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A Christmas Letter

By Chris Carosa on December 22, 2011

[This Commentary originally appeared in the December 20, 1990 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Dear Gentle Reader:

As we find ourselves in the midst of the hectic holiday season, let us each make a personal commitment to enjoy the tranquil pleasance which surrounded that solemn manger scene some two thousand years ago.

Don’t get me wrong. In no way am I pressing piety on anyone. The aura of which I speak blesses all. The wonder of repose can – and should – be tasted by those Continue Reading “A Christmas Letter”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries

Ode to Curt’s Stop-In: An Era Ends

By Chris Carosa on December 15, 2011

Like a scene from The Wonder Years, I remember the feeling of youthful exuberance when, in the dark of evening, we crossed the six lanes of hectic highway as only reckless eight-year olds could. The thrice daily shift change left Route 5 abuzz with a cornucopia of cars – from speeding muscular sportsters to equally vigorous family sedans. I wasn’t looking at the traffic, though. Instead, my eyes fixed on the heavens above as I followed the path of a faintly glowing satellite arc through the starry sky blanketing us. I pointed it out to my friend, who also had a thing for astronomy. It was the early summer of 1968 and I was about to experience something I would never forget.

We survived the treacherous crossing and made a bee-line to a place I had never Continue Reading “Ode to Curt’s Stop-In: An Era Ends”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Bethlehem Steel, Blasdell, Buffalo, Curly Q's, Curt's Stop-In, family, Growing Up, Route 5, Woodlawn

Goodbye My Leather Jacket

By Chris Carosa on December 15, 2011

[This Commentary originally appeared in the December 13, 1990 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

It came to me in a plain brown cardboard box as I prepared to catch a midday flight to Washington DC four years ago. The dark brown many-pocketed WWII Bombardier’s Flight Jacket had caught my eyes a few weeks before. I really didn’t expect it to arrive before I left for the political conference. Imagine my joy when the UPS truck pulled up into my driveway.

Since my earliest days the spirit and the zest of the fighter jock secretly boiled far down within my soul. To counter this inner desire lay a cautious sense of responsibility. Yet, I could not deny deep-seated feelings. I knew, just like most people, I had undertaken some “daring” adventures. While not life threatening, these encounters certainly Continue Reading “Goodbye My Leather Jacket”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Don Cesar, Harmonica, leather jacket, Manning & Napier, politics, Reagan, Red River, South Lawn, Tampa, Washington DC, White House, Young Republicans

The New Pearl Harbor

By Chris Carosa on December 8, 2011

[This Commentary originally appeared in the December 6, 1990 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Thirty-nine years ago, the United States government misinterpreted some very clear signals being sent by the Japanese. Depending on your point of view, a very naïve or very calculating Franklin Delano Roosevelt failed to prepare for the growing military aggression Japan would soon unleash upon an unsuspecting United States.

In his best-selling book At Dawn We Slept, Gordon W. Prange maintains the Japanese should have never surprised the Continue Reading “The New Pearl Harbor”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Foriegn Policy, Japan, PAC, politics

How to Declare War

By Chris Carosa on December 1, 2011

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 29, 1990 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

What the Constitution says: The Constitution of the United States of America clearly states only Congress can declare war on another nation. Our founding fathers correctly determined the impropriety of putting an entire nation at risk as a result of one person having too much authority. Though naming him Commander-in-Chief, they astutely forbade the President from declaring war.

Constitutional scholars call this juxtaposition the separation of powers. The separation of powers between the three major branches of government creates a very durable system of Continue Reading “How to Declare War”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Commander-in-Chief, Congress, Constitution, Grenada, Gulf War, Iraq, James Madison, Korea, Kuwait, Libya, Panama, President George H.W. Bush, President Nixon, Saddam, Thomas Jefferson, Vietnam, War Powers Act

Fill Out The Old Mendon Cobblestone Firehouse Survey!!!

By Chris Carosa on November 24, 2011

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 22, 1990 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

(N.B.: The author is a member of the Old Mendon Cobblestone Firehouse Community Task Force and gratefully thanks everyone in the Mendon Fire District for completing their survey.)

By now, many of the households in the Mendon Fire District should have received their Old Mendon Cobblestone Firehouse Community Opinion Survey. Being only one page in length and with return postage provided, it’s very simple to fill out. In addition, it’s very Continue Reading “Fill Out The Old Mendon Cobblestone Firehouse Survey!!!”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged DiPalma's Restaurant, Honeoye Falls Rotary, Mendon, Mendon Academy, Mendon Business Association, Mendon Cobblestone Firehouse, Mendon Fire District, Mendon Town Republican Committee, Old Mendon Cobblestone Firehouse Community Task Force, St. Catherine's

Consumer-Oriented Cars

By Chris Carosa on November 17, 2011

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 15, 1990 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

The American automobile industry, and General Motors in particular, has failed to successfully incorporate consumer behavior into their American marketing efforts. Market share data clearly shows the industry’s poor performance. From 1978 to 1989, the market share of the Big Three (GM, Ford and Chrysler) has fallen from 82% to 67%. (“Detroit Under Siege,” The Economist, April 14, 1990). Furthermore, GM itself saw its market share drop from 46% in 1979 to 35% in 1989. (“Detroit’s Big Three,” The Economist, April 14, 1990). Only in light of overwhelmingly negative market share figures has GM finally begun to realign its organizational structure to address the critical consumer behavior issues.

GM’s Failure

We can see GM failed to recognize or successfully execute upon four basic assumptions of Continue Reading “Consumer-Oriented Cars”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Big Three, Chrysler, Detroit, Ford, Four Basic Assumptions of Consumer Behavior, General Motors, GM, Kansei, Saturn

White Cream Donuts

By Chris Carosa on November 10, 2011

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 8, 1990 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

To the world: I apologize. I confess to a vice of unimaginable corruption. I am truly sorry. In my regret, I confront a life-long affliction – my passionate ardor for… white cream donuts.

It began as a child. On bright sunny Sundays, my parents would take me, my brother and my sisters to the donut shop after church. As soon as my father parked the car, we would joyfully yank open the doors and leap out into the modest bakery. Inside, our nostrils filled with the warm sweet smell of freshly made donuts. We had Continue Reading “White Cream Donuts”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Donuts & Cream, Growing Up, M-Cubed, Mendon, Orchard Park, Wegmans, White Cream Donuts

The Environmental Bond Act – Why People are Voting “No!”

By Chris Carosa on November 3, 2011

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 1, 1990 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

(Author’s Note: What follows is a factual review of next Tuesday’s Ballot Box Proposition #1 – the 21^st Century Environmental Quality Bond Act. While I try to fairly present both sides of the issue, the reader should be aware that I am co-chairman of People for People and the Environment, a non-partisan grass roots organization which has taken a position in opposition to the Bond Act.)

Last spring, in the days following the 20^th anniversary of Earth Day, governor Cuomo and the rest of Albany agreed to offer voters of New York State a choice. Our state government has asked us if we will allow them to borrow nearly $2 billion for Continue Reading “The Environmental Bond Act – Why People are Voting “No!””

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Earth Day, Environmental Bond Act, Mario Cuomo, New York State, People for People and the Environment

The Dark Side: A Review of Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Robert B. Cialdini et al

By Chris Carosa on November 2, 2011

Luke: …Is the Dark Side stronger?
Yoda: No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.
Luke: But how am I to know the good side from the bad?
Yoda: You will know… when you are calm, at peace, passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.

In his first book, Robert Cialdini, psychology-professor-turned-marketing-guru wrote of his desire to learn “How to Say No” to itinerant marketers, aggressive solicitors and various other ne’er-do-wells. As a result, (and as I explain in my review of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion), Cialdini goes out of his way to show readers why we say “yes” when we don’t want to and how to say “no” when we should. Furthermore, in his follow-up book (see my review of Influence: Science and Practice) Cialdini extends his discussion of the six principles of persuasion to specifically include Continue Reading “The Dark Side: A Review of Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Robert B. Cialdini et al”

Posted in Book Reviews Tagged Behavioral, Compliance, Dark Side, Influence, Jedi, Luke, Persuasion, psychology, Robert Cialdini, The Force, Yoda

Chris Carosa