from Bruce
Anecdotes
Umpires
• Les Moss, a good man at repairing baseball gloves, once was given the glove of an opposing player, catcher Clint Courtney, to mend. He did so, but he also sewed some pieces of Limburger cheese into the glove. As the game wore on that day, the catcher’s mitt began to stink. Umpire Ed Hurley noticed the stink, and he asked Mr. Courtney, “Don’t you feel well?” Mr. Courtney said he felt fine, but the stink grew worse as the game continued, and eventually Umpire Hurley threw Mr. Courtney out of the game with a strict order to see a trainer about his “problem".
• In the minor leagues, an umpire named Patrick Shaner grew tired of criticism from the fans, so during a game he walked away from the plate, went up to the stands, and took a seat. After the next pitch was thrown, he turned toward an abusive fan and asked, “What do you think it was — a ball or a strike?” The fan replied, “I can’t tell — we’re too far away.” Umpire Shaner said, “You’re right. Now I’ll go back to my regular place of business.” The fan remained quiet for the rest of the game.
• In 1946, during a Red Sox game, umpire Red Jones began hearing insults coming from the Boston dugout. He threw two Red Sox players out of the game, but the same voice kept hurling insults at him, so he threw out five more Red Sox players. Still, the same voice hurled insults at him. Eventually, Mr. Jones threw everyone in the dugout out of the game — but the same voice kept insulting him. Later, he found out that a ventriloquist had been sitting behind the Red Sox dugout.
• Baseball manager Ralph Houk enjoyed arguing with umpires. He once challenged rookie umpire Art Frantz in Mr. Frantz’ very first game as a major league umpire. He told Mr. Frantz, “No bush-league SOB is going to throw me out of the game,” and Mr. Frantz told him, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ralph.”
• After Babe Ruth had stuck out, he started arguing with umpire Babe Tinelli, saying, “There’s 40,000 people here who know that last one was a ball, tomato head.” Mr. Tinelli replied, “Maybe so, but mine is the only opinion that counts.”
War
• This is an example of underground political humor from the time when Lithuania suffered from Russian rule: A Lithuanian farmer once found an ancient lamp in a field. Because it was dirty, he rubbed it — and a genie appeared and granted him three wishes. The Lithuanian thought a moment about his wishes, then said, “My first wish is for China to invade Lithuania. My second wish is for China to invade Lithuania. My third wish is for China to invade Lithuania.” The genie asked why the Lithuanian wanted China to invade Lithuania three times. The Lithuanian replied, “Because the Chinese Army will have to cross Russia six times.”
• While having dinner with President Abraham Lincoln, a man complained about how hard it would be to beat the Confederate soldiers in the Civil War: “You can’t do anything with them Southern fellows. If they get whipped, they’ll retreat to them Southern swamps and bayous along with the fishes and crocodiles. You haven’t got the fish-nets made that’ll catch them.” President Abraham Lincoln listened to the man, and then said, “We’ve got just the nets for traitors, in the bayous or anywhere.” “What kind of nets?” asked the man. President Lincoln replied, “Bayou-nets,” and speared a fishball with his fork.
• Many soldiers in South Vietnam were killed by North Vietnamese snipers. While in Vietnam, Colin Powell suggested to Captain Vo Cong Hieu that his soldiers wear bulletproof vests, but Captain Hieu wasn’t convinced that they would help. But on patrol a soldier wearing a bulletproof vest was hit by a sniper’s bullet that knocked him down. The man stood up, and Mr. Powell removed the flattened bullet from the vest and showed it to the other soldiers. After that vivid demonstration, more soldiers began to wear bulletproof vests.
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***
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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: "Spare Some Love"
Album: OUT OF MY MIND
Artist: Cassie Taylor
Artist Location: Kansas City Missouri
Record Company: Yellow Dog Records
Record Company Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Info:
“At age 26, Cassie Taylor is already a veteran musician. She's spent a decade playing bass and singing on stage and in the studio with her father, modern-day blues innovator Otis Taylor. Now she stakes her own claim as an artist of intelligence, power and soul, drawing on a wide swath of influences — spanning centuries, continents and cultures — to create her own indelible and utterly modern sound.
“With influences ranging from a New Orleans second line to West African psychedelic rock, the album's 12 original songs — all written and arranged by Taylor — are the work of a truly 21st century musical omnivore. From the record's lead track, ‘Ol' Mama Dean (Part 1),’ which opens with drums and theremin, to the wistful piano closer "Again," Taylor proves to be a gifted, independent-minded songwriter with a flair for the unexpected and a voice that will haunt your dreams.”
“Dedicated to my man, who sold his car to make the album.” — Cassie
Released May 7, 2013
“Yellow Dog Records carries the living lore of authentic American music into the present. Featuring new interpretations of Blues, Jazz, Soul, and Americana styles by established and emerging artists, Yellow Dog Records is where innovation confronts tradition. What’s left after the collision? Inspired explorations of America's musical roots.”
Price: $1 (USD) for track; $9 (USD) for 12-track album
Genre: Blues
Links:
OUT OF MY MIND
Cassie Taylor on Bandcamp
Cassie Taylor on YouTube
Yellow Dog Records
Other Links:
Bruce’s Music Recommendations: FREE pdfs
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Stephen Suggests
Two½fer
C'mon Ohio. You can do better than this.
New Venture
Michael Egan
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
Looked like rain and, oddly, it rained.
NBC Primetime Special
Betty White
NBC will pay tribute to Betty White in an hourlong primetime special commemorating the life and legacy of the trailblazing television star.
Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl will air Monday, January 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and will be available to stream on Peacock the following day.
Friends and stars will pay tribute to one of the world’s most beloved entertainers in the special. “The hour will include clips that best capture White’s irreverent tone, spirit and impeccable comedic timing that are a hallmark of her decades-long career,” according to NBC.
White, who had hundreds of TV credits, was a multiple Emmy, Grammy and SAG Award winner as well as being a tireless advocate for animals.
Betty White
Final Valuation Of Estate
Prince
The six-year legal battle over pop superstar Prince’s estate has ended, meaning the process of distributing the artist’s wealth could begin next month.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Internal Revenue Service and the estate’s administrator, Comerica Bank & Trust, agreed to value Prince’s estate $156.4 million, a figure that the artist’s heirs have also accepted.
The valuation dwarfs Comerica’s earlier $82.3 million appraisal. The Internal Revenue Service in 2020 had valued the estate at $163.2 million.
In the end, the estate will be almost evenly divided between a well-funded New York music company — Primary Wave — and the three oldest of the music icon’s six heirs or their families.
Just over $5 million of Prince’s estate will be exempted from taxes under federal law, but thereafter the tax rate is 40%. In Minnesota, the first $3 million is tax-exempt; after that, much of Prince’s estate will likely be taxed at 16%.
Prince
U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad
Star Jones
President Joe Biden has selected lawyer and television personality Star Jones Lugo to lead a U.S. government agency that identifies and protects sites of historic significance to the U.S. in Eastern Europe.
The White House announced Friday that Jones will be the chair of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, which is tasked with safeguarding sites associated with groups impacted by Nazism, communism and the Cold War.
Jones is a one-time prosecutor and former cohost of ABC’s “The View,” and will become a judge on the television show “Divorce Court” this fall.
Biden, who picks seven members to the agency’s unpaid 21-person board, also selected Bill Shaheen, the husband of New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, to the commission.
Star Jones
Suspends Propagandist
YouTube
Fox News Rupert's House Of Right-Wing Propaganda's host and right-wing commentator Dan Bongino won't be able to upload anything to his YouTube channel for a week, according to Forbes and The Hill. The website has temporarily suspended his account over COVID-19 misinformation, specifically for saying masks are useless in preventing the coronavirus' spread. YouTube updated its rules in 2020 to prohibit "content about COVID-19 that poses a serious risk of egregious harm." It doesn't permit videos with medical misinformation that contradicts local health authorities, such as the World Health Organization.
The organization considers wearing masks "a key measure to reduce transmission and save lives." That's why YouTube explicitly states that videos containing claims that wearing masks have negative side effects and that they don't play a role in preventing the contraction or transmission of COVID-19 go against its policy. The website has suspended several creators for COVID-19 disinformation in the past, including Rupert's Sky News Australia, One American News Network and Senator Rand Paul (R-Insufferable).
Bongino is only getting a week-long suspension, because it's his first strike under the policy. If he gets another strike within 90 days, he'll get another two-week suspension. His channel will only be removed if he gets a third strike within three months. In addition to suspending his uploads, YouTube has also demonetized his channel for "repeatedly violating [its] Advertiser-Friendly Guidelines on harmful and dangerous acts." He will, however, be able to re-apply for the Partner Program after 30 days.
That said, it looks like Bongino has plans to keep on breaking YouTube's COVID-19 rules. The Bongino Report website's Twitter account posted a copy of his email to YouTube, which tells the customer service rep that he will "immediately post content on why masks have been totally ineffective in stopping this pandemic" after his suspension is over. He dared YouTube to do something about it. Bongino also called the website (and, by extension, Google) a "tyrannical, free speech-hating, bullshit, big tech shithole."
YouTube
Top Donors
'Sedition Caucus'
Top US companies and trade groups have donated more than $8.1 million to Republican lawmakers who voted against Joe Biden's certification as president, according to a report by watchdog Accountable.US.
After a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, many companies scrambled to cut ties with the 147 GOP lawmakers who voted against certifying the 2020 election result.
Dozens of companies including Walmart, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, and AT&T said they would stop donating to these 147 Republican lawmakers – a group dubbed the Sedition Caucus by political opponents. Others including Microsoft, Deloitte, and Goldman Sachs said they would pause all political donations.
Other companies whose PACs have made substantial donations to the GOP election objectors include Chevron, Eli Lilly, FedEx, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Pfizer.
Of all the 147 GOP election objectors, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is the top recipient of corporate funding since January 6, 2021, receiving $333,500 from the Fortune 500 companies and trade associations listed on Accountable.US's tracker.
'Sedition Caucus'
Are They Overvalued?
Music Catalogs
In the 2006 book "Northern Songs: The True Story of the Beatles Song Publishing Empire," journalist Brian Southall captured a music industry mantra: "For songwriters and publishers alike, the most important five words are always the same — 'never give up a copyright.'"
For generations of popular musicians who stuck to that philosophy, the strategy is paying off handsomely. Song catalogs from the Baby Boomer era and after are fetching enormous sums from publishers, private equity firms and others looking to capitalize on the music business' recovery.
Bruce Springsteen in December reached a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to sell his master recordings and songs for $500 million. Warner Chappell Music early this month bought David Bowie’s songwriting catalog for $250 million. A variety of rights and assets from artists including ZZ Top, Tina Turner and Paul Simon all sold last year.
The idea of music catalogs as top-dollar investments is not new. Michael Jackson paid $47.5 million in 1985 for ATV Music, home to Beatles classics including "Help" and "Yesterday," and later merged it with Sony Music Publishing. Sony Corp. in 2016 paid $750 million for the Jackson estate's share of Sony/ATV.
Music Catalogs
Queen Margrethe
Denmark
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe marked her 50 years on the throne of Europe’s oldest ruling monarchy Friday, with some of the planned festivities postponed for September due to the pandemic.
The outbreak, which also stopped public celebrations for the popular monarch’s 80th birthday in 2020, forced several guests to stay away from the two-day celebrations. They included Margrethe’s younger sister, former Queen Anne-Marie of Greece whose husband has tested positive for COVID-19. The Greek monarchy was abolished in the 1970s.
Flanked by her other sister, Princess Benedikte, her two sons — including Crown Prince Frederik, the heir to the throne — and their spouses, Margrethe laid a wreath at the grave of her parents at the Roskilde cathedral, west of Copenhagen, where Danish royals have been buried since 1559.
While Friday’s part of the celebrations was maintained, jubilee events scheduled for Saturday have been postponed, including Margrethe being cheered by thousands from the balcony of the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, a ride through the capital in a horse-drawn carriage, a gala performance at the Royal Theater and a festive banquet.
On Jan. 14, 1972, her father, King Frederik IX, died after a short illness. The following day, a red-eyed Margrethe, aged 31, stood on the balcony of the downtown Christiansborg Castle and was formally proclaimed queen before a crowd of thousands.
Denmark
38,000 Tears Earlier Than Thought
Modern Humans
Modern humans emerged in eastern Africa at least 38,000 years earlier than scientists previously thought. That conclusion was drawn from traces of a colossal volcanic eruption used to date the earliest undisputed Homo sapiens fossils.
The remains, dubbed Omo I, were discovered at the Omo Kibish site near Ethiopia's Omo river in the 1960s. Previous estimates dated the human fossils to around 195,000 years old. Now, new research published Jan. 12 in the journal Nature, tells a different story — the remains are older than a colossal volcanic eruption that rocked the region roughly 233,000 years ago.
The new estimate places the fossils even more firmly among the oldest Homo sapiens remains ever discovered in Africa, second only to 300,000-year-old specimens found at the Jebel Irhoud site in Morocco in 2017. However, the Jebel Irhoud skulls vary enough in their physical characteristics from those of modern humans for some scientists to contest their classification as Homo sapiens. This means that the new discovery marks the oldest uncontested dating of modern humans in Africa.
The remains were found in the East African Rift valley, an active continental rift zone where the African tectonic plate is in the process of splitting into two smaller plates, the Somali Plate and the Nubian Plate. Despite discovering the fossils more than 50 years ago, scientists have found it difficult to give the Omo I remains a conclusive age. The fossils lacked nearby stone artifacts or fauna that could be dated, and the ash they were buried under was too fine-grained for radiometry — a method that quantifies the amounts of certain radioactive isotopes (versions of an element with a different number of neutrons in the nucleus) with known decay rates.
Modern Humans
Sixth Mass Extinction
Earth
The five previous mass extinction events in our planet’s history have all been caused by dramatic natural phenomena, yet the authors of a new study claim that a sixth great die-off is now in progress and that this time, humans are to blame. Writing in the journal Biological Reviews, the researchers estimate that up to 13 percent of all invertebrate species may have become extinct in the last 500 years, and warn that the onus is now on us to take action in order to avoid a catastrophic decline in biodiversity.
According to the authors, the true extent of the current predicament is somewhat masked by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, which gives the impression that the present rate of species loss remains in line with the background rate. “However, the Red List is heavily biased,” write the researchers. “Almost all birds and mammals but only a minute fraction of invertebrates have been evaluated against conservation criteria.”
To prove their point, the study authors reference a 2015 study on molluscs which concluded that around seven percent of land snail species have become extinct since 1500. Assuming that this figure represents extinction rates for all non-marine invertebrates and that such species outnumber marine invertebrates by about three to one, the researchers calculate that between 7.5 and 13 percent of the two million known mollusc species have now disappeared.
In absolute figures, this equates to between 150,000 and 260,000 extinctions, which is significantly higher than 882 mollusc species listed as extinct by the Red List. Admittedly, this finding is based on a “bold assumption” and has not been definitively verified, yet the researchers nonetheless conclude that a sixth mass extinction event “has surely begun, and is being caused by human activities.”
Earth
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