The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Archives - Page 15 of 56

Thoughts On Trains, Natural Gas, And The Interstate Highway System

By Chris Carosa on April 11, 2023

It was a lonely vigil.

And by “vigil” I mean Easter Vigil on Saturday night.

And by “lonely” I mean I was by myself, all alone in a church I never went to before. Betsy was staying with her recovering father and Peter was not feeling well.

Only I wasn’t alone. Parishioners packed St. James (aptly named because it’s in the City of Continue Reading “Thoughts On Trains, Natural Gas, And The Interstate Highway System”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged 1956, 1960s, Car and Driver, church, Class One, Easter, Eisenhower Interstate System, electric, Fredonia, hydro, Jamestown, John D. Rockefeller, Kathy Hochul, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Mass, Mendon, national defense, National Fuel Gas, national security, New York State, nuclear, power, public safety, rail, Railserve, renewable, Schuyler County, solar, St. James, Standard Oil, Vigil, Western New York, William Hart, wind

‘A Republic, If You Can Keep It’

By Chris Carosa on April 4, 2023

Remember the day. Remember the time.

Thursday, March 30^th. 5:03pm.

At least that was the date and time for me. I had just come out of the quarterly board meeting of the New York Press Association. Ironically, during that meeting, we had no idea of any breaking news. It’s likely the news didn’t break until we adjourned.

Perhaps, given the participants, the timing of the release was out of respect.

Not likely.

If you haven’t guessed by now, the event I’m referring to is the first time there was ever Continue Reading “‘A Republic, If You Can Keep It’”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Al Franken, Andrew Cuomo, anti-Trumper, Asa Hutchinson, banana republic, Ben Franklin, Democrat, Donald Trump, Duke lacrosse, Elizabeth Willing Powel, Hillary Clinton, indictment, Manhattan District Attorney, Mike Nifong, Nancy Pelosi, never-Trumper, politics, Rasmusson Poll, Republic, Republican, Rick DeSantis, Robby Mook, Rubicon, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Yahoo News/YouGov

There’s A Reason For That Spring In Your Step

By Chris Carosa on March 28, 2023

Can you feel that? I can. But I can’t describe it.

It’s somewhere between a tinge of excitement and elated joy. It’s anticipatory and present at the same time. It’s a satisfied grin, a certain bounce in my step.

Or, should I say, a certain “spring” in my step.

That’s it! It’s spring.

Disregard the fact the weather still thinks it’s winter. It’s not the precipitation that matters, Continue Reading “There’s A Reason For That Spring In Your Step”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries

On The Oscars, Bank Runs, And Picking Winning Stocks

By Chris Carosa on March 21, 2023

I’m not really a fan of awards shows. I’ve got a lot of other things to do besides watch celebrities celebrate each other. Oh, and don’t get me going on the value signaling.

But I do watch movies. Mostly old ones. Although for the first time in a long time, I actually saw one of the movies nominated for best picture. Only one of them. And I’m probably not alone in that category.

Top Gun: Maverick did something Hollywood really needed. It made people want to go to the theater again. You can count me among them. Granted, that was the only movie that compelled me since the last James Bond fiasco (see “Abandon Bond All Ye Who Enter,” Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, November 4, 2021).

In return for this gift, the powers that be nominated Top Gun: Maverick for “Best Picture.” It would never win, of course, but they truly believe it’s an honor merely to be nominated. But to make them feel less guilt, they’d have to nominate the film for a few other Continue Reading “On The Oscars, Bank Runs, And Picking Winning Stocks”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, bank run, Best Picture, Best Sound, Charles MacKay, Covid, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, FOMO, James Bond, Maverick, Oscars, Rochester Armory, Signature Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, stocks, SVB, Top Gun

How Banned Cartoonist Scott Adams Became The American Illuminati

By Chris Carosa on March 14, 2023

Johann Adam Weishaupt, Founder of the Illuminati Source: Art of Charm, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Everyone loves a good mystery. Everyone loves a good conspiracy. And, if you happen upon a good mystery interwoven with a good conspiracy, then you’ve got a best seller on your hands.

Just ask Dan Brown. He’s made a career writing trendy books that allude to the mysteries of the Illuminati. These include The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, both of which, along with Brown’s Inferno, have been made into movies starring Tom Hanks.

Brown writes of a popularized vision of the Illuminati. He is not alone in painting a picture of the clandestine group as a nefarious conclave set on world domination. Through the ages, many have used the Illuminati as their favorite punching bag. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Illuminati was “credited with activities ranging from the instigation of the French Revolution to the assassination of U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy.”

Josef Wages, author of The Secret School of Wisdom: The Authentic Rituals and Doctrines of the Illuminati and a board member of the Scottish Rite Research Society, explains the reason for this. He says, “There was a nice convenient vacuum and, until my book was Continue Reading “How Banned Cartoonist Scott Adams Became The American Illuminati”

Posted in Business Tips, Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Adam Weishaupt, Angels and Demons, Assassination, Ban, Beyonce, Dan Brown, Dilbert, Dilbert Reborn, French Revolution, Illuminati, Inferno, Ingolstadt, Jay Z, John F. Kennedy, Josef Wages, Locals.com, penetration, Perfectibilists, Real Coffee With Scott Adams, Rosser Reeves, Scott Adams, Scottish Rite Research Society, secret society, The Da Vinci Code, usage pull

Spaghetti & Tuna Fish

By Chris Carosa on March 7, 2023

Long ago, before Vatican II, before the FBI targeted Catholics as domestic terrorists, before many of our readers were even born, McDonald’s had a problem. Only they didn’t realize how big of a problem.

That realization would be left to a single franchise owner in Ohio. On January 13, 1959, Lou Groen opened his McDonald’s in Monfort Heights, Ohio. It was the first Golden Arches to appear in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.

You probably didn’t know this, but at that time Catholics represented about 87% of Monfort Heights’ population. And they were good, practicing Catholics. Old-time Catholics. (You know. Toe Blake, Dit Clapper, Eddie Shore. Those guys were the greats!)

Vatican II was still several years away, and Groen noticed something quite discouraging about his new venture. “On Friday, we only took in about $75 a day,” he said.

That was a problem. A big problem.

After researching what the Big Boys chain did, Groen approached McDonald’s owner Ray Kroc (who was very approachable then) and proposed the idea of selling a fish sandwich. The usually astute Kroc did something he rarely did. He made the wrong decision. He Continue Reading “Spaghetti & Tuna Fish”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Butera, Catholic, Cincinnati, Dad, depression, Dit Clapper, Eddie Shore, Filet-O-Fish, fish fry, fried bologna, Good Friday, grandma, grandpa, Hula Burger, Lent, lentil soup, Lou Groen, McDonald's, mom, Monfort Heights, Ohio, pizza, Pope John, Ray Kroc, Ridge Road, Salvator's Pizzeria, Sonny, spaghetti, Toe Blake, tuna fish, Vatican II

And The Jury Is Out

By Chris Carosa on February 28, 2023

I had jury duty last week. It worried me.

Do you remember the first time you got summoned for jury duty? This wasn’t my first time. It was my fourth time. Actually, I wasn’t surprised by the notice. I selected the third week in February last November when I opted for my one-time deferral after receiving the original summons back then. I was a high number (meaning a lower chance of being called), but given my schedule I couldn’t risk it. So I deferred.

My position as an elected official (on the Mendon Town Board) provided me with an exemption the first time I received jury duty. They’ve since changed the law and now Continue Reading “And The Jury Is Out”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged A1, Boyscout pants, Christmas Eve, Court Building, Diet Pepsi, Grinder, Honeoye Falls, Jury Duty, Mendon Town Board, Monroe County, Orchard Park, Rob Lowe, Sacred Heart, Village Court

You’re Either Living In The Past Or Living For The Future Because The Present Doesn’t Really Exist

By Chris Carosa on February 21, 2023

You’re either living in the past or living for the future because the present doesn’t really exist.

OK, that sounds a little harsh. Allow me to offer something a bit more palatable.

You’re either living in the past or living for the future because the present is a moment that lasts but a quick instant.

Think about it. It takes a lot of effort to constantly live in the present. It’s a constant churn to live for the day every single day. I suppose if you’re a hedonist, it might be a tad easier. Still, even then, you’ve got to be numb to withstand the constant movement of the Continue Reading “You’re Either Living In The Past Or Living For The Future Because The Present Doesn’t Really Exist”

Posted in Great Writing Tips, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Abbott and Costello, Christmas, Colonel Sandurz, Dark Helmet, future, Mel Brooks, Monty Python, past, Paul McCartney, present, Sirius Radio, Space Balls

The Return Of The King: Albany Aims To Take Away Your Home Rule

By Chris Carosa on February 14, 2023

British Parliament Stamp Act 1765, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s a slippery slope. Once the camel’s nose pokes into the tent, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the beast enters that humble abode.

And so it is with our own communities.

Or at least so it may soon be.

Don’t say you haven’t been warned. These pages brought this to your attention in a most blunt manner several years ago (see “First They Came For Our Plastic Bags…,” Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, February 6, 2020). Each year, it seems, Albany removes another right from our fingers.

Like a spreading disease, this usurpation creeps into the very heart of our lives. This year, it threatens our very communities.

It’s called “Home Rule,” and it’s part of existing New York State law. First paragraph of Section 10 (“General Powers of Local Governments to Adopt and Amend Local Laws “) of the New York Municipal Home Rule Law states:Continue Reading “The Return Of The King: Albany Aims To Take Away Your Home Rule”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged affordable housing, Kathy Hochul, King George, New York Housing Compact, New York Municipal Home Rule Law, Rick Milne, RuthAnne Visnauskas, Stamp Act, Steve Schultz

The Art and Science of Influence and Leadership (Part II: The Art)

By Chris Carosa on February 7, 2023

Original Sun-Maid package, Designer unknown, incorporates painting by Fanny Scafford, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

At some point, any effective exercise merges theory (the “science”) into practice (the “art”). Ironically, the following analysis of the art of influence and leadership predates the previously discussed science by roughly half a century or more.

That doesn’t mean this art didn’t follow science as you will immediately see.

The convergence of the art and science of influence and leadership can best be found in the field of advertising. Before Mad Men, before Madison Avenue, this field first blossoms in the not-so-quiet offices of the Chicago firm of Lord & Thomas.

You remember Lord & Thomas, don’t you? They were the “McMann and Tate” of the first quarter of the twentieth century. While it’s president Albert D. Lasker (a.k.a., “The Man Who Sold America” who The New York Times once called “The Continue Reading “The Art and Science of Influence and Leadership (Part II: The Art)”

Posted in Business Tips, Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Advertising, Albert D. Lasker, American Cancer Society, Anacin, Aristotle, Black Sox, Cicero, Claude C. Hopkins, Influence, John E. Kennedy, leadership, Logos, Lord & Thomas, M&Ms, Mad Men, Madison Avenue, market research, McMann and Tate, Palmolive, Pathos, Pepsodent, Planned Parenthood, Quaker Oats, reason why, rhetoric, Rosser Reeves, Salesmanship-on-paper, Schlitz, Soap Opera, Sun-Maid, Sunkist, Victor O. Schwab, Warren G. Harding