from Bruce
Anecdotes
Birth
• When Erma Bombeck’s first book, At Wit’s End, was published, she went on tour to publicize it. At one book signing, she spent three hours in a department store with a stack of her books on the desk at which she was sitting, but only two people approached her: A woman wanted directions to the ladies room, and a man asked her the price of the desk. Later, after she had written several best sellers, the lines of people waiting to have her autograph a book became very long. Once, a woman with an infant waited in line to have Ms. Bombeck sign a book. When Ms. Bombeck said that the infant was adorable, the woman replied, “Thank you. It was born in the line.”
• When comedian Henry Morgan was five years old, he was taken to a hospital where his mother was having a baby. He walked into her room, pointed to her stomach, and said, “I can see the baby.” However, his mother smiled and said, “I’ve already had the baby.” In his autobiography, Here’s Morgan!, Mr. Morgan writes, “This gift of saying the right thing at the right time has been with me all my life.”
• Entertainer Art Linkletter’s daughter Sharon was giving birth. Because her physician knew her only by her married name, he was shocked when Mr. Linkletter showed up at the hospital. He told Sharon, “Guess who’s waiting to see you on the other side of those doors — Art Linkletter!” Sharon shocked him further by saying, “Why shouldn’t he be here? He’s my father.”
• The most comedian Eddie Cantor ever laughed was in response to a line by Amanda, his four-year-old granddaughter. Mr. Cantor was in the hospital for minor surgery, and Amanda was allowed to see him as long as she was a good girl. At the end of the visit, Amanda asked, “Wasn’t I a good girl, Grandpa?” Then she added, “So now may I see the baby?”
• While Eve Arden, famous especially for her radio and TV lead character in Our Miss Brooks, was having labor pains for her son (Douglas), she ran into one small problem — nurses in the pre-labor room kept asking her for her autograph.
Birthdays
• Carmine Buete was a 10-year-old boy with AIDS who lived near New York City. He caught AIDS from his mother, who died when he was a year and three months old — he was so young when his mother died that he couldn’t remember her. Still, whenever the wind blew open the door of his home, he would say that it was his mother. On his mother’s birthday, he used to send her a helium-filled balloon by standing on a porch, releasing the balloon, and letting it soar into the sky. After Carmine died on July 13, 1996, his family started sending balloons to him on his birthday.
• Comedian and announcer Henry Morgan is married to an intelligent woman. On one of his birthdays, an old friend of Henry’s called him on the telephone to talk over old times. Throughout the rest of the day at half-hour intervals, more old friends of Henry’s kept calling him. He found out later that his wife, Karen, had spent a week tracking down his old friends and assigning them a time to call.
• Humorist Frank Sullivan enjoyed birthdays very much, but he enjoyed even more making jokes at his friends’ expense. A friend who sent him a congratulatory telegram sometimes received a telegram like this in reply: “Your telegram on my birthday today will suffice until you can find time to send me some more substantial gift. Thanking you in advance, Mr. Sullivan.”
Books
• An 8th-grade student didn’t read a book for her book report, but instead made up a book and completely invented the plot and characters while telling her teacher that she had bought the book at a bookstore and had left it at home and therefore couldn’t remember such things as its publisher and copyright. The student received a good grade on the book report, but the teacher wrote a note on her report, asking where he could buy a copy of the book as a present for his niece. The student was so unnerved by the teacher’s note that she never cheated again.
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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: "Secret Agent in Baghdad"
EP: HERE WE COME AGAIN
Artist: The Dumbheads
Artist Location: Belgorod, Russia (24 miles north of Ukraine)
Info:
The Dumbheads are mostly a punk band, but occasionally they perform instrumental rock and surf music.
The Dumbheads are :
Alex Dumbhead - Vocals & Bass
Alex Boozer - Vocals & Guitar
Mighty - Guitar
Gleb Hleb - Drums
Price: Name Your Price (Includes FREE) for track at
dumbheads.bandcamp.com/track/secret-agent-in-baghdad
For other tracks from the album, go to
dumbheads.bandcamp.com/album/here-we-come-again
and hold your curser over the song title you want. To the right will appear “buy track.” Before the Russia/Ukraine war, you could buy the entire album for one price. Now you will have to download the tracks one by one if you want them.
Genre: Rock Instrumental
Links:
“Secret Agent in Baghdad”
HERE WE COME AGAIN
The Dumbheads on Bandcamp
Alex Dumbhead on YouTube
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
Stephen Suggests
1960
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
Getting toasty again.
Popcorn Time
TV Coverage
Television viewers will find nearly blanket prime-time coverage of a Congressional hearing Thursday on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, with the exception of Fox News Channel.
Fox News will cover the first in a series of House Select Committee public hearings as “news warrants,” it said in a release, otherwise leaving intact its regular lineup including propagandist “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” Fox Business Network, Fox News Digital and other corporate siblings will carry the hearing, with Fox News’ Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum co-anchoring.
CNN’s coverage will begin at 7 p.m. EDT, anchored by Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper, and resume with post-hearing analysis and further reporting anchored by Don Lemon starting at 11 p.m. EDT.
On MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid are in charge of coverage that begins at 7 p.m. EDT and will continue after the hearings with a special edition of “The 11th Hour” with Stephanie Ruhle.
The broadcast networks are giving their nightly news anchors the prime position, with David Muir anchoring for ABC, Lester Holt for NBC and Norah O’Donnell for CBS, each starting at or close to 8 p.m. EDT.
TV Coverage
Still a Fashion Icon
Cher
There is no question that at 76 years of age, Cher has still got it. The singer showed off her latest fashion campaign that has her partnered up with Versace for Pride Month — and it’s everything you would expect from the iconic star.
Wearing black leggings and dark sunglasses, Cher let her t-shirt do all of the talking. The fitted shirt with rainbow lettering says, “CHERSACE” across the front along with a Medusa emblem. She paired the stylish look with a black leather jacket and platform booties — and even a gorgeous ocean view behind her. The Oscar winner captioned the snapshot, “Maybe it’s me, but I think this Versace t-shirt is kinda giving Cher. #LGBTQPride #Chersace #GenderSpectrum.”
Designer Donatella Versace agreed with Cher, writing in the comments, “Yesssss!!! I love you, Cher #CHERSACE is ICONIC on you.” The collaboration was announced in a YouTube video hosted by Jake Bongiovi, who gave the collection a very fitting introduction. “Two icons, both alike in diva-energy, in Pride Month, where we celebrate the scene, from long-held friendship to new love and unity, where Cher and Versace make Chersace,” he said in the clip.
Of course, an iconic shirt also goes for a very elite price of $3,350, but The Versace CHERSACE Pride Diamante T-Shirt is hand-signed by both Cher and Donatella. Some of the proceeds from the sale of the shirt will be donated to Gender Spectrum, which “works to create gender-sensitive and inclusive environments for all children and teens.” We have a feeling the shirts won’t last very long on the shelves because CHERSACE is a pretty epic style statement.
Cher
Rollicking Tribute
Tenacious D
Tenacious D are honoring the Who with a new medley featuring songs from the band’s classic rock opera, Tommy. The song is out digitally now but will also get a special seven-inch vinyl release, with all proceeds from vinyl sales benefitting Everytown for Gun Safety.
Jack Black and Kyle Gass’ take on the 1969 work boasts a mix of Tommy classics and deep cuts, including “Pinball Wizard,” “There’s a Doctor,” and “Go to the Mirror!” The song also arrives with a music video directed by frequent Tenacious D collaborator Liam Lynch, who also directed the band’s 2006 film, The Pick of Destiny.
Since dropping their last studio album, Post-Apocalypto, in 2018, Tenacious D have kept busy with a variety of singles and special one-off tracks. In 2019, they teamed with Jack White for a new song, “Don’t Blow It, Kage,” while the following year, they enlisted the likes of Elizabeth Warren, Susan Sarandon, Sarah Silverman, and more to cover the Rocky Horror classic “Time Warp” to boost get out the vote efforts. And last year — along with celebrating the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut — the D dropped a special Beatles tribute, covering “You Never Give Me Your Money” and “The End.”
Tenacious D
$56M Anonymous Donation
Minnesota Public Radio
Someone out there has handed Minnesota Public Radio a $56 million cash donation.
The Star Tribune reported Wednesday that the anonymous gift is the largest in MPR has ever received in its 55-year history.
The money is slated to go toward YourClassical, MPR’s classical music network. According to MPR, almost 2.75 million people engage with YourClassical weekly.
Minnesota Public Radio
Phasing Out Plastic Water Bottles
National Parks
The Interior Department said Wednesday it will phase out sales of plastic water bottles and other single-use products at national parks and on other public lands over the next decade, targeting a major source of U.S. pollution.
An order issued by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland calls for the department to reduce the purchase, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging on 480 million acres of federally managed lands, with a goal of phasing out the products by 2032. The order directs the department to identify alternatives to single-use plastics, such as compostable or biodegradable materials or 100% recycled materials.
“As the steward of the nation’s public lands, including national parks and national wildlife refuges, and as the agency responsible for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats, the Interior Department is “uniquely positioned to do better for our Earth,” Haaland said in a statement.
The order essentially reverses a 2017 Trump administration policy that prevented national parks from banning plastic water bottle sales. Only a fraction of the more than 400 national parks, but some of the most popular ones like the Grand Canyon, had implemented such a ban.
National Parks
Package Sizes Shrinking
Shrinkflation
From toilet paper to yogurt and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking package sizes without lowering prices. It’s dubbed “shrinkflation,” and it’s accelerating worldwide.
In the U.S., a small box of Kleenex now has 60 tissues; a few months ago, it had 65. Chobani Flips yogurts have shrunk from 5.3 ounces to 4.5 ounces. In the U.K., Nestle slimmed down its Nescafe Azera Americano coffee tins from 100 grams to 90 grams. In India, a bar of Vim dish soap has shrunk from 155 grams to 135 grams.
Shrinkflation isn’t new. But it proliferates in times of high inflation as companies grapple with rising costs for ingredients, packaging, labor and transportation. Global consumer price inflation was up an estimated 7% in May, a pace that will likely continue through September, according to S&P Global.
“It comes in waves. We happen to be in a tidal wave at the moment because of inflation,” said Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and former assistant attorney general in Massachusetts who has documented shrinkflation on his Consumer World website for decades.
Shrinkflation
Flow Patterns
Champagne Cork
The pop of a champagne cork turns out to have something in common with a rocket launcher, according to a recent paper published in the journal Physics of Fluids. Scientists from France and India used computer simulations to reveal in full detail what happens in the microseconds after uncorking a bottle of champagne. They discovered that in the first millisecond after the cork pops, the ejected gas forms different types of shockwaves—even reaching supersonic speeds—before the bubbly settles down and is ready to be imbibed.
"Our paper unravels the unexpected and beautiful flow patterns that are hidden right under our nose each time a bottle of bubbly is uncorked," said co-author Gérard Liger-Belair of the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne. "Who could have imagined the complex and aesthetic phenomena hidden behind such a common situation experienced by any one of us?"
Liger-Belair could imagine it, for one. He has been studying the physics of champagne for years and is the author of Uncorked: The Science of Champagne. He has gleaned numerous insights into the underlying physics by subjecting champagne to laser tomography, infrared imaging, high-speed video imaging, and mathematical modeling, among other methods.
According to Liger-Belair, champagne's effervescence arises from the nucleation of bubbles on the glass walls. Once they detach from their nucleation sites, the bubbles grow as they rise to the liquid surface, bursting and collapsing at the surface. This reaction typically occurs within a couple of milliseconds, and the distinctive crackling sound is emitted when the bubbles rupture. When the bubbles in champagne burst, they produce droplets that release aromatic compounds believed to enhance the flavor further.
Also, the size of the bubbles plays a critical role in a really good glass of champagne. Larger bubbles enhance the release of aerosols into the air above the glass—bubbles approximately 1.7 mm across the surface. And the bubbles in champagne "ring" at specific resonant frequencies, depending on their size. So it's possible to "hear" the size distribution of bubbles as they rise to the surface in a glass of champagne.
Champagne Cork
Magnetic Poles
Earth
Our planet's protective shell isn't quite what it used to be. Over the past two centuries its magnetic strength has taken a nosedive, and nobody has the foggiest idea why.
At the same time, a concerning soft-spot in the field called the South Atlantic Anomaly has blistered over the Atlantic ocean, and has already proven problematic for delicate circuitry on orbital satellites.
Both of these troubling observations fuel concerns that we might be seeing signs of an imminent reconfiguration that would turn the compass points all topsy-turvy in what's known as a magnetic pole reversal.
But researchers behind a new investigation modelling the planet's magnetic field in the recent past warn that we shouldn't be too hasty in assuming that's going to happen.
"Based on similarities with the recreated anomalies, we predict that the South Atlantic Anomaly will probably disappear within the next 300 years, and that Earth is not heading towards a polarity reversal," says geologist Andreas Nilsson from Lund University in Sweden.
Earth
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