February 25 2024
# 1646
During the dawning of the twentieth century, it was widely-presumed that people of African descent had little history besides the subjugation of slavery. Of course, it is obvious today that Africans have significantly impacted the development of the social, political and economic structures of not just the United States but also the world. Credit for the evolving awareness of the true place of blacks in history can, in large part, be bestowed upon one man, Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Dr. Woodson's parents had been enslaved, so he understood the importance of a proper education. Though he didn't begin his formal education until the age of 20, he earned his high school diploma, bachelor's and master's degrees in the span of a few years. Then, in 1912, he became the second African American to earn a PhD from Harvard and was the first person of enslaved parents to earn a PhD in history! Keywords: father of black history; history; historical; woodson; carter; afro-american newspaper; negro history week; black history month; black history; african american
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Commentary
What made the first 24 hours of my Cancun trip so perfect?
My preparation was timely and effective, especially using a large and a small backpack instead of a large backpack and a carry-on suitcase.
The uber to the airport was fast and seamless.
The check-in was without issues.
My early morning coffee and breakfast at the airport (eggs and fat sausages) was fine and held me to dinner.
The time at the airport flew by.
I was allowed age-related early boarding.
I had an aisle seat and wasn’t crowded.
The flight was only 4.5 hours.
I found that during the flight I frequently closed my eyes to rest which interrupted my reading (the events leading up to the American Revolution) but shortened the trip.
The drive to the hotel was smooth.
Check-in at the Hyatt Zilara in Cancun was smooth.
Great room with a view, although lacking Helena Bonham...
The climate is spectacular.
A decent Cappuccino at about 4pm.
6.00pm dinner at the Chef’s Table, a $125.00 premium added to the cost of the all-inclusive, was acceptable, especially since two of the group did not want the oyster in a citrus dressing and sent them over to me.
I became friendly with a scientist who is taken with hydrogen as the world’s natural power supply.
If he follows through on his promises we may be posting some interesting pieces.
Woke at 6am (an hour past my normal wake) and went downstairs to a three-hour breakfast (my goal) interspersed with work on the ezine, mail, planning.
Bopped around a bit until deciding to rent a cabana (60.00 added to the all-inclusive). It was a good idea (the strong wind made walking the beach a tad unpleasant) so, I booked it for the next day (my last) as well.
I took possession, gathered everything I thought I’d need, sun-blocked, and lay down in the mostly shade cabana.
A minor disaster.
I had carefully sun-blocked my face. An hour later, the lotion found its way into my eyes.
From 2pm to 7.0pm pain in my eyes was the dominant feature of the trip.
By 7pm i was through it and perhaps enjoyed an unremarkable dinner.
It was Mardi Gras night and there must have been a notice that i missed because 500 guests were vying to see who could scream the loudest and longest.
I didn’t win.
I woke at 3.00am and posted existentialautotrip: the February 18th issue.
Then i worked on my TEDx talk.
The speakers have a 2/19 deadline for a rough draft.
I’m there.
I did good early morning work and had another large, enjoyable breakfast with a delicious green drink and a plate of fried vegetables and 2 eggs w 1 slice bacon, hashed brown croquettes, delicious coffee. Worked in a beautiful space until 9. Then concierge directed me to a two hour walk-expedition to a new, large, semi-enclosed mall.
Returned and rested on my cabana on the beach for an hour.
For lunch, I had a cup of clam chowder [not marvelous] and a fried fish, decent.
Tonight i will attend the second chef’s table. My last meal.
At 2.30pm I left the beach for a cup of cappuccino. And I worked.
It’s so much fun with the sound of the waves, the bright sunshine, the freedom from shopping and cooking, the gluttonous indulgence of huge buffets.
Work is fun.
The chef’s table dinner was decent. I had a lot of fun. Outside of the dinner, three separate attendees sought me out to ask me existential questions.
One takeaway: I will never go on an all-inclusive again. The two decent meals together cost $205.00 additional. I had only two drinks a day and ate my normal sized meals with few wonderful options. Not even close to value, for me. It’s more suitable for binge eaters and drinkers.
Most importantly, the short vacation, three nights and four days was exactly what I wanted. I did lots of what i love most: writing, in a wonderful climate, with someone preparing all my meals, with lots of what many people call fun going on around me, without involving me. Sweet.
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Kat’s Gen Z Corner
Reintegrating into my life
But bringing what I’ve learned with me.
My month long trip to an Indian eco farm to study Hatha yoga has come to an end. The most unexpected piece from the experience was the meeting amazing women also attending the program. It was kind of radical to spend an intimate time with such open and peaceful girls my age, all of whom came from different walks of life. I learned so much from their perspectives, so different from those I know in New York. We only spoke positively; we are vegan; we meditated inside Tibetan temples. We hugged so much; we water-colored; we cried when I left. I hope I can hold onto their easy vulnerability and innocent wisdom even among the corporate chaos of the city. I cannot quit my job to forever frolic barefoot on exotic beaches, like many of them do, but I will work hard to bring that beautiful worldly love into my life back in Manhattan.
Friends at work
Becoming good friends
And more friends
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Tucker’s Corner
To some, it may seem blasphemous to go anywhere near new content that centers Sam Spade. Who would dare pick up the pen of Dashiell Hammett or step into the shoes of Humphrey Bogart? Luckily, the pedigree behind AMC’s excellent “Monsieur Spade” is one of the highest in years. Co-created by Scott Frank and Tom Fontana, and executive produced by Barry Levinson, this brightly-lit noir is one of the best recent TV originals, a smart, sexy, deeply philosophical piece of storytelling that values things like dialogue, character, and theme over the high concepts that have defined so much TV in the 2020s. Even without the connection to a classic character, this would be great TV. The nice thing is how much the echoes of Bogey only add flavor instead of being the whole meal. There’s plenty of other stuff to chew on.
Monsieur Spade
Clive Owen gives one of his career-best performances as an aging Sam Spade in 1963, retired to the South of France after falling for a woman he met there named Gabrielle (Chiara Mastroianni). Sadly, she died before the story really picks up, crafting a Spade that’s deeply aware of mortality. Not only has he lost the love of his life, his smoking habit has caught up with his lungs, leaving him only a few cases left to solve in all likelihood. He’d love to just sit on the estate his wife left him and enjoy his final days, but everything changes when he hears that an old adversary named Philippe Saint Andre (Jonathan Zaccai) has resurfaced in the seemingly peaceful town of Bozouls.
What first feels like it will be a battle of wills involving an old enemy, Spade, and a girl he’s been protecting named Teresa (Cara Bossom) becomes something else entirely at the disturbing end of the first episode. (To that end, “Monsieur Spade” is wonderfully structured like a serial with a new cliffhanger/revelation at the end of each chapter.) An entire convent of six nuns is murdered, setting in motion a mystery that will involve Saint Andre, the Algerian War, locals with secrets, a cynical Chief of Police (an excellent Denis Menochet), some suspicious neighbors (Matthew Beard and Rebecca Root), and even a child who might be magical. The question of who has the child and why becomes the MacGuffin of “Monsieur Spade,” pushing Spade into various conflicts and revelations over six sharply written episodes.
That’s the main thing that elevates “Monsieur Spade” from its very first few scenes: The sense that it’s been crafted be people who aren’t merely copying Hammett but writing their own witty dialogue that balances pushing the plot forward, deepening the characters, and entertaining with that expected Spade dry wit. Scott Frank, the writer of “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Godless,” and “Out of Sight,” is quite simply one of the best screenwriters working today, and he’s partnering here with the man behind “Oz,” “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “City on the Hill,” and many more. They’re legends, and they affirm that legendary status with dozens of well-crafted scenes. “Monsieur Spade” is a dialogue-heavy show, and one of its many strengths is how much it refuses to talk down to a TV audience. There’s something so enjoyable about simply spending time with smart, adult characters.
What Frank and Fontana do here is complex when it comes to its flashback-heavy plotting (and there’s arguably a twist or two too many), but even more so in terms of character and theme. Frank and Fontana never spell things out, allowing issues of responsibility, age, trauma, and betrayal to weave through the plotting instead of being grafted onto it. “Monsieur Spade” is about many things, but one of its more subtle driving thematic forces is change: The change of aging in Spade countered against the change of adolescence in Teresa; the changing face of a country (and the world really) in the ‘60s; the changing belief system of someone who is still grieving. It’s all so rich without ever being heavy-handed, like great literary fiction in TV mini-series form.
Of course, none of it works without Owen’s excellent acting, a reminder of how good he can be with challenging material. He smartly never leans into the tough-talking archetype that might have drawn Bogey comparisons, making his own version of an older Spade, still the smartest guy in the room but also a bit softened by grief and responsibility. It’s an emotional, dense performance that also comes to life in the numerous witty retorts that one expects from a character like Spade.
“Monsieur Spade” is about people who live with ghosts. It’s set in a city that was occupied by the Nazis recently and in the shadow of the Algerian War. It’s about a boy who some think portends the end of days, while others think offers hope for the future. Frank, Fontana, and Owen have found a way to take one of the most well-known characters in noir history and place him at a new kind of crossroads, one that we will all someday reach at the end of life. In an era in which it feels like rebooting IP can be such a cold, cynical, cash-grabbing process, there’s never even a whiff that this was done out of anything but creative passion.
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Writing
Much of my writing time went into the post of my trip to Cancun for the Feb 25 issue.
This one.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
To be free. Such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in all the world.
Robin Williams
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Six Word Stories
“Fragile hearts, strong bonds, unbreakable love."
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts, including links.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
text to 617.852.7192
This from dear friend and Publisher, “Do You Believe in Magic” Victor P:
Dom,
I read Fr. Mike’s sermon on Lent a second time because his eloquent words were so meaningful for me. Thanks for sharing them with your readers.
Victor
This from Tommy G, good friend and President of North End Historical Society and community leader
Dom, I always love these historical stories.
Tucker, I loved Ennio. Where can I watch this film?
Also, here is a film that is coming out that we all should watch: Cabrini
Tommy
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Last Thought
You’ve got to credit Nikki Haley for her perseverance. She slogs daily through her campaign events, shows well, wins public admiration, and gains nothing in her fight against Trump.
Next day, she’s on the campaign again. You’ve got to believe something good will come from her doggedness.
I do.
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