An Incredible Story

How could I have not known about this story before now?
by Charlie Leck

4 September 2009

Nervous and excited, he waited on the platform at London’s Liverpool Station for the arrival of the train from Prague. He felt like pacing to wear off some of his excitement, but he was confined to a wheelchair and he could only wave his arms and bob his head to release some of the nervous energy he felt. His name is Nicholas Winton and he is now 100 years old. He’s surprisingly spry and alert for a gentleman of that age. Newspaper reporters and photographers hovered nearby; for this was something special – something special indeed! They took hundreds of photos of a smiling, joyous Mr. Winton.

You see, Nicholas Winton is a hero; at least, he is to 669 people whose lives he saved in 1939. This was a day of celebration – recognizing the 70th anniversary of Winton’s rescue of train loads of children who were in danger of losing their lives in Nazi Germany.

This is a story that will choke you up if you are a lousy sentimentalist, like I, or, frankly, if you are a piece of 12 inch solid concrete. So, let me explain.

On the 1st of September, in the late morning, a vintage train left the capital city of Prague carrying approximately two dozen survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. Nicholas Winton and a number of his friends organized the recreation of the event and arranged for those remaining survivors to bring along members of their families as well.

As the passengers disembarked from the train, Winton rose very briefly from his wheelchair and stood with the assistance of a cane and shook hands with the passengers. He was filled with emotion and a few tears broke from his eyes, though his smile remained constant and strong.

“It wonderful to see you all,” he beamed. He laughed heartily and urged them not to wait so long for their next reunion.

Nearly all of the elderly passengers posed for photographs with Winton as a band played triumphant music. Many of the children and grandchildren of those who were themselves children in 1939 came along on the rail voyage and got to meet Winton at the big celebration. They presented the elderly hero with hugs, kisses and flowers.

In 1938, Winton, a London stock broker of German Jewish descent, traveled to Czechoslovakia. He was afraid, after being alerted by a friend of his who worked in the British Embassy in that far off land, that the Nazis would soon invade and begin clearing the nation of Jews. His goal was to organize a way to get as many Jewish children as he could out of the country. He worked out an acceptable program with the British government, organized foster homes and began extracting the children. In the months before the beginning of the war, he organized eight trains to carry the kids through Germany and onto Britain. Most the children remained in Britain, but a few were sent on to Sweden. Very few of them ever saw their parents again.

The story of Nicholas Winton remained basically unknown and untold for 50 years. Winton’s wife only found out about it when she came across some of her husband’s correspondence related to his organizational effort. Winton didn’t like talking about the work because his mind was fixed more on the children he couldn’t get out than on those he did. He had organized and scheduled one train to leave on 3 September 1939, but the war broke out on that day and the 250 who were to escape on that voyage never made it out.

Thanks to Winton’s wife, an electrifying documentary of Winton’s story was made in 2001 and it won an international Emmy award in 2002. Shortly after the release of he film, Winton was knighted by the Queen. At the time of the knighting, Tony Blair, Prime Minister, called Winton “Britain’s Schindler” in a reference to the moving story of the German businessman, Oskar Schindler.

British filmmaker, Karel Reisz, was among the children Winton saved. He was the director of the film, The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Prominent Canadian TV journalist, Joe Schlesinger was also one of those children who made the journey in 1939.

People of Czech background, who owe their lives to the work of Nicholas Winton, traveled from all parts of the world, including the United States, to make the journey from Prague to London. A steam locomotive from the 1930s pulled the restored passenger cars. The first leg of the journey took them to the North Sea. After a ferry crossing, a restored British steam engine pulled the cars on into London.

Who says the good always die young?

[To read a story about Winton and his heroism in the Jewish News click here]

A remarkable documentary has been made about Winton’s heroic work. It is called THE POWER OF GOOD. You can find out about it from many sources by googling it on-line.

Thanks to my buddy, Rich McConnell, for alerting me to this story.

JULIE & JULIA

I can only tell you that I loved this movie and it injected my soul with happiness!
by Charlie Leck

I’m no movie critic! Make note of that before you read further. Nevertheless, I have strong feelings about this movie, Julie & Julia, and, after seeing it last night, I can't let go of them. Scenes keep playing themselves over in my head and I keep hearing that wonderful whooping voice of Julia Child (or was it Meryl Streep?).

This was one of the most delightfully entertaining movies I have ever seen. I don’t think I have enjoyed two hours in a movie theatre any more than I did as I watched this sparkling, joyous and tender production.

And of Meryl Streep, on whom I have had forever a staggering crush, I will let the NY Times movie critic, A.O. Scott, express it perfectly for me:

“By now this actress has exhausted every superlative that exists and to suggest that she has outdone herself is only to say that she’s done it again. Her performance goes beyond physical imitation, though she has the rounded shoulders and the fluting voice down perfectly.

“Often when gifted actors impersonate real, familiar people, they overshadow the originals, so that, for example, you can’t think of Ray Charles without seeing Jamie Foxx, or Truman Capote without envisioning Philip Seymour Hoffman. But Ms. Streep’s incarnation of Julia Child has the opposite effect, making the real Julia, who died in 2004, more vivid, more alive, than ever”. [A.O. Scott, NY Times]

If she doesn’t win “Best Actress” for this one, there is no justice beneath the heavens – none!

Scott calls this film an imperfect meal. He says that Amy Adams (as Julie) is simply “overmatched by her co-star and handicapped by the material.” That is so, but I think it is meant to be that way. Julie is a simple, cute and energetic person, but she is not Julia; and who, except Streep, could be? The contrasts were intentional – just as were the contrasts between Paris and the Queens. Paris is a city no one wants to leave and nearly everyone wants to get the hell out of the Queens.

However, for the sake of argument, let’s say this was an imperfect movie. Scott also cleverly points to the Julia Child philosophy.

“But an imperfect meal can still have a lot of flavor, and the pleasures offered by this movie should not be disdained. Julia Child knew what to do with a broken sauce or a half-fallen soufflé: serve it anyway, with flair and without apology. What would Julia say? What she always said: Bon appétit!” [A.O. Scott, NY Times]

I disagree with Scott. Please understand that. To me, this was a perfect meal. I thought Ms. Adams was brilliant in her roll, but who wouldn’t look a bit less talented when paired with Streep in a film? She’s also done it to other young actresses in other wonderful films as well. And one also needs to remember that Adams did not have the extraordinary character to play that Streep was so fortunate to draw.

As I said in beginning, I am no movie critic. I don’t know how to review a movie. I can only tell you I loved, loved, loved this wonderful movie and I will see it again more times (awkward grammatical stumble intentional).

END

[An omelet the Julia Child way as demonstrated by Julia Child!]

Anne Lamott's Open Letter to the President

What the President Promised Us
by Charlie Leck

Here’s how Anne Lamott in the Los Angeles Times began her open letter to the President of the United States:

“I am afraid there has been a misunderstanding since that election in 2008, during which 66,882,230 Americans cast their votes for you. Perhaps one of your trusted advisors has given you bum information. Maybe they told you that we voted for you -- walked, marched, prayed, fund-raised and knocked on doors for you -- because we hoped you would try to reunite the country. Of the total votes cast that long-ago November day, I'm guessing that about 1,575 people wanted you to try to reconcile the toxic bipartisanship that culminated in those Sarah Palin rallies.

“The other 66,880,655 of us wanted universal healthcare.”
[read the rest of the letter]

This is pretty much the way I put the matter in my open letter to the President last week and in several other blogs I’ve written in the last two weeks (see Dems Line Up Against President on Health Care). Of course, Lamott, in the Los Angeles Times, will have a bit more clout.

The pressure is clearly on the President. If he keeps courting the Republicans, who might support a bill without a public option, he is going to lose his Democratic Party base. This isn’t just some two-bit issue we’re talking about here. This was pretty much the heart and soul of his election campaign.

This Shouldn't Happen in America

Photo courtesy RepublicDomain.com

A reader wrote this week about her health care. She is the daughter of a late and old, old friend of mine. I’d like you to read what she says. It tears at my heart. This shouldn't happen in America. I have edited this note to remove some personal, identifying items.

"About 9 weeks ago, Charlie, I found out I was very ill. I’m afraid it’s cancer.... I’m only 41 and I didn’t expect anything like this while I’m still so relatively young. I have begun chemo-therapy on a regular basis.

"I was pretty shocked to find out that my insurance covers only about 80 percent of the costs of the treatment and medicines.... It’s very taxing on me to cover the other 20 percent and I’ve had to dip into my savings. Now I learned my company is letting me go and I will be on short-term disability payments for the next 90 days. After that, I will have no income and no insurance because I will not be able to afford the premium payments....

"I have a lovely daughter who is inviting me to move in with her. She lives in a one bedroom apartment near the city. Her idea is that we will sell my house and use those funds to cover my medical expenses over the next few years. If I do survive this, it will mean that I will face my senior years with no savings and nothing to fall back on. Thank God for my daughter. What would I do if it wasn’t for her?...

"I’m not asking for pity. That’s not why I’m telling you this. I just wanted to confirm some of the things you’ve been writing about lately. We don’t have a very good or very fair health care system in this country.

"I felt your anger as you wrote about health insurance in America. I’ve appreciated your comments. I share your anger. It just doesn’t seem fair that the whole world can come crashing down on us just because we get sick."

Daniel Silva: Master of the Spy Thriller

Let me explain why I am reading through all of Silva’s novels and will not let anything deter me!
by Charlie Leck

On the 5th of August – less than a month ago – I was off driving somewhere in my car and, as I usually do, I was listening to Public Radio. In this case, I was tuned into the Midmorning Show from Minnesota Public Radio. Kerri Miller was interviewing Daniel Silva, spy novelist, and I got very intrigued about the writer and the extraordinary characters that he creates.

Silva was a journalist before turning novelist. On her show, Miller called it slipping from “fact into fiction.” His news assignments were in the Middle East and in Washington, D.C., and it is therefore no surprise that much of the action takes place in those areas. European cities, especially Venice, Rome and Vienna dominate the books I’ve read so far; though the reader gets to spend plenty of time in many other European cities and in both South and North America.

Silva wrote his first novel, Unlikely Spy, while still employed with CNN as the executive producer of all of the political talk shows on that network (14 different shows); and managed to get it published. He didn’t have the courage to set off on a permanent career writing fiction and he struggled through his second work, The Mark of the Assassin, on the side also; however he found it too grueling and quit his day job before doing the last draft of that second book. Since, of course, he is a full-time novelist.

What is it about Daniel Silva’s spy/thriller novels that I find so compelling? Should I be embarrassed to admit to my distinguished readers that I really like this guy? Perhaps it is more correct to say that I am addicted to his novels.

Why
Well, I knew you’d ask and I’ve been worried about my reply, but I’ll try to be a straight shooter with you. There are so many important and significant books I want to read in this last quarter of my life that it is reasonable to ask me why I am wasting time reading Daniel Silva. That’s a fair question and, perhaps, even a good question; but it is a bit rough on Silva, I think, because he is a good writer and a pretty slick story teller.

I listened to that complete radio interview a few weeks ago, when Silva was hyping his most recent novel, The Defector, and began thinking that this Silva guy is really quite bright and very imaginative. The plots in his books are pretty typical, but the descriptions of characters and situations and places are not at all typical. There’s plenty of background research and I suspect that Silva travels to the sites he recreates in his books. In other words, I learn a lot. I also suspect, because I detest travel so much these days, that I’m getting to travel, in fantasy, through Silva’s adventures.

Gabriel Allon
And then there is the matter of my attachment to one of Silva’s characters – the main character, or the protagonist – in his latest novels. Gabriel Allon is an art restorer who has established himself as the finest in the world and works on some of the finest pieces of art in the world. Silva has great fun choosing which pieces on which Gabriel is going to work. His descriptions of them in the subsequent book and of Gabriel’s methods are truly intriguing. So, I am learning about significant art and artists. Gabriel also happens to be an agent of Israel’s notorious “office.” This fictional character led the “Black September” assassination of those who were responsible for the slaughter of the Israeli Olympians in 1972. What a double life. Does it seem incredible? It almost is, but Silva pulls it off.

Wining and Dining
Like most of the writers of spy stories, Silva’s characters do lots of dining in delightful establishments around the world and they drink lots of fine wine. Frankly, that’s one of the things I enjoy about these kinds of books. I learn so much about international food and about exceptional wines. Silva’s treatment of this subject ranks right up there with the best I’ve read. So in addition to all my vicarious traveling, I also get to dine in a lot of wonderful places as well.

This is a digression, but it makes me think of John Grisham’s wonderful little book, Playing for Pizza, that was definitely not one of his most popular. I, however, thought it was terrific because it was set in the Parma region of Italy and the characters were always dining out in wonderful, little regional restaurants and Grisham’s descriptions of the food and wine of Parma were so incredible that I wanted to jump immediately on a plane and fly right over there to experience some of the splendors of Parma’s food.

Silva does that to me also.

So, what I’m saying is that I learn a great deal about food, dining, wine and travel from Silva. It makes me want to hop a plane for Argentina and to go back to Vienna to see the sights and sounds and smells I missed when I was there the first time.

I also learn about modern history from Silva – especially matters related to the Second World War and the holocaust. As a matter of fact, sometimes I learn more than I wish to learn and I find myself flinching at the descriptions of man’s inhumanity to man. I just finished reading Death in Vienna and that book brought me closer to the reality of Hitler’s death camps than I ever wanted to go. I found myself trembling, from time to time, as I read this quite extraordinary account.

Well, my friends know I’m an obsessive personality. Now I am revealing myself to all my readers. When I latch on to something, I grab it with a mighty grip. When I listened to that Public Radio interview, I decided to start with Silva’s first novel and work my way through them. That was three weeks ago. So, I’ve already read…

THE UNLIKELY SPY
THE MARK OF THE ASSASSIN
THE MARCHING SEASON
THE KILL ARTIST
THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN
THE CONFESSOR
DEATH IN VIENNA

And now I’m reading through PRINCE OF FIRE.

Here’s my point
I’m recommending Daniel Silva’s novels to you if you like spy/thriller novels. He’s as good as they come.

WHY MEDIA COVERAGE SUCKS

The media (plural) love it when someone makes the news easy for them and they can just go on and on and on – in spite of the facts!
by Charlie Leck

The media still play the Health Care legislation story as if the entire Congress is against the President. They took the wild-assed, trumped-up and over-staged town hall meetings as a real national indication of where people are on this legislation. In fact, 76 percent of the people in the country support such legislation and the largest percentage of those wants it to be a universal type, one-provider plan.

Still, the media don’t get it. The more flamboyant stories come from those who scream and holler and make asses of themselves.

What we're fighting here is a massive and organized health care industry that doesn't want reform because it is making enormous profits the way it is. Health care in America is more expensive than anywhere else in the world -- by far! The industry is determined to defeat any attempts at reform.

Who runs the nation? Corporate power brokers or the people? That is a mighty essential question here.

Somehow, the President must make Congressional members understand that the country (the united people) is behind them.

It would be helpful to the President if all those who voted for him because they want health care coverage that leaves no one out would now take the time to make sure their Senators and Representatives understand you support the President in this matter.

If you don’t do that, you won’t be doing your part in this change we all sang and clapped about a year ago or so.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

First Day of School!
by Charlie Leck

This blog will be exactly 1,038 words long. The first day of school is one of those special “steps of life” moments in one’s personal journey. I am very excited about this step for my oldest granddaughter, Anna.