IN THE PICTURE AT TOP, THERE IS THIS SNIDE SNIPPET WHICH NEEDS AN EXPLANATION:

DAVIS CUP 1959: NEALE FRASER'S YEAR

By George McGann

July 5, 1981

The United States Tennis Association has been advertising next weekend's Davis Cup quarterfinal match at Flushing Meadows, between the United States ans Czechoslovakia, as the first Cup series in New York in 22 years. My initial reaction was disbelief, but a file of yellowing press clippings confirmed that a generation had passed since the last Cup series in New York, a challenge round between the United States and Australia, played on the grass courts of the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills. ,

The year was 1959, which I like to remember as the Year of the Appendix for reasons which will become clear.

It was also the last year of the remarkable postwar era during which the Davis Cup was monopolized by America and Australia. Such was the domination of tennis by these two nations that their Cup teams met in the challenge round for 16 consecutive years, beginning in 1938 and ending in 1959, with time out for World War II.

Little wonder that the public came to think of the Davis Cup as an exclusively Australian-American contest, rather than a global competition involving more than 50 countries.

Soon after World War II, it became my job, as a New York-based correspondent for Australian Consolidated Press, to report in detail the pilgrimages of Aussie Cup teams seeking the Holy Grail (it was nothing less to the Aussies) when it was held by the Yanks. In that capacuty, I traveled during several summers from Merion to Orange to Southampton to Newport and to Forest Hills, writing of the deeds (and very occaisional misdeeds) of Australia's dedicated, disciplined teams. They arrived here each year immediately after Wimbledon, either to play the Grass Court Circuit, if they held the Cup, or to play preliminary North American zone matches in Mexica, Canada and various American cities, ending up in the stadium at Forest Hills in the challenge round.

But to get on with the Year of the Appendix. The Cup was in the grasp of the Yanks, having been captured in somewhat improbable fashion in Brisbane suring Christmas week 1958 by a team captainedby Perry Jones, a Californian of advanced years, and sparked by a Peruvian player from the High Andes, Alejandro (Alex) Olmedo, whose classic Incan profile had earned earned him the nickname The Chief. (Though Alex was not a United States citizen, Jones had insisted that his Five years' residence in California qualified him for the team.)

To retrieve the Cup in 1959, the Aussies dispatched their captain, Happy Hopman, and a new team composed of a lithe left-hander, Neale Fraser; Roy Emerson, and a 20-year-old Rod Laver, another southpaw, to play through five preliminary North American Zone rounds leading up to the challenge round at Forest Hills in late August.

In those days of shamateur tennis, Hopman was bedeviled by the player-promoter Jack Kramer, who would swoop sown on every successful Aussie Cup team, checkbook poised, and make off with star players. In that way, Hopman had lost Frank Sedgeman and Ken Rosewall, then Ashley Cooper and Mal Anderson, to the ranks of Kramer's professional tourists. But the Australian assembly line was always busy, and Harry the Hop inbariably had two or more youngsters coming along to replace the reprobates. (The Australian tennis establishment considered players who defected to Kramer traitorous, or certainly no longer respectable).

Hopman was now counting on Fraser, Australia's No.1, young Rod Laver, and Roy Emerson to fill the ranks bacated by the latest Kramer recruits, Cooper and Anderson.

Seeming disaster struck as the Australians arrived in mile-and-a-half-high Mexico City for their first zone series, at the Chapultepec Club. Nelae Fraser was stricken with severe stomach pains in practice. At first, these were dismissed as as attack of diarrhea despite Hopman's strenuous effort to keep local drinking water and raw vegetables off the team table. Then a local doctor made a blood count and diagnosed Neale's problem as appendicitis. The touring press corps included Will Grimsley of the Associated Press, Allison Danzig of The New York Times and Gladys Heldman, publisher-editor of World Tennis Magazine, in addition to the Australian correspondents. Thus Neale's appendix was the topic of discussion by tennis fans everywhere.

Hopman faced a delemma. The Mexican players held an enormous home-court advantage, owing to the high altitude, which greatly affects the flight of the ball and requires a restricted swing of the racquet to achieve control. He needed his No. 1 player but at the same time realized that a default by Fraser during a match might prove disasterous.

Hopman decided to gamble on Fraser, whose form was not seriously affected by his ailment. Laver unexpectedly lost the opening singles match to Mario Llamas, and Fraser was pushed to the point of exhaustion in edging Antonio Palafox in five sets. It seemed foolhardy to ask Fraser to play next day in doubles when he might have to play another singles, against Llamas the third day. But once again Hopman gambled. He paired Fraser with Roy Emerson, and they defeated the Mexicans in three close sets. Stomach pains bothered Neale again during the match. Luckily, Laver beat Palafox in the opening match on the final day, to clinch the Cup. Fraser was spared the ordeal of the final singles, in which Emerson substituted for him under the rules.

After the 3-2 victory over the Mexicans, the Australians were to face less danferous opponents, and we all went on to Montreal for their easy victories over Canada and Cuba. Then came tougher victories over Italy (at Philadelphia) and India (at Boston). At the end, Neale had played in every one of the five preliminary ties, never losing a match. And Hopman felt safe at last calling on him for the big job in the challenge round, since the doctors had now pronounced his blood count normal.

Meanwhile, Perry Jones had been habing his own problems assembling a team for the Cup defense. The best American players were either in Kramer's troupe or otherwise unavailable. Hamilton Richardson, the best doubles player, was miffed ober his treatment in Australia the previous December, when Jones passed him over in singles, and he refused all pleas to rejoin the team. Vic Seixas, then 36 and retired from tournament paly, also turned Jones down.

Jones's big hope, The Chief, had been playing poorly all season, and his other singles palyer, Barry MacKay, was in military service and available for only limited preparation. Another singles player, Butch Buchholz, was young and relatively inexperienced.

The challenge round provided large galleries at Forest Hills one of the closest and most thrilling series in Cup history, with a final decision delayed until a fourth day.

Fraser opened against Olmedo and earned a hard-fought victory in four sets, with The Chief unable to find his peak form. But big Barry MacKay scored an unexpectedly easy three-set triumph to tie the series.

Fraser and Emerson took the doubles match on a rainy second day with a straight-sets defeat of Buccholz and Olmedo, the latter lending but minimal support and bitterly disappointing his American supporters.

Now, with a lead of 2 to 1, the Aussies seemed assured of recapturing the Cup. But The Chief, unpredictable as always, redeemed himself the third day, Sunday, outlasting Laver in a three-and-a-half-hour marathon that squared the series.

Everything hung on the final singles, between Fraser and MacKay, which did not get under way until 6 P.M. The players split sets before darkness descended, halting play and leaving a near-capacity crowd in a state of excitement but also frustration. In effect, a two-of-three-sets match would now decide the fate of the Cup, on the fourth day.

But heavy raincaused further delay on Monday afternoon, and tension in the stands and on the court was tremendous when play finally resumed. The delays had taken their toll of MaxKay, who double-faulted repeatedly, and Fraser won two sets easily. The Australians had taken back the Cup just eight months after having lost it.

Thus the Year of the Appendix went into history, with Neale Fraser acclaimed a hero in Australia - and in America, too, since he went on to win the United States Championship a few weeks later on the same court, beating The Chief in the final.

Twenty years later, I had thepleasure of watching Neale Fraser in action again at the Newport Casino, in a tournament for players over 45. Neale was a little heavier, a little slower, but still rushing the net to put away those left-handed volleys. His appendic is still intact.

Alex Olmedo is still known as The Chief to his pupils at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he teaches tennis to the Hollywood celebrity set, his Incan profile still intact.

Perry Jones has gone to his reward, no doubt occupying a place somewhere near Dwight Davis, donor of the Cup, in the Valhalla of sport.

And Harry Hopman, who once paled at the sight of a professional, has become one himself. Still lean at 75, Hop is out on the courts of his Florida tennis camp every day, all day, too busy with his young pupils to attend next week's Cup matches.

https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/05/sports/davis-cup-1959-neale-fraser-s-year.html?ysclid=msxz8jra45870905041

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When he launched the War on Drugs in 1971, President Richard Nixon claimed that drug abuse was "public enemy number one". Since then, the War has been ongoing, and, by many accounts, growing less and less effective. So, how is it that the War on Drugs turned into such a futile cause? And how much damage has it wreaked on the world?

To understand the impact—and failure—of the War on Drugs, it is essential to understand America's changing relationship with psychotropic substances. To do this, it helps to split history into vastly uneven halves: pre-World War I, and post-World War I.

Many of America's indigenous tribes enjoyed sacred relationships with native plants, including psychotropic drugs like cannabis, peyote, and mushrooms. These plants played—and continue to play—key roles in spiritual and social ceremonies, as well as day-to-day living.

Post-colonisation and throughout the 1800s, there was a liberal attitude toward drugs. While drugs such as opium were understood for their recreational power, heroin was used to treat respiratory problems, cocaine was a natural ingredient in Coca-Cola, and morphine was regularly prescribed by doctors as a pain reliever.

The second half of America's relationship with drugs has less to do with World War I itself, and more to do with the impact of the Temperance movement and Prohibition.

By the turn of the 20th century, states were beginning to introduce taxes on drugs, or restricting them to medicinal use only. So, while the 1909 Smoking Opium Exclusion Act banned the use of opium for smoking, it was still available for medicinal purposes.

In 1914, Congress introduced the Harrison Act to regulate and tax the production, importation, and distribution of cocaine and opiates. In 1917, alcohol prohibition followed quickly as Congress passed the 18th Amendment and the National Prohibition Act (also known as the Volstead Act).

READ MORE: https://www.zamnesia.com/blog-war-on-drugs-n97

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Can Drugs Cure Mental Illness? Drugs cannot cure mental illnesses. Rather, they work to control many of the most troubling symptoms, often enabling people with mental disorders to return to normal or near-normal functioning.

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

         RABID ATHEIST.

         WELCOME TO THIS INSANE WORLD….

MORE TO COME....

Henry J. Kaiser: America’s health care visionary

Kaiser was a major figure in the construction, engineering, and shipbuilding industries. In co-founding Kaiser Permanente, he helped transform American health care systems and care delivery.

Henry John Kaiser was a titan of American industry and health care innovation.

His construction legacy spanned from roads to large projects like the Grand Coulee Dam and shipyards. As co-founder of Kaiser Permanente, he influenced a reshaping of 20th-century health care.

Kaiser’s support of an innovative care model is core to Kaiser Permanente’s industry-leading value-based care and coverage today.

1882 TO 1899
Family life
Kaiser was born on May 9, 1882, in Sprout Brook, New York, to parents from Steinheim, Germany. At the time of his birth, his father was a farmer, and his mother was a nurse.

As a boy, Kaiser was sociable and outgoing. His family moved to Whitesboro, New York, in 1899. They lived a few blocks from the Erie Canal. Kaiser and his 3 older sisters enjoyed watching the barges on the waterway near their home.

The 1895 economic depression in the United States prompted 13-year-old Kaiser to find his first job as a salesclerk. His next job was in the photography business. He traveled to large cities around New York selling photography supplies and services.

Kaiser had a close relationship with his mother. When her health worsened in 1899, she gave up being a nurse and stayed home. She died on December 1, 1899, at age 52.

1900 TO 1914

Kaiser moves west
After his mother’s death, Kaiser left home and traveled to Lake Placid, New York. He worked at W.W. Brownell photography studio. With his previous experience, he became the owner of the studio by the end of the year.

Kaiser met Bess Fosburgh in 1906 when she visited Lake Placid. Her father learned about Kaiser’s humble roots. He asked Kaiser to “go west” where there were construction opportunities and establish himself before marrying Bess.

Such requests were common then, and Kaiser wasn’t offended. He left for Spokane, Washington, and found himself in sales again.

He spent the year quickly growing the business and connecting with leaders. Kaiser became the manager of a regional hardware business.

On April 8, 1907, Henry and Fosburgh married. Their first son, Edgar Fosburgh Kaiser, was born later that year.

Kaiser started working for the J.F. Hill Company in 1912. The company introduced Kaiser to construction and road paving. Unfortunately, Kaiser was fired after a year due to internal company struggles.

Company leaders let him know he was fired while he was dozens of miles from home on a construction job. He decided to finish the job anyway. His peers respected his decision, and Kaiser learned the importance of not leaving a job unfinished.

After returning home, Kaiser planned on opening his first company to pave roads. During his time with the J.F. Hill Company, Kaiser built a strong relationship with a rising young construction supervisor, Alonzo B. Ordway. Kaiser hired “Ord” and some of the best employees from the J.F. Hill Company.

This would be Kaiser’s first company, and he needed a bank loan. Many years later, Kaiser told the story about having no collateral to offer the bank manager except his 20-hour-per-day work ethic, experience, and enthusiasm.

Despite the liability, the bank manager granted Kaiser the loan. In 1914, he established the Henry J. Kaiser Company, Ltd.

1915 TO 1930

Kaiser learns the value of labor-management partnerships
With his first company established, Kaiser and his team set off to bid on their first construction job in Redding, California.

They misread the train routes and discovered that there were no stops in Redding. They waited till the train slowed down near their destination and jumped off. The team won its first bid.

Early road construction used horse-drawn scrapers, wide shovel-like sheets used to move dirt. Kaiser and his team created tractor-drawn road scrapers. They finished a weeklong job in days.

Looking back, Kaiser recalled the value of working with his employees to improve efficiency.

In 1927, Kaiser’s team won a new contract to build 200 miles of road and 500 bridges in Cuba. The completed contract would be part of the Central Highway in Cuba.

Early in the project, the construction machines kept failing. Kaiser’s team had to rely on Cuban workers to do the work manually as the machines were repaired.

The team learned that the workers did the tasks better and faster than the machines. They finished the job 3 years ahead of schedule in 1930.

Kaiser and his team left Cuba with lifelong lessons about the power of people and the value of having strong relationships with a workforce.

1930 TO 1939

The 1930s in the United States were defined by the worldwide economic downturn known as the Great Depression. But it was also a period of large American dam construction projects.

Kaiser was elected the chairman of a joint venture combining 6 major construction companies. Called the Six Companies, Inc., their first job was building Hoover Dam. Through innovating efficient construction methods, the job was finished in 5 years instead of 7.

The company’s next jobs were the Bonneville and Grand Coulee dams on the Columbia River.

Kaiser’s attention turned to the lack of adequate health care at Grand Coulee Dam. Workers were receiving expensive and inadequate care by existing doctors. When Ordway heard about the lack of health care, he told Kaiser about a young doctor he met years earlier: Sidney R. Garfield, MD.

Dr. Garfield provided care to construction workers building the Colorado River Aqueduct. He operated the only hospital within hundreds of miles. In a time of financial need, he used the process of prepayment to finance the hospital. Workers prepaid each week to cover all health care costs. He promoted prevention of injuries and illness by educating workers about safety.

Ordway invited Dr. Garfield to visit the Grand Coulee worksite. After assessing the situation, Kaiser and Dr. Garfield agreed to a partnership to start a new health plan. The Grand Coulee Dam project led to the first partnership between Kaiser and Dr. Garfield.

The health plan they introduced allowed workers to prepay a small cost each week. In exchange, workers and their families received health care at no extra cost during visits. This promoted people to seek care early, preventing common and serious illnesses.

1940 TO 1945

Kaiser’s shipyards and the home front’s health plan
In 1940, the U.S. began building cargo ships for British allies fighting in World War II. Kaiser decided to help by building and operating shipyards.

Kaiser had never built ships before, and competitors doubted him. But he was a quick learner.

His team quickly built shipyards in Richmond, California; Portland, Oregon; and Vancouver, Washington. When America entered World War II in 1941, Kaiser’s shipyards were already in operation.

By the end of 1942, Kaiser’s shipyards employed 80,000 workers. They came from all over the nation. The Kaiser shipyards reached their peak in 1944 with more than 200,000 workers.

Kaiser’s yards operated around the clock. Men and women of all races, ethnicities, and abilities worked as peers. Thousands of diverse workers arrived from all over the country.

Many people who did not pass the military health requirements joined the shipyards. They arrived with little or no previous health care and were getting sick. Kaiser realized they needed care. He called Dr. Garfield and asked him to set up a shipyard health plan. Kaiser wanted it to be like the one they had offered to workers building the Grand Coulee Dam.

Dr. Garfield and a group of doctors offered the health plan at all of Kaiser’s shipyards. It was called the Permanente Health Plan.

Like at the Grand Coulee Dam, health plan members prepaid a small weekly cost. In exchange, they received care for common illnesses and injuries. They also received preventive care, such as vaccinations, and health education to help keep them healthy.

To support the health plan, Kaiser’s construction teams renovated the Fabiola Hospital in Oakland, California, with the latest advanced equipment. It was renamed the Permanente Oakland Hospital and opened in 1942. First aid stations in the shipyards treated minor injuries. The Permanente Field Hospital in Richmond treated more serious cases. For severe injuries and illnesses, ambulances took patients to the new Permanente Oakland Hospital.

More than 200,000 people (workers and their family members) were members of the Permanente Health Plan.

Doctors working in traditional care models saw the new health plan model as a threat. The plan challenged old forms of health care that relied on the real-time exchange of money for services.

1945 TO 1967

A new health plan for Americans
As the war wound down in 1945, demand for ships slowed. Kaiser’s shipyards began closing. Workers and their families returned home. Health plan membership dropped.

And yet Kaiser and Dr. Garfield saw in their shipyard health plan a new vision for health care in America.

They wanted to continue delivering care in this new way — using prepayment, group practice, and a focus on injury and illness prevention.

Together, Kaiser and Dr. Garfield opened the Permanente Health Plan to the public on July 21, 1945.

Soon after, Kaiser and his wife set up the Kaiser Family Foundation, a charitable trust.

The foundation opened the Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing in 1947. Enrollment was open to all, regardless of race and background. Students received room and board and a tuition-free education.

(Kaiser Family Foundation is no longer associated with Kaiser Permanente, the Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing, or Kaiser Industries.)

1946 TO 1967

Kaiser’s legacy
After World War II, Kaiser’s ongoing partnership with Dr. Garfield led to new hospitals. The Permanente Health Plan was renamed Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser also launched other businesses in automobile, aircraft, radio, and television.

“Of all the things I’ve done, I expect only to be remembered for my hospitals. They’re the things that are filling the people’s greatest need: good health,” said Kaiser, decades before his death.

Kaiser died August 27, 1967. Leading up to his death, Kaiser continued planning new projects and focusing on the future.

https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/who-we-are/our-history/henry-j-kaiser-americas-health-care-visionary

GUSNOTE: Henry J. Kaiser is mentioned in the picture at top for expressing his vision of the future.... 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

         RABID ATHEIST.

         WELCOME TO THIS INSANE WORLD….