from Bruce
Anecdotes
Husbands and Wives
• Robert Dole and his wife, Elizabeth, once made the bed while posing for People magazine. When the photographs were published, a man wrote Senator Dole, complaining that he was making things tough for men all over the country. Senator Dole wrote back, “You don’t know the half of it. The only reason she was helping was because they were taking pictures.”
• Journalist Heywood Broun met and married Ruth Hale, who was also a journalist. On their first date, they walked in the park, where a squirrel came up to them and begged for food. Ms. Hale told Mr. Broun that she wished she had some nuts for the squirrel, and Mr. Broun replied, “I can’t help you except to give him a nickel so he can go and buy his own.”
• Donald Grey Barnhouse, a pastor, once stayed at the house of an Australian man who had married an American woman. Before the two were married, the woman had never allowed her future husband to kiss her, so their first kiss took place before the altar of the church. “But,” said her husband, “after I got the first one, the rest came easy.”
• Terence Grey, the owner of a British theater, once heard that his wife was having an affair. He rushed home, grabbed an axe, used it to beat his way through the bedroom door, and stood with the axe raised in front of the bed, on which lay his cowering wife and her cowering lover. Then he lowered the axe and stuck out his tongue at them.
• The wife of Albert Einstein, the great physicist and mathematician, once toured the Mt. Wilson Observatory in California, where her tour guide explained that all this expensive, modern equipment was being used to “find out the shape of the universe.” Mrs. Einstein replied, “Oh, my husband does that on the back of an old envelope.”
• Harry Belafonte talked about his family while he was on The Mike Douglas Show, mentioning that his oldest child was 24 years old. When Mike Douglas asked how long he had been married, he answered, “Seventeen years.” Mr. Douglas began to count on his fingers, and Mr. Belafonte added, “Hey, I’ve been married before.”
• Rusty Kothavala was a proctor and instructor at Harvard. After getting married and fathering a daughter, he discovered he was gay and began frequenting gay bars. When he eventually told his wife, she was very understanding: “Is that all? Here I thought you were one of these international criminals or something.”
• During World War I, dancer Ted Shawn joined the United States Army. His wife, Ruth St. Denis, performed for the troops and then the next day watched a parade in which her husband took part. When Ms. St. Denis was asked what she thought of the parade, she replied, “Oh, I thought he was grand.”
• Mark Twain enjoyed reading and writing in bed. One day, a reporter was coming over to interview him, so his wife, Livy, said, “Don’t you think it would be a bit embarrassing for the reporter — your being in bed?” Mr. Twain replied, “Why, Livy, if you think so, we might have the other bed made up for him.”
• Anna Pavlova, in addition to being a dancer, was also a wife. People going backstage at the New York Metropolitan Opera House were once treated to the sight of Ms. Pavlova throwing ballet slippers at the back of her retreating husband, Victor Dandré, while she shouted at him in Russian.
• Stand-up comedian Rita Rudner used to do a lot of jokes about being single, and when she got married, she worried about losing 20 minutes of comic material. Still, she was glad she got married. In fact, she says, “For him, I would have given up 40 minutes.”
• Jack Gilford’s wife, Madeline, had been married before. She remained married for eight years, then got a divorce. On his 8th anniversary, Mr. Gilford told a friend, “I better run home and see if my option has been picked up.”
Illness
• The late Mister Rogers really did answer his fan mail — as is shown by the book Dear Mister Rogers, Does It Ever Rain in Your Neighborhood? One letter was from a mother whose daughter, Michelle — only five-and-a-half years old — needed radiation treatment for an inoperable brain tumor. Michelle refused to undergo the treatment because she had to be alone, even though the treatment would last just one minute. After a few days of refusing the treatment, Michelle asked, “What’s a minute?” Her mother answered by singing part of Mister Rogers’ theme song, “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” and said, “Oops! The minute is up. I can’t even finish Mister Rogers’ song.” Michelle then exclaimed, “Is that a minute? I can do that!” — and did.
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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: "Over the Moon"
Album: OVER THE MOON
Artist: The SpyTones
Artist Location: Lunenburg, Massachusetts
Info:
The SpyTones’ second recording of 1960's surf rock band-inspired instrumentals.
Bob Conroy - Guitar
Tom Wood - Guitar
Brian Bourgault - Drums
Kris Lucander - Bass
Adam Bergeron - Keyboards
All Songs written by Bob Conroy except ‘The Last Goodbye’ by Tom Wood
Bob Conroy “Started playing guitar around 13 playing acoustic folk and blues by ear. Went to UMass Boston to study guitar and music theory. Transferred to New England Conservatory and graduated from there with a BM in 1979. Have been writing and performing original instrumental music with the SpyTones since 2008 while continuing to play classical guitar and acoustic fingerstyle guitar.”
In addition to Spytones music, Bob Conroy has posted his individual work on his Bandcamp website: Acoustic guitar solo. Classical Guitar Solo.
Price: Name Your Price (Includes FREE) for 15-track album
Genre: Surf Instrumental
Links:
OVER THE MOON
Bob Conroy on Bandcamp
Robert Conroy on YouTube
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Reader Comment
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A Comment on Our Recent Weather
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Michael Egan
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Reading
Andrew Tobias: Financialization
Some of you know Revlon has filed for bankruptcy. Some of you know I wrote a biography of Revlon founder Charles Revson. Some of you wrote when you saw the news to ask what I thought. And, upon reflection, I do have a thought: namely, that it’s a perfect example of the evils of “financialization.”
Charles Revson built a great company on the strength of his passion for the best possible product that would most wow and please his customers. No detail was too small. Ron Perelman wrecked the company by having a passion for squeezing every last penny out of the business for himself.
Matt Levine, in his newsletter, gives a little flavor of it … too fun not to excerpt. But the point is: this is not about lipstick or nail polish or fragrance, not about marketing, not about making a fortune by making women feel good about themselves. It’s about money.
[…]
Andrew Tobias: Financialization
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Reader Comment
Current Events
Holy crap:
So just to be clear: Terrified people called 911 again and again on the scary looking dude carrying a small arsenal, but it was all legal until cops found the brass knuckles and the .50 caliber handgun.
that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Lots of thunder, some lightning, a bit of rain, and a pair of very miffed shittens.
Astronaut Shares "Gravity" Cosplay
Samantha Cristoforetti
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti has done it again. After her fantastic cosplay of Captain Katherine Janeway from Star Trek Voyager while on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015, she had now recreated a famous scene from 2013's Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock.
The astronaut tweeted the image on Sunday when she recreated the scene that has Bullock’s Dr Stone moving through the space station in a tank top, black shorts, and a watch in her hand, while a projection screen shows the same clip in the movie above.
"Hey, Dr. Stone! Quick question for you. How did you get your hair to stay put?” Cristoforetti joked in the tweet posted with the hashtag #AskingForAFriend.
Cristoforetti’s hair floating freely is one reminder that this is what microgravity is like, no matter what the magic of Hollywood might create in the studios.
The tweet had another astronaut tagged in it, Cristoforetti’s mission-mate Scott Kelly, revealing that the plan for this shot was a long time coming. Back in 2015, Kelly was watching Gravity on that screen and said Cristoforetti flew by after a workout at that exact moment, unwittingly recreating the scene. But Kelly was not quick enough to capture the situation on camera, so we missed that chance to see life imitating art.
Samantha Cristoforetti
John W. Kluge Prize
George Chauncey
Historian George Chauncey has received a $500,000 lifetime achievement award from the Library of Congress, the John W. Kluge Prize, the first time the honor has gone to a scholar in LGBTQ studies.
The prize is given for achievement in the study of humanity. Chauncey, a professor of American history at Columbia University, is known for such books as “Gay New York” and “Why Marriage? The History Shaping Today’s Debate over Gay Equality.”
“Professor Chauncey’s trailblazing career gave us all better insight into, and understanding of, the LGBTQ+ community and history,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement released Wednesday. “His work that helped transform our nation’s attitudes and laws, epitomizes the Kluge Center’s mission to support research at the intersection of the humanities and public policy.”
George Chauncey
Wedding News
Mundy - Nye
The Science Guy star Bill Nye has married journalist and author Liza Mundy.
The couple tied the knot in front of family and friends in the Haupt Garden outside the Smithsonian Institute’s Castle in Washington, DC, last month, according to People.
For the occasion, the bride, a New York Times best-selling author, wore a white strapless gown with a beaded belt and a ruffled mermaid hemline, before changing into sneakers for the reception, while Nye, 66, wore a black tuxedo accessorised with a black and green bow-tie, cuff-links that belonged to his father, and an orange flower on his lapel.
According to People, the couple first met in 2017, when Mundy referenced Nye’s mother, Jacqueline Jenkins-Nye, a cryptanalyst, in her 2017 book Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II. The outlet reports that the beloved TV star reached out to Mundy by email after the publication of her book.
During the ceremony, officiated by Star Trek star Robert Picardo and photographed by White House photographer Pete Souza, the couple reportedly exchanged vows they’d written themselves, while the reception saw the newlyweds dance their first dance to Sam Cooke‘s rendition of What a Wonderful World.
Mundy - Nye
Four Down
Rupert
Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch (R-Evil Incarnate) and actress Jerry Hall are getting a divorce, US media report.
The divorce would be a fourth for Mr Murdoch, 91. Ms Hall, 65, was previously married to Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.
Their split comes as a surprise to those close to the family, according to the New York Times.
Mr Murdoch - whose News Corporation empire controls major outlets including Fox News and the Wall Street Journal in the US, and The Sun and The Times in the UK - was previously said to have been devoting more time to his new wife.
Mr Murdoch was previously married to Australian flight attendant Patricia Booker, from 1956 to 1967; Scottish-born journalist Anna Mann, from 1967 to 1999; and Chinese-born entrepreneur Wendi Deng, from 1999 to 2014.
Rupert
Forest Service Admits Climate Change Miscalculation
New Mexico
U.S. Forest Service employees made several mistakes, including underestimating the impact of climate change on conditions in the Southwest, when planning a controlled burn to reduce the threat of wildfires in New Mexico earlier this year, according to a report from the agency released Tuesday.
As a result, the burn exploded into the largest fire in the state’s history, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.
“Climate change is leading to conditions on the ground we have never encountered,” wrote Forest Service Chief Randy Moore in the foreword to the report. “We know these conditions are leading to more frequent and intense wildfires. Drought, extreme weather, wind conditions and unpredictable weather changes are challenging our ability to use prescribed fire as a tool to combat destructive fires. This spring in New Mexico, a pile burn of hazardous logs that started in January, smoldered underground for months, persisting through multiple snowstorms and freezing temperatures, before resurfacing as a wildfire. That type of event was nearly unheard of until recently in the century-plus of experience the Forest Service has in working on these landscapes.”
After decades of aggressive fire-fighting strategies designed to keep wildfires away from population centers, many U.S. forests have become overgrown, increasing the need for prescribed burns that thin overgrowth and reduce the risk of fire spreading out of control.
New Mexico
Climate Change
'Snow Blood'
Standing on a snowy mountainside about 2,500 metres above sea level, Eric Marechal holds up a crimson test-tube. Inside is an algae sample known as "snow blood," a phenomenon that accelerates Alpine thaw and that scientists worry is spreading.
"These algae are green. But when it's in the snow, it accumulates a little pigment like sunscreen to protect itself," said Marechal, research director at Grenoble's Scientific Research National Center, who was collecting laboratory samples on Le Brevent mountain with teammates.
Around his feet, patches of red snow can be seen gleaming in the sunlight.
The algae was first described by Aristotle in the third century BC. But it was only formally identified and given its Latin name Sanguina nivaloides in 2019.
Some scientists, including Alberto Amato, genetic engineering researcher at CEA Centre de Grenoble, say the volumes of algae appear to be growing due to climate change, with higher carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere favouring blooms.
'Snow Blood'
X-Wing Fighter Model
‘Star Wars’
A Star Wars X-Wing Fighter model used in George Lucas’ 1977 sci-fi epic fetched an astonishing $2.3 million at auction Tuesday night, according to Prop Store Auction. The screen-matched Red Leader X-Wing miniature model created by Industrial Light & Magic was estimated to go for $500,000 – $1 million. The final price was $2,375,000, according to the auction house.
The X-Wing model was used in Star Wars: A New Hope for Red X-Wing Squadron Leader Garven Dreis, played by the late Drewe Henley.
The model is extraordinarily rare, as most were destroyed by pyrotechnics while filming the movie’s climax battle sequence at the Death Star.
News of the model sale comes nearly a month after Colin Cantwell, the concept artist who designed the X-Wing among a number of spacecraft for the film, died. He was 90.
‘Star Wars’
Comic Debut Fetches $1.62 Million
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman's comic book debut has now fetched seven figures over at Heritage Auctions. The Amazonian warrior's first-ever appearance in DC Comics came in the eighth issue of All Star Comics, which was published in 1941. Despite more than seven decades having gone by, a lucky collector still had a copy of the book that earned a 9.4 CGC Universal Grade rating, and Heritage Auctions has now sold it at a staggering $1.62 million USD.
Aside from the Wonder Woman debut, another comic book also shared the spotlight: the cover art from the first issue of The Dark Knight Returns from the '80s, created by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. The piece managed to reach an auction price of $2.4 million USD, topping the charts for the event. Overall, the auction totaled $24 million USD, with other notable sales including two Fantastic Four #1 copies that sold for $420,000 USD and $240,000 USD as well as a copy of the 29th issue of Detective Comics that went for $276,000 USD. Even an issue of Amazing Spider-Man managed to fetch $43,200 USD, setting a new record for comic books from the 2000s period.
Wonder Woman
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