from Bruce
Anecdotes
Wit
• The ancient Greeks and Roman were frequently witty: 1) Phocion was against war. When the politician Hyperides asked when he would advocate war, Phocion replied, “When I see our young men volunteering for military service, our millionaires contributing to the war effort, and our politicians keeping their hands off the public money.” 2) Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, fought two battles against the Romans. He won both battles, but lost very many senior officers, causing him to say, “One more victory against the Romans and we’re beaten.” (This is where we get the term “Pyrrhic victory.”) 3) An ambassador spoke for a long time before an assembly of Spartans, then asked what message he should report back to his people. The Spartans replied, “Tell them that we found it as hard to listen as you did to stop speaking.” 4) The Roman emperor Claudius died after eating poisoned mushrooms. Afterward, he was deified. His successor, Nero, thereafter referred to mushrooms as “the food of the gods.”
• Movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn knew exactly what he wanted in a movie: “What we want is a movie that starts with an earthquake and works its way up to a climax.” He also knew what he wanted for the audience of one of his movies: “I don’t care if it doesn’t make a nickel. I just want every man, woman, and child in America to see it.” Another good man who could provide memorable quotations was W. C. Fields, who said, “Somebody left the cork out of my lunch” and “I must have a drink of breakfast.” By the way, Alistair Cooke could also be witty. He once called Greta Garbo “every man’s fantasy mistress. She gave you the impression that, if your imagination had to sin, it could at least congratulate itself on its impeccable taste.”
• Wilson Mizner once was manager of the Strand Hotel, where he allowed many homeless people to sleep. Things became so hectic that Mr. Mizner once posted these signs: NO OPIUM SMOKING IN THE ELEVATORS and CARRY OUT YOUR OWN DEAD. By the way, Mr. Mizner originated the phrase “Never give a sucker an even break.” (In real life, he was an easy touch for anyone who needed a handout.) Mr. Mizner also once said, “I never worry about money unless a rich man comes anywhere near me. Then I can’t sleep until I find a way to get in on the take.”
• Franklin Pierce Adams wrote a long-running column that frequently used contributions by other humorists. At the end of each year, Mr. Adams gave a gold watch to the person who had contributed the most items to his column. Other than that, there was no remuneration. Once, Mr. Adams was asked why he didn’t give the gold watch to the contributor of the best item. Mr. Adams thought a moment, then said, “There is no such thing as the ‘best’ contribution. The fact that any contribution is accepted by me means that it is peerless.”
• John Gielgud opened as King Lear at the Old Vic the day before he read at the funeral service of Mrs. Patrick Campbell. As he was leaving the church, he overheard two people talking about his performance as King Lear. One person said, “It was an exciting occasion at the Old Vic last night,” and the other person answered, “Yes—until the curtain went up.” Mr. Gielgud remembers thinking that Mrs. Campbell would have relished the remark.
Work
• In most productions of Swan Lake, Odette commits suicide in the final act by jumping into a lake and drowning herself. At a 1981 rehearsal of the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, ballerina Galina Samsova went up to the place where her character was to jump to her death, but being unwilling to die in real life, she cautiously climbed down the platform. As a result, the choreographer, Peter Wright, made sure that in the future there would be two catchers to make sure that Ms. Samsova’s stage jump would not be dangerous. By the way, makeup appears in the strangest places. To prepare their costumes for Swan Lake, the swans of Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet put the makeup called wet-white—the same makeup they apply to their faces and arms—to their pointe shoes to take the shine off.
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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: “Cambiando” (Single Version)
Single: This is a one-sided single.
Artist: Pizzeria Moloch
Artist Location: Bilbao, Spain
Info: Cambiando means “Changing”
“Spanish post punk band from Cantabria and Euskalherria”
They also have an album titled ÚLTIMO TREN PARA COBARDES Y CONDENADOS [LAST TRAIN FOR COWARDS AND DAMNED]
Price: €1 (EURO) for track
Genre: Goth Rock.
Links:
“Cambiando” (Single Version)
Pizzeria Moloch on Bandcamp
Mortaja Records on Bandcamp
Other Links:
Bruce’s Music Recommendations: FREE pdfs
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog #1
David Bruce's Blog #2
davidbrucebooks: EDUCATE YOURSELF - Free PDFs
David Bruce's Blog #3
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
New Venture
Michael Egan
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
Something Hopeful for a Change
Young rugby player gives upset teammate uplifting pep talk | USA TODAY
A little boy on a rugby team in the United Kingdom saw his teammate upset and crying, so he offered him encouragement to get him back into the game.
Other Links:
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog #1
David Bruce's Blog #2
David Bruce's Blog #3
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David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
Help IBP raise $10,000 to ship 30,000+ books to Ukrainian students displaced to Poland
There are many good organizations that tug at our hearts and purse strings. I first became aware of the International Book Project through a dear friend, now deceased, who served with me on the Board of Malice Domestic. Ruth was possibly the most genteel, kind person I've ever known. She and her husband were in Bora Bora on 9/11. I was her information line until they were able to return to the US.
Anyway! The International Book Project is raising money to send books to Poland for the Ukrainian refugees. Please consider a donation. i decided to make one in memory of my mother.
that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Thick marine layer rolled in overnight.
Lifetime Achievement Award
LeVar Burton
"Star Trek" star and "Reading Rainbow" host LeVar Burton will be honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at the new Children's & Family Emmy Awards by receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Burton took to Twitter to react to the news announced Tuesday.
CBS News reported that this marks the first time the Emmys have been expanded since 1979.
Burton hosted the show for 23 years, with the show garnering 12 Daytime Emmys and winning a Peabody Award.
The awards show is slated to happen on Dec. 11 in Los Angeles, NPR reported.
LeVar Burton
Changed Her Mind
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is currently on the ballot for potential inclusion in this year's class of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, despite a statement she made last month requesting that her nomination be withdrawn. Now, she's changed her mind.
Previously, in her bid to remove herself from the running, Parton explained that she didn't feel she'd earned the right to be considered, despite being "extremely flattered and grateful."
But the Hall soon countered to say that Parton would stay on the ballot, despite her wishes.
In a new interview with NPR's Morning Edition, Parton now says that she misunderstood the scope of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, underscoring that she didn't want to take votes away from any other nominees who are more firmly rooted in the rock genre.
In the light of the Hall's response, though, Parton says she'll "accept gracefully" if inducted. "I would just say thanks and I'll accept it because the fans vote," she added.
Dolly Parton
UW-Milwaukee
Willem Dafoe
Actor Willem Dafoe is set to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee next month.
University officials announced Friday that Dafoe will receive the doctorate of arts on May 22. He’s slated to speak at the school’s two graduation ceremonies that day. He’ll receive the degree during the second ceremony of the day.
Dafoe attended UW-Milwaukee in 1973 and 1974 before leaving to become part of Theatre X, an independent experimental theater company. He appeared on stage at UW-Milwaukee in “Phaedra” and “A Moon for the Misbegotten.”
Dafoe said in a statement issued by UW-Milwaukee that his time at the university was “a very formative and positive experience.”
Willem Dafoe
Final Talk Show Episode
Ellen DeGeneres
“The Ellen Show” has officially wrapped its final episode.
Ellen DeGeneres announced on a Twitter thread last night that the highly popular daytime talk show concluded filming its final episode. The host also offered up some personal reflections about the show and how it has evolved since its beginning.
The talk show, now on Season 19, first aired at NBC Studios on Sept. 8, 2003, before it moved to the Warner Bros. Studios lot in 2008. Over the course of the show’s run, it has won 12 Daytime Emmys for best talk show, more than any other talk show in history. In May 2021, DeGeneres announced the show would wrap the next year after more than 3,000 episodes following toxic workplace allegations.
The show has been facing ratings declines in recent years, and the host has also taken hits to her reputation after allegations surfaced about inappropriate behavior and bullying on set. In July of 2020, a BuzzFeed News investigation surfaced allegations of racist behavior and intimidation on the show. WarnerMedia then conducted an internal investigation, resulting in the removal of three senior producers due to allegations of racial insensitivity, sexual misconduct and other problems in the work environment.
Ellen DeGeneres
Stopped Trying
Manhattan DA
The Manhattan district attorney's office's criminal investigation into (the) former President Donald Trump is winding down and Trump is unlikely to be charged, The New York Times reported.
Sources told the paper that several new developments suggest "that the former president will not be indicted in Manhattan in the foreseeable future — if at all."
At least three witnesses who were "once central" to the investigation have not heard from the DA's office or have not been called on to testify, The Times said. Other sources also noted that one prosecutor who played a key role in the investigation has since stopped focusing on Trump. And other prosecutors who are still working on the case are no longer using the "war room" they had built to prepare for their grand jury presentation in earlier months.
It's an anticlimactic development for the DA's investigation, which previously brought more than a dozen felony charges against the Trump Organization and its longtime chief bookkeeper Allen Weisselberg, including conspiracy, grand larceny, tax fraud, and falsifying business records.
The grand jury empaneled for the probe also expires at the end of the month.
Manhattan DA
Came to Blows
Almost
The House Freedom Caucus — the far-right group of conspiracy theorists with members like Reps. Jim Jordan, Paul Gosar, and Madison Cawthorn — have long been warring with the rest of the Republican Party, which they feel isn’t sufficiently dedicated to former President Trump and his vision for a MAGA-fied America.
The caucus has apparently been warring with itself, too, according to a new report from Politico.
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert reportedly almost came to blows over Greene’s appearance at a white nationalist event in February, to the point that someone had to step in between them to de-escalate the confrontation. Three people close to the Freedom Caucus confirmed the spat to Politico, which took place during a meeting of the caucus’ board of directors.
Greene and Boebert, two of the most virulent conspiracy theorists in Congress, seem like they’d be the best of friends. They trade in the same kinds of bigotry; whine over the same culture war issues animating Trump’s base, and even heckled President Biden together during the State of the Union address last month.
This doesn’t seem to be the case. Politico notes that Boebert “detests” being tied to Greene, and that she was none too pleased with Greene’s decision to give a speech at a white nationalist conference organized by Nick Fuentes during which speakers pushed the “great replacement” theory, called for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be hanged, called for the audience to cheer Vladimir Putin, and gave winking nods to Hitler. Greene’s presence was controversial enough that she attempted to distance herself from Fuentes, claiming she doesn’t know him and thus she “is not aligned with anything that may be controversial.”
Almost
Bankruptcy Offenses
Boris Becker
Tennis great Boris Becker was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Friday for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt.
The three-time Wimbledon champion was convicted earlier this month on four charges under the Insolvency Act and had faced a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Judge Deborah Taylor announced the sentence after hearing arguments from both the prosecutor and Becker’s attorney. She told the former top-ranked player that he’s shown no remorse.
Becker will have to serve at least 15 months before being eligible for release.
Boris Becker
19 Cannons
Savannah River
A warehouse along the Savannah River is holding historical treasures that evidence suggests remained lost for more than 240 years — a cache of 19 cannons that researchers suspect came from British ships scuttled to the river bottom during the American Revolution.
The mud- and rust-encrusted guns were discovered by accident. A dredge scooping sediment from the riverbed last year as part of a $973 million deepening of Savannah's busy shipping channel surfaced with one the cannons clasped in its metal jaws. The crew soon dug up two more.
Archaeologists guessed they were possibly leftover relics from a sunken Confederate gunship excavated a few years earlier in the same area, said Andrea Farmer, an archaeologist for the Army Corps of Engineers. But experts for the U.S. Navy found they didn't match any known cannons used in the Civil War. Further research indicates they're likely almost a century older and sank during the buildup to the Revolutionary War's bloody siege of Savannah in 1779.
Now officials with the U.S. and British governments, as well as the state of Georgia, are working together on an agreement to preserve the newly found guns before putting them on display. Commodore Philip Nash of the British Royal Navy, a military attache based in Washington, viewed the artifacts submerged in metal tubs of water during a visit Thursday.
Savannah River
Jumps Over 100 Feet in the Air
Robot
Since many robots are more durable and expendable than human beings, researchers have experimented with alternate means of getting around that outperform walking around on two legs, including a new bot that can jump to staggering heights and distances from a standing start.
Most robotics research goes into creating automatons that can take over monotonous or dangerous jobs from humans. It’s why robot arms have been used in factories for decades, and why Boston Dynamics’ robotic Spot dog has taken over the night shift at Pompeii, protecting the remains of the city from thieves. But robots can also be engineered to outperform humans in many tasks through various mechanisms like gears, ratchets, and pulleys that can amplify their strength or power—something biological muscles aren’t capable of.
Researchers from the Hawkes Lab at UC Santa Barbara realized that most artificial jumping robots were based on designs from nature where animals like kangaroos, frogs, and grasshoppers have specialized anatomies that exhibit incredible jumping abilities. At the same time, the power these animals can put into a single leap is limited by how much energy can be exerted from a single muscle movement. Unlike superheroes, biological creatures can’t dramatically crouch down, build up energy, and then blast off into the sky. But robots can.
Although it’s tragically lacking a cool name, the UC Santa Barbara researchers have developed a simple robot that uses a mechanical advantage known as “work multiplication.” A tiny motor is paired with much larger springs made of carbon fiber strips that act like an archer’s bow. As the motor slowly reels in a strong filament, the bows are compressed and squished while at the same time a series of rubber bands wrapped around the bows are stretched, adding even more power while also increasing the strength of the carbon fiber so that it doesn’t break.
Robot
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