Just a note to myself, as I've been largely absent from the forum of late ... remember to get back to Chaz about Attila Hejja, whom I've been chatting with (and having drinks with) of late (re: he likes gin and tonic).
Attila seems like a perfect candidate for Last Train to Nagasaki as he's sat in both the Enola Gay and Boxcar, with their respective co-pilots, and he painted for the 50th anniversary of the former. I already talked him up about the possibility of cover art for LT2N, and he seemed very interested, so it's really up to chaz to follow up.
Book Discussion: Last Train from Hiroshima {to Nagasaki}
Moderators: Mr. Titanic, Charlie P., ed_the_engineer
Book Discussion: Last Train from Hiroshima {to Nagasaki}
Last edited by Darb on Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Nagasaki
Brad, could you suggest where to go for more info on the book. Is the title a play on Weller's first train or is it a reference to unfortunate timing. I've only recently become aware of the book. My reading to date has included the Japanese experience at ground zero and the political and strategical events bringing that outcome.
I have also read extensively on campaigning through the Pacific following the History of the War from both sides, as possible. I feel FDR would not have dropped the bomb; at least when it was dropped. Then again FDR played the game from the start while Truman had to quick study to bring about an end. His study of Stalin was not properly fermented when decision time came, nor was he fully up to speed on other processes.
The bombing survey was just getting under way and there was a relization of strategical mistakes in targeting without fully knowing what those mistakes were. Japan wasn't Germany and was greatly affected by targetting improvements that addressed transportation and power. We were recovering from Iwo Jima and had just finished an even more brutal operation at Okinawa. The irresolute nature of Japans leaders(the military and ultra nationallistic factions) and the proof of how costly a sacrificial defense would be limited what was believed to be the options available. FDR had a game plan, but it was lost when he died.
Since I've read so much of this area of history the book is of particular interest; especially if it discusses the effects of the explosion in terms of science.
I've also read through a bit of nuclear blast study and have worked with the effects of radon and radioactive exposure.
I have also read extensively on campaigning through the Pacific following the History of the War from both sides, as possible. I feel FDR would not have dropped the bomb; at least when it was dropped. Then again FDR played the game from the start while Truman had to quick study to bring about an end. His study of Stalin was not properly fermented when decision time came, nor was he fully up to speed on other processes.
The bombing survey was just getting under way and there was a relization of strategical mistakes in targeting without fully knowing what those mistakes were. Japan wasn't Germany and was greatly affected by targetting improvements that addressed transportation and power. We were recovering from Iwo Jima and had just finished an even more brutal operation at Okinawa. The irresolute nature of Japans leaders(the military and ultra nationallistic factions) and the proof of how costly a sacrificial defense would be limited what was believed to be the options available. FDR had a game plan, but it was lost when he died.
Since I've read so much of this area of history the book is of particular interest; especially if it discusses the effects of the explosion in terms of science.
I've also read through a bit of nuclear blast study and have worked with the effects of radon and radioactive exposure.
Observation is an important part of science; all that is required are your eyes and mind - an occasional notation allows the sharing of information and a uniform improvement in knowledge.
Sorry for the delayed response.
I chatted briefly with Chaz last night, and the book is still being assembled and written. The IBDoF database lists it as a 'forthcoming' book. I'm hopeful he'll have some time next week to revisit the forum and get caught up on questions like these.
p.s. On a sad but related note, Atilla H. (see top of thread) passed away on Aug 26th, at the much-too-young age of 52. Also, Tibbets died on Nov 1st. I called Chaz a few weeks back, and gently urged him to get crackin on the book, before more of the key players pass beyond.
I chatted briefly with Chaz last night, and the book is still being assembled and written. The IBDoF database lists it as a 'forthcoming' book. I'm hopeful he'll have some time next week to revisit the forum and get caught up on questions like these.
p.s. On a sad but related note, Atilla H. (see top of thread) passed away on Aug 26th, at the much-too-young age of 52. Also, Tibbets died on Nov 1st. I called Chaz a few weeks back, and gently urged him to get crackin on the book, before more of the key players pass beyond.
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Charlie P.
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki
I'm at work on the book now. I would have finished the project over four years ago; but I got a little distracted by Ground Zero in New York - and then there was that little problem with Jesus.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
<<--- lol!It's quite alright Charlie, your material is certainly always worth the wait (and of course its weight..in gold)
Last edited by Anastasia on Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
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Charlie P.
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Received recent news that every one of the first chapters made one of the higher-ups at Fox cry. There is now a "Yes" to a major theatrical plan for the Hiroshima-Nagasaki project.
As an aside, I always thought the coincidental relationships between the survivors of the plane in "Lost" were a bit much - - but during the past year I've been seeing this sort of thing for real among the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As recent examples, I had spoken with a nurse who went into Hiroshima on rescue two days after, and I had tracked down the story of Sadako's mother (of the "Thousand Paper Cranes") but could find nothing about her father or how exactly her grandmother died. Thee weeks ago, during a trip to Philadelphia, I stepped into a huge used book store and found a diary by a Hiroshima physician, misfiled in the science fiction section... It turns out that so few copies were ever printed five decades ago that the book is simply not listed anywhere. I never even knew of its existence. As I began reading, it turned out that he was a next-door neighbor to Sadako's family, and Sadako's father came into the hospital describing the death of his mother (I've double-checked their addresses near the Misaki Bridge). Then he described the arrival of the nurses from the suburbs two days after the bomb - among them the very woman I had just been interviewing.
The nurse left Japan for somewhere safer, after Hiroshima and the war were over... and survived the invasion of South Korea (just barely: she took a gunshot through-and-through and lived to show the wound). During the 1990s she found true love in New York, and thought herself finally safe - then ended up in the middle of the 9-11 attacks (the only person I know of, exposed to both Ground Zero radiation in 1945 and to Ground Zero dust and toxins in 2001). Last week I met a flight engineer from one of the planes that dropped the bomb on her... and it turns out that both of them crossed paths in Ground Zero New York. The engineer became a fire fighter after the war, and his son was on the police boat that was evacuating survivors across the river to New Jersey. Amazing: from Ground Zero to Ground Zero.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
As an aside, I always thought the coincidental relationships between the survivors of the plane in "Lost" were a bit much - - but during the past year I've been seeing this sort of thing for real among the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As recent examples, I had spoken with a nurse who went into Hiroshima on rescue two days after, and I had tracked down the story of Sadako's mother (of the "Thousand Paper Cranes") but could find nothing about her father or how exactly her grandmother died. Thee weeks ago, during a trip to Philadelphia, I stepped into a huge used book store and found a diary by a Hiroshima physician, misfiled in the science fiction section... It turns out that so few copies were ever printed five decades ago that the book is simply not listed anywhere. I never even knew of its existence. As I began reading, it turned out that he was a next-door neighbor to Sadako's family, and Sadako's father came into the hospital describing the death of his mother (I've double-checked their addresses near the Misaki Bridge). Then he described the arrival of the nurses from the suburbs two days after the bomb - among them the very woman I had just been interviewing.
The nurse left Japan for somewhere safer, after Hiroshima and the war were over... and survived the invasion of South Korea (just barely: she took a gunshot through-and-through and lived to show the wound). During the 1990s she found true love in New York, and thought herself finally safe - then ended up in the middle of the 9-11 attacks (the only person I know of, exposed to both Ground Zero radiation in 1945 and to Ground Zero dust and toxins in 2001). Last week I met a flight engineer from one of the planes that dropped the bomb on her... and it turns out that both of them crossed paths in Ground Zero New York. The engineer became a fire fighter after the war, and his son was on the police boat that was evacuating survivors across the river to New Jersey. Amazing: from Ground Zero to Ground Zero.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
WOW!! 
that's just AMAZING!!! As I type this reply, I'm having to work AROUND my bottom jaw, as it's STILL lying in the center of my keyboard after reading that!!!!
I can't believe how lucky you are Charlie....your accidental meeting with Walter Lord, finding this book that SCARCELY even exists anymore while you yourself are researching its likes (among COUNTLESS other occurences); I'm surprised you didn't run into this nurse on the way out of the bookstore!
I can't wait to read this book! The subject matter coincides with another historically crucial occurence which took place during WW2 that has completely consumed me. Besides, ANYTHING that Charlie writes always has that "couldn't put it down until I finished it" factor, and I'm sure that this forthcoming work will be no different!
that's just AMAZING!!! As I type this reply, I'm having to work AROUND my bottom jaw, as it's STILL lying in the center of my keyboard after reading that!!!! I can't believe how lucky you are Charlie....your accidental meeting with Walter Lord, finding this book that SCARCELY even exists anymore while you yourself are researching its likes (among COUNTLESS other occurences); I'm surprised you didn't run into this nurse on the way out of the bookstore!
I can't wait to read this book! The subject matter coincides with another historically crucial occurence which took place during WW2 that has completely consumed me. Besides, ANYTHING that Charlie writes always has that "couldn't put it down until I finished it" factor, and I'm sure that this forthcoming work will be no different!
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
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Charlie P.
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Japan tv just aired a segment about the book (including Joseph Fuoco the flight engineer and nurse Nancy Cantwell, mentioned in the above post). They were covering my work in Japan and aired it the week of September 11 - on the popular show, "New York Streets." Among other developments, the survivors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima have been spontaneously reaching out to 9-11 family members in a heartfelt act of helping with the healing - which is, in fact, why all those bundles of paper cranes were arriving in New York, and draping the gates of St. Paul's Chapel. As it turns out, I was standing in the 9-11 Family Room during the 5th anniversary with Masahiro Sasaki (brother of "Sadako of the Thousand Paper Cranes") and didn't know it. We finally met up in Japan this past July, when I began my search for the location of his and Sadako's childhood home.
The foundation footprint evidently still exists under what is now a small parking lot. Dr.Hachia's house was across the street, where a 7-11 store now stands.
Mary told Japan t.v. that it continues to amaze her - "How Charlie can guide robots through the smashed corridors of the Titanic, find things people lost thousands of years ago, and now, he pin-points the foundations of a house that was blown completely off the map by an atomic bomb - - and yet, when I ask him to meet me at the south-east corner of Macys in New York City - where we live and where the streets are numbered on a grid - he manages to get lost!"
On a sadder note, we lost Joe Fuoco this month. I have a very special place in my heart for veterans, fire-fighters, and police officers. He was all three. Hideo Nakamura, the producer of "New York Streets," was editing when the news came. He had just come across Joe's last words from the interview, "Wars like this should never happen again. We are not animals. We are human beings. And we have to learn to love our brothers."
- - Charlie P.
The foundation footprint evidently still exists under what is now a small parking lot. Dr.Hachia's house was across the street, where a 7-11 store now stands.
Mary told Japan t.v. that it continues to amaze her - "How Charlie can guide robots through the smashed corridors of the Titanic, find things people lost thousands of years ago, and now, he pin-points the foundations of a house that was blown completely off the map by an atomic bomb - - and yet, when I ask him to meet me at the south-east corner of Macys in New York City - where we live and where the streets are numbered on a grid - he manages to get lost!"
On a sadder note, we lost Joe Fuoco this month. I have a very special place in my heart for veterans, fire-fighters, and police officers. He was all three. Hideo Nakamura, the producer of "New York Streets," was editing when the news came. He had just come across Joe's last words from the interview, "Wars like this should never happen again. We are not animals. We are human beings. And we have to learn to love our brothers."
- - Charlie P.
Mary told Japan t.v. that it continues to amaze her - "How Charlie can guide robots through the smashed corridors of the Titanic, find things people lost thousands of years ago, and now, he pin-points the foundations of a house that was blown completely off the map by an atomic bomb - - and yet, when I ask him to meet me at the south-east corner of Macys in New York City - where we live and where the streets are numbered on a grid - he manages to get lost!"
What, you mean you DIDN'T stop to ask directions, Charlie??
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
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Charlie P.
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It's not just me. The human brain is a monkey - and a damned defective piece of equipment to have to be working with. I still cannot understand how I used to always get lost in and around the World Trade Center when it was still stancing. But when it was all in ruins - then, for the first time, I could trangulate between three points and navigate through the ruins seeing everything as it had been on September 10. I navigated modern Hiroshima with the entire grid of 1945 in my head. And about a week after the Macys incident, Mary was present when I received a panicked call from a History Channel film crew in Herculaneum that couldnt find the House of the Bicentinniary... So I asked them where they were (near the Marina) - and I told them which direction to face relative to the arches and the volcano, where to walk up to, and from which point to walk three blocks toward the volcano with the gymnasiom coming up on the right, and when to turn toward the first house on the left and which marks on the wall to follow to the second floor, east wall. When I piut the phone down, Mary said she thinks it's just about time to go shopping for a gallon of honey, forty feet of rope, two spools of duct tape, and a horse.
(The hypothesis I'm working with on all of this, is that the part of the brain that thinks archaeologically - even in terms of mapping - is different from the part of the brain that navigates modern streets... Or worse, Uncle Dondi can tell you of the night Uncle Charlie got lost in a one isle deli while looking for a twinkies [to make Twinkie French Toast - to go with peanut butter and bacon sandwiches].)
I should add that this is the one family in America (and perhaps the world) that loves Jar Jar Binks and has all the Jar Jar toys (they were, after all, on sale at great prices) - because Daddy reminds everyone of Jar Jar.
Well... When it all gets down to bottom, every major paleontological or archaeological discovery I have ever made (beginning with the first mummified insect remains in amber and the first allosaur blood cells showing actual histology, and the velociraptid embryonic skeletons, Queen Hatshepsut relief, rusticle opal, broken ammonite shell inside Titanic, shroud fibers in bioconcretions in the Jesus ossuary) -all resulted from either breaking something, or from my falling backwards into something. Sometimes, I can be so dumb-clumsy that I amaze myself.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
PS: Twinkie French Toast (for Halloween only): Dip in whipped egg - the Twinky soaks it up beautifully, like a sponge. Fry on all sides until crispy brown (using EV olive oil and/or butter). The great part is that the heat brings the "cream" up evenly throughout the sponge "cake." Left-over egg should be fried into approx 2mm deep blanket, to cut and drape over the cooked Twinkie toast. Drizzle sparingly in a line over the egg blanket with genuine maple syrup (not that flavored fructose crap). Sprinkle the syrup with a light layer of salt.
Another quick to prepare high cholesterol treat. No self-respecting grit-eater would use instant grits - but forgive yourself this tresspass and go for it. You can even go for pre-cooked, pre-cleaned jumbo shrimp (let them thaw or buy already thawed - and just warm them in a teacup of warm water. Add a slice of butter to top of the grits. Wrap the shrimp in Proscuito (pre-sliced and packaged is okay), and press these gently into the layer of butter. Yum. (Or, for a further shortcut: don't bother eating. Why not just inject the fat, salt, and cholesterol directly into your veins?)
(The hypothesis I'm working with on all of this, is that the part of the brain that thinks archaeologically - even in terms of mapping - is different from the part of the brain that navigates modern streets... Or worse, Uncle Dondi can tell you of the night Uncle Charlie got lost in a one isle deli while looking for a twinkies [to make Twinkie French Toast - to go with peanut butter and bacon sandwiches].)
I should add that this is the one family in America (and perhaps the world) that loves Jar Jar Binks and has all the Jar Jar toys (they were, after all, on sale at great prices) - because Daddy reminds everyone of Jar Jar.
Well... When it all gets down to bottom, every major paleontological or archaeological discovery I have ever made (beginning with the first mummified insect remains in amber and the first allosaur blood cells showing actual histology, and the velociraptid embryonic skeletons, Queen Hatshepsut relief, rusticle opal, broken ammonite shell inside Titanic, shroud fibers in bioconcretions in the Jesus ossuary) -all resulted from either breaking something, or from my falling backwards into something. Sometimes, I can be so dumb-clumsy that I amaze myself.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
PS: Twinkie French Toast (for Halloween only): Dip in whipped egg - the Twinky soaks it up beautifully, like a sponge. Fry on all sides until crispy brown (using EV olive oil and/or butter). The great part is that the heat brings the "cream" up evenly throughout the sponge "cake." Left-over egg should be fried into approx 2mm deep blanket, to cut and drape over the cooked Twinkie toast. Drizzle sparingly in a line over the egg blanket with genuine maple syrup (not that flavored fructose crap). Sprinkle the syrup with a light layer of salt.
Another quick to prepare high cholesterol treat. No self-respecting grit-eater would use instant grits - but forgive yourself this tresspass and go for it. You can even go for pre-cooked, pre-cleaned jumbo shrimp (let them thaw or buy already thawed - and just warm them in a teacup of warm water. Add a slice of butter to top of the grits. Wrap the shrimp in Proscuito (pre-sliced and packaged is okay), and press these gently into the layer of butter. Yum. (Or, for a further shortcut: don't bother eating. Why not just inject the fat, salt, and cholesterol directly into your veins?)
Twinkie French Toast, fried in a combination of butter and olive oil, lightly bathed in GENUINE maple syrup....ok, now THAT'S a nice, healthy alternative to pancakes! Being a calorie counter, I'd be guilt-ridden for weeks after delving into THAT! (But it sounds pretty intriguing I must say!)
And KUDOS to Mary for the honey/rope/duct tape/horse remark, THAT was classic!!!
xx More power to ya Mary!! Oh, what a vivid imagination can do with THAT information... 
(so....any progress to report on LT2N? just thought I'd ask.....)
And KUDOS to Mary for the honey/rope/duct tape/horse remark, THAT was classic!!!
xx More power to ya Mary!! Oh, what a vivid imagination can do with THAT information... (so....any progress to report on LT2N? just thought I'd ask.....)
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
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Mr. Titanic
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Charlie P.
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Anastasia: Yes, there are new developments with "The last train from Hiroshima" (new title because a poll has shown that most Americans have forgotten what Nagasaki means). Japan T.V. will be filming a second, longer program, History Channel interest, and so on. I should have more difinitive news next month, as the book goes into production, with a publication date to be announced.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
yay!! 
I'm really glad to hear that! I've just read my survivor friend's recently published book, and it was amazing....she's had such a tragic and fascinating life, I'm truly honoured to know her! It's always such a great thing when one has established a friendly relationship with the author of a book or books they are reading/have read; and during one's read, should questions arise during such duration (I'm sure that notorious letter comes to mind, aye Charlie? 
) one can always go directly to the source itself for answers!
Interesting reason for a title change too, how can ANYONE actually have forgotten what happened in Nagasaki? Wow...that's something I find pretty difficult to digest, but whatdya do?
Keep us posted on the followings and the forthcomings of the book Charlie, I'm certainly looking forward to reading it, and seeing the programs and reviews that will inevitably trail behind it....
Hope you and Mary are well and happy, and looking forward to a lovely Spring in NY!
oh and one more tidbit...I had an idea for your twinkie french toast that will make it even MORE gorgeous! (AND fattening....is that actually possible!??!) How about taking some whipping cream, blending it with an electric mixer (adding a little sweetener rather than sugar, and about a tsp. of vanilla) until it's the consistency of whipped cream, and using a cake decorating bag, squeeze it into the end of the twinkie to mix with the cream filling that's already present. how about THAT for an artery clogging mess??? (this idea came from a recipe that I once found for stuffed french toast - the recipe called for the whipped cream to be blended it with cream cheese. I kinda figured it'd work nicely here as well)
I'm really glad to hear that! I've just read my survivor friend's recently published book, and it was amazing....she's had such a tragic and fascinating life, I'm truly honoured to know her! It's always such a great thing when one has established a friendly relationship with the author of a book or books they are reading/have read; and during one's read, should questions arise during such duration (I'm sure that notorious letter comes to mind, aye Charlie? ) one can always go directly to the source itself for answers! Interesting reason for a title change too, how can ANYONE actually have forgotten what happened in Nagasaki? Wow...that's something I find pretty difficult to digest, but whatdya do?
Keep us posted on the followings and the forthcomings of the book Charlie, I'm certainly looking forward to reading it, and seeing the programs and reviews that will inevitably trail behind it....
Hope you and Mary are well and happy, and looking forward to a lovely Spring in NY!
oh and one more tidbit...I had an idea for your twinkie french toast that will make it even MORE gorgeous! (AND fattening....is that actually possible!??!) How about taking some whipping cream, blending it with an electric mixer (adding a little sweetener rather than sugar, and about a tsp. of vanilla) until it's the consistency of whipped cream, and using a cake decorating bag, squeeze it into the end of the twinkie to mix with the cream filling that's already present. how about THAT for an artery clogging mess??? (this idea came from a recipe that I once found for stuffed french toast - the recipe called for the whipped cream to be blended it with cream cheese. I kinda figured it'd work nicely here as well)
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
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Charlie P.
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The Last Train from Hiroshima (reply to Anastasia and UPDATE)
Anastasia: I've moved on from Twinkie French toast to Hawaiian recipes. Ginger fried rice with fried slices of Spam wrapped in Nori seaweed - as Spam "sushi" hand rolls. Dessert, batter fired slices of pineapple.
On your friend with the recent book - is that Nancy Cantwell? ("A Life in Three Motherlands (Japan, Korea, USA"). We've become friends with her family and the kids have met her. It's amazing that some people can come through so many horrors with such an uplifting view of life. She was one of the nurses of Hiroshima. After she moved to New York, married the love of her life, and believed that finallly (after having also survived being shot during the invasion of Korea) - finally, she was away from history's Ground Zeros and cascade points, on September 11, 2001 she happened to be driving into the part of Hell's Kitchen where the uranium ore for the Hiroshima bomb had been stored. One of her students was killed in the Towers. And, on that day - as she was evacuated to New Jersey, one of the police officers driving the boats (though we do not know that they actually crossed paths in the same place) was the son of Joseph Fuoco - a flight engineer on the Hiroshima mission. The nephew of the Enola Gay's navigator was one of the two nearest known survivor's to the impact point of Flight 11 in the North Tower (his wife is Mary's boss; and Mary was saved that day by a very bad cold that altered her schedule)... and so on... and so on, with seemingly unlikely connections: The Ito family was touched by both Ground Zeros in Japan - and lost a son in the South Tower. It was the Itos and Masahiro Sasaki (of "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes") who were behind all those thousands of paper cranes that began arriving in New York, and which draped the gates of St Paul's Chapel.
OTHER ODD ESONANCES: While I was being filmed by Japan tv, four paper cranes in the Family Room at 1 Liberty Plaza fell from a bundle that had been sent by Mr. Ito. When the Director read the attached ribbon, it translated as, "Come back to Hiroshima." I don't believe in signs; but others in my family do. My children replaced the four that had fallen, and I brought the original four back with me to Japan (for the Ito family, for the Sasaki's, the Nagais, and Mr Yamaguchi [who, having survived both Hiroshima and Nagasaki - in Ground Zero, both times - came to New York wearing a Boston Red Sox cap]).
It turned out that I had met Mr. Ito in the family Room a couple of years ago. At the time, I was never able to call the crater in New York "Ground Zero." He had asked me, "Why do you call this place the Crater when everyone else calls it Ground Zero?" I told him that I did not want to diminish - even trivialize, perhaps - places where so many thousands more had died. "No," Mr Ito said. "This is another place that must be remembered - with a commitment that people must never die this way again." He explained that he was from Hiroshima - and from that day, I was able to call the place by the name everyone else used.
The outreach from the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to 9-11 families has been little-known and heartfelt. They are more than a half century ahead of where most 9-11 families stand today - and I, for one, have found that the people from the other two Ground Zeros have helped me in my own healing (unless you've been through it, you cannot understand how difficult it is for people to heal from homicide and similar horrors).
After the paper cranes went back to Japan, Masahiro Sasaki came to New York and dedicated, at the Tribute Center on Liberty Street (a non-profit museum run exclusively by family members), one of his sister Sadako's original paper cranes. He and Mr. Ito, by the way, grew up to become best friends - naturally.
Anyone reading the book will be likely to assume that I networked to the survivors, and found them leading one-to-another. It was not that way at all. I had specific survivors in mind - like Mr. Sasaki and Mr Ito - and did not know that, though in terms of probability they should have been strangers, their lives were connected. Last April, while with my family in Philadelphia, we stopped in a used book store and there, misfiled in the science fiction section, was a book by Dr. Hachiya titled "Hiroshima Diary." I assumed it was already in my library but bought it just in case it was not - and it turned out that it had been out of print for more than fifty years, so obscure that it was not even listed among my references. Dr. Hachiya turned out to be the next door neighbor of the Sasaki's - and his diary, aided by corroborative details from Masahiro Sasaki, became the source of an unknown story of undeserved guilt that the doctor carried to his grave. By the time Mr. Yamaguchi told me that it was his old basketball buddy Dr. Nagai (of Nagasaki) who saved his life, I was no longer surprised by the chain of seemingly endless coincidences. It was like walking through an eposode of "Lost" for real.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
On your friend with the recent book - is that Nancy Cantwell? ("A Life in Three Motherlands (Japan, Korea, USA"). We've become friends with her family and the kids have met her. It's amazing that some people can come through so many horrors with such an uplifting view of life. She was one of the nurses of Hiroshima. After she moved to New York, married the love of her life, and believed that finallly (after having also survived being shot during the invasion of Korea) - finally, she was away from history's Ground Zeros and cascade points, on September 11, 2001 she happened to be driving into the part of Hell's Kitchen where the uranium ore for the Hiroshima bomb had been stored. One of her students was killed in the Towers. And, on that day - as she was evacuated to New Jersey, one of the police officers driving the boats (though we do not know that they actually crossed paths in the same place) was the son of Joseph Fuoco - a flight engineer on the Hiroshima mission. The nephew of the Enola Gay's navigator was one of the two nearest known survivor's to the impact point of Flight 11 in the North Tower (his wife is Mary's boss; and Mary was saved that day by a very bad cold that altered her schedule)... and so on... and so on, with seemingly unlikely connections: The Ito family was touched by both Ground Zeros in Japan - and lost a son in the South Tower. It was the Itos and Masahiro Sasaki (of "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes") who were behind all those thousands of paper cranes that began arriving in New York, and which draped the gates of St Paul's Chapel.
OTHER ODD ESONANCES: While I was being filmed by Japan tv, four paper cranes in the Family Room at 1 Liberty Plaza fell from a bundle that had been sent by Mr. Ito. When the Director read the attached ribbon, it translated as, "Come back to Hiroshima." I don't believe in signs; but others in my family do. My children replaced the four that had fallen, and I brought the original four back with me to Japan (for the Ito family, for the Sasaki's, the Nagais, and Mr Yamaguchi [who, having survived both Hiroshima and Nagasaki - in Ground Zero, both times - came to New York wearing a Boston Red Sox cap]).
It turned out that I had met Mr. Ito in the family Room a couple of years ago. At the time, I was never able to call the crater in New York "Ground Zero." He had asked me, "Why do you call this place the Crater when everyone else calls it Ground Zero?" I told him that I did not want to diminish - even trivialize, perhaps - places where so many thousands more had died. "No," Mr Ito said. "This is another place that must be remembered - with a commitment that people must never die this way again." He explained that he was from Hiroshima - and from that day, I was able to call the place by the name everyone else used.
The outreach from the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to 9-11 families has been little-known and heartfelt. They are more than a half century ahead of where most 9-11 families stand today - and I, for one, have found that the people from the other two Ground Zeros have helped me in my own healing (unless you've been through it, you cannot understand how difficult it is for people to heal from homicide and similar horrors).
After the paper cranes went back to Japan, Masahiro Sasaki came to New York and dedicated, at the Tribute Center on Liberty Street (a non-profit museum run exclusively by family members), one of his sister Sadako's original paper cranes. He and Mr. Ito, by the way, grew up to become best friends - naturally.
Anyone reading the book will be likely to assume that I networked to the survivors, and found them leading one-to-another. It was not that way at all. I had specific survivors in mind - like Mr. Sasaki and Mr Ito - and did not know that, though in terms of probability they should have been strangers, their lives were connected. Last April, while with my family in Philadelphia, we stopped in a used book store and there, misfiled in the science fiction section, was a book by Dr. Hachiya titled "Hiroshima Diary." I assumed it was already in my library but bought it just in case it was not - and it turned out that it had been out of print for more than fifty years, so obscure that it was not even listed among my references. Dr. Hachiya turned out to be the next door neighbor of the Sasaki's - and his diary, aided by corroborative details from Masahiro Sasaki, became the source of an unknown story of undeserved guilt that the doctor carried to his grave. By the time Mr. Yamaguchi told me that it was his old basketball buddy Dr. Nagai (of Nagasaki) who saved his life, I was no longer surprised by the chain of seemingly endless coincidences. It was like walking through an eposode of "Lost" for real.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
geez Charlie, I can't BELIEVE the nature of constant coincidences that cross your path in the name of happenstance!! I presume this isn't the same book to which you made reference a few posts ago, but another book that you've found that was out of print for several years? The coincidences that keep popping up every time you turn around are AMAZING! If you don't believe in signs.... someone somewhere is trying to tell you SOMETHING!
The friend to which I'm referring is Irene Zisblatt, and her book is entitled "The Fifth Diamond", a reference to four diamonds that her mother gave her upon arrival at Auschwitz (she was instructed to trade them for food should it be necessary) that have remained with her until today. The book is a short read, only about 160 pages, and is incredibly tragic in a few specific places. I managed to hold back the tears until I read the bit about how the American soldiers were so kind to her and made her feel like a human being instead of a prisoner for the first time in many months (it was my patriotism and my love for the compassion of my countrymen toward my friend that brought said tears to my eyes). She and five other survivors of Hungarian descent told their stories in an Oscar winning documentary by Steven Spielberg called "The Last Days", which is hard to watch in some places, but very informative and incredibly moving! (Dario Gabbai, also in this documentary, is a friend of ours as is his cousin Morris Venezia. They were both Sonderkommandos, or crematorium workers and are both still living) I'm very proud and honored to call her friend and I hope that her life story continues to inspire many many people for years to come! (pic of us below)
spam in sushi huh?? that's ..... different! I'm sure my husband would approve, in that he's a spam fan... me? well, let's just say "to each their own"
The battered fried pineapple sounds excellent, drizzled with hot caramel and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Hey, HERE'S an idea... why not just smash it all right onto my thighs??? That's where it'd end up anyway!! 
Any chance of devising a NONFAT-CARB FREE version??
http://anastasiadunn.tripod.com/jamiesp ... Irene1.jpg
Irene & me
The friend to which I'm referring is Irene Zisblatt, and her book is entitled "The Fifth Diamond", a reference to four diamonds that her mother gave her upon arrival at Auschwitz (she was instructed to trade them for food should it be necessary) that have remained with her until today. The book is a short read, only about 160 pages, and is incredibly tragic in a few specific places. I managed to hold back the tears until I read the bit about how the American soldiers were so kind to her and made her feel like a human being instead of a prisoner for the first time in many months (it was my patriotism and my love for the compassion of my countrymen toward my friend that brought said tears to my eyes). She and five other survivors of Hungarian descent told their stories in an Oscar winning documentary by Steven Spielberg called "The Last Days", which is hard to watch in some places, but very informative and incredibly moving! (Dario Gabbai, also in this documentary, is a friend of ours as is his cousin Morris Venezia. They were both Sonderkommandos, or crematorium workers and are both still living) I'm very proud and honored to call her friend and I hope that her life story continues to inspire many many people for years to come! (pic of us below)
spam in sushi huh?? that's ..... different! I'm sure my husband would approve, in that he's a spam fan... me? well, let's just say "to each their own"
The battered fried pineapple sounds excellent, drizzled with hot caramel and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Hey, HERE'S an idea... why not just smash it all right onto my thighs??? That's where it'd end up anyway!! Any chance of devising a NONFAT-CARB FREE version?? http://anastasiadunn.tripod.com/jamiesp ... Irene1.jpg
Irene & me
Last edited by Anastasia on Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:33 am, edited 3 times in total.
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
Right, so it WAS the same book to which you were referring a few posts up...just clarifying that for myself!Thee weeks ago, during a trip to Philadelphia, I stepped into a huge used book store and found a diary by a Hiroshima physician, misfiled in the science fiction section... It turns out that so few copies were ever printed five decades ago that the book is simply not listed anywhere. I never even knew of its existence. As I began reading, it turned out that he was a next-door neighbor to Sadako's family, and Sadako's father came into the hospital describing the death of his mother (I've double-checked their addresses near the Misaki Bridge). Then he described the arrival of the nurses from the suburbs two days after the bomb - among them the very woman I had just been interviewing.
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
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Charlie P.
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Book Discussion: Last train to Hiroshima
Anastasia: The book about your friend sounds like a must-read. One of the crowning coincidences occurred on the day I found the parking field that seems to have preserved the foundations of Sadako's house (od Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes). Cranes are not often seen in Hiroshima. But when I walked down ot the river and filmed, from the Miasasa Bridge the place whewre Sadako, her brother, and her mother survived the firestorm in a wrecked and half-sunk "lifeboat," a white crane flew down and landed on the spot.
On the pineapple slices: a bit of egg and flour, fried in a pan on each side in ev olive oil (with dash of butter) until brown. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Fresh cut pineapple is best. Serve with "Spam sushi."
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
On the pineapple slices: a bit of egg and flour, fried in a pan on each side in ev olive oil (with dash of butter) until brown. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Fresh cut pineapple is best. Serve with "Spam sushi."
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
lol @ you pimpin' that Spam sushi!!! 
I've just ordered Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes from Amazon, I've read various reviews about the book on a Web search and it sounds fantastic...can't wait to read it!
Of course, one must leave it to an archaeologist to notice well-preserved foundations. And again, one can't help but believe that someone somewhere is tryin' REAL HARD to get your attention...there are just FAR too many coincidences surrounding you and your current quest at present, not to mention other coincidences in the past such as the Walter Lord meeting (among others that we here know nothing of).... perhaps a visit to John Edwards of "Crossing Over" might be, if you'll pardon the pun, 'in the cards'.
xo
I've just ordered Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes from Amazon, I've read various reviews about the book on a Web search and it sounds fantastic...can't wait to read it!
Of course, one must leave it to an archaeologist to notice well-preserved foundations. And again, one can't help but believe that someone somewhere is tryin' REAL HARD to get your attention...there are just FAR too many coincidences surrounding you and your current quest at present, not to mention other coincidences in the past such as the Walter Lord meeting (among others that we here know nothing of).... perhaps a visit to John Edwards of "Crossing Over" might be, if you'll pardon the pun, 'in the cards'.
xo
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
I know that this question is unrelated to this topic, however as Ground Zero has been discussed here as well, I thought I'd ask this question...
Today on the History Channel in the UK, I watched a documentary called "120 Minutes That Changed America", it was a minute-by-minute account of the 9/11 atrocities as seen by home video cameras rolling throughout. A few people were filming it from their windows as they watched it unfold, and it dawned on me that you (Charlie) are pretty close to Ground Zero...and I wondered if you were close enough to see any of it from your window(s), and did you?
And SPEAKING OF COINCIDENCES....every day, I do this "click for charity" thing, and today I discovered that one of the sponsors on the Children's Health Site offered for sale, (you're going to love this one Charles...) PAPER CRANE EARRINGS!! (No joke, take a look!) These are fantastic, they even come in their own bamboo box!
http://shop.thechildhealthsite.com/stor ... igin=59034
Today on the History Channel in the UK, I watched a documentary called "120 Minutes That Changed America", it was a minute-by-minute account of the 9/11 atrocities as seen by home video cameras rolling throughout. A few people were filming it from their windows as they watched it unfold, and it dawned on me that you (Charlie) are pretty close to Ground Zero...and I wondered if you were close enough to see any of it from your window(s), and did you?
And SPEAKING OF COINCIDENCES....every day, I do this "click for charity" thing, and today I discovered that one of the sponsors on the Children's Health Site offered for sale, (you're going to love this one Charles...) PAPER CRANE EARRINGS!! (No joke, take a look!) These are fantastic, they even come in their own bamboo box!
http://shop.thechildhealthsite.com/stor ... igin=59034
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
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Charlie P.
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I heard from John Edwards a few years ago regarding a family of my acquaintance (the oldest son had escaped the South Tower, only to discover that his little neice had been killed on the plane that struck his office). After going down to Ground Zero only to do what is required of me every month, and after having decided years ago that I would never finish my reports and write a book devoted entirely to forensic archaeology in Ground Zero, Sadako's brother and the other survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have helped me to turn the horrors completely on their head in search of a new meaning. Thanks to them, I've decided to finish the job.
(It was Sadako's brother, and the brother of Hiroshi Ito, by the way, who were responsible for all the paper cranes that came from the children of Japan to the children of New York - and which were draped all over the fences of St. Paul's chapel. Mr. Ito lost his brother in Hiroshima, and grew up to lose his son in the South Tower. It was he who convinced me to stop calling the site, "the crater," and to finally start calling it "Ground Zero." He said, "This is a third Ground Zero that must never be forgotten; we must remember it, and try to work together for people never dying this way again")
By the way: It was my participation in the Japanese film, "Three Ground Zeros," and my writing of "The Last Train from Hiroshima," that led the Republican Party to demand, in writing, an answer from me as to what I thought they did to so disgust me - and last Septenber they officially expelled me in a letter (which is so bizarre as to be framable on my wall). Makes as much sense as my excommunication, two years ago, by the Pope of the Greek Orthodox Church (which I hope will put to rest the widely repeated misunderstanding that I was excommunicated by the Vatican: which would have just as framable because I'm not even Catholic).
Getting back to the question: I did not see the Towers fall and in fact I did not see any of the clear video that others saw playing over and over on tv - - I did not see any of this until nearly a month after the attacks.
On September 10, 2001, I descended in Mir 2 to the Titanic, for what turned out to be the longest dive in the expedition series. When I surfaced, I wrote an E-mail to Mary, and I could not understand why I was at the Titanic's stern and kept thinking of her friend Pat Brown. Then the attacks began. Capt Pat Brown (of Ladder 3) had an engineering background, and until his last mayday from the 44th floor of the North Tower at 10:10 AM, he was calling out details (which were recorded) of exactly how the central core in which the elevator banks were mounted was disintegrating - so that people like me and Rhonda Scheerer could figure it out.
At the Titanic's stern, I was studying precisely the downblast, collapse column, and shock cocoon physics that I would be studying in Ground Zero New York.
While I was at sea (we had to stay because virtually all of America's deep ocean robotics people except those who were with us the Titanic died in the Pentagon)... In New York, a port authority recovery worker found half of my book, "Her Name, Titanic," near the top of the pile, and brought it to Baltimore. The exposed page was open to the illustration I had drawn of the Titanic's depth, against ten Twin Tower depths, with the Titanic's bow section falling at the feet of the Towers. I have wondered ever since if it was my cousin Donna's copy (she was killed instantly in the offices of Marsh and Mclennon, 98th floor of the North Tower, west side, where Flight 11's starboard wing penetrated). Firefighter Keith Young found copies of Jerry Routolo's photo archive from Windows on the World perfectly intact on the pile... including a picture of me and Mary, undamaged. There's more; but that's a story for another time.
When I arrived home, a reporter from Baltimore called - not knowing where I was during the attacks - and asked me if I thought the page with my drawing of the Titanic and the Twin Towers was a coincidence. I said, "Yes, that is a coincidence." And I said nothing more.
The one survivor from the Deep Ocean Robotics team in the Pentagon was Tom Detweiler (see "Her name, Titanic" - also his fictional death in my novel "Dust," at the time of a terrorist attack on Washington DC). On 9-11, he was called out of the Pentagon for an eye exam, just before his section took a direct hit. He now helps to direct the Treasure-Quest expeditions on the Discovery Channel. And it looks like we'll be working together again.
As for Paddy Brown, I did not know him very well, before he died. From all I have learned since, I really wish I had gotten to know him better, while he was still alive.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
(It was Sadako's brother, and the brother of Hiroshi Ito, by the way, who were responsible for all the paper cranes that came from the children of Japan to the children of New York - and which were draped all over the fences of St. Paul's chapel. Mr. Ito lost his brother in Hiroshima, and grew up to lose his son in the South Tower. It was he who convinced me to stop calling the site, "the crater," and to finally start calling it "Ground Zero." He said, "This is a third Ground Zero that must never be forgotten; we must remember it, and try to work together for people never dying this way again")
By the way: It was my participation in the Japanese film, "Three Ground Zeros," and my writing of "The Last Train from Hiroshima," that led the Republican Party to demand, in writing, an answer from me as to what I thought they did to so disgust me - and last Septenber they officially expelled me in a letter (which is so bizarre as to be framable on my wall). Makes as much sense as my excommunication, two years ago, by the Pope of the Greek Orthodox Church (which I hope will put to rest the widely repeated misunderstanding that I was excommunicated by the Vatican: which would have just as framable because I'm not even Catholic).
Getting back to the question: I did not see the Towers fall and in fact I did not see any of the clear video that others saw playing over and over on tv - - I did not see any of this until nearly a month after the attacks.
On September 10, 2001, I descended in Mir 2 to the Titanic, for what turned out to be the longest dive in the expedition series. When I surfaced, I wrote an E-mail to Mary, and I could not understand why I was at the Titanic's stern and kept thinking of her friend Pat Brown. Then the attacks began. Capt Pat Brown (of Ladder 3) had an engineering background, and until his last mayday from the 44th floor of the North Tower at 10:10 AM, he was calling out details (which were recorded) of exactly how the central core in which the elevator banks were mounted was disintegrating - so that people like me and Rhonda Scheerer could figure it out.
At the Titanic's stern, I was studying precisely the downblast, collapse column, and shock cocoon physics that I would be studying in Ground Zero New York.
While I was at sea (we had to stay because virtually all of America's deep ocean robotics people except those who were with us the Titanic died in the Pentagon)... In New York, a port authority recovery worker found half of my book, "Her Name, Titanic," near the top of the pile, and brought it to Baltimore. The exposed page was open to the illustration I had drawn of the Titanic's depth, against ten Twin Tower depths, with the Titanic's bow section falling at the feet of the Towers. I have wondered ever since if it was my cousin Donna's copy (she was killed instantly in the offices of Marsh and Mclennon, 98th floor of the North Tower, west side, where Flight 11's starboard wing penetrated). Firefighter Keith Young found copies of Jerry Routolo's photo archive from Windows on the World perfectly intact on the pile... including a picture of me and Mary, undamaged. There's more; but that's a story for another time.
When I arrived home, a reporter from Baltimore called - not knowing where I was during the attacks - and asked me if I thought the page with my drawing of the Titanic and the Twin Towers was a coincidence. I said, "Yes, that is a coincidence." And I said nothing more.
The one survivor from the Deep Ocean Robotics team in the Pentagon was Tom Detweiler (see "Her name, Titanic" - also his fictional death in my novel "Dust," at the time of a terrorist attack on Washington DC). On 9-11, he was called out of the Pentagon for an eye exam, just before his section took a direct hit. He now helps to direct the Treasure-Quest expeditions on the Discovery Channel. And it looks like we'll be working together again.
As for Paddy Brown, I did not know him very well, before he died. From all I have learned since, I really wish I had gotten to know him better, while he was still alive.
See you later,
- - Charlie P.
oh good Lord - forgive me Charlie! OF COURSE you were at Titanic's grave for the 9/11 atrocities; please excuse my absent-mindedness!
I've seen "Ghosts..." enough times, I can't believe my stupidity, even asking that question!
(by the way, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes was a fantastic little read. You couldn't help but pull for her, even though the outcome was inevitable. Hopefully sometime soon, I'll get to NYC to see Ground Zero, and when I do, I'll take a single paper crane with me..... )
I've seen "Ghosts..." enough times, I can't believe my stupidity, even asking that question!
and they just keep comin'!!!In New York, a port authority recovery worker found half of my book, "Her Name, Titanic," near the top of the pile, and brought it to Baltimore. The exposed page was open to the illustration I had drawn of the Titanic's depth, against ten Twin Tower depths, with the Titanic's bow section falling at the feet of the Towers
(by the way, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes was a fantastic little read. You couldn't help but pull for her, even though the outcome was inevitable. Hopefully sometime soon, I'll get to NYC to see Ground Zero, and when I do, I'll take a single paper crane with me..... )
"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
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Charlie P.
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I would absolutely LOVE that Charlie. When I do make it over, I'll certainly take you up on that offer...it would be a privilege to have you both as "tour guides" as it were. Thank you! And same goes if you ever decide to visit Auschwitz.....
And same goes if you ever decide to visit Auschwitz....."You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it" Groucho Marx, 1932
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Mr. Titanic
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The Last Train to Hiroshima [Nagasaki]
Charlie's book has been reviewed by Publishers Weekly. The review can be found Here. I will also quote it below:
[quote="Publishers Weekly"]The Last Train from Hiroshima
Charles Pellegrino. Holt, $27.50 (352p) ISBN 978-0-8050-8796-3
Using a combination of firsthand accounts of Japanese A-bomb survivors, American aviators, and classified documents of government officials, Pellegrino (The Jesus Family Tomb) reconstructs two horrifying days and their aftermath when the age of atomic warfare was introduced over Japan. He is fascinated with the “strange alchemyâ€
[quote="Publishers Weekly"]The Last Train from Hiroshima
Charles Pellegrino. Holt, $27.50 (352p) ISBN 978-0-8050-8796-3
Using a combination of firsthand accounts of Japanese A-bomb survivors, American aviators, and classified documents of government officials, Pellegrino (The Jesus Family Tomb) reconstructs two horrifying days and their aftermath when the age of atomic warfare was introduced over Japan. He is fascinated with the “strange alchemyâ€