The Face

 

The Face That Launch'd A Thousand Ships

Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships,
And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.
Her lips suck forth my soul: see where it flies!
Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again.
Here will I dwell, for heaven is in these lips,
And all is dross that is not Helena.
I will be Paris, and for love of thee,
Instead of Troy, shall Wittenberg be sack'd;
And I will combat with weak Menelaus,
And wear thy colours on my plumed crest;
Yea, I will wound Achilles in the heel,
And then return to Helen for a kiss.
O, thou art fairer than the evening air
Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars;
Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter
When he appear'd to hapless Semele;
More lovely than the monarch of the sky
In wanton Arethusa's azur'd arms;
And none but thou shalt be my paramour!

2025 Cards

 

Celebrate HBE

 

Frank and Jan Cipolla made a plan to visit Saint Louis, It was an opportunity for the confluence of personalities to gather at Oh London in Creve Coeur. Thursday October 30. It was a cool 60 degrees. 

Sarah and Todd Weaver, Paul Giacoletto, Chip and Julie Maddinger, Dave Cox, Wes Morgan, Darryl Vandiver, Karma Lamping, John and Marcy Darby, Chris Cedergreen, Teri Adams, Deb and Craig Bennet, Wayne and Karen Zimmerman, Charlie and Coanne Lee, John Grey, George Robin, Scott and Carla Menkes, Kay Maschek, Mark McLaren, Sherie Rolfing (Reed), Kathy Armstrong and more assembles for this impromptu meeting.

Classic Movie Monday 10/5/25

I viewed three classic movies today - Murder, My Sweet (1944), Spellbound (1945) and East of Eden (1955). It's a Monday October 6, 2025 and I expect to catch a full moon later this evening. All three movies were recorded from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and added to the momentum of my viewing yesterday to Lord of the Flies (1963). 

 

Murder, My Sweet (released as Farewell, My Lovely in the United Kingdom) is a 1944 American film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley (in her final film before retirement).^[4] The film is based on Raymond Chandler's 1940 novel Farewell, My Lovely. It was the first film to feature Chandler's primary character, the hard-boiled private detective Philip Marlowe.^[5]

Murder, My Sweet is, along with Double Indemnity (released five months prior), one of the first noir films, and a key influence in the development of the genre.^[5]

Spellbound is a 1945 American psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, and Michael Chekhov. It follows a psychoanalyst who falls in love with the new head of the Vermont hospital in which she works, only to find that he is an imposter suffering dissociative amnesia, and potentially, a murderer. Although the film is based on the 1927 novel The House of Dr. Edwardes by Hilary Saint George Saunders and John Palmer, the plots are dramatically different.

East of Eden is a 1955 American epic period drama film directed by Elia Kazan and written by Paul Osborn, adapted from the fourth and final part of John Steinbeck's epic 1952 novel.

It stars James Dean as a wayward young man who, while seeking his own identity, vies for the affection of his deeply religious father against his favored brother, thus retelling the story of Cain and Abel. Appearing in supporting roles are Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, and Jo Van Fleet.

Although set in early 20th century Monterey, California, much of the film was actually shot on location in Mendocino, California. Some scenes were filmed in the Salinas Valley. Of the three films in which James Dean played the lead, this is the only one to have been released during his lifetime.^[2]

Lord of the Flies is a 1963 British survival drama film written and directed by Peter Brook, adapted from William Golding's 1954 novel about 30 schoolboys who are marooned on an island where the behaviour of the majority degenerates into savagery.

The film was in production for much of 1961, though the film did not premiere until 1963, and was not released in the United Kingdom until 1964. Golding himself supported the film. When Kenneth Tynan was a script editor for Ealing Studios he commissioned a script of Lord of the Flies from Nigel Kneale, but Ealing Studios closed in 1959 before it could be produced.

The film premiered at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for a Palme d'Or. It was released in the UK by British Lion Films on July 23, 1964, and received positive reviews from critics. It was the first film adaptation of the novel, followed by a 1975 Filipino film and a 1990 American film.

Law Firm Advertising

I'm not gonna name names. So, if any of the claims sound familiar don't sue me. I am painfully aware of how much it cost to advertise. I'm an old school veteran of the ad biz and I kind of mourn the time when marketing a product or service meant finding compelling and creative ways to differentiate your offering. 

In my view, advertising was more respectful of the consumer. I cannot avoid the the changing landscape of what use to be traditional advertising channels. I'm overwhelmed, for example, how often I am assaulted by law firms and how lame and insulting their messages are to its customer prospects. 

I recently drove Interstate 70 in Saint Louis a short 20 mile stretch from Creve Coeur, MO to the Old North Neighborhood. That round trip treated me to no less than a dozen billboards screaming in that busy stretch of challenging traffic. 

The lawyers must believe in the power of advertising but I wonder if they believe in the rationality of their prospective customers.  

We win!

I guess a fair number of people considering engaging legal representation want a firm that is competent. But, this message is pretty arrogant and not easy to substantiate. Do you win 100% of the time? (That can't be true.) Do you win more than the competition. (Where can I find a ranking and relative win-rates? Not available.) 

We win a lot!

This claim is even more reliant on the "bandwagon effect" but where can the average joe get a perspective on what a lot means. Giant victories? Multiple wins for the little guy?

Injured in an auto accident? Call us.

This suggests that injury law is just a routine dance. They often tell you in ads to not even listen to the insurance company. It suggests that there is no civility in this instant adversarial battle triggered by whatever happened on the road that resulted in your personal injury,

We're the biggest.

Biggest? Well does that mean you are good? Does it mean you are good? How does this you make you the best choice for me.

We're big.

Sometimes that claim isn't even relative to the competition: local, national, specialty or otherwise.

Consultation is FREE. We'll help you understand what your case is worth.

Talk is cheap. I get it. It won't take your firm long to determine if you have a case. 

Don't listen to the insurance company. (They are not going to get you the money you deserve.)

Yup. They want you to believe that your sorry injured self deserves compensation and the law firm knows how to go get it for you. 

We will treat you like family.

Sure, what time should I show up for Thanksgiving dinner? 

We are the best. 

And you have a short list of winning believers who might be credible enough to endorse you in advertising. 

When in doubt, as your advertising agency suggests, hit 'em over the head with your clever/easy to remember phone number. Oh and if your name is on the door you can impress your prospects with your incredible sincerity.

 

Edgy Business College

A bold future. UMSL proudly announces the naming of the college of business after accomplished alum Ed G. Smith. The naming is unprecedented and will propel the college – already a leader in social mobility and workforce development for Greater St. Louis – toward even greater levels of success.

Ed G. Smith College of Business!

Tampa Time 2025

SZ expense reports

Lindsey picked me up at the airport in Tampa but she has some work to do. I love just being around my baby girl and she allowed me to hang with her at her place of business while she managed coding and submitting receipts for countless programs for which she is responsible.

Go Aviators! (Meet that outstanding teacher - who went to Ocean Township High School). Lawton's third grade teacher is tops and an advocate and ally. Classroom is lucky to have the support of Lawton's mom too. 

Dave and Busters (Minecraft in Brandon) - Lawton convinced Papa to sit back and enjoy car crashes, near misses, free falls and pure simulated terror before he builds, defeats foes and plays with TNT on the big screen with Minecraft.

 

Cigar Factory Tour (Coming to America through Baltimore and Cleveland to Ybor City) Julius Caesar Newman family came to America from Austria-Hungary in the 1880s. Young J.C. Newman learns how to roll cigars in Cleveland before building a Cigar Business in Floridsa the early 1900s. 

Flan Factory is Flan-TASTIC (and makes mean Empanadas too). Thanks to Cody, our 25 yr old cigar factory guide, for the recommendation.

St Petersburg Mural trolly tour with Crit! and Pedro. We spent an informative and entertaining two hours with ongoing information from our guide Miss Crit! She is an artist and muralist and one of several featured muralists on display and with credibility enhanced by participation in annual showing at "Shine". (Miss Crit!, Derek Donnelly, The Vitale Brothers, Ben Johnson, Sarah Sheppard, MadC, Tasko, Taj Tenfold and more)

Big City Greens on Disney + and NHL on TV - The Big City Greens Matriarch has a wooden leg (Ha Ha). Lawton programing introduces me to the Big City Greens. Between events and evenings at the Dewey compound we enjoyed The Big City Greens on Disney+ and/or Florida Panthers Hockey vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Panthers Lead) -  Florida NHL Hockey is alive in the playoffs even though the Tampa Bay Lightning  are not.  

Columbia Restaurant (Flan with a birthday candle, Flamenco Dancers, Yellow Rice, Coconut Ice Cream and more)

Splash Harbour, Indian Rocks Beach (The two big water slides, a lazy river and the HOT FOOT). Ice Cream with Coach Roush and visiting Wendy Leigh.

Three Birds Tavern (Eggs Benedict) - After a full afternoon on the hot surfaces and wet waterways at Splash Harbour, Greg treated us to Three Birds Tavern for a feel of Old Florida in St. Petersburg. I had a favorite - Eggs Benedict.

Indian Rocks Beach (Coach Roush, Wendy Leigh, and Splash Harbour). We had a plan to meet up with coach Roush and his wife at Kooky Coconut Ice Cream but it was closed so we moved to the Yellow Banks Grove for the orange swirl cones. Coach says the Lakewood High School class of 1974 was a favorite of his. It was a thrill to be with this former Marine and outstanding coach. When he revealed his age at 91, I confirmed that I appreciate his generation that includes as my amazing mother-in-law, our Matriarch, age 94.

Tampa Junior League is located in Tampa on a beautiful waterway that looks like a premium piece of real estate. Lindsey scrambles to break down 6 display stands that she felt needed to be out of view and stored away for another occasion. 

Dunkin (Bagels, Donuts and time for school in uniform) Last Day in Tampa begins with a drive through experience at Dunkin for bagels and donuts before Lawton's school drop off and Papa's shuttle to the airport. (Southwest Airlines Wanna Get Away fare brought me into town via Baltimore and returning via Denver. By the end of that travel I was in a "Wanna Get Away" from the Airlines and holiday week travel. It was a full and fun week nevertheless.

P.S. This account is surely out of sequence as the whole trip was packed with moments to be remembered and cherished.