Al Young redux

Al Young redux

I wrote earlier about renaming Foothill Park for Al Young.

Today, I met Gordon Young, who is Paly class of ’74. I mistook him for a Pinoy golf caddie I met at a sports bar a few months back, watching football. Mister Young was wearing a 49ers scarf whereas I was merely wearing a red zippered sweat top — for Gunn (plus a t-shirt for “Fear and Loathing…” but I won’t get ahead of myself).

He looked familiar, possibly like: Wanda Young Ching, Jessica Yu, Jennifer Yu, Wanda’s brother with the ’57 Thunderbird, Connie Young Yu.

https://www.outsidelands.org/chinese-in-the-richmond-alfred-john-young-and-connie-young-yu.php

When Jessica Yu won the Academy Award for best documentary short — for a film about a man with post-polio syndrome who became a successful writer Mark O’Brian, it’s called “Breathing Lessons” — the Gunn art building had just been destroyed by fire. I noticed that Jennifer’s car was in the driveway of the Yu residence not far from where I lived most of my childhood so I left a note on the car, inviting her into my scheme: we did a benefit screening of her films that raised $40,000 for Gunn, half in ticket sales including “golden circle” plus a matching grant from Packard Foundation. 

But I remember very well going into Chef Chu’s restaurant and telling the boss man, Mr. Chu or Chef Chu Himself  or Lawrence Chu about my event and he said “is that Connie Young Yu’s daughter?”

Connie Young Yu I think of as “Mrs Yu” because she is the mother of my two school mates – Jessica was on staff when I was editor-in-chief of the Oracle — but many people might think her as a Young. The Youngs are one of the first Family Associations of Chinese Americans.

Connie’s father was Alfred John Young who was a very successful man and a Palo Altan. He was also known as Colonel John Young — he served our country in WWII and was also a Stanford graduate.

Stanford by the way has a video history project that features Jennifer Yu, Gunn ’82 Stanford ’86 talking about all this. Jennifer I wrote about once for the Times Tribune: she and her cousin Elliot were all America fencers for Stanford. 

Connie Young Yu spoke at a public hearing not long ago about renaming Jordan Junior High and said she would not oppose “Yamamoto” although many new arrivals from China did. (It is now named for Greene who is not actually from here).

So now I am wondering on a Monday morning about renaming Foothill Park for Al Young; what about Alfred John and Albert James “Al Young” Park or Preserve Of Or Near Palo Alto Traditional Ohlone Land?

Forever Young Park.. Didi I mention I am turning 60 this weak. Or completing 60 if I were in Mexico. As is my wife. 

I shot an elephant this morning in my pajamas…or was that a shit zoo? 

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I’m at the ‘combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell’

Victor “Kool A.D.” Vazquez: As a kid, I lived by a KFC in Hunters Point [San Francisco] that turned into a combination Taco Bell–KFC, I think, first, and then a combination Pizza Hut–Taco Bell–KFC after that, and I had always kind of tripped off it. It was kinda funny and bleak, like this manic, weirdly desperate-feeling late-capitalist lumping of brands, like a NASCAR logo collage vibe—that classic hollow American illusion of choice camouflaging a bland, toxic, junky, monolithic corporatism, a kind of P.T. Barnum snake-oil vibe, like, “Whatchu need, we got pizza we got tacos,” and finding yourself there in that no man’s land of empty promises, being stuck there, and kind of throwing up your hands like “Fuck it—we out here, I guess.”

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Still life with word picker

I am enjoying a late breakfast at Ada’s Café at the Mitchell Park community center; I am not blogging about what actually had me up at 7:30. But it’s a hint if you know that Mike Mulcahy was once player of the year for the Cubberley cougars.. and JD Diepenbrock, an enthusiastic pickle ball player has a husband named Peter.

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Fabiola Mendez, 27 Roberto Clemente 21

Fabiola Mendez, edad de 27, a Berkelee grad from Puerto Rico, plays March 1 at Club Passim; Clemente a giant of baseball wore #21 and collected exactly 3,000 hits.

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Walmart vs Mitla

photo by our little Oaxacan Terry Acebo Davis

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Mollie Tuttle at Jazzfest

Billed above tower of power, dirty dozen, Zigaboo, and Marcia Ball

 

Mark Weiss, of Earthwise, a Gunn ‘82, Molly Tuttle flat picker, daughter of a Cubberley grad

 

 

notes: jazzfest is April 25.  
in a related manner, perhaps, Miko Marks plays tonight at the guild   

and 1: I taped Renee Rapp on the late show last night— there are four levels of mean girls: a book by Wiseman called queen bee, and wannabe; the 2004 movie written by Tina Fey starring Lindsay Lohan; a Broadway musical based on that; punched up musically Hollywood version of Broadway with Renee Rapp and Tina Fey et al I, too am stupid in love, but good in math.  Do the math. Continuum hypothesis, bitches.   Tina Fey’s original Comedy partner was a dartmouth contemporary of mine named Rachel Dratch. Whereas Mindy Kaling‘s original comedy partner was a white girl named Withers

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#%^ you, Duguay!!

Yeah I’m in Palo Alto and I claim to be a lead out Luddite despite the fact that I’m using $1000 computer to compose this – – – and walking my little pooch Duffy, I could deposit his ounce of poopy where Lorraine Powelll Jobs and her $9 billion in inherited apple stock might smell it. Corner of Bryant and University whereas I live at corner of Bryant and Hawthorne, Scarlet L and all that. I read this book with James Melville Cox, I believe. Maybe you did too .
But I am somehow glad that there’s a B-side from Radiohead called Palo Alto. My blog by the way is called plastic Alto. Mark weiss dartmouth 86. I’m going to Sharks -Rangers hockey game next week tickets donated coincidentally or not by a dartmouth 81. I’m going to yell “fuck you dougay you’re ugly” because my cousin from dix hills once did.

for robert Christgau and D.R., C.R. —z’L

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Jules at 36, Mark>>60

Jules at 36, Mark >>60: I am going to hang out at the bar at SFjazz for 90 minutes Saturday, January 20 from 6 PM to showtime and will buy a drink to anybody who knows the name of the director of the 1990s documentary about Julian Lage; I will upgrade that to a call cocktail to anyone who knows the exact name and geographic reference to the Dartmouth professor of documentary film with a similar name to the first guy. Mark Weiss Plastic Alto/ Earthwise/Lions With Wings

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Three shows

(picture of Jimmy Stewart from poster of “North By Northwest”)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earthwise-welcomes-ethan-iverson-marta-sanchez-tickets-798059676977?aff=oddtdtcreator&lang=en-us&locale=en_US&status=30&view=listing

(picture of a woman holding a book about fish yet I forget why)

(picture of myself, Mark Weiss, of earthwise and Plastic Alto blog, under a painting pointing)

February 9, Friday: Nefesh Mountain, bluegrass with a Judaica bent; at Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium; on sale Tuesday on EventBrite.

February 14, Wednesday: Lizzie No, Americana with a Black tinge; at Palo Alto Art Center — I made a joke about Valentine’s Day and “yes” or “no” — “getting to yes” — from the stage Friday.

April 1 — no joke — dual solo piano sets by Ethan Iverson (Blue Note, the Bad Plus, Mark Morris dance) and Marta Sanchez (from Spain, and New York, played in Earthwise shows in 2022 and 2023)

In the meanwhile, Earthwise is still hibernating for the winter due to a hiatus and side hustle that I am not allowed to discuss in these pages, other than to cryptically state Titans on me, Titans on three!!!

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SUREFIRE CEASEFIRE PLAN FROM COUNTY EXPERTS

Look man top of the world

RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING SUSTAINED PEACE AND SAFETY FOR ALL CHILDREN

SANTA CLARA COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION RESOLUTION No.

WHEREAS, the Santa Clara County Board of Education is committed to creating inclusive and just conditions where all students, staff members, and families feel a sense of belonging; and

WHEREAS, we cherish our cultural richness and strive to ensure all communities feel respected and heard, including our Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Arab-American, Palestinian, and Middle Eastern communities; and

WHEREAS, the Santa Clara County Board of Education has a long history of embracing social justice and supporting members of our school community who have been, both historically and currently, subjected to racism, discrimination, or marginalization; and

WHEREAS, the Santa Clara County Board of Education adopted a resolution “Denouncing Anti- Semitism” on June 14, 2023 and adopted a resolution “Denouncing Islamophobia” on September 6, 2023; and

WHEREAS, we mourn the loss of 1,200 lives in IsraelAND THE RAPE AND MUTILATION BY HAMAS TERRORISTS OF HUNDREDS OF WOMEN, BABIES AND GRANDMAS and over 25,000 lives in Palestine ACCORDING TO THE MILITANT GROUP WHO BUILDS BUNKERS IN HOSPITALS, including thousands of Palestinian children from October 7 to the present HELD CAPTIVE BY THE HAMAS TERRORISTS, ESPECIALLY SINCE 2006 WHEN ISRAEL LEFT THE REGION, and also throughout the decades of displacement, occupation, oppression, and blockade endured in Gaza and the West Bank; and OTHER PLACES SHUNNED BY EGYPT AND JORDAN;

WHEREAS, the Santa Clara County Board of Education recognizes that this violence impacts students in our classrooms AND FEEL WE HAVE OVEREMPHASIZED THE WHOLE READING RITING AND RTHMATIC THING THAT IS OH SO COLONIAL and encourages all staff to support students by creating environments in schools and classrooms that build empathy OR ARE VERY DIVISIVE  and compassion and promote constructive dialogue OR SINGLE OUT THE JEWS IN A SOFT POGROM — A WORD WE’VE NEVER HEARD BUT WILL LOOK IT UP SOME DAY where no student or staff member feels singled out for their identity, ethnicity or religious affiliation; and CONTROLS THE WORLDS MONEY, EATS BABIES, HAS HORNS, CAN’T JUMP

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AFER WE WASTE A FEW MORE HOURS OF EVERYONE’S TIME that the Santa Clara County Board of Education recognizes OUR OWN ASSES AS DISTINGUISED FROM OUR CLITS OR FOMER CLITS that many groups within our community have had long and complex histories of trauma, displacement, and oppression, and we are committed to creating safe learning spaces for NEARLY every student by committing to combat Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Anti-Arab racism, xenophobia, and ethnonationalism in all its forms INCLUDING DOG WHISTLES, BLOOD LIBEL; and HERE OR IN THE 20 COUNTRIES FROM WHICH JEWS WERE CLEANSED OR WHERE JEWS WERE CLEANSED FROM;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED AND WHAT WAS THAT LINE ABOUT THROWING STONES, that the Santa Clara County Board of Education believes that peaceful diplomacy HEE HEE I CANT BELIEVE THEY LET THIS SLIP BY is the only SUREFIRE way to achieve these goals and calls for an immediate and permanent humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza AND MAYBE WE CAN NAME A FEW SCHOOLS AFTER MARTYRS, the release of all REMAINING hostages, the safe passage of substantial humanitarian aid MINUS OUR TYPICAL KICKBACK AND VIG to the Palestinian people AND THEIR BILLIIONAIRE ABSENTEE LEADERS IN QUATAR, and the immediate restoration of basic services, water, electricity, and MAYBE WE CAN SEND THEM ALL CELLPHONES SINCE THEY WORK SO GOOD WITH DISINFORMATION fuel access to protect the health and wellbeing of children and families HELD HOSTAGE BY THEIR OWN LEADERS. We demand that US taxpayer funds be used to prevent further loss of life and be invested in our nation’s education system FOR A VERY REASONABLE CARRYING COST

PASSED AND ADOPTED by the County Board of Education at a SECRET meeting held on OR JUST AFTER January 10, 2024, by the following vote: OF PEOPLE NO ONE REMEMBERS VOTING FOR… UNTIL NOW

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