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Our dedicated moderator proudly announces the very first video to be viewed on our screens. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Charleston 2. Watch for new ones coming soon.

Today, Cliff, your faithful moderator, has gone out on a limb to test your patience by using MuseVision to try and reach out into cyberspace and contact a long, lost friend from way back in Elementary School. He is hoping the person might respond eventually. Good Luck! To all MuseVision readers: have a wonderful Valentines Day.

To Candy J.

It’s been fifty years since last we met. You and I were best chums in Mrs. P.’s third grade at McKinley Elementary School in Arlington Virginia. It was 1956. We both turned nine that year. Your Dad received a promotion and you had to move away at the end of June. After you left, I felt like crying. I wasn’t clever enough to obtain your new address

Still, guys from Arlington of my g-g-generation don’t cry. Well, we do cry, of course. I can’t get through “Affair to Remember” or “Little Princess” (I have a Granddaughter) without crying. Jeez, I still cry at the end of “Casablanca”, for cryin’ out loud. But we are not supposed to cry so we hold back the tears. If some teary eyes appear anyway, the trick is to always carry Visine with you so you can tell folks that the tears are from the Visine. That usually works if the folks are a little naïve. And, of course, we don’t eat Quiche either because “real men” don’t. Well, actually, we do eat quiche because, let’s face it, it’s savory and yummy as all get out, but our official policy is that we don’t eat it. I mean, who can stand in front of the runaway bus called “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche” and not get run over. I’m not sure what real men are supposed to eat. I guess we should just take bites out of an actual live steer on the hoof – but, of course, only the organic ones. Today, we guys are even told that we are from Mars. Mars! Well, OK. Somebody has to shore up the “Mars” side of things, that’s for sure. At the end of the day, however, the bottom line is, as they say, that, we may be from Mars, but hope to spend considerable time transporting to Venus. It’s a truly daffy arrangement, all right, but, so far, no one has been able to think up a better plan –and if they did, I’m not sure I would care to see it.

That’s enough digression. If you are Candy J. and remember a kid named Cliff that you knew half a century ago, please consider getting in touch with me. I’m hoping that somewhere in cyberspace, you might find this blog as if it were a note in a bottle. There was a major reunion at Washington-Lee High School last year and all of us McKinley alumni spent considerable time going over all the info about Mrs. P.’s third grade that we could possibly remember. Mrs. P. attended the get-together herself and we all had a wonderful time. There are some interesting things to tell and I would be happy to share them with you. You can reach me at: musevision@hotmail.com

In the meantime, look at some of the photos from the ’55-’56 school year.

The "Candy J." Pictures

This first one is a Valentine card made using image software. The picture is from a small painting made several years ago using one of the pictures below as a model.







Here is a snapshot from my birthday party. It was my mother's idea to pose me with all the little girls that came. Candy is in the middle of the group. I don't think it was my idea to be photographed with my new softball and bat, but I guess there was some need in the photographer's mind.








Next there are two versions of the same picture. They are both of Mrs. P.'s class and were taken in December, '55. This picture was highly regarded at the Reunion last fall.

The final snapshot is another from the Birthday party in '56





















Mrs. P.'s Class

















Birthday Party 56. I seem to be looking rediculous while everyone else is staring at the camera. Candy is in the middle of the group. My sister must have taken the picture and I'm sure I was trying to make a wisecrack or something. I know, it serves me right. How dumb can a kid look?

Another Snowscene! This one was found with some forties pictures but I could not determine the date of the photo. I tried some sleuthing over at IMDB and finally found a clue. Notice the names on the marquee in the background. All of those stars appeared in a movie called "Smoky", which came out in 1946. The folks on the street seem to have Christmas packages which are actually wrapped! I'm not the brightest light on the Christmas tree, but I'd say it must be December, 1946.

More Snowscenes


Here is a Mailman on his rounds. I remember this pic came from Texas - '59 or '60, I'd say. Check out the coctail lounge and the sign with the "Harry's" ad going for it. You can certainly just feel the snow and wind on your face. The man standing in the shop opening looks like he feels lucky to have found a spot away from the wind.

The picture of Times Square is probably from 1932. As you can see in the background, "A Farewell to Arms" is playing. Helen Hayes and Gary Cooper star in it and it is interesting to note that Helen Hayes got top billing on the marquee. I wonder if those ladies in the foreground, obviously trying to brace themseleves against the cold, have seen the picture. In the distance there is two Lowe's Theatres, with names just the same as the Lowe's theatres in Washington, near where your humble moderator grew up. Curious detail. I guess they named all their theatres the same. This picture is obviously NYC at Times Square because of the big Pepsodent sign down the street. The original "King Kong" was filmed around this time and they used some footage of Times Square in the movie. This pepsodent sign has a few seconds of running time.


Well, I hope this eases your mind a little bit if you are freezing up in the north country. At least you know that you came from a long line of fellow sufferers.

Snowscene Photos


Everyone has their own special reaction to winter snow. This particular weekend, many MuseVision Readers are trapped in a snow scene of their own. Your sunny moderator is far enough south to not have to worry about that problem, so I can browse some favorite old snow photos from way back and,take it from me, you can enjoy these even if you are snowbound. You'll see. I'll guide you through them.


Doesn't this picture make you glad you are at home and are cozy in front of the PC. Talk about "Baby It's Cold Outside". The people on the street look like they are hurrying as fast as they can - destination unknown. Check out Hector's Cafeteria. Doesn't it look like a nice warm place to grab a nice warm piece of apple pie and wash it down with some good Hector's coffee. That and fifty cents will .........
Check out the people trying to climb over the frozen slush barricades in order to get on the bus. I wonder if Ralph Kramden is driving? The taxi on the left tells us that the time period must be the late 40's and it looks like a hefty Irishman is in the driver's seat. I'll bet his name's not Abu. Notice too the "Dine- Dance" joint just to your right. By the way, I looked up Hector's in the NYC white pages and I guess it no longer exists. Too bad.



Here is the U.S. Capitol, obviously taken during a snowstorm in the 1920's. I'm sure the commute is a little longer today.





Here is a classic by Stieglitz, one of the greats. This is of the New York Blizzard of 1893. This was in the last days of the age of horsepower. Ever wonder where all the city horses went at night? Give up? Livery stables. In the city, there were livery stables on just about every block. You had to rent your own place plus a place for your horses and carriage. This picture is a gem isn't it. It also gives us a glimpse back into a slice of late 19th century life.

Edgar Allan Poe

What Really Happened on that October Day in Baltimore?

Edgar Allan Poe left Richmond in Early October, 1849. He Boarded a Train bound for Philadelphia. It would be his last journey in this world. He was found desperately ill and delirious in a Baltimore alley. After being taken to a hospital for treatment, he died four days later, on October 7^th, 1849

The poet, novelist, literary critic and founder of the short story, had succumbed to a mystery illness. Poe was known to people in Baltimore. He had lived there in the late 1830’s before moving to New York. Rumors soon spread that Poe’s delirium was caused by extreme intoxication; that he must have gotten off the train and “took to drink”. His excessive drinking was well known. What was not well known is that he had quit drinking six months before this incident. Nonetheless, the idea that Poe died because of alcohol consumption persisted until the day he died. This speculation was by no means the end of the story as even richer fantasies came to hold sway. It was alleged that he had been coerced off the train and fooled into helping to pad a ballot box during a local election. Over the years, as the fire of controversy died down, the ill-begotten concepts seemed to stick in the public mind and the conjecture seemed to resemble a black raven croaking out “nevermore” over the whole subject.

What in the world was this great author doing in the city, anyway? It seems that Poe’s wife, Virginia and her mother had originally resided in Baltimore. After several years of marriage, Virginia died in 1847 of consumption while the couple was residing in The Bronx, New York. Poe had spent many years bouncing back and forth between New York and Philadelphia and apparently Virginia’s mother had moved to Philadelphia and kept up a good relationship with Edgar even after Virginia’s death. When Virginia passed on, Edgar decided to return to Richmond where he began a courtship with a woman he had known since childhood, Sarah Royster, who was already a widow and who had inherited some degree of wealth. In fact, Edgar was on his way to Philly to escort Virginia’s mother back to Richmond for the upcoming Wedding, when the ill-fated escapade in Baltimore took place. Poe’s life is fascinatingly complicated and my narrative deals only with pertinent points. This brings the reader up to the first week in October, ’49, however, and answers why he was in the city at that time.

Writers have always had to deal with charges of drunkenness. Poe had a terrible problem with it, but there may be evidence that his death was the result of a different problem altogether. Dr. R. Michael Benitez, of the University of Maryland Medical Center, published a new set of findings in 1996, which concludes that Poe may have died of a Rabies infection.

Dr. Benitez became part of a random medical inquiry into old cases and did not know he was reviewing the Poe case beforehand. His ideas about the case are speculative opinions made after carefully reviewing the known facts. Here are some of the interesting conclusions from a 1996 University of Maryland News Release entitled “Edgar Allan Poe Mystery”.

“Historical accounts of his hospitalization indicate that at first he was delirious with tremors and hallucinations, and then he slipped into a coma. He emerged from the coma, was calm and lucid, but then lapsed again into a delirious state, became combative, and required restraint. He died on his fourth day in the hospital. According to an account published in the Maryland Historical Magazine in December 1978, the Baltimore Commissioner of Health, Dr. J.F.C. Handel certified that the cause of Poe's death was "congestion of the brain."

In his analysis, Dr. Benitez examined all of the possible causes for delirium, which include trauma, vascular disorders in the brain, neurological problems such as epilepsy, and infections. Alcohol withdrawal is also a potential cause of tremors and delirium, and Poe was known to have abused alcohol and opiate drugs. However, the medical records indicate that Poe had abstained from alcohol for six months before his death, and there was no evidence of alcohol use when he was admitted.

"In addition, it is unusual for patients suffering from alcohol withdrawal to become acutely ill, recover for a brief time, and then worsen and die," says Dr. Benitez, who adds that withdrawal from opiates does not produce the same scenario of symptoms as Poe's illness.

Dr. Benitez says in the final stages of rabies, it is common for people to have periods of confusion that come and go, along with wide swings in pulse rate and other body functions, such as respiration and temperature. All of that occurred for Poe, according to medical records kept by Dr. John J. Moran who cared for Poe in his final days. In addition, the median length of survival after the onset of serious symptoms is four days, which is exactly the number of days Poe was hospitalized before his death.

Poe's doctor also wrote that in the hospital, Poe refused alcohol he was offered and drank water only with great difficulty. Dr. Benitez says that seems to be a symptom of hydrophobia, a fear of water, which is a classic sign of rabies.”

Dr. Benitez goes on to speculate as to how Poe could have contracted rabies, but considering the world of his time, with it’s close contact between animals and people, and there being no medical treatment for the disease, it is simple to see the possibilities. At any rate, it was a sad ending for one of our Nations most brilliant writers. Even if you never read anything he wrote and just knew him by his biography, he would still be able to capture your interest. How sad it must have been for the people who loved him to receive the news of this final event. It seems as though he needed someone to look out after him on that train trip or if it was indeed rabies, perhaps he could have received earlier treatment. Would he have been happy with his new Bride, financial stability and surroundings? Would he have been able to weather the coming storm in American history? He was, after all, born in Massachusetts yet raised in the South. He would have been in an unusual position in his society just a few years hence.

What happened on that October day in Baltimore? No one knows for sure. With all the speculation, one thing is clear. Edgar Allan Poe sought his muse with enormous passion while enduring great personal suffering. At MuseVision, we prefer the rabies solution to the traditional “what do you expect of a lush” scenario.

"Cool Scannings" consists of things that can be run through the scanner and shared with all the MuseVision community.
This week we kick things off with some postcards and pictures.










Parliament

"Headshop" style postcard, circa '71. Found at second hand bookshop.
These musicians produced an exciting style of music that was often ignored and misunderstood, while a generation gave a fortune to lesser talents and outright mediocrities.



The lyrics to the song stand out after all these years with renewed meaning.


"Fantasy is reality in the world today,

Well, I'll keep hangin' in there,

It's the only way."

Thank you, Parliament. If these lyrics were true enough in the 1970's, they are a certainty today.
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Today's scannings include two postcards of women reading. People in the act of reading appear to be physically still, yet, the images suggest a real sense of inner movement.

Here is a bit of pure balderdash that is not really an idea at all. Please be patient with your dedicated moderator. This has been a rough week.

When Rene Descartes came up with “I think, therefore I am”, he certainly created an easy way to stimulate conversation. All you have to do is mention the subject and the evening livens up, and why not? People can let off a little steam about it and no one gets hurt. Of course, along the way a little meaning gets added and a little gets taken away. I mean, what was he thinking, anyway? He was a professional thinker so there should have been no problem for him to think such a thing. Caruso was a professional singer. Does that mean Caruso could have stated “I sing, therefore I am”. Could be, I suppose. When you really get down to it, the whole of history could be expressed as an I_________, therefore I am. Just fill in the blank with a new word or phrase depending on in what era you find yourself. With that in mind, I have decided to re- write Twentieth Century history (a very popular thing nowadays) using the Descartes saying as a model. Savor the changes can be noticed in each decade. Thanks.

The 00’s

I have confidence in my Class and Nation, my King ‘n Country, therefore I am.

The 10’s

I remember the Lusitania and cuss the Kaiser, therefore I am.

The 20’s

I drive my Model “T” to the Speakeasy, dance the “Charleston”, read Fitzgerald, and I am oh, so modern, therefore I am.

The 30’s

I struggle, starve, and die, therefore I am.

The 40’s

I fight like hell, therefore I am.

The 50’s

I buy, sell, consume, and Rock ‘n Roll, therefore I am.

The 60’s

I “liberate” everything I can, while at the same time giving everybody “the finger” and puffin’ the magic dragon, therefore I am, man.

The 70’s

I have feelings (woe, woe, woe), therefore I am

The 80’s

I love myself and hope to be happy with the outcome, therefore I am.

The 90’s

I make a killing on the Stock Market and live with a sense of resigned angst, therefore I am.

What can be said for the new century? Of course, it’s too early to tell yet, but so far, it looks like it could be something like “I scream, therefore I am”.

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