from Bruce
Anecdotes
Language
• Lord Phillimore (1845-1929) once tried a man who was accused of murdering his wife. Lord Phillimore asked him, “Did you say to your wife, ‘If you bloody well don’t take care, you will repent of it’?” The defendant replied that he couldn’t have said that because he didn’t use that particular word. Lord Phillimore asked, “I suppose it is the word beginning with ‘b’ that you do not use.” The man replied, “Oh, no! I do use that word. It’s the word ‘repent’ which I don’t use.”
• Ballet master George Balanchine, who was born in Russia with the name Gyorgy Balanchivadze, knew English well, but he often used Russian sentence constructions when speaking English. No problem. Those people he knew well always understood him, and he requested that when reporters quoted him, they put his sentences into correct grammatical form.
• Samuel Johnson went to a market to buy fish, but he discovered that the fish at a certain shop were not fresh. The woman selling the fish argued with him and insisted that the fish were fresh, so Dr. Johnson called her a noun, an adverb, and a verb. Because the woman didn’t know what those words meant, she thought that Dr. Johnson was insulting her.
Media
• Writer Ben Hecht hated pomposity. When he was writing for his own newspaper, the Chicago Literary Times, the Moscow Art Players came to Chicago and performed, entirely in Russian, The Brothers Karamazov. Approximately 3,800 people in the audience listened to Russian actors speak Russian for four hours, then they gave the actors a tremendous ovation. Of the 3,800 people in the audience, Mr. Hecht figured that no more than 20 people could understand enough Russian to follow the play, and so the tremendous ovation they gave the play annoyed him. Because the Chicago Literary Times was his own newspaper, Mr. Hecht could do with it what he wanted, so he decided to have the review of the play translated into Russian and to print it that way. However, after the review was all set in Russian type, the printer dropped the type and it scattered all over the floor. Unfortunately, no one there knew how to read Russian and since the paper had to go to press right away, they picked up the type and put it back anyway they could, knowing that the review no longer made sense. As it turned out, the mistake didn’t matter. After the paper was published, approximately 60 letters arrived, all praising the review written in Russian and saying that it was the best thing that the Chicago Literary Times had ever published.
• The Chicago Herald-American once offered the prize of a summer job to the winner of a contest for high-school students who submitted news stories. The winner was a female student who sent in an article about a fire. Ray Brennan of the Chicago Times, however, recognized the article when it was printed — he had written it. Therefore, the Times printed both Mr. Brennan’s article and the plagiarized article by the female student — they were identical. The Times also printed this note: “Ray Brennan, veteran Times man, today won a distinction never before accorded a Chicago newspaperman. He won the girl reporter prize from the Herald-American.”
Mishaps
• Makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin is one of those people who are supremely competent at what they do. He once made up model Cindy Crawford for a photo shoot (to create a Vogue cover) during which she would wear a pink outfit and a beige outfit. Before starting to apply her makeup, he asked which outfit she would wear first. Hearing that she would wear the pink outfit first, he made her up accordingly (her hair and makeup took two hours), knowing that he would have to change her makeup for the beige outfit. Unfortunately, the beige outfit arrived first, and Kevyn said, “Oh, I thought we were doing the other outfit first. I’ll have to change a few things.” Vogue editor Polly Mellon asked how long it would take, and Kevyn said, “Ten minutes.” Polly then asked, “No. I mean how much time for a ‘Kevyn Aucoin’ makeup change?” Kevyn replied, “Ten minutes, Polly.” Kevyn was such a perfectionist that if he had needed more than ten minutes to change Cindy’s makeup, he would not have said that ten minutes was all he needed. (That Kevyn needed only ten minutes for the makeup change was a huge relief to the person who had mistakenly told him that Cindy would wear the pink outfit first.)
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© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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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: "Ghost in Your Own Life"
Album: HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE
Artist: Grey Hairs
Artist Location: Nottingham, UK
Info:
The song “Tail to Teeth” on HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE is also excellent.
Formed in 2011. Records on the Gringo, Hello Thor and God Unknown labels.
James - Vocals
Amy - Bass & Vocals
Dave - Drums
Chris - Guitar
Their third album, HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE, is “a scorching reflection on balancing your creative impulses against the commitments of impending middle age.”
Si Donbavand, a fan, wrote, “I fucking LOVE Grey Hairs. Everything they've released, I have bought. I go to as many gigs as I can & was eagerly awaited this album after hearing ‘Tory Nurse’ and MAN was I not disappointed, it’s absolutely bloody brilliant. Best album to-date. Great work. Favorite track: ‘Ghost In Your Own Life.’”
The song is also on the Aldora Britain Records compilation album MERRY-GO-ROUND. Price: £0.50 (GBP) for 17 tracks by various artists.
Price: £7 (GBP) for 10-track album
Genre: Rock. Punk.
Links:
HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE
Grey Hairs on Bandcamp
Gringo Records on Bandcamp
Other Links:
Bruce’s Music Recommendations: FREE pdfs
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog #1
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David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Stephen Suggests
Twofer
Sara Nelson, the head of the largest flight attendants’ union, leads her members through turbulent times and mounts a major organizing drive at Delta.
Nelson grew up in Corvallis, a small town in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where she was raised in a family of Christian Scientists.
New Venture
Michael Egan
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
A documentary Ron Howard has done on Chef Andres and World Central Kitchen (airing May 27 on Disney+)
It's not mentioned, but I've heard that World Central Kitchen is in Uvalde feeding those too shocked and grieving to take care of themselves. (I know that after Lenny died, I was so lost that people pretty much had to force me to eat for several days until I started being able to deal with living.) God bless those who care for others--we all need help.
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Gas down to $5.69/gal (cash) at the no-name station - Chevron was $6.19/gal (cash).
Kicks Off Grammy Museum’s Educational Series
Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste is still putting in some Grammy work: The multi-talented performer will kick off a series geared toward public and educational programs in New York City next month.
The Grammy Museum announced Thursday that Batiste will perform during a series titled “A New York Evening with Jon Batiste.” He’ll hit the stage on June 17 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
Batiste will be the first performer as part of the museum’s six-part series. His performance comes after he collected five trophies including album of the year for “We Are” at the Grammy Awards in April.
The museum will partner with the New York mayor’s office to bring educational programming with two summer sessions. It’ll be free five-day songwriting workshops for students currently enrolled in high school.
The programs will run through the end of this year at various venues in the city. The other five programs and performers will be announced at a later date.
Jon Batiste
Sells Entire Song Catalog
Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake has sold his song catalog to Hipgnosis Song Management, the company announced on Thursday, marking the latest superstar to sell the rights to their songs in the ever-hot music acquisition market.
Hypgnosis bought 100 percent of Timberlake’s copyrights on musical compositions he wrote, which includes hits such as “SexyBack,” “Rock Your Body,” “Suit and Tie,” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” Representatives for Hypgnosis declined to share financial details regarding the sale.
Timberlake is one of the best-selling artists in pop music history, first as a member of NSYNC then afterward as a solo artist. The catalog deal is for Timberlake’s publishing rights, not recording rights, meaning it only pertains to songs he wrote or co-wrote. He wasn’t a songwriter on some of NSYNC’s biggest hits such as “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me,” but he wrote or co-wrote most of his hits as a solo artist.
Timberlake is one of many artists who’ve sold their song catalogs over the past few years. Fellow pop hitmakers like Ryan Tedder and Bruno Mars have also sold their publishing rights, but the trend has been particularly popular among older acts who left their musical legacies in the hands of music companies while taking huge sums of cash for themselves and their families instead. Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen both sold their publishing and recorded rights for hundreds of millions of dollars in the past year, while Pink Floyd is reportedly shopping their catalog around and would likely fetch similar figures.
Justin Timberlake
July Fourth Show Returns
Boston Pops
The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, a July Fourth holiday tradition in the city, is returning to its full glory after a three-year coronavirus hiatus, the Boston Symphony Orchestra said Thursday.
The show at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade will feature not only the Boston Pops under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart for the 27th year, but the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums, and special guest performers that will be announced at a later date.
This year’s free show will also include a tribute to David Mugar, whose support of the event starting in 1974 transformed it from a local event into a national celebration. Mugar died in January.
“The past three years have given us profound lessons on the importance of not taking things for granted and appreciating the many everyday gifts of our lives, as well as caring and looking out for each other,” Lockhart said in a statement. “I am so grateful that we can come together once again to celebrate Independence Day and all that we aspire to be as citizens of this great country and the city we’re proud to call home.”
The event dates to 1929, but was revitalized by Mugar in the 1970s.
Boston Pops
Last Salem ‘Witch’ Pardoned
Elizabeth Johnson Jr.
It took more than three centuries, but the last Salem “witch” who wasn’t has been officially pardoned.
Massachusetts lawmakers on Thursday formally exonerated Elizabeth Johnson Jr., clearing her name 329 years after she was convicted of witchcraft in 1693 and sentenced to death at the height of the Salem Witch Trials.
Johnson was never executed, but neither was she officially pardoned like others wrongly accused of witchcraft.
Lawmakers agreed to reconsider her case last year after a curious eighth-grade civics class at North Andover Middle School took up her cause and researched the legislative steps needed to clear her name.
Johnson is the last accused witch to be cleared, according to Witches of Massachusetts Bay, a group devoted to the history and lore of the 17th-century witch hunts.
Elizabeth Johnson Jr.
Boys Will Be Boys
No Charges
The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday it will not pursue criminal charges against former FBI agents who failed to quickly open an investigation of sports doctor Larry Nassar despite learning in 2015 that he was accused of sexually assaulting female gymnasts.
The Office of Inspector General found that two former agents likely provided “inaccurate or incomplete information” when investigators subsequently tried to understand what happened, but more would be needed to file charges, the department said.
“This does not in any way reflect a view that the investigation of Nassar was handled as it should have been, nor in any way reflects approval or disregard of the conduct of the former agents,” the department said.
Lawyers for Nassar’s victims have said more than 100 young women or teens were assaulted after the FBI became aware of allegations against him. At least 13 are seeking $10 million each from the government.
“The FBI agents who knew of Nassar’s abuse, did nothing, and then lied about their inaction in violation of their sworn duty and the law have been given a pass,” Manly said.
No Charges
Deliberately Shot
Shireen Abu Akleh
The Palestinian Authority said on Thursday its investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh showed that she was shot by an Israeli soldier in a "deliberate murder".
The Israeli army had said previously that she might have been shot accidentally by one of its soldiers or by a Palestinian militant in an exchange of fire.
Palestinian Attorney General Akram Al-Khatib told reporters that its enquiry showed there had been no militants close to Abu Akleh when she died.
"The only source of fire in that place came from the occupation forces with the intention to kill," Al-Khatib said, referring to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
He added that Abu Akleh, who had been wearing a helmet and a press vest that clearly marked her as a journalist, had tried to flee with some fellow reporters as the first shots rang out. "It represents a war crime," Al-Khatib said.
Shireen Abu Akleh
Ancient DNA
Pompeii
Researchers studying human remains from Pompeii have extracted genetic secrets from the bones of a man and a woman who were buried when the Roman city was engulfed in volcanic ash.
This first "Pompeian human genome" is an almost complete set of "genetic instructions" from the victims, encoded in DNA extracted from their bones.
The two people were first discovered in 1933, in what Pompeii archaeologists have called Casa del Fabbro, or The Craftsman's House.
They were slumped in the corner of the dining room, almost as though they were having lunch when the eruption occurred - on 24 August 79AD. One recent study suggested that the huge cloud of ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius could have become lethal for the city's residents in less than 20 minutes.
The two victims the researchers studied, according to anthropologist Dr Serena Viva from the University of Salento, were not attempting to escape.
Pompeii
Kavachi Volcano
'Sharkcano'
Kavachi Volcano, an active submarine volcano in the Solomon Islands, has long been home to sharks. However their once-peaceful playground in the southwest Pacific Ocean recently became a bit less serene.
In recent months, NASA satellite images detected plumes of discolored water over the volcano — tell-tale signs of volcanic activity, hinting at multiple eruptions. The images were captured by the Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) onboard the Landsat-9 satellite, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, shared the news over the weekend in a tweet that read, "You've heard of sharknado, now get ready for sharkcano."
Researchers noticed changes in water color over the volcano in April and May, and the volcano likely began erupting as early as last October, according to a statement released by NASA's Earth Observatory. Prior to that, its most recent large eruptions took place in 2014 and 2007. (Records indicate that Kavachi's first recorded eruption occurred in 1939, with subsequent explosions creating ephemeral islands.)
Prior research conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that the volcano's plumes of warm, acidic water typically contain particulate matter, volcanic rock fragments and sulfur, the latter of which "attracts microbial communities that thrive on sulfur." During a 2015 research expedition to Kavachi, scientists were surprised to discover that the volcano's crater also happens to be home to two types of sharks — hammerheads and silky sharks — despite the locale's turbulent history.
'Sharkcano'
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