Deja Vu

Like you, I've been watching Chris Christie's unfolding bridge scandal with a combination of horrified fascination and an eerie sense of déjà vu.

It's all so Nixonian, with "I am not a bully" replacing "I am not a crook" as the iconic catchphrase. Of course, Nixon turned out actually to be a crook, and I have no doubt that New Jersey legislators who have crossed swords with the combative governor in the past will start trotting out other examples of his bullyboy style.

As of this writing, there is still no smoking gun connecting Christie directly to the bridge closure. But he has the reputation of being a control freak, to put it mildly, and it strains credulity to believe that his closest aides would dare to pull this off without his OK.

What's harder to understand is why politicians engage in such risky behavior, especially when it's so unnecessary. Nixon was already coasting to re-election in 1972. The economy was on the upswing, the Democrats were in disarray, the country was dazzled by his opening to China, and Henry Kissinger had come back from the negotiations with the North Vietnamese in Paris announcing, "Peace is at hand." (It wasn't, but we didn't know that at the time.)

So why did Nixon need to gild the lily by breaking into DNC headquarters at the Watergate? Why did Christie, who was already riding a 22-point lead in the polls, need to bludgeon Democratic mayors into endorsing him? And why did he - or, at least, his closest aides - take it so personally when one mayor refused, to the point of retaliating by paralyzing his city for four days?

I think the answer is that some very neurotic people get into politics. Nixon's mental problems are well known, and Christie may have been scarred for other reasons.

Sometimes a neurosis can be an asset in politics, especially if it makes you obsessive in pursuit of your goal. But neurosis also has a downside: Like actors, politicians often confuse the cheers of the crowd with love. And the more cheers they get, the more loved they feel.

So for Nixon, it wasn't enough to win 49 states; he wanted all 50. He wouldn't settle for a landslide; only an avalanche would do. And he was willing to take some serious risks to get it.

Ditto for Christie. He wanted to pad his victory margin so badly, he wasted $12 million of the taxpayers' money scheduling a special election for a vacant Senate seat in October rather than waiting for the regular election a month later, just so he wouldn't have to share the ballot with a popular Democrat - Newark Mayor Cory Booker - who was running for the Senate.

Nixon's won his big victory, but his risky behavior ended up destroying his presidency. And while Christie might be able to salvage his job as governor – but not if any more evidence linking him to the closure or the "traffic study" cover-up pops up – he can forget about being president. I'll bet Rand Paul, Paul Ryan and Ted Cruz are already preparing their attack ads.

Marx was right: "History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce."

Reach Martin Snapp at catman@sunset.net.

Telephone Talk

Ten years ago, gerontologist Terry Englehart was working as senior resources director at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Oakland, matching elders with services that could help them.

"In helping these people, I realized that no matter what their problem, they all shared one thing in common: They were really isolated," she says. "And there were not enough services to help them break through that isolation. What could I do?"

Then she heard about a program in New York called University Without Walls," which offers classes to seniors via telephone.

Bingo! She got a brilliant idea: Why not set up telephone discussion groups for homebound seniors? After all, who doesn't know how to use a telephone?

Thus was born Senior Center Without Walls, a free telephone community for California elders. 

She started out with only six people talking once a week. Today, Senior Center Without Walls offers more than 60 discussion groups each week, ranging from the light-hearted (jokes, pets, food, knitting, movies, and real-time games of Bingo and Boggle) to the serious (depression support, coping with loss, combating elder fraud and living with chronic pain).

On Thursday mornings you can join "Armchair Bird Watching," where you'll discuss the feathered friends you see out your window.

This winter and spring, SCWW will offer armchair trips to Italy, Ireland, Tunisia and Prague, featuring virtual tours by volunteers who have just returned from those places.

Senior Center Without Walls has been honored by the American Society of Aging, the International Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, and the Jefferson Award for Public Service. It's hard to think of another organization that does so much good for so many people for so little cost.

SCWW is sponsored by Episcopal Senior Communities, but it is strictly non-denominational. And IT'S FREE! All you have to do is call 510-444-5974 (or 1-877-797-7200 toll-free), and they'll send you a catalog.

Despite Episcopal Communities' generous sponsorship, Terry and her tiny staff – volunteer coordinator Amy Schaible and program administrator Susan Lee Linderman – still have a few expenses to meet, including the cost of the calls, so if you'd like to contribute, send a tax-deductible check to Senior Center Without Walls, 114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland CA 94610.

You can help in other ways, too, by sharing your own life skills. For instance, Sarah Kidder of Oakland, who is in her thirties, conducts a weekly group called Tech Talk, where she demystifies the Internet for seniors.

In a little less than 10 years, Terry Englehart has accomplished a wonderful thing. She has liberated hundreds of seniors whose ailments confined them first to their homes, then to their bedrooms, and finally to their beds. She has broken through their isolation and made life worth living again.

Alas, last week Terry called it a career. She and her husband Steve will enjoy a well-earned retirement, starting with a long-delayed trip to Italy.

But Amy and Susan are still there. And SCWW has found the perfect person to succeed Terry: Krista Brown, a longtime worker in the senior care field who is brimming with enthusiasm about maintaining Terry's legacy and taking it to the next level.

If you know a homebound senior who could benefit from this wonderful service, please let them know about it. You'll be doing them a big favor.

The Play's The Thing

As you probably know, one of my favorite places is Children's Fairyland in Oakland. It's an oasis of gentleness, scaled to the size of a small child and guided by the principle established back in 1950 by its co-founders, William Penn Mott and Arthur Navlet: "No straight lines and a surprise around every corner."

I love the animals, who live far beyond their normal life spans because of the TLC they get. I love the lack of conventional "rides." I love the storytellers and the puppet shows and Willie the Whale.

But most of all, I love the Children's Theatre Program, which selects 30 kids ages 8 to 10 each year and turns them into accomplished performers. The kids gain theater skills in acting, improvisation, singing and dance, as well as life skills like teamwork, leadership, cultural understanding and confidence. And they have a ton of fun in the process.

This year, they're going to perform "Ozma Of Oz" (the first Oz story Fairyland has done in more than a decade), a Latin American story called "Bear Print" and another tale yet to be determined.

And that's just the beginning. They also serve as Fairyland's ambassadors to the outside world. Playing their storybook characters, they greet visitors to the park ("Hi. I'm Snow White. Welcome to Fairyland.") and represent Fairyland at public events, including the Piedmont July 4^th Parade and the Oakland Holiday Parade.

But to me, their most important role is as mentors and role models for the younger kids who visit the park. They paint the little ones' faces, read to them, assist them with arts and crafts and hold their hands and help them find their parents if they get lost.

They also caution the little tykes not to cross the Magic Pink Line in front of the puppet stage because if they cross it, the puppets will get scared and run off the stage. (Cynics might say the real reason is that if you get too close, you can see the strings.)

I once saw a Fairyland Personality painting a daisy on a little girl's cheek, and the adoration on the younger child's face said it all: She was stunned that a big kid was being so kind to her. And it was clear that what she wanted more than anything else in the world was to be the same way when she became a big kid herself.

Auditions for the 2014 class of Fairyland Personalities will take place January 25 and 26. You can start the ball rolling by registering online (or downloading a faxable PDF) at fairyland.org and clicking on the Children's Theatre Auditions button on the lower left corner.

At the audition your child will be asked to perform a two-minute performance, at least one minute of which must be an oral recitation of a memorized poem or monolog. For the other minute, he/she can either continue the oral presentation or sing, dance or play an instrument. A tape/CD player and MP3 jack will be available.

"You don't have to live in Oakland to be a Fairyland Personality, and no previous theatrical experience is necessary," says Children's Theatre Program Director Doyle Ott. "What we're looking for is children who love to sing, act and dance."

Go for it, kids! And good luck!

Foster Kids Need Homes!

Have you heard the Sleep Train commercials urging you to donate to foster kids, under the slogan "Not everyone can be a foster parent, but anyone can help a foster child?"

There are more than 400,000 children in this country in need of foster care, but they are virtually invisible to the rest of us, which is part of the problem. But I do know a bona fide foster care expert: Lily Dorman-Colby, a former foster child herself.

Lily not only overcame the odds – only a small percentage of foster kids graduate from college – to get a full scholarship to Yale, she's now a third year student at UC Berkeley's Boalt Law School, where she's devoting her career to advocating for better foster care policies.

"I appreciate what Sleep Train is trying to do, but I have mixed feelings about that slogan because I want people who are qualified to seriously consider being foster or adoptive parents as a way of expanding their families," she says.

"For instance, both at Yale and after Yale at law school, I've had professors come and talk to me about being foster parents, and they thought they weren't qualified! Some of my favorite teachers, the ones who go all out for their students, were afraid to become foster parents. It was preposterous to me because these are precisely the people we need – people who are or could be dedicated to helping their children physically, emotionally and educationally."

And she's practicing what she preaches. She and her fiancé Scott have already fostered two children, for which they were honored as "Unsung Heroes" on Dec. 9 by the Youth Law Center in San Francisco.

And she remembers all too well what life as a foster child was like.

"They say that moving is very traumatic on children, and that's when you're moving with your family. Think how much worse it is to be moving without your family! So foster kids not only have to endure abuse and neglect before they enter the foster system, they have to experience the trauma of being torn from the only family they've ever known.

"And with a huge gap between the number of kids needing foster homes and the number of homes available, the social workers can't afford to be choosy. Basically, all they're looking for is a bed."

What these kids need more than anything else is someone like you. If you'd like to explore the possibility of becoming a foster parent – or, even better, adopting a foster child – Lily recommends going through an agency rather than contacting the county directly.

"They're better at certifying somebody and supporting them than going through the county," she says. "They'll train you and license you and help you get higher reimbursement rates."

She says there are "a ton" of good agencies out there - including senecacenter.org, aspiranetadoption.org and agapevillages.org - but I'd recommend doing your own Internet search and choosing the agency that feels right for you.

And if you'd like to donate to the Youth Law Center, visit ylc.org or send a tax-deductible check to 200 Pine Street, Suite 300, San Francisco 94104.

"Parenting is described by many as the joy of their life and the most difficult thing they've ever done, says Lily. "And that's true of foster parenting and adoption, too."

What Color is Santa?

Is Santa Claus white?

That's what Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly said last week, touching off a firestorm of criticism.

So I thought I'd put the question to Santa himself – in the person of Ron Zeno, who has been playing Santa at Children's Fairyland in Oakland since 1995.

He burst out laughing, but it was one of those cases when you have to laugh to keep from crying.

"I don't see Santa as black or white," said Zeno (who is, in case you're curious, African American). "And neither do the kids. To them, I'm just plain old Santa. Every once in a while a parent will say, 'Oh, a black Santa!' But the kids never do."

But Kelly went even further, adding, "Jesus was a white man, too. He was a historical figure. That's a verifiable fact, as is Santa. I just want the kids watching to know that."

There are almost too many factual errors in that statement to count. For one thing, Santa is not a historical figure.

Yes, he was modeled on St. Nicholas, a theological heavyweight - he was one of the signers of the Nicene Creed - who lived in Asia Minor (now known as Turkey) in the third century. But he has historically been portrayed with dark skin, like the other people who lived in the area.

The modern-day white Santa was invented by the Dutch and Germans and given his present look by poet Clement Clark Moore, cartoonist Thomas Nast, and the Coca-Cola company.

But – and I know this is going to come as a shock to Megyn Kelly – he's not real.

As for Jesus, does anyone seriously believe that an Aramaic-speaking, first century Middle Eastern Jew had blue eyes, white skin and flowing blond hair? He does in American movies from the 1950s, which is probably where Kelly got the idea. But no serious Biblical scholar believes it.

In 2001 the BBC hired a forensic archaeologist from the University of Manchester to examine a skeleton of a first century Middle Eastern Jew and use computer technology to create a reasonable facsimile of what he must have looked like. Not surprisingly, the reconstruction revealed that he had a broad face and a large nose.

Meanwhile, an Old Testament scholar at Duke analyzed portraits of third century Jews and found they had dark skins and short, curly hair.

And Saint Paul would agree. In First Corinthians he says it is "disgraceful" for a man to have long hair. Although he never met Jesus, he did meet people who knew Jesus intimately, including St. Peter. Do you think he would have condemned a hairstyle that Jesus wore?

The bottom line is that by saying Jesus is white, you're saying God is white. Just who is creating whom in whose image?

Kelly has replied to the criticism with the standard can't-you-take-a-joke response. But it's not a joke to little kids of color, who have just been told they're second-class humans. It's not only cruel, it's gratuitously cruel.

As an old hymn from my youth says, "Jesus loves the little children/All the children of the world/Red, brown, yellow, black or white/They're all precious in His sight/Jesus loves the little children of the world."

Little kids understand this instinctively. Why is it so hard for grownups?

Business Is Mushrooming

 

L-R: Alex, Martha (clutching a Mushroom Kit) and Nik

The last time I wrote about Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Aurora, they had just returned from the Netherlands, where their new business, BTTR Ventures (short for "Back To The Roots") beat more than 1,500 contestants worldwide to win $10,000 in the 2009 World Challenge Competition for Social Ventures.

It all started a year earlier, when Alex and Nik met in a business class during their senior year at Cal. Hearing that Peet's Coffee was throwing out tons of used coffee grounds every week, they approached Peet's with a better idea: Give us the grounds, and we'll haul them away for free and use them to grow organic oyster mushrooms.

After perfecting the product through trial-and-error experiments in the kitchen of Alex's fraternity house, Beta Theta Pi, they approached Whole Foods, which agreed to sell the mushrooms in its stores.

But as soon as they got back from The Hague, they decided to scrap their successful business model. Instead of growing mushrooms on acres and acres of used coffee grounds, they figured, why not make inexpensive do-it-yourself home gardening kits and empower the customers to grow their own?

So was born the Mushroom Kit. All you have to do is open the box and spray it once a day (sprayer provided), and voila! Your very own countertop mushroom garden.

That's when business really took off. The Mushroom kits are being sold practically everywhere, including Whole Foods, Nordstrom, Safeway, Petco, Home Depot and Toys 'R' Us, where you can usually find them near the Water Blasters at the front of the store.

After starting out with just the two of them, Alex and Nick now employ 12 people at their headquarters in the Oakland produce district and another six at their satellite office in Union City.

"And last April we were able to start providing health care for them, which is really exciting," says Alex.

Along with fortune came fame. Last year, Alex was a contestant on ABC's "The Bachelorette," where he vied with 24 other guys for the hand of the lovely Emily Maynard. (He got eliminated on Week Six, but he still had a lot of fun.)

Meanwhile, Nik was invited to the White House last year not once but twice to be honored by President Obama.

And this year they have a new product: the AquaFarm, a combination herb garden and fishbowl in a closed system: The plant roots clean the water, and the fish poop feeds the plants. All you have to do is add fish food.

The Mushroom Kit and AquaFarm have been honored by Fitness, Family Circle, Forbes and Maxim magazines, ABC News, Rachael Ray, Bloomberg News, Entrepreneur Magazine and Martha Stewart, who had Nik and Alex on her show and named the AquaFarm one of her Top 10 American Made products for this holiday season.

The AquaFarm comes with a gift certificate for one Beta fish at Petco and seeds for wheat grass, basil and purple lettuce. But you can use any kind of fish and plants you want.

"People have added shrimp, snails and crabs and made their own ecosystems, which is really nice," says Nik. "And as for plants, we just got a rave review from one of the largest medical marijuana sites on the Internet, Medijane.com."

Dear Santa

"Dear Santa, I want to meet Justin Timberlake. Pretty please! Love, Jen."

"Dear Santa, You got to go on a diet. Plus, give me 100 more wishes. Thanks, Kashyap."

"Dear Santa, I am so thankful that you visit me every year. I am very alone. My father died, and I am an only child. So to me, you are my father. I want to thank you for being in my heart and being present in my favorite holiday. Love, Alexis."

Once upon a time, letters like these ended up in the Dead Letter Office. But for the past 27 years, they have gone to the Main Post Office in Oakland, which invites the public to read and answer them.

"You don't necessarily have to send a gift," says MaryGrace Cruz, the USPS's Consumer & Industry Contact Manager. "The children appreciate just knowing that somebody out there cares."

But, of course, if you're moved to send a present, too, nobody's going to stop you. To participate, call the Santa Hotline at 510-874-8737, and one of Santa's Helpers will be more than happy to assist you.

In the meantime, here's more of what our kids are thinking this holiday season. Once again, they never fail to surprise.

"Dear Santa, I have been good all year. I didn't get in trouble and I got very good grades. This year all I want is a phone. It can be any type you want but PLEASE don't get me a used phone! Love, Prab. P.S. I will leave cookies and milk for you."

"Dear Santa, I would like to say hello. I know you couldn't get me anything last year, but that's OK. I don't insist on you bringing me anything this year, but it would really make me very happy. The elves might be too busy working on other toys, and I don’t want them to have too much work. But if they want to make me something, they can. Merry Christmas. Sincerely, Daniel."

"Dear Santa, How is it going in the North Pole? Is this Santa reading this or an elf? Thank you for reading my Christmas list. I hope you have an awesome Christmas! From Niki."

"Dear Santa, I just wanted to ask if you're OK. I also want to tell you how well I have been doing in school by working really hard on my homework, class work and tests. My parents don't have enough money because my dad works only two or three days a week in construction. I just want to thank you for reading my letter and tell you that God blesses you for everything you do. Sincerely, Sergio."

"Dear Santa, How are you? Are you and the elves making progress this year? I am really excited for Christmas! This year I would like new socks, and a phone case for a 3GS would be nice, too. Those electric cars are pretty cool also. I also need a hair pick for my American Girl when I curl her hair. I hope this isn't too much for you to handle. You don't have to get me every single thing on the list, but most of it would be nice. Love, Faith."

"Dear Santa, I would like a dog that looks just like my old dog Chloe. She was a Boston terrier. I almost forgot: and a lot of bracelets. I hope you get a lot of cookies for Christmas. Thank you, Natalie."

"Dear Santa, How are you? I want to thank you for bringing me everything I asked for. I wish I could meet you one day to give you hugs and tell you how much I love you. I want to ask you if you can bring me a tablet. If you can't it's OK. I'm still going to love you. (Unsigned) P.S. Fly safely."

"Dear Santa, How are you doing up there in the North Pole? How is Mrs. Clause? The things that would make me happy this Christmas are an NBA jersey and the LeBron James movie. Have a jolly and happy Christmas! Thank you, Andrew."

"Dear Santa, How have you been? Hope to see you some time soon! I have missed you! Is it OK to ride in your sleigh? I would love to! And please tell my parents to take me to see 'Frozen!' Love, June."

"Dear Santa, HI. My name is Elizabeth. We just moved to San Jose because our room in Los Angeles caught on fire. This year, all I want to ask you for is some clothing and shoes for my brothers and me. My mother has been a single mom for a long time, and I admire her because she's always been there for us and always finds ways to support us even through we've been through a lot. Santa, I'll understand if you can't help us this year. Last year we received your letter saying you couldn't make it to our home. I hope you can this year."

"Dear Santa, I would like a doll and cash for my college fund. $2 million would be good. (Unsigned)"

"Dear Santa, I am 11 years old and I have always wanted a computer to do my homework. Please try to bring me one. Santa, I trust you. Also, I believe in you. My name is Kimberly."

"Dear Santa, I wish you a Merry Christmas. The only thing I want for the next year is that my parents and grandparents will be healthy!!! Love, Dennis."

"Dear Santa, Merry Christmas! Can I have a motorcycle, dirt bike, a big huge white bear, and please give water to the poor people. Love, Leila."

"Dear Santa, For this Christmas I want a baby brother. Love, Hailey."

"Dear Santa, I want all my brothers and sisters to get what they want. Love, Brian."

"Dear Santa, I have been a real good boy. Please bless me with love, joy and health, but most of all - gifts! Thanks, (Unsigned)."

"Dear Santa, I'm writing this letter not for me, but for someone else that I believe deserves to get something for Christmas. I work for a pediatric palliative care center, and we have a patient's sister who has been living her for over three months with her sister, who is very ill, and their parents. She is a very sweet, kind and loving girl. Her name is Anais. She is about nine years old. She loves anything with princesses, especially Disney Princess. She also likes to make bracelets and she likes Hello Kitty. Basically, she likes anything girly. I know whatever you bring her she would be very grateful for, and so would her parents since they are out of work at this point. So if you could help her in any way I would appreciate it. I believe she deserves to be happy. From someone who will always believe in you, no matter what age I am."