from Bruce
Anecdotes
Fathers
• On Father’s Day, Danny Thomas’ young children gave him cards. Daughter Marlo gave him a funny card, which he read out loud and enjoyed. Daughter Terre then gave him a sentimental card that described him as “the best father in the world” and as “caring and loving.” Danny liked the card and read it out loud, but he asked Terre, “Do you believe all of this?” Terre answered, “Yes, Daddy.” Danny then said, “Because if you really believed what’s written in this card, you’d do the things Daddy wants you to do, wouldn’t you?” Again, Terre said, “Yes, Daddy.” Danny continued, “Like right now. Where’s your retainer?” Terre answered, “It’s upstairs, Daddy.” Danny said, “Upstairs! I didn’t spend my hard-earned money for you to put your retainer in a drawer upstairs! It belongs in your mouth! I bought it for you so you would grow up to have beautiful straight teeth, with a smile to be proud of!” Terre looked at Marlo and said, “You couldn’t have given me the other card?” Sometimes, the children of professional comedians as just as funny as the professional comedians.
Food
• Ann Cooper gave up her 30-plus-year career as a chef to start cooking healthy meals for schoolchildren in Berkeley, California. She prepares roast chicken, not chicken nuggets, and she prepares roast potatoes, not Tater Tots. In addition to this work, she wrote a book titled Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children. All of this is an effort to reform school lunches to make them healthy. The lunches she prepares are seasonal, fresh, and mostly organic, as opposed to frozen, fried, and sugary. She says, “I want to change children’s relationship to food.” As director of nutrition services for the Berkeley Unified School District, she ensures that 95 percent of the cafeteria food is made from scratch. Previously, 95 percent of the cafeteria food was processed. Some students were resistant to eating the healthy food at first. She says, “I have received hate mail. Kids speak up if they don’t like something.” Some fifth-graders even told her, “Ms. Cooper, we hate your food. We’re going on a hunger strike.” They told her that they especially disliked her grilled-cheese sandwiches, which were made from whole-wheat bread and cheddar cheese. She invited them into the kitchen and taught them how to make bread and gave them various kinds of cheeses to taste. Eventually, their taste buds developed, and they told the next group of fifth-graders, “You are so lucky. We fixed all the food here for you.”
• When Trisha Yearwood married Garth Brooks, she began living in Oklahoma instead of Georgia — thus the title of her cookbook Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen — and only once did she feel really, really homesick. That was when she had the flu and her mother was not there to take care of her. Her mother made chicken noodle soup, froze it, and mailed it to her in a Styrofoam container packed with dry ice. Trisha says, “When I got it the next morning, I cried, ate some soup, cried, ate some more soup, and thanked God for the most awesome mom on the planet!” (Now, Oklahoma as well as Georgia feels like home to her.) By the way, Trisha’s first home-cooked meal for Garth was Fettuccine Alfredo, and it did not turn out the way it was supposed to — the sauce was way, way too thick. Trisha says that she is surprised that Garth ever allowed her to cook another meal, although being a gentleman he took a huge serving. (The meal was so rich that he almost fell asleep at the dinner table, and he says he does not remember anything from being halfway through the meal to waking up a few hours later on the couch.)
• The Methodist circuit riders worked hard, and they developed hardy appetites — especially for chicken, as everyone knew. Every time a circuit rider stayed for supper, the farmwife would kill one or two fat chickens. This joke illustrates the reputation and appetite that Methodist circuit riders had for eating chicken: One day a circuit rider was on a bridge when he dropped his false teeth, which fell into the water. A young boy who was fishing asked the circuit rider where he had eaten that day. The place was close, so the boy told the circuit rider to wait a while and then he would get his teeth for him. The boy left, then returned quickly, carrying a chicken bone with him. He tied the chicken bone to his fishing line, then he cast it into the water. A few seconds later, he drew the fishing line out of the water. At the end of the fishing line was the circuit rider’s false teeth — clamped tight on the chicken bone.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
BANDCAMP MUSIC
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION OF BANDCAMP MUSIC
Track: "Saratoga"
Album: A WEEKEND WITH BLANCHE HUDSON
Artist: Brad Creel & the Reel Deel
Artist Location: Portland, Oregon
Record Company: Aldora Britain Records
Record Company Location: Rothley, UK
Info:
“Hearing Brad Creel & the Reel Deel is like listening to a John Prine album while Merle Haggard is cooking in the kitchen, Gram Parsons is on the front porch, and Bigfoot is dancing in the front yard. As these artists are now dead (except Bigfoot), Brad has kept their sound alive by combining the musical styles to create a unique genre of music he calls, ‘Lava Lamp Country.’”
“Saratoga” also appears on Brad Creel & the Reel Deel’s 10-track album TIME AND THE ROAD. Price: $10 (USD)
“Aldora Britain Records is an e-zine and record label that promotes the music and work of authentic independent or underground artists from all around the world. Originally established in 2013, they revamped themselves in 2018 with a brand-new approach. Their first weekly compilation, aptly titled THE SECOND COMING, was released in late 2019. They now also release original singles, EPs and charity projects.”
Price: £0.50 (GBP) for 21-track album by various artists
Genre: Americana. Various.
Links:
A WEEKEND WITH BLANCHE HUDSON
Brad Creel on Bandcamp
Brad Creel on YouTube
Brad Creel & the Real Deel Official Website
Aldora Britain Records on Bandcamp
Aldora Britain Records on YouTube
Other Links:
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
New Venture
Michael Egan
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
Ukraine
Ukraine Video
Extraordinary exchange on Russian state TV
Extraordinary exchange on Russian state TV TV’s top talk show about Ukraine. Military analyst & retired colonel Mikhail Khodarenok tells anchor Olga Skabeyeva “the situation for us will clearly get worse … we’re in total geopolitical isolation … the situation is not normal.
Also on Twitter
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Andrew Tobias: Putin is Losing
It’s worth remembering that the only change Trump made to the 2016 Republican platform was to weaken support for Ukraine. It seemed bizarre at the time — why that,of all things? Of what relevance to our lives would Ukraine ever be?
It’s fair to say that in 2016 Ukraine was on few minds in the U.S. — but very much on the mind of Vladimir Putin.
(Worth remembering, too: Trump’s first impeachment was over withholding Congressionally-appropriated military aid to Ukraine in pursuit of political advantage. The idea to do that likely came from Putin.)
***
Betty Bowers
Other Links:
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Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Gas went down 4¢ overnight to $5.75/gal (cash) at the no-name station - the brand-name station (Chevron) was $6.19/gal (cash).
"Untitled" 1982
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Untitled" 1982 sold for $85 million at auction in New York Wednesday, well above its pre-sale estimate and netting Japanese billionaire space tourist Yusaku Maezawa a tidy profit.
Phillips auction house sold the 16-foot-wide painting on behalf of Maezawa, who purchased it in 2016 for $57.3 million.
The auctioneers had tipped it to go for around $70 million.
Maezawa, who in 2017 set a new auction record for Basquiat works when he paid $110.5 million for another painting by the 20th century giant, has said he plans to create a new museum to exhibit his collection.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Departing NBC News In July
Pete Williams
Pete Williams, longtime correspondent for NBC News covering the Supreme Court and the Justice Department, plans to retire from the network in July.
NBC News President Noah Oppenheim made the announcement in a message to staffers on Thursday.
He wrote that “for generations of NBC News reporters, working alongside Pete has been a daily masterclass in journalism. But perhaps more importantly, it has been a masterclass in what it means to be a good colleague. Pete’s decency, kindness, and generosity are unmatched. For those that know Pete well, it’s his warmth, humor, wit, and compassion that will be missed most.”
Williams has been with NBC News since 1993. Before that, he had been press secretary for then Rep. Dick Cheney (R-WY) and later served as spokesman at the Pentagon during the presidency of George H.W. Bush. He’s been the face of the network’s coverage of major Supreme Court decisions over almost three decades, and his departure will come after the high court releases its opinion in a landmark abortion case, Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health. Politico published a leak first draft of the opinion that showed the court was poised to overturn Roe V. Wade.
Pete Williams
Baby News
Rihanna
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have welcomed a baby boy, according to multiple reports.
The couple, who first revealed her pregnancy with a belly-baring Harlem photo shoot in January, became parents May 13 in Los Angeles, said TMZ, the first to report the birth Thursday based on unnamed sources. A representative for Rihanna did not immediately return an email from The Associated Press seeking confirmation.
People magazine, citing an unnamed source, said A$AP and Rihanna, 34, are home in Los Angeles with the baby, their first.
Rihanna
Record Price
Mercedes-Benz
German automaker Mercedes-Benz said Thursday that it has auctioned an extremely rare car from its company collection for a roaring 135 million euros ($143 million).
The company said the price paid by a private collector earlier this month for the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, with its distinctive gullwing doors, makes it the most valuable car of all time. The claim couldn’t be independently verified.
Mercedes Benz said the proceeds would be used to launch a fund providing scholarships for young people to learn about and research environmental science and decarbonization. The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, released by burning fossil fuels, is largely blamed for climate change.
The car was one of just two prototypes built in 1955, and named after the company’s then-chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut.
Mercedes-Benz
Historically Terrible Job
2020 Census
The 2020 census undercounted populations in six states and overcounted populations in eight, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report published Thursday.
The results of the once-per-decade census form the basis for the number of House members and Electoral College votes per state, the redistricting of state legislative maps, and how much federal funding gets allocated for schools, hospitals, and public works, as well as for programs like Medicaid and grants for community mental-health services.
According to the report, the states with the most significant undercount rates were Arkansas (5.04 percent), Florida (3.48 percent), Illinois (1.97 percent), Mississippi (4.11 percent), Tennessee (4.78 percent), and Texas (1.92 percent).
States whose populations were overcounted were Hawaii, which had the highest rate with 6.79 percent, followed in order by Delaware, Rhode Island, Minnesota, New York, Utah, Massachusetts, and Ohio.
The 2010 census, by contrast, did not have any statistically significant over- or undercount rates, as noted by NPR.
2020 Census
SpaceX Flight Attendant
Elon
SpaceX, the aerospace firm founded by Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest man, paid a flight attendant $250,000 to settle a sexual misconduct claim against Musk in 2018, Insider has learned.
The attendant worked as a member of the cabin crew on a contract basis for SpaceX's corporate jet fleet. She accused Musk of exposing his erect penis to her, rubbing her leg without consent, and offering to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage, according to interviews and documents obtained by Insider.
The incident, which took place in 2016, is alleged in a declaration signed by a friend of the attendant and prepared in support of her claim. The details in this story are drawn from the declaration as well as other documents, including email correspondence and other records shared with Insider by the friend.
According to the declaration, the attendant confided to the friend that after taking the flight attendant job, she was encouraged to get licensed as a masseuse so that she could give Musk massages. It was during one such massage in a private cabin on Musk's Gulfstream G650ER, she told the friend, that Musk propositioned her.
The attendant's complaint was resolved quickly after a session with a mediator that Musk personally attended. The matter never reached a court of law or an arbitration proceeding. In November 2018, Musk, SpaceX and the flight attendant entered into a severance agreement granting the attendant a $250,000 payment in exchange for a promise not to sue over the claims.
Elon
New Project
Rafael
An activist group is trying to get Rafael "Ted" Cruz (R-Born-in-Canada) suspended from practicing law, citing his attempts to overturn the 2020 vote to keep Trump in power
A group of legal activists called for Texas Sen. Rafael "Ted" Cruz (R-Satan's Hemorrhoid) to be investigated and suspended from practicing the law for what they said was his "leading role" in attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
The 15-page ethics complaint written by The 65 Project was filed to the state bar of Texas on Wednesday. It called for Cruz's conduct in the weeks between Election Day in 2020 and January 6, 2021 — the day of the Capitol riot — to be examined.
"Mr. Cruz played a leading role in the effort to overturn the 2020 elections. And while the same can be said about several other elected officials, Mr. Cruz's involvement was manifestly different," read the complaint.
The complaint also alleged that Cruz had taken on "the role of lawyer" in helping (the) former President Donald Trump to litigate the election results.
Rafael
The Leak, Part 2
Johnny Cash
A water tower in Kingsland made national news after a Johnny Cash silhouette was shot in the crotch region, starting a steady leak. Residents said they didn’t expect the attention.
“I didn’t think it would go as far as it did where TMZ got a hold of it, no,” said Tony Atkins, who lives next to the tower. “I never thought it.”
City officials said the tower leaked around 30,000 gallons each day. By Thursday afternoon, the hole was patched and painted.
Timothy Sled, 38, faces two felony charges related to shooting the tower last week, according to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.
Residents expect the national interest to fall off now that the leak has been fixed, but they hope it prompts a trickle of visitors to keep coming. “Come on,” said Tony Atkins. “We’d be glad to have you. We love to have people come visit our town.”
Johnny Cash
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