Mummer from Mars

A new year approaches and with New Year's Day comes the Philadelphia tradition of the Mummers' Parade. It's rich history goes back to the Middle Ages and the mummer plays. (laic celebrations not to be confused with the religious mystery plays of the same period)

The first semblance of mummers in Philly came in the late 17th century with the original Swedish settlers. On December 26, they would dress as clowns and shoot their guns in the air.

Through the 18th century, the tradition continued. In 1778, the mummers regaled  occupying British troops. Major Andre (later infamous for his involvement with Benedict Arnold's treason) described Philadelphia's new year antics as "a gay and glorious spectacle."

The 19th century brought two important additions from the southern states. The Negro spiritual "Oh Dem Golden Slippers (the Mummers' theme song) and the cake walk known in Philly as the Mummers Strut. The parade goers began to organize and the Mummers Parade  became an official event by 1901. It continues today though in 2009, it was shortened from 11 hours to 6.5 hours. I really miss those 4.5 hours!

In 1968, jazz key board player/composer, Sun Ra moved from New York City to the Germantown section of Philadelphia. I always wondered if the Mummers' outfits had an affect on the costumes worn by Sun Ra and his Arkestra. Born Herman Blount in Alabama in 1914, Ra performed all jazz genres, from ragtime, to swing, to bebop to free jazz.

Sometime between 1936-37, while in what he calls a religious concentration, Herman Blount experienced a blinding light and then was teleported to Saturn. There an alien race informed him that  he as not a human, but one of them. His mission on earth was to create music which would transform the world. Sun Ra became aware of his true form.

Over the years, his Arkestra has played across the world spreading his philosophy and his music to us earthlings. In this new year, listen to the music of the cosmos as interpreted by Sun Ra - truly a Mummer from Mars. As ever - BB

When told by a fellow musician that Sun Ra's music was just too far out, Thelonious Monk said: "Yeah, but it swings!"

Oh, a wise guy!

I cannot think of the term wise guy without hearing Curly Howard's voice intoning that phrase. During this season, images of the three wise men adorn churches and homes. In my youth, I'd hear the Christmas carol and wonder where Orientar was, and why it needed three kings.

Learning the correct lyrics, I began researching these wise guys, aka the Magi. To me the Orient was China and Japan. The root of the word was Latin, oriri, meaning to rise. Orient literally means from the rising sun. Their origin was east of Bethlehem.

So, where does the term magi come, and how does it relate to the nativity?  Even as a kid, I noticed the word's similarity to magic. Were they sorcerers? Off to that etymological treasure trove, the Oxford English Dictionary. The Haddonfield library had a large version on a pedestal with a magnifying glass attached to see the minuscule print. At that age, I needed to stand on a chair to read it. 

Magi, the plural form of magnus, was used by the ancient Greeks as a name for  the priestly caste of Persia who followed Zoroaster. This name reminded me of my favorite caped/masked hero who made the sign of the Z.  My study transformed into a Russian nesting doll. Each answer uncovered another question. I was confused, yet fascinated.


After hours of perusing the library, I found out the Magi, known for their knowledge of astronomy (which made sense "following yonder star") were wise, learned men who presented royal gifts to the prince of peace. Feeling fulfilled, I went on with my life as an 11-year-old.


Years later I discovered that I had not delved far enough into that nesting doll of knowledge. In his gospel, Matthew never mentioned the number of Magi. Three was deduced from the number of gifts. So the trio was pure conjecture. Theories abound. They came from as close as Syria, or a far as China, if they existed at all.


A later translation calls them kings to stress the divinity of Jesus alluding to a psalm which says that even kings would kneel before the messiah. This is also the tract that led to the Roman Catholic aerobics of bobbing up and down on our knees during mass. The magic-magi connection comes from the prejudice that those with different beliefs must be evil practitioners of sorcery and witchcraft. No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! 


A suspicious, cynical kernel began pollinating in my psyche which continues growing to this day.


At 17, I read Thus Spake Zarathustra by Nietzche. (Zoroaster being the English translation of his Avestan name) An obtuse and difficult read, the book exposed ideas counter to much of my religious training. I had an epiphany and grasped the Shakespearian quote, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."


What's all this have to do with carols and Christmas? I have no idea. Muddled musings and discombobulated doggerel indeed. Happy Holidays - as ever BB


"One must have chaos within oneself, to give birth to a dancing star." - Friedrich Nietzche from Thus Spake Zarathustra

What's the Password?

Sometimes when trying to remember a password, I feel like I'm trapped in a Marx Brothers skit.

Passwords - I have them for this blog, for my work computer, my home computer, my phone, work alarm, home alarm, facebook, ebay, zappos, gmail...the list is endless.

In the late 50s, my father joined the Knights of Columbus to network and help expand his medical practice. He did not remain a member long. Years later I asked him why. He said, "You needed a password to get into one door, then another, then another. I couldn't keep them straight and got tired of that childish foolishness."


I don't know why they just didn't use a simple hand gesture like the He-Man Woman Hater's Club. Dad would not want to cope in our digital world. And I'd understand his dissent. My gag reflex triggers every time I struggle to remember my plethora of passwords.

Not to mention the security concerns. Don't use birthdays or other important dates, don't use your name or nickname, use some uppercase letters, use some numbers, but none of those previously mentioned.

To help me in this morass of minutia, I've created a password formula. I take the latitude of the geographic location of the device requiring the password as the exponent. Then I create a logarithm using the number of ingredients of my guacamole recipe as the base to create a number. Next, I use the alpha equivalent of each odd number and alternate upper and lower case of the aforementioned letters. I turn this into a mnemonic so it's easy to remember.

As a public service, I have shared this formula to assist you with this problematic password predicament. - as ever BB

"A four-year-old could understand this report. Run out and find me a four-year-old. I can't make heads nor tails out of it." - Groucho Marx in Duck Soup