Stranger Danger

Let's talk....

Well, it's Saturday and time to relax with an old time radio story....
This story is a reminder that we don't always know who we're dealing with.

It struck home with me because in the late '70's I moved on the outer edge of some pretty dangerous characters here in Detroit. Some are dead now, some still in prison. Thank God I never got quite close enough to any of them to be involved in any of their schemes. Still, sometimes I wonder just what might have been on their minds....

The first 4 minutes of this piece are introduction, then the story starts. It's by a guy named Jack Hitt, and it's called "The Super" - it's about 20 or so minutes long. There are two stories in the broadcast, but it's the only the first one that I'm recommending. The voices might be kind of hard to take, but the story's worth it....

You can find the story here at This American Life. Just click on the link and look for the above picture on the page.

If you want to hear it streaming, just click the icon on that page.
If you want to download it free, just click the icon on that page.

We'll talk....

Be Yourself!

Let's talk....
There's an old story that I heard from the late great Sydney J. Harris who used to write a column that was carried in the Detroit Free Press. It was about an actor who was working with a touring company, but got stranded in a small town when the show closed.

Soon this actor ran out of money - his only talent was acting, and there were no plays running in that small town. Desperation began to set in when he received an eviction notice at his hotel. The actor had to find some cash, and fast!

While walking aimlessly down the street and pondering his troubles, he bumped into a man and began to apologize for his carelessness. The man assured him it was alright, and then a flash of recognition crossed his face:

"Hey, aren't you the guy who was in that play awhile back?"
"Yes." responded the actor "That was me."
"Why, I loved your acting! What are you in now?" the stranger asked.
"Right now, I'm kind of between jobs if you know what I mean." replied the actor.
"Hey, if you've got a few minutes I've got a proposition for you that might help you out." stated the stranger.

Well, it turns out that this man owned the local Zoo, and because it was a small town there wasn't much money for big attractions. He said he would pay the actor $50.00 a week to dress up in a costume and pose as a Gorilla. The thought wounded the actor's pride, but the thought of the cash....

So, soon the actor was in place at the Zoo. At first he didn't know quite what to do, but as the children began to gather - the "ham" in him began to come out.
Soon he was the main attraction at the Zoo. The folks loved him.

One day (feeling particularly "hammy") he tried a stunt he'd never tried before - he leaped from the low 'monkey-bars' all the way up to the highest.... and he almost made it, but his grip slipped as he tried to catch that top bar and he tumbled over the wall of his cage and landed smack in the middle of the cage next door. The Lions cage!

When he shook himself and realized where he was, he began to holler - "Help! Help!". It was then he looked up and saw a huge Lion swiftly approaching him, franticly he hollered - "HELP! HELP!" but no help was to be found. His heart trembled in his body as he lifted his eyes into those of the Lion. Then he heard the Lion speak these words:

"Shut up fool! You'll get us all fired!"

The moral of this story is that whoever you are will surely come out when you're in the Lion's Den. Be yourself and you'll never have to worry about betraying your character....

This morning's song - "Video" by India Arie from the 2001 CD 'Acoustic Soul' another reminder to be yourself.... and treasure the you that God made.

So, JSATCS!


We'll talk....

Inside the Detroit Auto Show!

(a cynical view)
Let's talk....
Thanks to a press pass for Internet Bloggers, this morning I was able to get behind the scenes of the 2007 Detroit International Auto Show!
Man, the cars are great. Cobo hall never looked better, and the people here are all full of excitement.

I thought I might get to see some of the Big Hollywood Celebrities that came for the gala opening, but alas, they had all left. I talked with an Auto Show staffer though who had seen them off. He told me they all had a great time. He even quoted one star who gave the general opinion of the others:
"I'll certainly be back next year! I can't say enough about the Direct Deposit hook-up they have here! Usually you have to wait around a day or so for your check, but thanks to Direct Deposit I did my little runway deal and I can be back in Hollywood for breakfast - cash in the bank! And I hear that if things keep going down-hill for the US automakers, next year they might even have a pre-paid deal going!"

I missed the $1,000 a ticket grand gala, but I hear it was a spectacular success. They say the house was packed. I understand that the only area that wasn't packed was the small section marked "Inner-City Only", where only a few rather nefarious, yet colorful, characters were seated. Though I hear their "grills" rivaled that of the new Lincoln Mark 8. And I'm told that there was more sparkle in that section then on the showplace floor....

I caught up with one of the heads of a local news outlet, though I didn't catch his name. He gave me his outlook on the affair:
"Man am I glad the Auto Show is here! It looked like we were going to have to go into the details of all those school closings, and those bothersome stories about murders, robberies, and that Iraq thing. But thanks to the Auto Show - we can stick all that junk on the tail end of the newscast at last! Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I love it when the news is happy. Great break this Auto Show!"

I even got to question a few Auto Executives about the great new production cars on display. I asked one if he thought these cars would sell well in light of all the plant closures and lay offs that have been announced in the past year. He smiled at me and in a fatherly way said:
"Son, we're automakers - not credit counselors. Our job is to make you want them, not help you afford them! "

Still, for an affair held in what Oprah Winfrey last year called the poorest big city in America, this has got to be a great way to spend a hundred or so million dollars.

Outside, I was stopped by a homeless man who grabbed my arm and demanded popcorn. I was caught off guard, but explained that I didn't have any. Seems he was ticked-off with the Auto Show being held at Cobo Hall instead of spread throughout downtown. Said he:
"Last year at the 'Super Bowl' we got to see free movies and eat free popocorn till the out-of-towners left - what's up wit this?"

I could only console him with the thought that if more hype is needed to move these cars - more hype will come. But I cautioned him that with the way the economy is heading, soon there might be more of us eating free popcorn and watching free movies than inside these affairs, so enjoy being in the minority.... while it lasts....

This morning's song - "Wish I Could Have All I See" by The Poor Of Detroit on the 2007 CD "Crime, Corruption, and Spectacle" no, seriously - "Inner City Blues" by the late Marvin Gaye from the 1971 CD (actually it was an 'album') 'What's Going On'
you know the drill - JSATCS!:


Still, I'll see you there when the doors open to the public this weekend...
We'll talk....