Vote As If Your Country Depended On It

DUKES FANS: “If you vote, it takes two people to overcome your ideas. But if you don’t vote, it only takes one” Ruth Edna Davis As usual, my mom’s advice was and is right on target. Election Day is less than 30 days away, and it is time to check your registration, and if you haven’t yet done so, register to vote. If you have paid even cursory attention to the news this year, you know that this is not only an unusual election but a supremely important one. This election may well be the one that determines the future structure, powers, functions, and direction that our republic will take for at least the next decade. It is vitally important that everyone who is legally able to do so register and then vote to have a say in this process. It is one of our opportunities and one of our duties as a citizen. If you do not like the outcome but did not vote, to me you have no right to complain. It is in our hands at this point, and we all need to step up. Registration deadlines for the tri-state area are October 12th-this Saturday- for Delaware, October15th for New Jersey, and Oct 21st for Pennsylvania. And if you are registered, it would probably be a good idea to check to make sure your registration is in order, especially if you have not voted in a while. Some states have removed people from the voter rolls, and they have not necessarily informed everyone who has been removed. Here is a link to a site that can help you find important registration and voting information: https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2024/state-voting-guides.html I hope you all participate in this process; it is essential to our republic remaining a republic.

Philly:One of The Rudest Cities in the United States?

DUKES FANS: “Be the change you wish to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi “Philadelphia Ranked Among Rudest American Big City” is what the headline read on a post that came across my phone a few weeks ago. As a lifelong resident and lover of Philadelphia, I was taken aback. My city was one of the rudest cities in the US?? My hometown?? What was going on? I read through the article and a link or two, and I was surprised by what I read. It seemed that the respondents to the questions posed in the study were residents of the cities that were being studied, and that they had to have lived there for at least a year. And the behaviors that the study focused on were things that mostly occur in ordinary, daily life, and could well be taken as indications of friendliness, rudeness, and/or self-absorption. They include not letting people merge into traffic; being too loud in public; not noticing, responding to, or helping strangers; not stopping for pedestrians, even at crosswalks, and being rude to service staff. This reminded me of a phrase that I grew up with and still try to apply today: “common courtesy.” And it seems to me as I consider that article on rude cities that “common courtesy’ has become quite uncommon in many places and at many times these days. I was raised in a working class African-American family in the 1950’s. My parents, particularly my mother, put a great stress on politeness and common courtesy. We were taught to say,” Please” and “Thank You.” If you needed to go past someone, you said, “Excuse Me,” and you said it BEFORE you started moving past them. If you were on a bus and an older person needed a place to sit, you offered your seat to them. And you tried not to be too boisterous in public. Of course, I was/am not perfect in all of these things, but they are still a part of my social DNA. And as the society around me changed, it brought new challenges to politeness and common courtesy. I first noticed it with electronic devices. People with boom boxes were sometimes not shy about letting you know that they had them, and that annoyed me, especially on public transit or when I was sitting in a park. Headphones and earbuds meant that people could be in public but also be somewhat oblivious to the fact that they were actually in public. They would sing along with the song they were listening to, and of course, when you are plugged in you need to be louder in order to hear yourself. Cell phones multiplied all of that, as people would have loud conversations as they walked down the street, waited in line at the coffee shop, and rode public transit. I was so happy when the “quiet car” became a feature on most commuter rail lines in the country. Before that I would overhear family arguments, profanity, relationship details, and even business deal details whether I wanted to or not. But COVID, to me, really damaged common courtesy the most. It was as if people felt cornered or trapped and denied something, so they had to take it out on someone and make people notice them. Driving too fast, ignoring traffic signals, blasting music out of their cars was an easy way to do that. And people started buying larger cars, more trucks and more SUV’s. The combined result of all of that was a marked increase in pedestrian and cycling deaths that is still with us. Service workers were treated with more rudeness, verbal abuse, and even violence. Transit workers, servers, and nurses all reported increases in workplace rudeness and violence; nearly half of all US nurses reported incidents of verbal abuse and physical violence in hospitals and clinics. COVID made me realize that I had to be sure I was being polite and courteous; I had to be sure that I was acting the way I wanted the world to be. I smile the vast majority of the time, and I say, “Hi”, and “Thank you” to servers, transit workers, and others who help make my life easier and more manageable. And I have noticed things improving a lot in the past year and a half, I am glad to say. It has been a while since I have seen someone cursing at a service worker or clerk in a market. Transit workers still have to put up with a lot, so I try to say, “Hi” to them and wish them a safe and good day. I don’t know if that reduces the “rudeness factor” that this study looked at, but I do not that I am doing my part. And I still love this city. And I do not want to leave. (Here is a link to the article about rudest cities, should you want to read it. https://preply.com/en/blog/rudest-cities/ And please feel free to share any thoughts, ideas, etc that you have about it and/or this newsletter)

The Magic and Beauty of Fall

DUKES FANS: The Continual Beauty of the Fall Autumn 2024 came into the Northern Hemisphere on Sunday, September 22 at 8:44 AM Eastern Standard Time. That is when summer officially ended and our Hemisphere began gradually moving into that time of shorter daylight, cooler weather, the movement of butterflies, birds and other wildlife species across state lines, and the slow, steady emergence of remarkable shades of color on thousands of trees, flowers, and shrubs. It is a magical time. This region has approximately equal amounts of time in each of the four seasons, and I love each of them. But spring and fall are my favorites. They both make me super aware of and grateful for the way the natural world around us can announce itself. Spring, like fall, is about big color changes in our surroundings, the movement of animals, and changes in their color. The difference, though, is that spring is bright; it seems somewhat flashier, quicker, and louder. The changes seem to happen more rapidly and more intensely. Fall, on the other hand, is more subdued; it is slower, quieter. I love them both, but this is the time that I resonate with that slower and quieter feel of autumn. Over the next month or so I will have the time to fully take in and experience the changes just as they happen. I can delight in how a given street, or yard, or tree or a particular garden gradually makes its way quietly through these changes. And then, suddenly, there is a whole new landscape in front of me-differently colored trees and bushes, longer hours of darkness, and the arrival of more differently colored birds. It is a subtler process than spring, but both of them present me with changed worlds. Fall is always magical to me; it never fails to re-awaken my joy and wonder in my surroundings. It was not always like this for me; when I was younger, fall had not really been a “special” time to me. It was nice, but it was not “special.” That all changed one October when I was 20 and taking a trip to visit friends in Rhode Island. I was riding the old Penn Central rail line from Philly to Providence, RI., and a few seats in front of me was a couple that was apparently super-excited about the trip. They kept getting out of their seats, walking to one side of the train and then the other, looking out the windows, and “oohing” and “ahhiing.” I watched this for a bit and was mystified. It was just a train trip, after all; what was the big deal? So I went up to them and asked what was going on; why were they going through all of this running around and looking out the windows? The man looked at me and said, “We’re from Los Angeles. This is our first time East-we have never seen fall before! We read about it and saw some photos, but this is our first time actually seeing it! It is incredible!” Just then the train was crossing the Connecticut River. Looking down, the view that hit our eyes was an unbelievable riot of all different shades of oranges, reds, greens, and yellow. And through their eyes I suddenly awoke to a new appreciation of the season. That trip started my revised relationship with autumn. I spent the rest of the train ride marveling at the beauty outside the train window, and by the time I reached Providence I was hooked on fall. I still revel in the fall. I still feel all the beauty and can express gratitude and amazement as I once again realize what this world presents me with the gifts that are there just waiting for me when I take the time to notice and appreciate them. Happy Autumn, everyone. Enjoy and experience the beauty and wonder of the mid-Atlantic fall.

Thank You!

DUKES FANS: “Sometimes, the best thing to say is to say nothing” Anonymous Those of you who have been on the Dukes’ mailing list for a while know that I like to share thoughts, ideas, questions, and observation about a whole bunch of things. I often talk about experiences that I have had in particular places that have wowed me, particular books, music, and musicians that I love, experiences with the weather, and much, much more. This week, however, I have nothing special to say. Nada. Zip. Nothing. No, nothing is wrong; there are no problems. I simply do not have much to say about anything this week that seems to merit being in this newsletter. Except to thank all of you who show up at Dukes’ gigs and concerts and have done so for over 38 years. And to say, to “Thank you” to those of you who have signed up for these e-mails. Sometimes a sincere, “Thank you” is more than enough to say. So, “Thank you!” (If you do want to read some of my thoughts and ramblings over the years, please feel free to check the “John’s Blog” section of our website: www.dukesofdestiny.com And note that the website is in the process of being updated. I will let everyone know when the updates are complete.)

The Importance of Voting

DUKES FANS: “Buddy, you have to vote in every election. Every one. People died so you could get this right, and if you don’t vote, then you are spitting on their graves Ruth Davis That is what my mother said to me when I was a kid and she would take me into the voting booth with her. Voting was almost a sacred ritual to Ruth Davis. My family was a working- class African-American family, and I was born after WWII. This was at the start of the postwar rise of the suburbs, the rise of the middle class, and the beginning of the social upheavals of the 1960’s- the Woman’s Movement, the counter-culture, and of course, the Civil Rights Movement. Both of my parents were Southern-born, and they lived through Jim Crow segregation, Ku Klux Klan violence, and limited economic opportunities for Blacks.We subscribed to the Philadelphia Tribune, Philadelphia’s black newspaper, Ebony magazine, and the Evening Bulletin newspaper. Our church held voting registration drives and took part in marches and demonstrations to, among other things , get Pepsi Cola to award franchises to Black beverage distributors. I grew up in a family that read about, talked about, and took part in important social and political issues. Mom and Dad wanted their kids to live in a world that offered more opportunities for their children than they had as they were growing up. So it was not a surprise that in high school I participated in numerous Civil Rights and Anti-Viet Nam War marches and protests. The voting age at that time was 21, and I used to stand on street corners with petitions calling for the voting age to be lowered to 18. At 18 we had to register for the military draft and could be sent off to Viet Nam; many of us thought we ought to at least have a say in picking who it might be the one who would send us there. In 1971 the 26th Amendment was passed, and the 1972 Presidential election was the first one in which 18 year- olds could cast a vote. I proudly voted in that election, and I have voted in every election since. I was not going to be spitting on any graves. I say all of this to urge people to register to vote in the upcoming November election and then to show up and actually vote. If you have paid even cursory attention to the news this year, you know that this is not only an unusual election but a supremely important one. This election may well be the one that determines the future structure, powers, functions, and direction that our republic will take for at least the next decade or so. It is vitally important that everyone who is legally able to do so register and then vote to have a say in this process. It is one of our opportunities and duties as a citizen. If you do not like the outcome but did not vote, to me you have no right to complain. Registration deadlines for the tri-state area are October 12th for Delaware, October15th for New Jersey, and Oct 21st for Pennsylvania. And if you are registered, it would probably be a good idea to check to make sure your registration is in order, especially if you have not voted in a while. Some states have removed people from the voter rolls, and they have not necessarily informed everyone who has been removed. Here is a link to a site that can help you find important registration and voting information: https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2024/state-voting-guides.html I hope you all participate in this process; it is essential to our republic remaining a republic.

The Wonderful Gift of An Early Fall

DUKES FANS: Gift of an Early Fall Week The weather last week was a wonderful relief from the intense weather we have had for so much of this summer. It seemed as if we either had extreme heat and humidity, or we had torrential rains. Few people were out of the house on those days, and most of those that were out were generally not in very good moods. We grumbled, turned up the AC, moaned about climate change, and missed the summers of our youth. It has been a rough summer weatherwise. But last week was different. The temperatures were in the normal range-mid 70’s to low 80’s. The humidity was low for the whole week, and there were nice, easy breezes accompanying us when we were waking. The sun was out, and the sky put on marvelous shows of thick and curvy clouds seeming to dance in the bright skies. It was wonderful. Wednesday of last week I was looking for a book I had read several years ago, and I went online to see which Free Library branches had it. There were two copies available for circulation, one at a library near me and one at the Central Library Main Branch of the Free Library in Center City. I suddenly realized that, somehow, I had been to the Main Branch only once or twice this year, and not at all this summer. So I decided to do that, and I am so glad that I did. I trained into Center City and walked from City Hall to the library on 19th street, going most of the way along the Ben Franklin Parkway, a route I have taken literally thousands of times in my life. It was glorious: folks of all ages were out strolling, and many of them were friendly, smiling, saying, “Hi,” and waving. I walked The Parkway past the library down to 22nd Street, reveling in the beautiful weather and the vibes. There were tourists in front of The Barnes Foundation, The Academy of Natural Sciences and The Franklin Institute. There were folks sitting and eating lunch and playing with kids in Logan Circle. And as I walked, I had that wonderful downtown experience of seeing people from a variety of ethnic groups and nationalities and hearing a variety of languages being spoken freely and loudly. It was a great walk. And then I went into the library itself. I have always thought of libraries as sacred places. The 52nd and Sansom Branch and the Haverford Avenue Branch were places that I went to as a kid, and the librarians were so helpful. They answered my questions, helped me find books, and in a very real way, helped me become the ever-curious and questioning person that I am today. And when I went to junior high at Masterman and discovered that I only had to walk a few blocks to get to the Main Branch, that was all taken to a whole other level. It was truly wondrous and magical. Frist off, I loved the design of the building. It was both grand and welcoming at the same time. And I loved the size of the place: the rooms, the stairs, the high ceilings. It was clear that this was a place of honor and significance; a cathedral to learning and to the possibilities it could help bring into being. I spent some time in some of my favorite sections of the building: the Social Science and History Department, the Main Lending Room, where I found the book I was looking for, and the Music Listening Room. The Listening Room was where I spent hours as a high schooler listening to tons of records I could not afford to buy. It is where I heard Muddy Waters, Lightning Hopkins, Miles Davis, and The Alan Lomax Southern Folk Heritage Series, among many, many more. The room has changed over the years, of course; there are now videos, CDs, DVDs, and cassettes in addition to LP’s. And you can now borrow instruments! There were guitars to borrow, of course, but there were also violins, tablas, steel drums, kalimbas, mandolins, and ukuleles all available for folks who maybe wanted to play an instrument but could not afford to buy one. It was wonderful and powerful being back in that room and seeing how it is continuing to find ways to engage people in learning and growing. I will go back to the Main Branch in a week or two. There is an amazing celebration of the life and works of James Baldwin outside the Social Science & History Department, and he is one of my favorite authors and thinkers. On the 100th anniversary of his birth, this exhibit examines how his ideas and messages are having an impact on political, cultural, and literary life today. I did not have time to fully explore it last week, but I will be back before it leaves at the end of September. It was wonderful being back in a place that has given so much to me and provided me with so much in the way of curiosity, questions, amazement, and wonder. And it was all made possible last week by the unexpected gift of an early fall. (The history of the Main Branch of the library is intriguing. Here is a link to a site that looks at some of that: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/digital/feature/75th/history/ )

Farewell To Limestone City

DUKES FANS: It is the third week in August, and for more than half of my life this has been a special time. As a long-time teacher, it meant the rapidly approaching end to summer vacation and time to start planning for the new school year. I had always started making some plans before and throughout the summer-reading some new things I wanted to bring to the curriculum, seeing some films I would like to use, visiting some sites I could take students to either actually or virtually, and more. But this third week made it clear that school was only a few weeks away. There would soon be a week of teacher’s meetings, room setup, and professional development followed by orientation of new students, and then, right after Labor Day, the official start of a new school year. I liked that routine; it was known and comfortable. But what I enjoyed most about the third week in August was that for nearly 20 years it meant spending a week with my wife attending the amazing Limestone City Blues Festival in Kingston, Ontario. That was always joyous. Penny and I happened to see a newspaper article in 1998 about the 2nd Limestone City Festival while we were camping in upstate New York, so we booked a motel for the weekend in nearby Kingston just to hear a couple of my favorite artists who had been mentioned in the newspaper article. I was also curious about what a Canadian blues festival was like. We had a beautiful drive there across some lovely bridges and along The Thousand Islands, looking at Lake Ontario. We arrived in Kingston, and instantly fell in love with both the festival and the city. and the festival. We were hooked. It was a great city with an amazing array of restaurants, bookstores, galleries and museums. We stayed in motels in Kingston the first two years, and then we found Ivy Lea Provincial Park, some 30 miles outside of Kingston, where we camped for the ensuing years. With the exception of two years, every third week in August from 1998 to 2018 found us enjoying the natural beauty and urban life in and around Kingston and absolutely loving the festival. I had not realized that there was such a lively and talented blues scene throughout Canada, and I got to hear some wonderful performers who had gotten no airplay in the US. I also got to see some great US performers as well. And I really loved the way the entire city embraced the festival. There were free concerts on weekend afternoons, great paid evening concerts featuring three or four artists in the evening, and then all of the clubs and hotels in downtown Kingston featured blues and blues-based acts after the evening concerts for that entire weekend. It was a blues lover’s treasure of delights, and we were always excited to go. I went up to Kingston for two years after Penny died in 2018, and while it was hard, it was still a time of great music and great people. But the pandemic meant no travel there in 2021, so I have not been back since 2020. And sadly, I can go no more. The festival producers announced that the 2023 festival would be the last Limestone City Blues Festtival. A new festival is slated to begin in 2025, and it will be more of a world music festival, celebrating the ethnic and cultural diversity of The Limestone City. That makes sense, of course, and I sincerely hope the new festival can do for the city what The Limestone City Blues Fest did. And I may well visit in 2025. But right now I am both a little sad and grateful to be remembering the incredible times I had at The Limestone City Blues Festival in the wonderful little city of Kingston, Ontario. Thank you, Kingston. You provided me with so many experiences and helped keep my ears open. Thank you! (Here is a link to a piece I wrote several years ago about four of my favorite Canadian blues performers: http://dukesofdestiny.blogspot.com/2017/09/o-canada.html)