"Its story – of a child from the slums pursuing true love while scrambling for survival – could have jumped from the pages of Charles Dickens.The review compels me to go out today to see the film. You may want to read this review.
"Scriptwriter Simon Beaufoy told the director he felt the 'shadow of Dickens' as he worked."
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Review of "Slumdog Millionaire"
So Far, I’m Disappointed with All of Them!

by Charlie Leck
Okay, look! I’ll be as unbiased as a guy can get. Since January 23, I’m disappointed with all of Washington – both parties and with our new President. It’s just not going right at all.
No one was more hopeful than I. No one believed as much as I that our President would prove to be a Giant in history. Oh, my!
The Democrats in the House are my biggest disappointment. They were asked to put together an emergency package that would get the nation working again. Instead they put together a spending package into which so many Congresspersons had thrown their own pet little projects. This was not the time to increase the supply of condoms for Planned Parenthood. Nor was it the time to improve the air-conditioning in their office building. Bridges and roads are called for. New transportation systems. New energy savings projects! Rebuild schools and parks! Get people all over America working and get the money flowing!
The President bent over backwards to get the Republicans in the House involved. They chose to criticize and not to pitch in and help in the construction of the bill. They took Rush Limbaugh’s approach to this whole thing and began acting as if they hoped it would fail so they could blame the Democrats and the new President and put themselves in good positions for the House elections that will come along in two years.
Damn the Democrats! Damn the Republicans! Damn both sides of the aisle in the House of Representatives! Damn Rush Limbaugh!
And, dog-gone it, Mr. President, what the hell are you doing in these first couple of weeks of your Presidency? Do you have an organization that doesn’t know how to vet your nominees for high positions? Around our farm, if a potential customer wants to buy a horse, they have him vetted (examined by a veterinarian) for any potential problems. If the vets around here were as sloppy as your team, they wouldn’t be able to find work anymore.
As we say in Minnesota: "What the heck, anyway?"
Mr. President, you aren’t knocking heads enough. Get the House of Representatives working on this legislation for the people. Tell them, for once, to keep their own ambitions and political interests out of the pie. If they keep screwing around, let them know you’re going to tell the American public about it and that you’re going to name names. You’ve got power now, sir! Use it!
Republicans and Democrats should show the people how they can really work for the interests of the people and the nation when the chips are down.
If they can’t do that, we’ll throw all the blokes out of office, including the young and exciting President, and we’ll bring on people from outside politics – outside of the political parties – and we’ll send them to Washington to do the people’s work.
For about two days the President looked pretty fantastic and then he started to fumble and bumble. He looked golden when he announced new ethics policies for his staff. He promised no more connections with big time lobbyists – that no one who had been lobbying in Washington for the past several years would be allowed to work in his White House. Two days later he made an exception and brought in a big time lobbyist to help in Defense. Way to go, Mr. President. Go sit in the corner and put on the dunce’s cap!
That was a big time fumble, Mr. President, and it caused the people out here – people like I – to giggle at your silliness.
This is no way to run any government – no less the government of the United States of America.
House, Senate, Executive Branch, let’s get to work on the concerns of the people – and let’s get to it now.
The only person out there who seems to be doing it right at the moment is the new First Lady. She keeps making a fabulous impression on everyone in the country. Now, Madam First Lady, knock that husband of yours upside-the-head, please, and tell him to stop being so stupid. At the moment, he’s looking like nothing more than a “king of fools” and a jerk among jerks.
It’s not too late. Turn it around and get it going the right way again. You promised us a change from the politics of old. You promised us a different approach. Sir, we’re waiting.
Damn it Mr. President, it is "I."
Get it?
Come on, man! Kids are listening to you.
I'm just bummed and almost everything out of Washington is upsetting me mightily.
As a friend of mine recently said to me, "Ah, da heck wit da United States. I tink I jest go back ta Minneso'ta."
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Millard Fuller Obituary

Habitat for Humanity has been, over the last 40 years, one of my very favorite charities. I’ve proudly given to both the national and state organizations. Its founder, Millard Fuller, recently died. I thought I would point you to the New York Times obituary.
The Truly Silly Question

by Charlie Leck
Give me your best examples of silly questions. You know how to email me. If not, go to my profile and find my email address there... or, leave it as a comment.Charlie,
Yesterday I was at Walmart buying dog food and the lady behind me in the check out line asked me if i had a dog...
Naturally, I told her no, I was starting the Purina Diet again... even though the last time I ended up in the hospital... but since I had lost 50 pounds on the diet, I was giving it another chance...
She asked me if i had been poisoned by the dog food,...
...and I told her, no, I had stepped off the curb to smell an Irish Setter's ass and was hit by a car.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A Trip to the Kingdom of Wallachia

by Charlie Leck
I’m thinking about a trip to this relatively young kingdom southeast of Prague. I think it may be the land of my ancestors. When I read descriptions of the people there, it very much sounds like it. This young monarchy is not to be confused with the nation of Wallachia, which is just immediately north of Bulgaria. To clear the confusion about the two states, I will refer to the Wallachia I wish to visit as The Kingdom of Wallachia.
The Kingdom of Wallachia was founded only in 1997 by Toma Harabis, who is now its current foreign minister. The Kingdom is one of the Czechs’ biggest tourist attractions. Its currency is the Jurvalsar. It has consulates only in the Arctic Circle and in Togo. Its Royal Navy consists of 40 wooden canoes.
The first monarch of the Kingdom of Wallachia was Bolek Polivka, who also happens to be a famous Czech actor and clown. He was crowned as the Wallachian King, Boleslav I, the Gracious Forever. His formal coronation was in the town of Vsetin, in the year 2000, and it was televised nationally and attended by approximately 5,000 people.
In 2002 Polivka was ousted as King, charged with personally gaining from the sale of consulates. Vladimir Zhanel, a construction worker, was installed as the new royal monarch, Vladimir II. Zhanel proved his right to the rule the realm by winning a contest of singing, dancing and a series of unusual and strange “games of the Kingdom.”
Polivka, who sued the kingdom and lost in the courts, contends that the Royal Wallachian Air Force is still loyal to him. It consists of a fleet of five Cessna aircraft that are emblazoned with the official crest of the Kingdom of Wallachia, a gaunt poultry hen falling from the sky. Polivka claims that his air force has totally conquered space and planted plum trees on the moon. (You begin to understand why he was overthrown!)

The uniform of the Kingdom of Wallachia
National Guard
I am currently talking to lawyers in the Kingdom about issuing my own claim to the throne based on the lineage and the heritage of my mother’s own family. “Charles I, Charming and Mighty” has a nice ring about it, don’t you think? The lawyers, so long as I continue to pay their fees, are very encouraging about the possibility of success. The practices of attorneys in the Kingdom of Wallachia are not dissimilar to those in the good, old U.S. of America.
Wallachians of the Kingdom are a proud people. They boast that they invented hockey. As evidence they display droppings of the sheep of the Kingdom of Wallachia that roughly correspond to the size and shape of a hockey puck. The citizens of the realm are also people with a rich sense of humor and they dearly like to enjoy themselves. Sociologists contend that the extraordinary sense of humor of these people of the Kingdom comes from their former roots as suppressed servants of communism. Their situation was so intense and difficult under that oppressive rule that they had to develop a keen sense of humor in order to survive.
These people are very welcoming to tourists and reports keep coming back from those who have traveled to the Kingdom about what a wonderful time they had.
And, the University of Wallachia is a proud institution even though it offers only one degree – granted by the Faculty of Distilling. The degree requires a passing grade in only one course in both making and drinking slivovica (a plum brandy). I am told it is possible to earn the degree during a brief tourist visit to the University, and you will get to sample some of the school's fine slivovica.
The very distinct culture and dialect of this Kingdom is heavily influenced by the Romanian shepherds. The traditional black shepherd’s hat even graces the official national crest. Unlike most nations, the Kingdom of Wallachia allows visitors easy access to its King, its Prime Minister and its foreign minister. The Prime Minister, for instance, is Olin Kutáĉ, who also runs a pub in a small wooden building in the center of a small forest. Tourist may stop and purchase a glass of the traditional, national plum brandy, and then sing along with him some of the local and dearly loved songs of the region. In the pub, Mr. Kutáĉ proudly displays photographs of himself with Czech President, Vaclav Klaus. Klaus also holds citizenship in the Kingdom of Wallachia.

Prime Minister Olin Kutáĉ proudly shows off photographs
of dignitaries who have visited his quaint, little pub.
The people of the Kingdom call themselves Wallachs. They frequently tell visitors about the Battle of White Mountain, which took place in 1620, when the troops of Prague confronted attacking Austrians. It is said that local troops ran away by the thousands. Only the Wallachs stayed to fight.
George W. Bush was once a citizen of the Kingdom of Wallachia, but he had both his passport and his citizenship revoked after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. What an idea that would have been for my own proud nation! Bush was highly impressed with the system of “telling” the weather within the Kingdom and the former President suggested the system to our own National Weather Service.
"The weather in the Wallachian Kingdom is definitely easy and quick to recognise. All you need is one shoelace (the slower among you may use both shoe laces, if you so desire). Grip the shoelace in your hand (the slower among you may use both hands) and hold it in front of you... Now carefully observe the shoelace for at least one minute (the longer you observe it, the more precise your measure).
If the shoelace throws a shadow the sun is shining...
If the shoelaces doesn't throw anything its overcast...
If the shoelace is moving the wind is blowing...
If the shoelace is moving a lot there is a gale...
If the shoelace flew away there is a typhoon...
If the shoelace is wet it's raining...
If the shoelace is hard it's freezing...
If the shoelace can't be seen it's foggy...
The region in which the Kingdom resides is a beautiful mountainous section of the southeast corner of Moravia. The Kingdom is approximately the size of Luxembourg. It was settled over a period of many centuries by the Vlachs, Romanian shepherds who came from the east, along the challenging Carpathian mountain range.
Travel Brochures of the Kingdom of Wallachia
You can admire unique museums, historic castles and chateau, beautiful nature and primarily the famous folklore, hospitality, cakes called "frgále" and plum brandy. For this purpose we prepared for you [a] series of thematic routes, which will lead you to the most remarkable sights our kingdom can offer and which also will hide everything you should not see.
During your stay you´ll be thrilled by many cultural events - Return of the first Wallachian astronaut from Space, Gathering of spooks at Štramberská Trúba and the like. What is the best way... to see and experience [everything]?
Travel with [a] Wallachian passport 2009!!!
Get this original and unique Wallachian passport and travel with it to the most interesting corners and programs of the Wallachian Kingdom. Discover the mystery of castles, the gone by era in museums, hospitality of cosy little pubs and boarding establishments. During your travel collect stamps, pick up your Wallachian currency "Jurovalšár" - you will save and you can win many interesting "Wallachian [prizes]"!
I’d be happy to have you along. In the interest of full disclosure, my commission from each fellow traveler, which will be paid to me by the Kingdom, will be $7.69 (U.S.). The trip would also include a visit to Prague and my dining expenses, only in that city, would be the responsibility of the other travelers on the tour. My fellow travelers can negotiate that cost among themselves.
We would be transported to the Kingdom of Wallachia by the nation itself, in its bright yellow, naval limousine (of Communist-era vintage).
We’ll spend 5 nights and 4 days in Prague and travel to the Kingdom of Wallachia by bus for three nights and a three full days of sight-seeing around the small Kingdom.
Price of the trip for roundtrip air fare, hotels (double occupancy), tours in Prague, and bus accommodations to the Kingdom of Wallachia will be approximately $4,000 per person. Let me know if you have any interest. Likely time of travel will be in early to mid-September.
A Kingdom of Wallachia passport will also be provided to all travelers in our party. The Wallachs tell us that these passports are greatly admired by everyone who sees them. They are a rich burgundy color and adorned with a picture of the pagan god, Radegast.

The journey will be mainly a dining and drinking affair, to enjoy the great foods of Czechoslovakia and its wonderful drinking and entertainment establishments. Local tours of the city of Prague and its churches and historic centers will be organized for those who are interested (the cost will be extra). I would suggest that the trip to the Kingdom of Wallachia would not be enjoyable to anyone without a rich sense of humor and a taste for brandy.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Why We Can’t Wait

by Charlie Leck
My lord, I think it was about 8 years ago now. Anyway, it was about that long ago. It happened in New York City – Manhattan – the Knickerbocker Club – the Coaching Club Room.
I left a lot of guys shaking their heads at my apparent stupidity. The fact is, they didn’t get it.
They wanted me to wait, to be patient. I quoted Doctor King and told them I couldn’t wait – waiting around while there is injustice, segregation, prejudice and discrimination is wrong. Doctor King’s advice was to not be a part of it. If we're a part of it, we're condoning it.
It was that night that I found out the Knickerbocker Club was a “men-only” membership organization. That pissed me off and the evening was getting under way poorly.

It was the annual meeting and dinner of a distinguished group called The Coaching Club. They’d been around since 1875 -- founded by Alfred Lord Vanderbilt -- and membership was then and was always by invitation only. Somehow I’d gotten invited and accepted. They were a nice enough bunch of guys and I was pretty flattered at first. A few of the members were genuine high society guys. The rest of us were just pretenders. Some of us played the part more poorly than others.
The President of the Club, one of the nicest guys in the world, even though he was an unapologetic snob, had asked me to come to the city a day early and have lunch with him before the evening meeting of the Club. I did. He had one item on the agenda about which he wanted to chat with me. He was going to suggest that the membership begin discussing its "men-only policy" and begin considering if it wasn't time to make a change.

My luncheon partner saw the excitement in my eyes and felt obliged to warn me that this was only the beginning of the discussion. It wouldn't happen in one night. It probably wouldn't happen in one year.
The Knickerbocker Club is at 62nd Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Not a bad address. Central Park is right across the avenue. Some of the most expensive housing in the world surrounds the building that has been the Knickerbocker Club headquarters since 1915, 44 years after the founding the of the all-men club of the same name. The building was designed by William Adams Delano. It includes beautiful dining facilities, conference rooms, a health club and a small number of sleeping rooms.
A number of the members of the Knickerbocker Club were also members of Vanderbilt's Coaching Club, which held its annual meeting and dinner right there in the building starting in 1916. The Coaching Club also housed its library and stored its records in the 62nd Street building. One of the large, private rooms on the lower level, where the library is housed, eventually became known as the Coaching Club room.
We gathered in that room for cocktails early in the evening. We were all turned-out in our formal uniforms and white tie. Following cocktails a short business meeting always took place and then we would move to a formal room upstairs for a lovely dinner.
In a conversation with another of the Coaching Club members, I learned about this business of the Knickerbocker Club's all male membership policy. I had sworn once, a number of years earlier, that I would never be involved with a male-only organization. I had consented to join the Coaching Club only because, when the invitation came, my wife insisted. Now, here we were also holding our meeting in a building owned by an all-male club.
I was a man with four daughters. I didn't like it, but, perhaps, on that night, I thought, we might make progress with the Coaching Club.
When it was apparent that everyone was on hand, we found seats around the big conference table and sat down. The President of the Club made sure I was immediately next to him. He went through the first few items on the agenda and then came to the item simply labled, "A discussion of the possibility of women members."
Things went badly from the top. All of the veteran members of the Club spoke against the idea strongly. One of the more outspoken even used quite foul and course language -- and very inappropriate humor. When I pointed out that I probably shouldn't be in the Club and was there only because of my wife's talent and interests, that same fellow made it clear that he agreed with me. He then said something very ungentlemanly about my wife and used a gross obsenity in doing so.
I immediately considered that I had only one option and that was resignation. I felt very insulted and I believed it was wrong to be a part of an all-male organization.
A younger member, sitting on my left, an heir to the Johnson & Johnson family, whispered to me, to be patient and to wait. He didn't understand, but I told him that Doctor King had said there are certain things for which we can not wait because it is wrong to do so. There comes a point, King told us, when we must stand up for our ideals. The young man looked at me as if I were crazy.
I didn't feel regret or rage. I felt proud that I had shaken this membership off my chest. I hadn't belonged in the Coaching Club and I shouldn't have been in the Knickerbocker Club. Coaching was not my love. It was hers. I took large gulps of the cool night air and thought about how much I dispised discrimination in any form.
The courts had ruled that sexual discrimination was illegal when it deprived the unincluded from the "market place." If, for a second, you think that the Knickerbocker Club is not a part of the market place, you are foolish. The same, I can attest, is true of the Coaching Club. It is a joke to think that places like Pine Valley Golf Club and Augusta National Golf Club, and many similar organizations, are divorced from business and commercial enterprise.
But, even beyond the court's ruling, there is the question of basic fairness. For me, anyway, membership in the Coaching Club was wrong. It was unfair that many of the great women whips were not a part of it.
In one quick moment that evening, I realized I had broken my own oath about disassociating myself from such organizations. In the end, though, I got it right.

The former photograph showed Anne driving her Hackney Horses, while Charlie is driving Cleveland Bay Crosses in this photogaph (a much simpler horse to command).
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Lessons of History

Photograph taken by Dan Smith.
Great patriots are found not only in the United States!
In 1777, the Earl of Chatham spoke before the House of Lords, presenting a speech that was intended to give thanks to the King. Yet, on that day, the speaker’s thoughts were more on the struggles of the British army in America.
“My Lords, this ruinous and ignominious situation, where we cannot act with success nor suffer with honour, calls upon us to remonstrate in the strongest and loudest language of truth, to rescue the ear of Majesty from the delusions which surround it. You cannot, I venture to say it, you cannot conquer America.What is your present situation there? We do not know the worst; but we know that in three campaigns we have done nothing and suffered much. You may swell every expense, and strain every effort, still more extravagantly; accumulate every assistance you can beg or borrow; traffic and barter with every pitiful German Prince:… your efforts are forever vain and impotent, – doubly so from this mercenary aid on which you rely; for it irritates to an incurable resentment the minds of your enemies, to overrun them with the sordid sons of rapine and of plunder, devoting them and their possessions to the rapacity of hireling cruelty!
If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I never would lay down my arms! Never! Never! Never!"
History teaches us so much. Doesn’t it?
Valley Forge, the famous camp where George Washington and his troops spent the terrible winter of 1777-78, serves as a good example of the strength and determination that can prevail among people who are defending their own land, homes and nation from foreign invasion. The famous fort, now a historical park, was less than 90 miles from where I lived as a child and there were at least two occasions on which I visited it. Hearing about the harsh conditions, and being able to witness the depravations of the troops, always inspired a great sense of pride and patriotism in me.
“If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I would never lay down my arms! Never! Never! Never!"
