OUR SLIVER LINING

             Me, Brenda (the mom), Alex (14), Tyler (17) and Jared (10)

Over the past several months, ArtStore4Haiti and MMRCHaiti.org have been working hard, against all odds, to help out with the monumental problems that continue to plague Haiti. Cholera, mud slides, dwindling medical supplies, starvation, the scarcity of clean water are just a few of the challenges the country faces every day. But the real challenge we face is raising funds.


I am very proud and pleased to tell all of you that a “band of brothers” in a small northern Westchester community got together to help me sell the jewelry made by the Haitian children in the orphanages we work hard to support. Tyler, Alex and Jared Cohen with the help of Mrs. Moussa, the director of the Human Rights Club of Lakeland High School, raised almost $900.00.

Because we are a very small and completely volunteer organization, this money will go far to provide food, clean water, shelter, and educational material to some of Haiti’s most desperate.

March, April and May have been extremely difficult months filled with many dark clouds for me and the people I work with. This has been our silver lining.

Tyler, Alex and Jared, thank you for making such a tremendous effort for our cause.

“A man's errors are his portals of discovery.” James Joyce

MOVIE REVIEW: THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

It is extremely challenging to write a compelling love story today because the compelling element, that ‘thing’ that causes the tension, doesn’t really exist anymore. In this day and age, what would prevent two people who love each other from being together? Two men can be together, two women can be together, divorce is acceptable, rich and poor people can be together and religion is not as divisive as it once was. In order to make a love story interesting, there must be something keeping lovers apart. Two people, who love each other, get married and live happily ever after makes for a very boring story.

But what if two people are irresistibly drawn to one another and The Universe has other plans for them - literally. What if their meeting was a glitch in the ‘big plan’? That is basically the driving force behind The Adjustment Bureau starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Adapted from a short story (The Adjustment Team) by the master of mind-blowing sci-fi, Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Total Recall), the film is chock full of the sort of manufactured components that could provoke sarcastic chuckles out of most moviegoers. Yet this film moves with such brisk self-confidence that the laughs arrive only at a few comedic rest stops. Terence Stamp plays a stone-faced sentinel who lays it all out: "We actually tried free will before. You gave us the Dark Ages." That’s very funny.

The dynamics of this love story require the main characters triumph over all obstacles including a squad of mysterious men with special powers who move heaven and earth to prevent that happy ending. Damon's character, a New York congressman named David Norris, is a smooth and smart realist. When he meets a group of men hell bent on keeping every human life moving along a preordained path, he fears he's having a psychotic episode. By taking on the audience's skepticism and asking all the how-can-this-be-happening questions, he gives us the luxury of sitting back and watching an engaging tale unfold.

The film wears its influences on its sleeve, from the trim '60s business attire worn by the Men in Black-like guardians, to the notion that the world is, in effect, a Truman Show-style soundstage. Yet it doesn't feel like a mosaic of previously used moments. George Nolfi, the writer of the last "Bourne" movie, scripts and directs here, keeping the focus on his appealing stars and the story's heart. If Norris gets his ballerina, the emotional hole that propels him to seek elective office will be filled. And if Norris doesn't run for president ... well, they never exactly establish what will happen, but it seems bad.

The script's mystical uproar about predetermination and free will is mere scaffolding for a sweet romance. Damon, who usually chooses more challenging roles than the romantic lead, gives it a solid, sincere shot. He's touching when he appeals to his relentless adversaries' better nature, saying, "If I'm not supposed to be with her, why do I feel like this?" A true politician, he thinks he can talk fate into a compromise.

The film looks great, with John Toll's burnished photography turning New York into a romantic wonderland. The special effects are low-key, with one nifty exception. Damon's pursuers chase him across Manhattan by popping through doorways that magically connect Fifth Avenue to Yankee Stadium or subway tunnels to the base of the Statue of Liberty. When Norris turns the tables, the film becomes a giddy sightseeing tour: Inception by way of The Amazing Race.

It’s all utter silliness, of course, but played with such sincerity by Damon and Blunt that we happily go along for this entertaining 99 minute ride. And there’s something wonderfully anarchistic in the idea that even the heavenly host is beset these days with labor issues.

RALPH'S FIRST HOURS BACK IN THE UNITED STATES

                                        Rodney, Ralph and me!

Ralph’s 12:30 flight on Tuesday, February 8th out of Port-Au-Prince into Miami was delayed 3 times, ultimately cancelled and another flight was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. My flight from New York arrived in Miami at 12:30 that same day; plenty of time to meet his 1:30 original arrival time. I was the 'hand off' person. I met up with LP and Rodney (another relief worker) in the airport. We heard about the delays but because Ralph did not have a phone, we had no way of knowing if he ever made the later flight. The airline is actually prohibited from telling anyone who is on a plane. When the plane from Haiti finally arrived and all the passengers appeared to come through the customs gate, Ralph was nowhere to be found. It was more than an hour after the plane had landed and we had no idea where he was. Not only are customs and immigration agents hard to find, they don’t like to talk to the people waiting. They point and shrug and exhibit tremendous annoyance at anyone who dare ask them a question.

It was almost 9:30 p.m., 9 hours after my plane landed and I still didn't know if Ralph was even in the United States. I was starting to stress which is something I seldom do. I have such confidence in The Universe, I always feel that as long as I do what I need to do and put my best foot forward, whatever is happening is what’s suppose to be happening. My job is to deal with it. OK, I was not dealing with it very well (I was frantic) so I looked around for some assistance; someone I felt I could appeal to in some way. A young uniformed man comes walking out of the customs gate and I’m confident I can work this. “Maybe you can help me – PLEASE”, I say, leaning in, I put my hand on his forearm. “I’ve been waiting here since 12:30. It’s now almost 10:30. I don’t even know if the child I’m waiting for is even here. No one will talk to me. Please, can you just tell me if he is here or not”? The agent looks around, takes out a pen and asks me for the passengers’ name. Ten minutes later the agent reappears, looks at me from a distance, shakes his head yes and points upstairs. I don't know exactly where "upstairs" is but I know it's not in Haiti and that's all I care about. I relax. An hour later, I get a phone call telling me Ralph will be down in ten minutes.

Ralph was interrogated for 3 ½ hours. “Where did you get these papers?” “Did you buy them”? “How long were you in Haiti?” “How long were you in the United States?”  He was asked the same questions over and over. One of the agents told him he would have to pay a $589.00 fine before they let him out. “How can I pay that if you won’t let me make a phone call?” Ralph answered wisely. Basically, it was 3 ½ hours of accusations that he falsified his documents. All they had to do was call me. I could have given them our Embassy contact in Haiti. OR, if they had looked at the document, they would have seen a name and number and made a call. Am I missing something? Are you allowed to hold a minor and deny him a phone call? One agent asked him if he wanted a bag of chips. “You better eat” he said. “You’re gonna be here for a while”. Ralph was told they could hold him for up to 12 hours and that he would have to go before an immigration judge. Thankfully, that never happened. They let him go and that's all that mattered. It was now Wednesday and we had a 1 p.m. flight to catch back to New York - out of Tampa!

That's happiness!!

to be continued......

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF RALPH SAINTILUS

“I finally got the passport this morning. THANK GOD!!” the email from Ralph came glaring from my Blackberry. It was the final document needed to extricate him from Haiti. Almost a year of jumping through hoops, everything we needed, except the airline ticket, was in place. I called American Airlines and had him scheduled on the 12:30 flight out of Port-Au-Prince the following day. You don’t want to wait too long because you never know what can happen in Haiti one minute to the next. Between the political unrest, the rioting, cholera; the government can shut the airport at any given moment.

Ralph was 9 when his father left his mother, remarried and took him and his new wife to the United States. They started a life in Pompano Beach, Florida and despite the fact that Ralph missed his mom, he loved his dad and was excited about living in a country he had heard so many amazing things about. Although he did not speak a word of English, he quickly assimilated, mastered the language, made friends and was doing well in school. Everything seemed to be perfect until one day his stepmother, using the ruse of going to visit his family, took him back to Haiti. Once there, she handed him $100 dollars, took his passport and Green Card and headed straight back to Florida. After six years of living in Florida, going to school and making a life, at 15 he found himself alone and without any identification in Port-Au-Prince. Even his birth certificate was back in Florida. Haiti is not a country you want to be in without ID. You cannot go to school, get a cell phone or do much of anything for that matter, without ID.

Ralph found his way back to his mom who was barely managing, living in a small, one room hovel with her 5 year old daughter, Ralph’s new half sister. The following day, he called his stepmother's cell phone, "I'm in Miami", she said. "Miami!!" Ralph screamed in disbelief, "How about me??" "You're gonna be there for a while - get use to it", she snapped back and hung up. He cried for weeks. One week later, after continually trying to call home, the numbers were changed. That was the last he heard from them.

Ralph lived with his mom and little sister, scraping together barely enough to sustain themselves. Cramped inside this tiny room, Ralph would occasionally sleep on the roof but the frequent heavy rain made it impossible to make the roof his home. He left within a month because he knew he was a tremendous burden on his mom. From his mom’s roof he went to his aunt’s house and asked if he could stay with her. She was sweet and kind and welcomed him but after three months it became too difficult for her to care for Ralph. She had two children of her own and was struggling to keep them fed. She told him he had to leave.

With no place to go, Ralph found a few pieces of wood and some old sheets and made a shelter for himself in the outskirts of Port-Au-Prince. He lived there, with 2 other street kids, doing odd jobs for pennies or scraps of food. When it rained, he would leave his makeshift tent to find better cover for the night. For almost a year, he lived like this, barley surviving, until January 12th, 2010. The earthquake changed everything. With fluency in English and Creole, Ralph was a valuable commodity to the thousands of relief workers. With inner ambition and a strong desire to help, he dug in. While assisting with transports, search and rescues and working as a translator for doctors, he had access to food. His daily struggle to survive was at least temporarily, over. As a gift for his hard work and translating skills, a doctor gave him a good tent. He parked himself outside of Haitian Community Hospital and his life as a relief worker began.

On April 2nd, 2010, I met Ralph immediately after arriving in Haiti. He was my right hand man: my translator, body guard, and keeper of my backpack. I don’t think I was there 24 hours before I started questioning him about his perfect English and his clearly American way. When he told me what happened, not only was I appalled at the recklessness of his father and stepmother, I was determined to get him home, here, back in the United States where he belongs. Ten months later, he is here. Amen and God Bless America!

A million thanks to Paul Waggoner, Eileen S., David C., Lisa A., and Pius D. Without these people, this doesn’t happen. These are the people who stuck their necks out, giving their time and expertise to see this through. In addition, they put up with me - never easy.

p.s. Although this act of abandonment sounds horrific by our standard of decency, it happens enough to Haitian children to earn them a name; “throw backs”.

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction at all, both are transformed.”

FOR "MISSION TO HAITI" CLICK ON "2010" IN THE ARCHIVES AND CLICK ON "APRIL"

MOVIE REVIEW: THE KING'S SPEECH

I was more than a little skeptical walking into the theater to see The King's Speech. It appeared to me that the movie was calculatingly put together to win an Oscar. It has every ingredient known to lure the Academy: rich history, the Royal Family, perfect costuming, impending war, a disability and a skilled and seasoned cast. Before I even sat down I was feeling manipulated. In case you haven’t noticed, I expect a lot from a movie. I’m restless by nature and for me to sit in a movie theater for over 2 hours; I want to be entertained and so engrossed, I don’t notice the time. Regardless of the movies’ occasional slow moments, the Weinstein brothers (The Reader, A Single Man and watch for Blue Vlanetine) pull it off. I loved it. The movie is about an unlikely but profound friendship. With all its lavishness, it is just that simple.

World War II is heating up and the recently crowned King George VI (played perfectly and brilliantly by Collin Firth), has a big problem. It's up to him to bring England together as a nation, to boost morale and strengthen its resolve against Hitler. But that's hard to do when you can’t string two words together. The king is seriously hampered by a very nasty speech impediment and he must give the crucial rallying speech to his nation and not only not stutter; he must give the speech of a lifetime. Can he do it?

Fortunately, at the advice of his always-supportive wife, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Helena Bonham Carter) he's been meeting with a groundbreaking speech instructor, Lionel Logue - actually an unsuccessful actor, played by Geoffrey Rush (who manages to do incredible things with this role). The relationship between the two men, although adversarial at first, inevitably develops into something quite close, and crucial. Yes, there are the peripheral details of the war, the stammer, the cold and abusive father but it is the friendship of these two men that is not just the heart of the film, but also the point of the film.

The period set decoration and costumes are impeccable. The direction of Tom Hooper (best known for helming the HBO John Adams mini-series) is never dull, as he keeps things moving along at a respectable pace. Along the way, Michael Gambon and Guy Pearce show up in supporting roles as members of the royal family. Timothy Spall plays Winston Churchill for the second time in his career (previously in Jackboots On Whitehall) The involvement of these actors is always a good thing.

You will walk out of the movie theater thinking, “This is not the best movie I have ever seen but an excellent one”. And… it will stay with you long after you leave the theater. I love that.

Lionel Logue and his wife Mertyle Gruenert

p.s. In a newly-discovered handwritten letter on Buckingham Palace notepaper, dated February 28, 1952, Queen Elizabeth told Logue that her husband had owed him a debt of gratitude for helping him not merely with his stutter, but his whole life.

"I think that I know perhaps better than anyone just how much you helped the King, not only with his speech, but, through that, his whole life, and outlook on life," she wrote to Logue one year before his death. "I shall always be deeply grateful to you for all you did for him." Of the King, she added: "He was such a splendid person, and I don't believe that he ever thought of himself at all. I did so hope that he might have been allowed a few years of comparative peace after the many anguished years he had to battle through so bravely. But it was not to be." Queen Elizabeth's letter to Logue was unearthed by the Australian speech therapist's grandson, Mark, among family papers a few months ago.

MOVIE REVIEW: True Grit

I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t love this movie as much as everybody else. I liked it, I didn’t love it. In “True Grit,” the Coen brothers play it very straight. The masters of caustic satire return to the western, but not with the tension of “Blood Simple” or the bizarre wickedness of “No Country for Old Men.” Instead, their adaptation of the 1968 Charles Portis novel (and not, it must be stressed, the 1969 Academy Award-winning John Wayne vehicle) is largely a return to the genre’s classical form.

The elements for a success — albeit not of the sort one typically expects from the Coens — are there: sharp banter, flawed lawmen and the imposingly beautiful Roger Deakins-helmed images of characters set against the endless Texan (Arkansas in the tale) countryside. In true Coen fashion, a classic is repeatedly evoked: “The Night of the Hunter,” in the haunting rendition of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” on the soundtrack, figures facing an unknown, tangible terror and the ways pockets and bursts of light illuminate the characters’ hardened faces.

Yet in spite of all the movie does right, it succumbs to a pervasive rote quality that latches onto the journey of United States Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) and 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), who has hired the former to avenge the murder of her father.

“True Grit” is never funny enough or tense enough for the approach to work. The humor is found in Mr. Bridges’s misguided approach to Cogburn, playing him as an indecipherable drunk, and the character’s growling about Texas versus Arkansas boys, etc., with Mr. Damon’s better-conceived egotistical LaBoeuf. The search for Chaney is secondary to the squabbling and as such — despite the best efforts of newcomer Hailee Steinfeld — never takes on the urgency that should accompany the pursuit. The danger of such an ambitious sojourn through lawless territory is submerged by its overarching one-dimensionality, the bad guy’s overall lack of screen time and the concurrent downgrading of the proceedings from a life-or-death struggle to a fun adventure for the trio.

If you’re dead set on seeing it, you better run out and see it soon. I don’t see it sticking around for long regardless of its great reviews. It is not worth renting as the best thing about the movie, the cinematography, will be lost on a TV (unless you have a 72 inch flat screen).