The Tell

On Sunday afternoon, 12 August 2018, Linda I. Meyers read from her published memoir, The Tell. The reading took place on the second floor of The Golden Notebook (9 Tinker St, Woodstock, NY 12498). In the audience were many fellow CPOA members and neighbors. A fascinating story told with verve and elan, and quite a sense of humor.

Linda I. Meyers was 28 and the mother of three young boys when her mother, after a lifetime of threats, took her own life. Staggered by conflicting feelings of relief and remorse, Meyers believed that the best way to give meaning to her mother’s death was to make changes to her own life. Bolstered by the women’s movement of the ‘70s, she left her marriage, went to college and received her Psy.D., raised a family, and established a fulfilling career.

Written with irony and humor and sprinkled with Yiddish, “The Tell” is one woman’s inspirational story of before and after, and ultimately of emancipation and purpose. With stories ranging from witty to heartbreaking, “The Tell” showcases Meyers’ talent as a gifted storyteller. She chronicles her experience coming of age in a dysfunctional Jewish family during the ‘40s and ‘50s, her summer romance with a boy who grew up to be fashion designer Ralph Lauren, the rise of feminism, and running a family acting business that led to her son landing a memorable role as young Alvy Singer in Woody Allen’s Academy Award-winning movie “Annie Hall.”

Phillipe Petit

On Saturday May 25, 2013, famed  high-wire artist Philippe Petit appeared in the Phoenicia Methodist church is a benefit for the Phoenicia Public Library. The Library details the appearance, with accompanying photos, in its Facebook page.

Last night at the Lobster

O'Nan, Stewart. (2007). Last night at the lobster. New York: Viking.

Book discussion, CPOA clubhouse.

Cowgirl

Holly George-Warren read excerpts from her new book, The cowgirl way : hats off to America's women of the West (2010). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Robert Burke Warren serenaded us with cowgirl (and cowboy) songs, including Dale Evans's Happy Trails to You.

Hanging out with the boys

After the tubing ends, the Esopus rambles on its way to, eventually, the Ashokan Reservoir. West of Route 212, east of Phoenicia, it meanders along. A small byway, Mount Pleasant Road, begins by the Antiques sign (at the east end of Emerson), Turn left if approaching from Phoenicia, or right if approaching from 212. Immediately after, there is an angler's parking area. Leave the car, and go ahead. No, that is not Stonehenge, just a whimsical collection of rock sculptures. On Monday, we took a walk along this stretch of the Esopus.

Outliers

Book discussion at the CPOA Community House, 10am.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: the story of success. (2008). New York: Little, Brown and Co.

Dewey Decimal number: 302 G

300 – Social sciences
302 Social interaction


The book is divided into two parts; in turn, each part is subdivided into chapters:


I. Opportunity

1. Matthew Effect
2. 10,000-hour rule
3. Trouble with geniuses, part 1
4. Trouble with geniuses, part 2
5. Three lessons of Joe Flom

II. Legacy

6. Harlan, Kentucky
7. Ethnic theory of plane crashes
8. Rice paddies and math tests
9. Marita's bargain

An Epilogue follows: a Jamaican story.

Several points of interest are raised; these are some of the hyperlinks that lead to some of these points:

Eli Wald. Legal Ethics and Legal Profession. Charles W. Delaney Jr. Associate Professor of Law. University of Denver. Gladwell cites Professor Wald's work in discussing Jewish law firms (in chapter 5). One of the professor's publications is The Rise and Fall of the WASP and Jewish Law Firms, 60 Stan. L. Rev. 1803 (2008). A companion paper by Professor Wald is: The Rise of the Jewish Law Firm or is the Jewish Law Firm Generic.

Reference is made to: Howe, Michael. Genius explained. (1999). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Harold C. Schoenberg is quoted as saying that "Mozart developed late."

Geert Hofstede's work on cultural dimensions is cited.

Concepts and programs:
TIMSS (http://nces.ed.gov/timss/) - Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
KIPP - KIPP: Knowledge Is Power Program

Other books mentioned:

Auchincloss, Louis. (2003). The scarlet letters. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Skadden.
Caplan, Lincoln. (2003). Skadden: power, money, and the rise of a legal empire. New York : Farrar Straus Giroux.




Googling certain terms and scouring the daily media produced other results:

Perfection in the Horseshoe Pit: an article in the New York Times directly relevant to Gladwell's thesis of 10,000 hours of practice.

Malcom Gladwell's new book Outliers The Story of Success: a blog post at Plaintiff Trial Lawyer Tips.