Mitchell's thoughts, photos, etc.

Holy Places. The Places that Make You Feel at Peace.

Yankee Stadium, Coney Island, Ten Mile River Scout Camps and the Kotel

We all have places we visit that calm, energize, and bring peace and a sense of reason. They change over the years. Some get stronger. Some weaker. Some you eliminate.

For me, the top places include Yankee Stadium, Coney Island, Ten Mile River Scout Camps (TMR) and the Kotel (Western Wall). For the record, all of Israel does it and so do a few other camps. But TMR is at the top of the list.

How does this work? Well, it is different in each case. For example, as the 4 subway line pulls into 161^st – Yankee Stadium, I feel a certain charge. I stand up as it approaches the station and stand by the exit door. I always go down the same stairwell and alternate between two turnstiles, depending on which one I exit from. Then you see greatness – The Stadium. Yes, the original Stadium was far superior and brought a deeper feeling. But the new one has its merits and is growing on me. It has been since day one. I look at it in awe. And all is right with the world. I take a walk to the hallowed grounds where the original one sat and say a few prayers to win the World Series. Hasn’t happened in a while. Too long. But I try.

After I go through security and enter this holy building, I am ready. Of course, as the game goes on and if we start losing, the happy feelings turn to despair. But I keep coming back, ready for victory and the joy it brings.

When I get off the train at Stillwell Avenue and see the lifeguard chair in the station as I am walking towards Nathan’s Famous and the boardwalk, I feel this excitement. You never know what the day will bring. I see the Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel, and in the distance the holy waters where the Coney Island Polar Bears swim, and during the regular season families go and spend their day(s) enjoying the beach. Who says the winter isn’t the regular season? Many think it is. I do.

Walking along the boardwalk and seeing all the characters and the little kids hoping they are tall enough for the Cyclone makes you feel all is right with the world. I usually go straight to the Cyclone and ride it several times. Then I decide on my next ride. I always walk along the beach and let the sand pile up in my sneakers. I head over to the Wonder Wheel and play some games. I win lots of toys. Then the time comes when you need to board the subway and head home. I look back at the beach and rides and board, knowing I had a great time and probably ran into many of my Coney pals.

I am chairman of the Ten Mile River Scout Museum. As we drive along 97, the road that leads to camp, I feel I am 12 years old again. I jump a few years into my teens and remember all the friends I made at this camp. I am still friends with many. Sadly, some, like My Leader and Uncle Funky, are at the great campsite in the sky.

I always make sure I get to the section where I spent my teen years earning merit badges, listening to great music, such as the Ramones, U2, Depeche Mode and the Clash, as well as spending lots of time in Rock Lake; it rocks. That section is now gone. Nature has taken it over. But when I am there, I channel back to the 80s and feel incredible. I still jump into the lake and hike the trails. I walk by the cement blocks that once held important buildings, such as the nature and handicraft lodges, offices and latrines. Then we get to the gate and drive back to the other sections, full of kids, great programming, and camp food. We are all smiles.

When the El Al jet lands at Ben-Gurion Airport, I feel at home. The first time I went to Israel, I didn’t feel like a tourist. I felt I was returning home. Yes, I had no idea where I was. But I didn’t feel that way. There is something about that place that makes you feel you’ve always been there. I went through security, got my luggage and got to my hotel. I have done this many times. The excitement grows each time.

I check my bags and immediately walk to the Kotel. Tears fall from my eyes as I get there and place my head against it. Yes, I stuff notes in it. Some are mine and some were given to me by others. I feel connected to the world and the higher one. Sometimes I talk to others. We all take pictures of each other to text home to Mom and others.

I spend a few days in Jerusalem and travel. I might go north to Safed or south to Eilat. The feeling never leaves me. Eventually, I wind up on Tel Aviv’s stunning beaches. I am often the first one out. I am an early riser and am often sitting on my lounge chair or in the Mediterranean Sea around 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. Walks along the boardwalk are different than walks along Coney’s boardwalk. Although sometimes they are similar. You meet lots of interesting people and partake in lots of great food and drink.

Bottom line, everyone has these places locked into their hearts and souls. I don’t know which one(s) will come next. I know the places I discussed will always remain at the top.

Tripping Up AI with Apple Music and YouTube

It Knows What Tunes I Like. Or Does It?

Many of us who work from home, or are home most of the day, spend a lot of time listening to music. We all have our music apps of choice. For the most part, I use Apple Music and YouTube. I have more albums and homemade playlists on Apple than I can count.

Those of you who have read my posts know I favor ’80s new wave and goth tunes, with classic rock and a few other things mixed in. The mixed-in includes some disco. Yeah, I remember the Disco Sucks pins in the 70s. A lot of it does suck. But not all. Classical, opera, and theater music are also in heavy rotation. Country has never been, and never will be, mixed in.

Other than when I go to sleep, all my music is from the digital platforms. Bedtime is from my CD player. Yeah, they still exist and sound fine. I often let Apple Music or YouTube make a mix. It almost always has mixes I can click on as soon as I log in.

AI creates the setlist. It knows what bands I listen to most often, as well as the songs from those bands. It is not unusual for the lists to be heavy on Bauhaus, Bowie, the Beatles, the

Cure, Erasure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Elton John, Depeche Mode, Love & Rockets, the Ramones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and a few other bands. You get the picture. I am sure you can pick the rest. Feel free to enter your comments in the chat section.

For the most part, my AI music lists are spot on. But I trip it up. It’s not hard. I often add stuff like ABBA, the Bee Gees, Jackson Browne, “La Bohème,” the Village People, and “Tosca.” Feel free to guess some of the others. You’d be right if you picked Prince, Led Zep, and the Who. All are heavily in the rotation.

Apple often says, “Mitchell’s Mix.” It adds a hyphen and says light, rocking, chill, etc. For the most part, it does a decent job. I guess it is learning my tastes. Occasionally it adds the Grateful Dead. When that happens, I immediately exit the list. I have never listened to them and never will.

AI is doing a great job with my playlists. However, like all of us, it is still learning. I think it’ll get there. But who knows what I will pop in to confuse it?

Anat and Dan Go Away

A Crazy Woman Attacks Little Kids at Lake Maggiore

Dan dropped Jerry and Gili off at his parents’ home for babysitting. He and Anat were getting ready to go to the airport for their flight to Milan. Anat’s been there before. Dan’s first time. She loves swimming in Lake Maggiore and, of course, the Italian food and wine. She knew it would be hot when they went. But they didn’t care. It was their first vacation since Gili was born.

All was well at JFK. Security and boarding were easy. Anat had her TSA pass, and Dan had his NYPD ID. They chilled at the gate and walked onto the jet. They fastened their seatbelts and took off.

Several hours late they landed and took a cab to the hotel. They went for pizza, wine, and gelato, changed into their swimwear, and jumped into the lake. They were very happy. Anat was so pleased she learned to swim. She pushed her bad days at her camp’s waterfront behind her. Heck, she was even friends with her old nemesis, Jen. She realized Jen wasn’t evil. She was just an obnoxious little kid and teen. Anat was mature enough to let bygones be bygones.

The two exited the lake, went back to their room for a shower, and got ready for dinner. They took an evening walk along the lake before reaching the restaurant, where they sat down and ordered wine and fish. All was well.

Suddenly, they heard strange noises by the fence near Lake Maggiore. They figured it was nothing and sipped their wine. Then they heard screams. A crazy person was attacking little kids. Anat thought they were away from all the crazies. She was hoping for peace and fun with her husband. She glanced at the nut. She figured the police would take care of things. But nothing happened. She kept watching.

Finally, she had enough. She put down her wine glass and quickly walked over to the lake. A few kids were crying. Two were bleeding. The crazy person looked familiar. But Anat couldn’t place her. She figured it was her eyes playing tricks on her. Anat yelled at her in English and Italian. The woman kept going after people.

The next thing people saw were prunes and raisins flying out of Anat’s hands and eyes. All landed on the attacker. She tried to block them by crazily swinging her arms. She slowed down. Anat told her to go away. The person ran toward Anat and tried to punch her.

She missed. But Anat’s raisins didn’t. She was hit right in the head. She started spinning around. The injured kids were being cared for by their parents. Most already left the area. Anat kept firing. Finally, the woman screamed and fell over the fence into Lake Maggiore. Anat walked back to her table and ordered another glass.

Marc and Alana are Still in Camp

A Fight with the Camp Staff Occurs

They woke to sounds of a truck. They saw that the ranger staff was driving around. It was odd that they were in the same section as Marc and Alana. That site has been left for the dead. But they figured they were making their rounds and just checking on things. Sometimes people abandoned autos and dumped trash here. Sad.

Driving the truck was the idiot who destroyed parts of Marc’s childhood. Alana was washing up with water from one of their canteens. This site’s water and electric was turned off in the 90s. The two of them brought in all the supplies they needed to survive. They did purify some of the water from a stream. They bathed in the lake. At least they bathed.

Marc saw the guy get out of his truck. The two eyed each other. Marc was told he wasn’t supposed to be at this site. Marc told the guy where to go. He responded by coming after Marc with a shovel. Marc laughed.

Pomegranates shot out of Marc’s hands and eyes. Barley followed. The shovel-carrying ranger fell. Marc laughed. He kept firing. The ranger started crying. Marc asked him why he destroyed parts of his former campgrounds. The guy was shaking and too scared to answer.

Marc was usually mild-mannered and peaceful, and he only used his powers to protect those being attacked. But he felt like this was using them in self-defense. He believed he had been attacked and would stop at nothing to make sure the attacker was down for the count.

The ranger started to cry. Marc pelted him with more barely. Alana was oblivious. She was too busy dealing with her hair and texting Marc’s mom to see how her twins were doing.

Marc finally stopped. He told the idiot he fought with never to cross him again. The guy, hysterical and crying, shook his head in the affirmative. Marc walked away and poured a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

Job Searches Suck. How AI Can Make Them Better.

Job searches suck. We know that. You spend hours writing and rewriting your CV and cover letters. Scammers call you with the job of your dreams and try to ask you to pay them to update your resume. Some people fall for this. However, they never get an updated resume; they find unauthorized charges on their credit cards. It is not fun.

Where does AI get into the picture? Job boards use AI to tweak your resume or cover letter. For the most part, it is legit. In some cases, it’s free. I write my cover letters, resumes, and portfolios myself. AI is a great tool for brainstorming. Sort of like working with a job counselor.

AI is here. It is becoming useful in many areas. In the job search, it helps with research. Using a variety of tools that you can easily find on Google, you can do some great sleuthing on the company you are applying to and the specific role.

You can find out the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. You can dig into its share price, when it made job cuts, how it interacts with its local community, and how it responds during a crisis. You can see how it reacts when its competitors pull ahead or fall behind.

This data is essential for creating tailored cover letters and interview talking points. It can also help you find key people to reach out to. Yes, LinkedIn is useful. AI is often more direct. It does say it pulls from LinkedIn. But it also pulls from many other places and can help you brainstorm while you fill out your application.

Is it taking away our jobs? Or can it help you find one? It can definitely point you in the right direction and help you navigate the long road ahead. But you still need to do your own work.

How AI Can Help Communications Pros

Everyone asks What AI tools do you use? Does it help or harm your workflow? What do you need to consider when using it? Using AI can assist in many roles. The most important thing to remember is trust but verify. It is not 100 percent perfect. But it is getting there. For the record, nothing is 100 percent perfect.

I have been using AI for a variety of functions. One of the key things we need are solid media and influencer lists. Yes, there are the media relations platforms: Cision, Meltwater, and Muck Rack. I have used two of the three and tested the other. All have their merits and demerits. In many instances, what’s wrong with them isn’t entirely their fault.

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Thanks to the consolidation of the news market, the media landscape is changing. Reporters who used to cover telecom may still cover it. But add healthcare or earnings to their beats. Some of the top reporters who you worked with at Bloomberg News, Dow Jones, and The Wall Street Journal are now freelancing for them and writing for other outlets or doing work on the client side. Their @wsj.com email address is dead. Most are using Gmail. Keeping track of who is covering what, their news submission preferences, and deadlines is harder to track. The media platforms try. However, it is difficult. Also, some databases aren’t broad enough. While they offer international databases, they generally stick to major foreign cities and aren’t wide enough for some projects.

That’s where AI comes in. It is excellent for typing in the subject matter you want covered and asking who covers it nationally and in key geographic regions. More often than not, it can give you a fairly detailed list of reporters, their deadlines, and contact information. For me, this has worked better than the list-building exercises in the media databases mentioned.

I know some people who use AI to write their marketing materials. Should you? That’s your choice. I write all of the material on my Substack and WordPress platforms. If you used AI detection scanners, they’d say 0. Do I use AI to help me? Yes. I usually write everything and use various AI tools in Google and elsewhere to check readability and get ideas to shorten or further explain. It can also help you tailor it towards a specific audience.

Is this using AI to write your piece? Not at all. In the old days, you had fun, interesting brainstorming sessions, and people got together in conference rooms and mapped things out. These days we do it on Zoom or maybe via email or chat. It works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But for the most part, we are more independent and too swamped to do the classic sessions. I miss those. AI has been a great friend for brainstorming. It pulls data from a variety of sources and will tell you which audience it is appropriate for.

Is it taking the job away? Not at all. It is a valuable tool. Should you swear by it and drop your traditional reviews and edits? Nope. Use it like you use everything else.

The following are my other AI posts.

AI and Transcript Creation

AI and the Arts

The Happiness, Toils and Tribulations of AI

What Does AI Really Know About You?

How Your Views of People Change from When You Were a Kid

Do you remember the people you looked up to when you were a kid? Perhaps it was a religious or Scout leader, a teacher, or a coach. Maybe an uncle or older cousin? Or the maintenance man at the community center? Or someone else?

When we were kids, we couldn’t wait to go to a community event, a family dinner, a sports match at school, or a Little League game. We wanted to see the people who pointed us in the right direction and were there for us. We wanted to see what they’d do next. We knew it would be the greatest thing. Or so we thought?

What happens when we get older? We remember how those people were when we were kids and try to emulate them. We add our own methods into the pot, and we usually have a good time.

Have you ever gotten together with those you looked up to? In some cases, you looked up to them decades ago and haven’t seen them since you graduated high school or college. But in your heart, they were the best.

What happens when you are the one running things, and these people are now several years older and much greyer? Yes, you’re happy to see them. You talk about old times. You pay homage to those that us whether it was the right time or too soon. It is never really the right time. We don’t want to lose anyone.

Some want to come back and ask you about it. You think, well, maybe. But then you notice they hang at your event and spend it with the bottle. Then they are dumb enough to get in their auto and drive to another part of the venue where your events are taking place. Were they doing that when you were a kid, and they were much younger? In many cases, yes.

What to do? You remember how you loved these people. They had every honor and helped you get them. Some tell you that they are much older; they can’t do what they once did. Some of us can’t do it at my age. Some of the older folks are still in fighting form.

How does it make you feel when you see people you thought were the greatest come to your event, shoot their mouths off, and sip drink after drink? You are thankful for the experience they gave you and promise to be more responsible.

AI and Transcript Creation

For those of you who read my prior AI posts, “The Happiness and Toils and Tribulations of AI” and “What Does AI Really Know About You,”I thank you. Now it’s time to jump into how well it does when it comes to making transcripts when you upload videos to YouTube.

A few days ago, as chairman of the Ten Mile River Scout Museum, I made a few presentations at our annual Alumni Weekend. One was to present a tile in honor of a deceased Scouter who made an impact on hundreds of youths. The other was the introduction of my board of trustees. Both were recorded on someone’s iPhone.

We uploaded the videos to YouTube and transcripts were created. In the first video, “August 8, 2026: TMR Wall of Fame Induction of John D’Arcy,” the only speaker was me. In the second, “August 8, 2026: Presentation of Museum Trustees*,” each of my trustees introduced themselves. We do a lot of work and have fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. Most of us have been friends for decades and love to joke around.

I was told by the person who recorded the videos that he placed them on YouTube. I was excited and took a look. YouTube automatically created transcripts. I was aghast when I saw the transcripts. Yes, it got some things right. But it misspelled many things. Before alerting me that it was live, it should have been checked. But it is not the end of the world.

I don’t think YouTube’s AI understands Brooklyn. Everyone in the video is originally from NYC. Many are from Brooklyn. However, as far as the other boroughs, YouTube doesn’t speak that either.

Several of our camps have Native American names. One of our now-shuttered camps was Nianque. One of our trustees said he started over sixty years ago in that camp. The transcript said, “Camp Miami.” We’ve all been there. Miami and a Scout camp in the middle of Narrowsburg are way different. Personally, I like my camp better. But have had many adventures in Miami. It spelled many first and last names wrong, as well as the titles.

We toyed around with editing the transcript. But it was time-consuming and, for some reason, more difficult on Macs v. Windows-based computers. Why? Who knows? You’d think it’d be easier and quicker on a Mac. Everything is. What did we do? We deleted them and uploaded again without transcripts.

Am I upset? Not at all. As a matter of fact, I am pleased. This was a great learning exercise. It is fantastic that AI is being put to work to create transcripts. They look nice and are perfectly placed at the bottom of the video. This taught us that you always need to check and verify. I do not doubt that as we move forward, this will get better. My other work with AI tools has proven that. We are on a learning curve, and we are learning, learning a lot.

*- These are the final videos.

They Spend More Time in the Woods

Anat Sees Christy A.

After the Woodsman left, the two crawled into their tent. Marc is still mourning the destruction of his leanto. He knows who did it. He will make him pay. The guy will never know what hit him.

They woke up, washed up and made pancakes. They looked at each other. Each of them knew what the other was thinking. Marc took out his phone and texted his parents to ask how the twins were doing. Mom texted back that they were great and she was sorry they were picking them up later. She wanted more time.

Marc texted back that they decided to stay an extra day. Mom texted back the smile emoji. The two of them discussed chilling out in the woods a little longer. They hiked down to the Delaware River and jumped in. They were at a site Marc used to camp in. There was a crooked tree that he loved. He used to stand near it and take pictures. Sadly, it fell.

Their swim was refreshing. They hiked a little bit. Marc showed Alana his old stomping grounds. His favorite greasy spoon closed years ago. It is now a fancy restaurant. He has yet to dine there. One day. They saw several does and their fawns. Beautiful they are. They grazed while Alana snapped a few images and sent them to Anat, Ellen, Jen, Stacey and Tzipora. Alana hasn’t been with her girls since the twins were born. She needed a night out with them. Hopefully, a peaceful one. She still remembers the first night she used her powers when some dumb jock wouldn’t leave Stacey alone in the bar. She still wonders why he was in a goth bar—made no sense. Those women weren’t interested in him. He learned that the hard way after Alana made him whimper. Oh well.

The weather perfect. They got to their site and started grilling to the tunes of the Stripes, Nena’s first band before she found a red balloon.

Anat didn’t know these people. That was the time she was the enemy and had no friends. Wow, how things have turned around.

Sometimes she thinks of those days. How much better her life has become since she found Jerry abandoned on a bench during her run along Hudson River Park near the West Side Highway. She was out there almost daily. That one day she saw Jerry in tears changed everything. He was becoming quite powerful and doing well in school.

She was out on her run and saw a disheveled-looking Christy on a bench. She was still bruised pretty badly from the recent fight. She was shivering. Anat snapped a shot, texted it to those who needed it, and kept on running.

Farewell

But Not Gone. The Memories Will Live Forever. Maybe Longer.

A few days ago, I went up to the camp I spent my pre-teen and teen summers in. It was there I made some of the best friends I ever had. We are still friends. At our campfire, I was sitting with people who said, “We’ve known each other for over forty years. We are old.” We are. For those of you that saw Chris Rock’s show, “The MotherF**ker with the Hat,” you might recall when Rock’s character told another you make all your friends from when you’re about five until college. That’s it. I agree. However, I have made some great friends after college. They are right up there.

I took a few rides to my section of the camp; parts have been shuttered since 1988. Other sections a decade plus later. As we drove in, tears fell out of my eyes. When we traveled along the trails and saw where many buildings stood, all but one have been knocked down. All are pieces of wood and cement foundations.

My site was the one closed in ’88. It used to have a dining hall, office, old school latrine, and many leantos (sleeping quarters). We had a terrarium. As a staff member, I helped build it many times. We had a giant treehouse.

Below our hill was a no longer functional dining hall, ball field, shower house, and usable dining hall. We had our own shower. We even had hot water. I say this because my first 2.5 summers or so we didn’t. You took ice-cold showers. Or walked to the shower house for hot water. I froze.

We had lots of fun singing songs in the dining hall. And no fun eating in it. Camp food was not enjoyable. The camp had several dining halls. Mine had the best food. But it wasn’t good. I walked by most of these sites.

The main site had movie nights in a once fully operational dining hall beneath my hill. My group did our movie nights in our palace (camp office). We often brought in McDonald’s, pizza and sandwiches from El Monaco’s, an Italian restaurant famed for its red sauce. BTW, the main dining hall was kosher. We were so reverent when we brought in other food.

After spending some time in my section, I went back to the main section. The next day, I went back. I went with one of my pals from a long time ago. We first went into the lake. Our section was closed off. We went into another site’s section. At different times, there were several operational camps around that beautiful lake. When I went, there was one.

Foundation Block for Double Decker Tip Pan Latrine

We walked through a swamp to get to the entrance of the lake. I found a spot with some rocks to leave our towels. We jumped in and swam like it was many years ago. We exited and walked back to the car. We spent some time by the now boarded-up main dining hall. We walked over to the old rifle range and found the foundation blocks that once held a two-floor, 8 – or 10-seater tip pan latrine. My site had the last of the tip pan latrines. It was a five-seater.

Our ball field where we played softball, volleyball, and ultimate Frisbee now looks like a tree farm. We went up to our site and looked where the terrarium was and where our small fields were where people sunned themselves. From the trail, we walked into our site. We saw the foundation where the shack was. Years before I got there, it housed tick tubes. That’s about all we saw. The site was laden with ferns, weeds, trees and mud. Am I happy it is gone? No. Am I happy nature took it back? Yes.

We hopped in the car and drove to the gate. I jumped out of the car, turned around, looked at the trail, locked the gate and said farewell as we drove away.