from Bruce
Anecdotes
Media
• Shakespearean actress Julia Marlowe insisted on protecting her privacy. A syndicated columnist once tried to get her to say something by pointing out that what she said to him would be printed in 117 newspapers throughout the United States. She replied, “That is 117 reasons for not saying it.”
• Harry Hershfield made it a practice to always stand on the news photographer’s left for group photographs — that way, his name appeared first in the newspaper caption.
Mishaps
• Mishaps occur in nursing. When Joanne Murnane was a new nurse working in a hospital, one of her patients died. She prepared the dead patient, and seeing dentures on the dead patient’s table, she stuffed the dentures in the dead patient’s mouth and then took him to the hospital morgue. When she returned to the room to care for the other, live patient there, the live patient said, “Miss, have you seen my teeth? I laid them on this table but can’t find them now.” Of course, he had put his dentures on the wrong table. Thinking quickly, Nurse Murnane said, “I’m cleaning them for you, sir. I’ll have them back soon.” She says, “Of course, I did clean and sterilize the dentures and returned them to their correct owner, all the while thanking my lucky stars that all had worked out acceptably.
• The famous can be mistaken for the unfamous. Charles Hanson Towne, a poet and the editor of McClure’s Magazine, had long wanted to meet an actress, Mrs. Minnie Fiske, who was famous in the early 20th century. One day, he had his chance. She was playing at a benefit, and as she stepped off the stage into the wings, he was waiting for her. Mr. Towne poured out his admiration for her, and when he had finished, Mrs. Fiske tapped him on the arm with her lorgnette, smiled at him, and said, “Thank you, Mr. Electrician,” and left.
• Having experience as a soldier can be bad for a baseball player. A Los Angeles player named Ken Hicks began to pitch a game shortly after ending his term of service with the United States Army. He was beginning a pitch when the loudspeaker came to life with the words, “Attention, please!” Mr. Hicks assumed the proper military posture after hearing the word “attention,” the umpire called a balk, and the runner on first advanced to second.
• During an open-air performance of Macbeth starring Charlton Heston, arrangements were made for a dummy to be thrown into the ocean for Lady Macbeth’s death. Unfortunately, during one performance the wind was blowing so heavily that when the dummy was thrown from a wall the wind blew the dummy back again — right at the feet of the actor who reported, “The queen is dead, my lord.”
• In a Victorian melodrama, Donald Wolfit played a cruel father who is stabbed to death by his own son in the last act. One day, the actor playing his son forgot the dagger. Not knowing what else to do, he kicked Mr. Wolfit in the seat of his pants. Seeking to save the play, Mr. Wolfit told the audience before his character died, “That boot! That boot! ’Twas poisoned!”
• While Ralph Richardson was in military service during World War II, he sometimes had to handle very heavy books. The books contained secret information and were covered in lead so they could be sunk into the sea if need be — unfortunately, the books were located at Eastleigh, which is not on the ocean.
Money
• Professional baseball player “Shoeless Joe” Jackson was nearly illiterate and seldom signed his name — his wife, Katie, had the task of signing his name to baseballs to meet the requests of fans. However, one paper he is known to have signed is his will. In the will, his and his wife’s estate was given to the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. These charities would love to have the will so they can auction it off — it could bring in $100,000 — but the will has been ruled the property of the Probate Court.
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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
Music: "Swing Cat Stomp"
Album: SWING CAT STOMP
Artist: Swing Cats
Artist Location: Texas
Record Company: Cleopatra Records
Record Company Location: Los Angeles, California
Info:
“In the wake of Brian Setzer’s success as a retro-swing act, his former Stray Cats partners Lee Rocker (bass) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums) formed their own swing/rockabilly/jump blues combo, the Swing Cats, with another rockabilly revivalist veteran, ex-Polecats guitarist Danny B. Harvey. The Swing Cats released their eponymous debut early in 1999.”
“A very special treat for all the hep cats and groovy gals — a totally revamped reissue of the ultra-cool 1999 album from rockabilly supergroup, Swing Cats!”
Price: $1 (USD) for track; $10 (USD) for 14-track album
Genre: Rockabilly
Links:
SWING CAT STOMP
Swing Cats on Bandcamp
Danny B. Harvey on YouTube
Cleopatra Records on YouTube
Other Links:
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Current Events
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, but brisk and soggy.
Weekend Box Office
“Spider-Man: No Way Home,”
Hollywood closed out 2021 with more fireworks at the box office for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which topped all films for the third straight week and already charts among the highest grossing films ever. But even with all the champagne popping for “No Way Home,” the film industry heads into 2022 with plenty of reason for both optimism and concern after a year that saw overall ticket revenue double that of 2020, but still well off the pre-pandemic pace.
Second place over the weekend went to Universal Picture’s animated sequel “Sing 2.” It took in $19.6 million in its second weekend to bring its two-week total to $89.7 million. That’s a steady result given that family movies and films skewing toward older moviegoers have been the slowest to bounce back during the pandemic. “Sing 2” added another $54.9 million internationally. It’s trajectory should make it the top animated release of the pandemic.
“The King’s Man,” the third installment in Matthew Vaughn’s “Kingsman” series, grossed a modest $4.5 million in its second week after a lackluster debut. But that was still good enough for third place. The Disney release, produced by 20th Century Studios, has made $47.8 million globally.
Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” sold $2.1 million in tickets in its fourth weekend. While holding well (the film dropped 26% from the week prior), the once-envisioned holiday upswing for the acclaimed musical hasn’t materialized. “West Side Story” has grossed a disappointing $29.6 million domestically.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” $52.7 million.
2. “Sing 2,” $19.6 million.
3. “The King’s Man,” $4.5 million.
4. “American Underdog,” $4.1 million.
5. “The Matrix Revolutions,” $3.8 million.
6. “West Side Story,” $2.1 million.
7. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” $1.4 million.
8. “Licorice Pizza,” $1.2 million.
9. “A Journal for Jordan,” $1.2 million.
10. “Encanto,” $1.1 million.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”
Strut In Philly
Mummers
Philadelphia’s Mummers strutted down the city’s Broad Street on Sunday following a one-day weather-related delay and a year after COVID-19 restrictions prompted the cancellation of the famous and sometimes inflammatory event.
Costumed revelers strutted and danced down Philadelphia’s still-wet main Market and Broad streets to the tunes of string bands or pop songs in unusually mild temperatures and under grey skies that threatened to make the umbrellas carried by many participants of more than ceremonial use.
Last year’s pandemic-related cancellation was only the second in the more than 119-year history of the event as all large parades and events were prohibited for most of 2020. Some Mummers held a protest gathering in their South Philly stomping grounds last year in protest of the decision.
The Mummers Parade, believed to be the nation’s oldest folk festival, stems from a mixture of immigrant traditions, some dating back of the 1640s, dubbed “mummer,” likely from the German word for “mask.”
It mixes the immigrant traditions of the Scandinavians who welcomed the new year with gunfire, the English and Welsh who entertained with masquerade plays, and the Germans credited with introducing Santa Claus to their new surroundings. Black residents arriving after the Civil War added the signature strut along with “Oh! Dem Golden Slippers,” the parade’s theme song. The parade became an official city-sponsored event in 1901.
Mummers
UK Honors List
QE II
Scientists and medical chiefs who have led Britain’s response to the pandemic were awarded knighthoods Friday in the country’s annual New Year Honors List, which recognized the achievements of hundreds of people from James Bond star Daniel Craig to teenage tennis star Emma Raducanu.
In another year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, officials said almost one in five of the honors were for coronavirus-related service. Chris Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s chief and deputy medical officers, were awarded knighthoods. Jenny Harries, head of the U.K. Health Security Agency, and June Raine, chief executive of Britain’s medicines regulatory body, were made dames.
Craig, who made his final outing as 007 in the blockbuster “No Time to Die,” was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George -- the same honor given to the fictional Bond -- for his services to film and theater.
Elsewhere in entertainment, veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave is to be made a dame, while former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, known as Mel B, was recognized for her work with domestic violence charity Women’s Aid.
In sport, 19-year-old U.S. Open champion Raducanu becomes an MBE, or a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
QE II
School Drops Song
‘Jingle Bells’
An upstate New York school district is defending its decision to drop the holiday classic “Jingle Bells” over the song’s history.
Brighton Central School District Superintendent Kevin McGowan wrote in a message on the Rochester-area district’s website that it was appropriate to discontinue using the song at the Council Rock Primary School considering research has shown it may initially been performed by white actors in blackface in the 19th century.
McGowan said removing the song wasn’t an example of cancel culture or meant to push any agenda, but instead was a “simple, thoughtful curricular decision,” the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported. The school’s students are in kindergarten through second grade.
“It may seem silly to some, but the fact that ‘Jingle Bells’ was first performed in minstrel shows where white actors performed in blackface does actually matter when it comes to questions of what we use as material in school,” McGowan wrote. “I’m glad that our staff paused when learning of this, reflected, and decided to use different material to accomplish the same objective in class.”
‘Jingle Bells’
Committee Prepares To Go Public
Jan. 6
They’ve interviewed more than 300 witnesses, collected tens of thousands of documents and traveled around the country to talk to election officials who were pressured by Donald Trump (R-Lock Him Up).
Now, after six months of intense work, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection failed coup is preparing to go public.
In the coming months, members of the panel will start to reveal their findings against the backdrop of the former president and his allies’ persistent efforts to whitewash the riots and reject suggestions that he helped instigate them. The committee also faces the burden of trying to persuade the American public that their conclusions are fact-based and credible.
But the nine lawmakers — seven Democrats and two Republicans — are united in their commitment to tell the full story of Jan. 6, and they are planning televised hearings and reports that will bring their findings out into the open.
Their goal is not only to show the severity of the riot, but also to make a clear connection between the attack and Trump’s brazen pressure on the states and Congress to overturn Joe Biden’s legitimate election as president.
Jan. 6
Fundamental Part of Nature
Math
Nature is an unstoppable force, and a beautiful one at that. Everywhere you look, the natural world is laced with stunning patterns that can be described with mathematics. From bees to blood vessels, ferns to fangs, math can explain how such beauty emerges.
Math is often described this way, as a language or a tool that humans created to describe the world around them, with precision.
But there's another school of thought which suggests math is actually what the world is made of; that nature follows the same simple rules, time and time again, because mathematics underpins the fundamental laws of the physical world.
This would mean math existed in nature long before humans invented it, according to philosopher Sam Baron of the Australian Catholic University.
Instead, if we think of math as an essential component of nature that gives structure to the physical world, as Baron and others suggest, it might prompt us to reconsider our place in it rather than reveling in our own creativity.
Math
Lower Depression Risk
Mushrooms
A large-scale analysis of people who eat mushrooms suggests they have a lower risk of developing depression.
The association is still a mystery, and for now, the authors say the data should be interpreted with caution. There's always a chance the results are a mere correlation, especially since eating more mushrooms didn't seem to lower the odds of depression any further.
That said, this is one of the first large observational studies on general mushroom consumption and depression. It includes the diet and mental health data of more than 24,000 adults across the United States from 2005 to 2016.
The findings don't differentiate between various types of mushrooms, but they are consistent with several small clinical trials on lion's mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus), which found eating certain types of fungi can help reduce depression and anxiety.
White button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are the most commonly eaten fungi in the US and are full of potassium, which is thought to help lower anxiety. Other edible mushrooms like lion's mane are known to contain neurotrophic factors linked to brain health, as well as anti-inflammatory agents, which are thought to help alleviate symptoms of depression.
Mushrooms
Successfully Reintroduced
“Tequila Splitfin”
There once was a small fish called “tequila splitfin” or “zoogoneticus tequila” that swam in a river in western Mexico, but disappeared in the 1990s. Scientists and residents, however, have achieved the return of a species extinct in nature — but conserved in captivity — to its native habitat.
Its success is now intertwined with the community’s identity and being touted internationally.
It began more than two decades ago in Teuchitlán, a town near the Tequila volcano. A half-dozen students, among them Omar Domínguez, began to worry about the little fish that fit in the palm of a hand and had only ever been seen in the Teuchitlán river. It had vanished from local waters, apparently due to pollution, human activities and the introduction of non-native species.
Domínguez, now a 47-year-old researcher at the University of Michoacán, says that then only the elderly remembered the fish called “gallito” or “little rooster” because of its orange tail.
In 1998, conservationists from the Chester Zoo in England and other European institutions arrived to help set up a laboratory for conserving Mexican fish. They brought several pairs of tequila splitfin fish from the aquariums of collectors, Domínguez said.
“Tequila Splitfin”
Caused 107 House Fires
Cats
Fire department officials have told pet owners in South Korea to watch out after more than 100 house fires were started by cats over the past three years, according to CNN.
A total of 107 house fires were caused by cats between January 2019 and November 2021, said a statement released by the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Department on Thursday.
Four people were injured in the fires, the statement said. And most of the incidents took place while the pet owners were out, it continued.
The department said that many cats started the fires by accidentally turning on electric stoves and jumping on touch-sensitive buttons.
Pets are also setting properties alight in the US. According to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, they are responsible for over 1,000 house fires each year.
Cats
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