This is an update to my post from lasts night on Ray Bradbury’s short story, “I See You Never.” My wife, Sena, happened to mention the naturalization process in the U.S. today.
In fact, we both saw the televised naturalization ceremony at the Iowa State Fair of 2024. During that ceremony, 47 children became citizens. In fact, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has held a celebratory naturalization ceremony at the Iowa State Fair for at least the last ten years.
There was just such a ceremony last month of 69 immigrants at the University of Northern Iowa.
I had a quick peek at the U.S. citizenship and civics test questions and I’m pretty sure I would have a lot of trouble passing it. I’d probably get shipped back to Mars—which Ray Bradbury wrote a lot about.
The naturalization process isn’t easy. Under federal law, you have to live here in the U.S. at least five years as a lawful permanent resident to be eligible for naturalization, three years if you’re the spouse of a U.S. citizen. You have to learn the language. Many other countries have a similar naturalization process.
There’s no exact number of the USCIS naturalization ceremonies per year, but 818,500 took part in 2024.
Many of those who go through the naturalization process think it’s unfair for others to bypass it by getting into the country by other means.
So, I guess that’s the other side of the short story—the one Ray Bradbury probably didn’t write.
I know that what I’m writing here this evening is going to sound foolishly sentimental and maybe even a little spooky, but I was struck by this weird experience I had tonight. It was just a little odd and too fortuitous. I’m not going to talk at any length about the politics of it, just the strangeness.
We have these two books by Ray Bradbury, and when I was a kid, I loved his science fiction stories. I read many of them, but never like the one I read tonight.
The way this started was I was looking for something to do. I thought about watching old reruns of The Red Green Show on YouTube, which always struck me as funny when I watched them long ago. I still do, but couldn’t get into it tonight.
I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels which, as always, were reruns. I was not even interested in the X-Files reruns and I’m a fan. And I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing any more in-your-face commercials about total body deodorant.
So, I picked up the hefty paperback of a big collection of a hundred of Ray Bradbury’s short stories, entitled oddly enough, “Bradbury Stories.” I just opened up the book with no particular story in mind and it fell open right to one I’d never read before, “I See you Never.”
It’s all of 3 pages long and it’s about a Mexican immigrant named Mr. Ramirez. He’s been brought by the police to the front door of the rooming house where he’s been living on a temporary visa, which has been revoked. He’s just there to say goodbye to his landlady. He’s being deported and has this sad conversation with her on the doorstep. He just keeps telling her in broken English, “I see you never.” The landlady, Mrs. O’Brian (no accident she has an Irish name, of course) just says repeatedly that he’s been a good tenant and that she’s sorry. Then he leaves with the police. She goes back inside and can’t finish her dinner with her family and realizes she’ll never see Mr. Ramirez again.
There’s a much better summary and analysis than mine written by a professional reviewer. This story was published back in 1947 and is set in the historical context of post WWII America.
I hate politics, and I’m not going to say anything specific about how this little story struck me with its irony given what’s going on this country right now. I was just looking for a little science fiction distraction and instead got irony. I didn’t go looking for this and I’ll be brutally frank—I actively avoid political news and I hate like hell to get reminded of it every day. All I did was open a damn book. I wish I had never seen this story.
I guess maybe that’s what I get for my avoidant approach to certain things. How’s that for a Mental Health Awareness month event?
I watched the Svengoolie movie, “It Came from Outer Space” last night. I’m sure I’ll recover someday. Until then, I’ll have to do my best to write about it. Ray Bradbury actually wrote what’s called the film treatment for the story and Harry Essex wrote the screenplay. I gather there’s a difference between the two, but don’t ask me what it is. So, it’s helpful to know that real movie reviewers also noticed what I noticed, which is that the dialogue has a distinctive literary quality. I’m a Ray Bradbury fan from way back in my youth when they were still using stone tablets to write on. But even I noticed the tone and language were more elevated than what I usually see on the Svengoolie TV show.
Kudos to the movie reviewer who mentioned the literary quality of the dialogue, which in my opinion also are reminiscent of Ray Bradbury:
Interestingly, this blogger’s review says that Bradbury was unhappy with the result of the production.
The other blogger/reviewer had similar remarks, but it was his About post comments which caught my interest, in which his remarks about Svengoolie’s schlocky films on the show are right on target. On the other hand, he likes this movie. He also mentions that Bradbury got fired after getting paid $2,000 for writing the treatment. I’m not clear on why he was fired:
Anyway, I agree with both reviewers that “It Came from Outer Space” is different from most space invaders films in that the extraterrestrials didn’t actually invade Earth. In fact, they had a malfunction in their spacecraft and accidentally crashed here. They were actually headed for somewhere else, possibly Milliways, the restaurant at the end of the universe (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe” by Douglas Adams). They took the form of earthlings so they could get around without being noticed.
That doesn’t actually work because, although they looked like us, they talked in a monotone and had blank, unblinking stares. And they crashed here, indicating the same kind of inability to drive that reminded me of the Roswell incident back in 1947 (only a few years before this movie was released) in which a UFO crashed in New Mexico.
The one thing that struck me was that, in the movie, the extraterrestrials not only couldn’t drive their spacecraft, their main goal after crashing was to fix their busted vehicle. Apparently, in their human disguises they had to go to Lowe’s Hardware to buy replacement electrical parts.
So, these extremely advanced creatures who mastered interstellar travel can get electrical parts in a 1950s era hardware store? “Excuse me, can you get me 4,000 gray toggle switches with matching cover plates—and a voltmeter?”
The spaceship carrying the lost creatures looked like a meteor as it crash-landed and again when it took off after it was fixed. Although you can find a Wikpedia article about this movie that, at the very top, links to another which claims that Bradbury published the film treatment as a book, the rest of the article denies that ever happened. I suppose some people are still looking for it, just like those still looking for the Roswell ET bodies.
We listened to the Big Mo Blues Show last night on KCCK radio 88.3. It was recorded and we noticed that he sounded younger for some reason. Once he remarked that things were difficult because of having to “shelter in place.” The format of the show was different from usual.
That made me wonder if the show was recorded sometime during the Covid pandemic. I’ve been listening to Big Mo for a long time. John Heim, aka Big Mo, been doing the Friday Blues show since about 2005, according to one news story. Another KCCK legend, Bob DeForest, has been doing the Saturday night blues show for over 30 years now.
John Heim, aka Big Mo is still going strong. I think I’ve been listening to his show for about as long as he’s been doing it. He has come back strong since an accidental fall in 2018 in which he sustained a neck injury which led to a long rehab stint. But he’s back.
There have been interesting additions over time, like the Shout-Outs, the Concert Calendar, the Bodega Bay Weather Report, the Big Mo Pod Show in which he and producer Noah on Saturday discuss the music selections he made on Friday. The comedy bits have also been interesting, like MayRee’s hand-battered catfish (It’s better because it’s battered!).
Last night, we heard a couple of songs which we both liked. One of them was “She Don’t Live Around Here” by Samantha Fish. I heard it for the first time on the Big Mo Blues Show and just about every time I hear it, the hair on the back of my neck stands up. I’ve read that music will do that sometimes, although I can’t remember getting that sensation before.
We both liked Delbert McClinton’s rendition of “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember.” He’s had a huge career. Sena asked me if he’s still alive and I foolishly guessed that he died. Nope, he’s 84 years old and evidently still going strong.
I have a personal top ten songs, most of which I’ve heard on the Big Mo Blues Show. They’re not in any particular order. A few of them I like mainly because of the artist’s voice, like Samantha Fish and James Carr.
“She Don’t Live Around Here” Samantha Fish
“The Dark End of the Street” James Carr
“Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday” William Bell or Eric Clapton
“Lean On Me” Bill Withers or Keb Mo
“Mockingbird” Larkin Poe
“I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” Delbert McClinton (written by Otis Redding)
“You Were Never Mine” Delbert McClinton or Janiva Magness
“A Change is Gonna Come” Sam Cooke
“Over The Rainbow and What a Wonderful World” medley Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
“You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks” Seasick Steve
Lately, Big Mo has played Larkin Poe’s “Mockingbird” a fair number of times. I think one interpretation of it is that people’s sense of their identity tends to evolve over time. At different times in your life, you’ll take on a new voice, so to speak, which fits with the idea of the many songs the imitative Mockingbird sings.
Some songs I like because of the message, like “Lean On Me,” or “A Change is Gonna Come.” And I like the song “You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks” just because I identify with it. I realized that runs counter to the theme of many songs, which are often about change: people change, the times they are a’changing, and the like. So, my top ten song list will probably change, too.
I’ve been looking over some of the web articles on the Goldwater Rule, which is the APA Ethics Committee guideline enjoining any psychiatrist from making public psychiatric armchair diagnoses of public or political figures without a formal evaluation or permission to conduct one. It was originally made in 1973, years after Fact Magazine in 1964 sent out a questionnaire to psychiatrists asking for their public opinions about the mental stability of then candidate Barry Goldwater who was running for President against Lyndon B. Johnson. Many thought he was psychotic, although there was no evidence for that. Goldwater won a lawsuit against Fact Magazine, which led to the publisher going out of business. It was a big embarrassment for psychiatrists, which contributed to the creation of the Goldwater Rule.
Over the last few years and currently, many psychiatrists question whether the Goldwater Rule should be revised and abolished, making it permissible for psychiatrists who believe they have a duty to warn the public about political leaders they think might be a threat to national security, specifically President Donald Trump.
I’ve found a few articles on the web which helped me think about my own position about this. McLoughlin says the Goldwater Rule should change, but doesn’t tell us how. Glass calls the Goldwater Rule a “gag rule” and tells us why it should change. He resigned from the APA in protest. Ghaemi and others don’t agree on whether the Goldwater Rule should change, and one discussant says the rule only applies if you’re a member of the APA. Blotcky et al tell us how it could change, using sample conversations between reporters and psychiatrists.
I lean toward Blotcky et al. In fact, the final paragraph gives psychiatrists another way to express their opinions to the public. They can give them as private citizens without calling them professional judgments—which is their right.
On the other hand, if you want to know about my psychiatric interview of President Trump, you can see it below.
Mr. President, you have signed an affidavit allowing me to conduct a thorough psychiatric assessment today.
Yes, Dr. Amos, that’s correct.
Can you tell me why an Autopen was used to sign it?
I decline to answer that question on the grounds it may incriminate me.
Have you ever undergone a psychiatric assessment before?
Yes, but I had to fire her when she started asking questions about tariffs.
Very well, then. Can you tell me a little about your childhood?
It was perfect—as long as the other kids paid their tariffs.
Oh. Was there ever a time in your life marked by any problems with having access to the basic necessities of life?
Well, there was one thing. Water pressure was sometimes low, which is why I just wrote an Executive Order ensuring that low water pressure in faucets and showerheads will never again in my lifetime or yours be a problem. Make American Faucets Gush Again (MAFGA).
Thanks, I’m sure. Tell me, how would you typically go about solving an interpersonal conflict between you and others?
Raise tariffs by 300%.
I see. How about talking to people with whom you disagree?
I would say, “You’re fired.”
Would you try anything else first?
I would try tariffs.
Well, I think we’re done here. Thank you for your time, Mr. President.
Of course, this was satire.
References:
McLoughlin A. The Goldwater Rule: a bastion of a bygone era? Hist Psychiatry. 2022 Mar;33(1):87-94. doi: 10.1177/0957154X211062513. Epub 2021 Dec 20. PMID: 34930051; PMCID: PMC8886301.
Nassir Ghaemi, MD MPH.The Goldwater Rule and Presidential Mental Health: Pros and Cons – Medscape – Jun 07, 2017.
Glass, Leonard A. The Goldwater rule is broken. Here’s how to fix it. Stat News. June 28, 2018.
Blotcky, Alan D., PhD; Ronald W. Pies, MD; Moffic, H. Steven, MD. The Goldwater Rule Is Fine, if Refined. Here’s How to Do it. Psychiatric Times. January 6, 2022. Vol. 39, Issue 1
I just read Dr. Moffic’s column, “Join This Club for Mental Health” in which he described the Clubhouse movement which got started in the 1940s to help those with mental health challenges to cope with their illness and, more importantly, to recover, grow, and achieve success in life.
It made wonder if there are any chapters of the Clubhouse model in Iowa. It turns out there is and it’s Carol House in Davenport, Iowa. It’s connected with the Vera French Mental Health Center. Its namesake is Carol Lujack, who was a member when the center was called “The Frontier Community Outreach Program” in the 1980s in downtown Davenport.
I was looking at the Carol Center website where you can find many interesting features of the people and activities that go on there. The April newsletter is fascinating and funny. You can find out in the April Newsletter about a few of the current members, April holidays (there’s a slew of them), and famous quotes. One of the quotes is familiar and it’s by F. Scott Fitzgerald,
“Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over,” The quote is worded in various ways, but I remember it because I used it as an inspirational quote when The University of Iowa honored me and several of my colleagues with a Feather in Your Cap award back in 2011.
This was shortly after I returned to Iowa after an unsuccessful stab at trying private practice psychiatry in Wisconsin. And it was the second time I did that—the first time was in Illinois.
Did you know that April is National Humor Month? And have you heard the joke “What kind of candy is never on time?” Choco-Late.
One April holiday is not mentioned and that’s Arbor Day, which varies according to what part of the world you’re in as planting times differ. Sena planted a couple of new trees in the back yard.
Starting new chapters of Clubhouse is a little like planting new trees. They need watering.
Okay, so here’s my pitch on how potential donors can support programs at The University of Iowa. Today the One Day for Iowa fund drive kicks off, and it ends at 11:59 PM today on March 26, 2025.
I got a soft spot in my heart for The University of Iowa College of Medicine and University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC), even though my undergraduate Bachelor’s degree was from Iowa State University.
You can find in the UIHC Medical Museum a description of the historical development of the medical school. Following the Flexner Report in 1909 which found fault with all U.S. medical schools including Iowa’s, there was a drive to avoid “inbreeding,” meaning hiring of one’s own graduates. Nowadays, there are legislative efforts to keep as many as we can of Iowa’s best and brightest.
I had my regular visit to the dentist at The University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC) today, and it was a good thing I did. For the past couple of weeks or so I’ve had cold and hot sensitivity in a couple of teeth. No surprise, the dentist found 3 teeth that needed a little work.
The dental hygienist also suggested I try using a tongue cleaner and gave me a free one. I’d never heard of a tongue cleaner before. The package advertisement (in English, French, and Spanish) says it’s for combatting bad breath, although the dental hygienist assured me in 6 different languages that she didn’t detect that problem in me.
I was there for my annual teeth cleaning but now I had 3 teeth needing work. Luckily, the dentist had an appointment in the early afternoon. It was a 3 hour wait, but I thought it was better to get it done sooner rather than later. Anticipating a visit with a dentist is sometimes almost as bad as getting in the chair and exercising my ability to refrain from flinching as the high-speed instruments whine in my ear while the dentist and the assistant do their level best to see that I gag several times in at least 9 different languages, including Klingon.
It’s hard to explain why I was having tooth sensitivity because, according to the dentist, the damage was not that severe. It wasn’t until I wandered around the hospital while waiting for the 2nd appointment that I realized I had never visited the Medical Museum on the 8th floor. And that’s where I found a possible explanation that made more sense than the modern one. It’s probably toothworms.
No kidding, back in the 18th century, a lot of people thought worms caused tooth decay by eating them from the inside out. There was also a College of Dentistry display in the Medical Museum featuring a typical dentist chair and samples of rusty tools, which made wonder if I should put off the filling work until, say, after my next ten reincarnations.
There’s a human skeleton in the museum which is affectionately called Gertie. The historical note on Gertie is very interesting in that it was thought to be a male when Ottumwa Regional Health Center donated it to UIHC in 2013. It turns out he is actually a she and the “…two symmetrical holes in the upper jaw are the result of large dental abscesses.” Just what I wanted to learn on a day when I’m anticipating dental work.
Anyway, my teeth got repaired. I would say that the UIHC dental clinic has come a long way from 1904. You don’t turn and spit in a bowl anymore. They just siphon the toothworms out with a suction wand nowadays.
Today’s post connects weirdly with the one I wrote yesterday entitled “The Zamboni Effect,” in which I mistakenly believed I had invented the term “Zamboni Effect” based on my observation of what an ice resurfacing machine did to an ice rink in a local mall. It clarified the ice and also metaphorically, by extension, clarified relationships from the past viewed in the present—sort of.
As a reminder, the ice resurfacing machine was first invented in 1949 by a guy named Frank Zamboni. A lot of companies with different names make them nowadays but people still tend to call them all Zambonis.
Just for fun, I looked up the “Zamboni Effect” on the web today and it returned a few surprising results. Among the different meanings of the Zamboni Effect:
Zamboni Effect related to optimizing the ocular surface for surgery.
Zamboni Effect related to a scientist named Paolo Zamboni, who invented a controversial treatment for multiple sclerosis which later turned out to be ineffective.
Zamboni Effect related to something that happens in connection with dynamical nuclear spin polarization (whatever that is).
And for all I know, there may be other meanings for the Zamboni Effect that just never made it to the internet.
We watched the Super Bowl last night and one of the many commercials (always a big thing) looked vaguely familiar only after Sena pointed it out. It was the Fareway Frank commercial about Fareway stores. It was a reprise of the famous 1979 Coca-Cola commercial with Mean Joe Green, defensive tackle for the Pittsburg Steelers and a kid. When you compare them, the similarities are obvious. There are two Fareway commercials that are the same, but have different titles, one of them being “Mean Joe Frank.”
The Hey Kid, Catch commercial with Mean Joe Green featured a 9-year-old kid named Tommy Okon. I couldn’t find a name for the kid in the “Mean Joe Frank” version.
But you can find film information on Turner Classic Movies titled “The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid” which is based on the commercial. The kid is Henry Martin who later starred in the movie, “E.T. The Extraterrestrial” (1982).
This led to reminiscence of Fareway Store in Mason City, Iowa. I used to walk to Fareway to get groceries and walked back carrying at least two big paper sacks. My arms were always pretty sore when I got home. I used a wagon later on, but had to be careful crossing the railroad tracks on the way back to ensure the eggs didn’t break.
There are Fareway stores all across Iowa and several neighboring states now, but the first one opened in Boone, Iowa in 1938. It popularized the idea of shoppers picking out their own items from the shelves rather than letting a store employee pick them out from the shopper’s list. The store name was inspired by what was sold (“fare”) and treating customers and employees fairly.
The Fareway Frank character was called Forrest Frank in 2024 although it looks like the company has settled on Fareway Frank.
The other Iowa connection worth mentioning is that rookie defensive player for the Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl winners), Cooper DeJean, who played for the University of Iowa Hawkeye football team, made a pick-6 interception touchdown in the game.
While the Fareway Frank version of the Super Bowl commercials line-up didn’t make the short list (or any list for that matter) of favorites, it sure did bring back memories for us.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 