  master and decided to form a gang of notorious thugs terrorizing  any one they could find all along the Nile Valley.
   In addition to size and strength(for he would later be called Moses the Strong) Moses had a temper. Just because he was thwarted in robbing a man by a guard dog, he went back the same night and stole the man's flock of sheep. He later hid with a group of monks offering him refuge but not knowing who they were dealing with.
   Moses was so in awe of the monks that he  repented, changed his ways and asked to join them. He would later be ordained a priest and become a spiritual leader. He didn't, however completely abandon his old style. Being bigger and stronger than most he used his gift when it was needed. One day a band of 3 villainous Berbers tried to rob him. He overpowered the three bare handed to a point that their resistance was futile. He hauled them back to the monastery to repent in person in front of his comrades, whereupon he freed them.
  Because of his background and character, Moses refused to judge. He was asked to attend a trial which would judge a comrade for a breaching of the monastic code. He refused to go. When called again, Moses entered the chamber with a large pail filled with sand on his enormous shoulder. It had a hole in it and was leaking sand rapidly. When asked about it, Moses replied," How can you ask me to judge a man when sins pour from my body each time I walk?". The man was acquitted.
  In the year 405 on July 1st, the monks were alerted that a band of marauding Berbers decided the monastery was the perfect place to pillage. Being a leader, Moses sent everyone away and decided to use no weapons as he had so often in his plundering days. He said that dying was a befitting death for a former robber.
  Later, 7 loyal followers came back and fought bare handed with him. All 8 were martyred. Because of his heroism, Moses the Strong, was canonized  a saint by the Catholic Church and dubbed 'The Patron Saint of Non-violence". An amazing transformation for someone who would now be called a hoodlum, thug, gangbanger or terrorist. His remains are in the Paromeos Monastery in Scetes Egypt. Saint Moses clearly proved that what his fellow Berber, St Augustine said, that, " Every saint was once a sinner and that every sinner can be a saint".

THE ESCAPE ARTIST


By Peter Vuono


     Throughout my life I adopted several older men as role models and mentors in an attempt to help me fill gaps that were left along the way. One was a Shriner's Clown, another a powerlifter, an olympic lifter , one an Olympian and others teachers. There was also one who was a veteran, master magician , teacher and one of the kindest of souls that I've ever met. This was my friend and mentor, Don Savoie, who I lost on Aug 5, due to liver cancer.
     About 20 years ago, Don and I were attending an auction at the Magic Art Studio in Watertown. An old movie poster of the little known film, "The Escape Artist" came up. I wanted it because I, at the time I specialized in escape magic. It showed a magic shop and actor Jackie Coogan, who played the owner was mentoring a young Griffin O'Neal. I, was, of course, outbid but I think of that poster more now than ever.
     This is because every time I walked in to Don's Joke shop in Quincy Ma, Don worked his magic on me and taught me some of the most amazing prestidigitation I had ever seen(some of which I use in my current act) using modest household items such as newspapers,cards, coins, play money and even a juice can!
     This is why I entitled this narrative "The Escape Artist". It is because when Don mentored me he had me totally engrossed in a world of delight which helped me escape, even if it were for only a short while, from the many trepidations, stress, and pressures that I go through each day. To me THAT is the consummate "Escape Artist" . I have met so VERY few men who have been able to share that type of magic with me and with Don, I feel so tremendously blessed that I did.


"It is important to remember that we all have magic inside us"- JK Rowling