from Bruce
Anecdotes
Fathers
• As a teenager, President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright went on dates that were not like the typical dates of today’s American girls. Although she had moved to the United States as a girl, Ms. Albright was born in Czechoslovakia, and her father followed old-world ideas about dating. He would let Ms. Albright’s boyfriend drive her to wherever the date would happen, but he followed them in his own car and went on the date with them. After the date was over, he drove his daughter home while her boyfriend followed them in his car, then Mr. Albright invited his daughter’s boyfriend in for milk and cookies. Needless to say, Ms. Albright didn’t keep boyfriends for long. (Nevertheless, she did get married and gave birth to three daughters.)
• Comedian Albert Brooks’ father was funny. In a restaurant, he would sometimes stand up and announce to the other diners, “I want your attention, all of you. This boy [Albert] is not eating his vegetables.” As a high school student, Albert did an imitation of escape artist Harry Houdini as an incompetent who couldn’t even get his hands out of his own pockets. This impressed family friend Carl Reiner so much that when Johnny Carson asked him on The Tonight Show who were the funniest people he knew, he named Mel Brooks and young Albert.
• Choreographer Martha Graham’s father was a doctor. When she was a child, he showed her a drop of water on a slide and asked what she saw. Of course, she replied that she saw a drop of water. He asked if the water was pure, and she answered that it was. Dr. Graham then asked her to look at it with a microscope. She did, and she saw lots of bacteria in the water. “Yes, it is impure,” Dr. Graham said. “Just remember this all your life, Martha. You must look for the truth.”
• Just before the short program at the 2001 World Championships, figure skater Michelle Kwan had a problem when the heel of one skate came loose. According to figure skating rules, if you don’t have your equipment prepared to skate when your name is called, you are disqualified. Fortunately, Ms. Kwan’s father came to the rescue. He fixed the heel by using six screws — and three tubes of super glue. (Yes, Michelle won the gold medal.)
• Kerry Strug’s father once told her that she was his least expensive child, because the only gifts she ever wanted were leotards and because she never wore out her shoes since she was always walking on her hands. (Later, Ms. Strug became an elite gymnast and her father had to pay out big bucks for her training — the training paid off with a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.)
• Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller once performed a very bad vault that sent her crashing to the mat. Her father, Ron, is a university professor who uses video of that vault to teach his class some principles of physics. The agreement Shannon and her father made is that after he shows the video of the very bad vault, he has to show a video of her performing the vault flawlessly.
• Cordell Brown has cerebral palsy and two sons. (He also founded a summer camp called Camp Echoing Hills and several residential homes for handicapped adults in Ohio.) He never asked his sons about his disability until they were grown, then he asked if having a father with cerebral palsy had made life difficult for them. They answered, “Dad, you’ve just always been Dad.”
• Gay comedian Bob Smith warned his boyfriend, Tom, that his father, a retired state trooper, judged people by their handshake, so that when they met Tom would know to give him a firm handshake. Bob’s father once told him, “Bob, I like all your friends because all the men have very solid handshakes, and come to think of it, all the women do, too.”
• A Jewish man heard that his father was ill; however, visiting his father would involve an expensive train journey. Knowing that Jewish law does not require a child to spend money to honor a parent, he asked Rabbi Hayyim of Brisk to make a ruling. Rabbi Hayyim quickly made the ruling: “You are not required to spend the money — walk!”
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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: "Marco Polo"
Album: RUMOURS OF LIGHT: A 60 SONG DIGITAL BOXSET IN SUPPORT OF THE DISASTERS EMERGENCY COMMITTEE AND THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE
Artist: Mace Avam
Record Company: Aldora Britain Records
Record Company Location: Rothley, UK
Info:
“MACE AVAM (pronounced 'MACE EY-vum') is a quirky 90s kid alt-rock band from Toronto, Ontario.”
“Aldora Britain Records presents RUMOURS OF LIGHT, a 60-song digital boxset in support of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and the people of Ukraine. We feel that it is our duty to use the power of music to help in any way we can. The project features 60 artists from eight different countries and is in aid of the DEC's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.”
“All compositions featured here are originals* and have been used by permission of the artist or associated record label. Thank you to all for your kindness and hard work.”
Price: £7.15 (GBP) for 60 tracks by various artists.
“Marco Polo” is also available on Mace Avam’s album HOT DADS. Price: $7 (CAN) for six-track album. It is also available as a single. Price: $1.50 (CAN).
Genre: Pop. Quirky. Various.
Links:
RUMOURS OF LIGHT: A 60 SONG DIGITAL BOXSET IN SUPPORT OF THE DISASTERS EMERGENCY COMMITTEE AND THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE
HOT DADS
“Marco Polo”
Mace Avam on Bandcamp
Emma C (Mace Avam) on YouTube
Aldora Britain Records on Bandcamp
Aldora Britain Records on YouTube
Other Links:
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Suggestion
MeinPillow
New Venture
Michael Egan
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
Wonkette:
When something lovely happens, we should shout it from the rooftops. So ¡Enhorabuena! to humanitarian chef José Andrés, who is opening a new restaurant in the Old Post Office building, AKA the former home of the Trump Hotel in DC.
He didn't even take the opportunity to talk shit about Trump, because José Andrés is a class act.
that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The marine layer has returned and the defective rooster is confused, again.
Visits James Corden
Bill Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton guested on The Late Late Show with James Corden early Thursday, in a wide ranging interview that touched on efforts at gun reform and plans to restart the Clinton Global Initiative.
But at one point, Corden asked Clinton what keeps him so optimistic. While Clinton cited children and grandchildren and their hopes for the future, he said that he also wasn’t too Pollyanna-ish about the state of democracy.
“I actually think there is a fair chance we could completely lose our constitutional democracy for a couple of decades if we make bad decisions,” Clinton said. “I am not naive about this. I have been in a lot of fights. I have lost some and won a bunch. I have been elated and heartbroken. But I have never before been as worried about the structure of our democratic form of government.”
He added that “so far, every time we were faced with our own undoing, our conscience kicked in and we stepped away from the brink. And that is kind of what I think will happen here but I don’t know when or how. Meanwhile, we should just be vigilant, stand up for what we believe in, and don’t return hatred with hatred.”
Bill Clinton
President Bill Clinton on Gun Safety | YouTube
President Bill Clinton on the Clinton Global Initiative and Aliens | YouTube
Hall of Fame
Songwriters
Silenced for two years, the Songwriters Hall of Fame is ready to party again, welcoming a diverse set of artists for its Class of 2022, including pop diva Mariah Carey, the weirdly cool producers the Neptunes, the British electro-pop band Eurythmics, psychedelic bluesman Steve Miller and the iconic Isley Brothers.
The songwriters will be honored at a pandemic-delayed gala Thursday night at the Marriott Marquis in New York. While a list of performers and presenters has not been revealed, past inductees have been serenaded or hailed by the likes of Lady Gaga, Stevie Nicks, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Ed Sheeran.
Lil Nas X will also be honored Thursday with the Hal David Starlight Award, which recognizes “gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs.”
Non-performing solo nominees this year are William “Mickey” Stevenson, a producer during Motown’s golden era, and Rick Nowels, who co-wrote over 60 Top 20 singles worldwide, including Belinda Carlisle’s global hit “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”
Master songwriter Paul Williams will receive the Johnny Mercer Award, and Universal executive Jody Gerson will receive the Abe Olman Publisher Award.
Songwriters
Netflix Suit Settled
Mo’Nique
Mo’Nique and Netflix reportedly have settled her lawsuit that accused the streaming service of racial and sexual discrimination for allegedly making her a lowball offer for a proposed comedy special.
The matter has been “amicably resolved,” Michael Parks, an attorney representing Mo’Nique in the suit, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The terms of the settlement between the streaming giant and the comedian and Oscar-winning actor weren’t disclosed Wednesday, when they jointly filed in a Los Angeles federal court for the case’s dismissal.
Mo’Nique’s lawsuit said Netflix officials warmly praised her work before they offered her $500,000 in early 2018 for a comedy special and refused to negotiate further. Her suit said that reflected a company tendency to underpay Black women.
In contrast, the suit claimed, Netflix was willing to negotiate with other comics and made deals reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars for comedy specials from Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais.
Mo’Nique
Sealed VHS Copy Sells For $75,000
'Back to the Future'
A sealed VHS copy of 1980’s time-travel classic Back To The Future has sold at auction for $75,000 USD.
The video tape - that belonged to Biff Tannen actor Tom Wilson - was the star lot at an auction of 260 sealed VHS tapes at Heritage Auctions in Texas.
The shrink wrapped tape from 1986 was graded and described as being in near mint condition and the sum paid for it is thought to be the highest ever for a VHS tape.
While Back to the Future stole the show other blockbusters from the 1970s and 1980s sold well with sealed VHS copies of The Goonies selling for $50,000 USD (a Betamax copy achieved $13,750 USD), Jaws $32,500 USD, Ghostbusters $23,750 USD while a promotional giveaway copy of Top Gun from Pepsi hammered at $17,500 USD.
'Back to the Future'
Files For Bankruptcy
Revlon
Revlon, a cosmetics maker that broke racial barriers and dictated beauty trends for much of the last century, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The company has been a mainstay on store shelves since its founding 90 years ago in New York City as it oversaw a stable of household names, from Almay to Elizabeth Arden.
Revlon failed to keep pace with changing tastes, however, slow to follow women as they traded flashy red lipstick for more muted tones in the 1990s.
In addition to losing market share to big rivals like Procter & Gamble, newcomer cosmetic lines from Kylie Jenner and other celebrities successfully capitalized on the massive social media following of the famous faces that fronted the products.
Revlon
Human Trash Discovered
Mars
A piece of human trash has been found on Mars and as embarrassing as that sounds, at least it’s not a cigarette butt.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover announced the “surprise” find Wednesday, June 15, and shared photos showing what appears to be a square of aluminum foil snagged between rocks.
Scientists believe they know what it is, but they’re still debating how it got there.
“My team has spotted something unexpected. It’s a piece of a thermal blanket that they think may have come from my descent stage, the rocket-powered jet pack that set me down on landing day last year,” NASA wrote on Facebook.
“It’s a surprise finding this here because my descent stage crashed about 2 km (1.2 miles) away. Did this piece land here after that, or was it blown here by the wind?”
Mars
'Doomsday Glacier'
Antarctica
Antarctica's so-called Doomsday Glacier is losing ice at its fastest rate in 5,500 years, raising concerns about the ice sheet's future and the possibility of catastrophic sea level rise caused by the frozen continent's melting ice.
The finding comes from a study of prehistoric sea-deposits found on the shores surrounding the "doomsday" Thwaites Glacier and the neighboring Pine Island Glacier, both located on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The chilling news? Antarctica's glacial melt, driven by climate change, is advancing faster than ever before in recorded history, researchers have reported June 9 in the journal Nature Geoscience(opens in new tab).
"These currently elevated rates of ice melting may signal that those vital arteries from the heart of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet have been ruptured, leading to accelerating flow into the ocean that is potentially disastrous for future global sea level in a warming world," co-author Dylan Rood, an Earth scientist at Imperial College London, said in a statement.
As one of Antarctica's fastest-melting glaciers, Thwaites has earned the nickname"Doomsday Glacier." Since the 1980s, Thwaites has lost an estimated 595 billion tons (540 billion metric tons) of ice, contributing to a 4% rise in global sea levels. Thwaites and its northern neighbor, the Pine Island Glacier, cover enormous expanses; Thwaites has a surface area of about 74,130 square miles (192,000 square kilometers) (making it nearly as big as Great Britain) and Pine Island 62,660 square miles (162,300 square km).
Antarctica
San Diego Zoo Welcomes
Aardvark
An aardvark cub born at the San Diego Zoo is doing well and developing quickly, according to wildlife specialists.
The female cub was born May 10 and will nurse from her mother, Zola, for about six months, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said this week in announcing the zoo’s first aardvark birth in nearly four decades.
“She is very active, and was using her sharp claws to dig like an adult aardvark, just hours after her birth,” lead wildlife care specialist Cari Inserra said in the statement.
The long-eared, hairless cub has tripled her birth weight in just five weeks.
She does not have a name yet, and will remain out of view of zoo visitors for about two months as she bonds with her mother.
Aardvark
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