from Bruce
Anecdotes
Practical Jokes
• Ice skaters Peggy Fleming and Robin Cousins are practical jokers who tried to break up each other while performing together on the ice. For one performance, Ms. Fleming wrote this message on her eyelids for Mr. Cousins to read as they were skating in public together: “BITE ME.” Mr. Cousins quickly got revenge. Ms. Fleming had to make a quick costume change, slipping on a coat then returning immediately to the show and skating. When she did so, she discovered that Mr. Cousins had altered the coat — padding made Ms. Fleming’s breasts appear to be humongous.
• Kelly McCormick won silver and bronze medals in the Olympics in the 1980s as a springboard diver. While training at the Ohio State University, she was coached by Vince Panzanno. As a joke on him, she and the other divers on the team colored their hair bright pink, but the joke fell flat. Later, they discovered why — Mr. Panzanno is colorblind.
Practice
• Jim Thorpe wanted to play football at the Carlisle Indian School, so one day he dressed in a football uniform that was too big for him and begged Coach Glenn Scobey “Pop” Warner to give him a chance. Pop Warner finally told him to give the first team some tackling practice. Therefore, Mr. Thorpe was given a football and told to run against the first team so they could tackle him. Mr. Thorpe did run — through the first-team players and into the end zone. Pop Warner said, “You’re supposed to give the first team some tackling practice, not run through them!” Mr. Thorpe replied, “Nobody tackles Jim” — then he ran through the first-team players and into the end zone again. Pop Warner got Mr. Thorpe a uniform that fit, and soon Mr. Thorpe became an All-American football player.
• When United States gymnast Hollie Vise was 12 years old, she told her mother, “When I was young, I always wanted to be in the Olympics.” By the way, Ms. Vise is a serious gymnast. She even has a balance beam (one that is low to the floor) in her parents’ dining room.
• Babe Didrikson won a record 17 golf tournaments in a row. How did she do it? She often hit 1,500 golf balls a day and practiced until her hands were blistered and bleeding.
Prayer
• At the 1996 Olympics Games held in Atlanta, Kerri Strug was the last member of the United States women’s gymnastics team to perform on their final apparatus: the vault. On her first performance, she vaulted badly and injured her ankle, but she summoned her strength and vaulted again. Before the second vault, she said this prayer: “Please, God, help me out here. I’m just asking you once here. I’ve always tried to be a good person. I’ve always tried to do what’s right. Please, just let me do this vault.” Her second vault was good, and the U.S. women won the gold medal in team competition.
• After young professional tennis player Tracy Austin was sidelined with an inflamed sciatica nerve in early 1981, she was forced to rest, although she was very eager to start playing competitively again. Therefore, she used to say this prayer: “God, give me patience — but hurry up!”
Prejudice
• When Jackie Robinson became the first black baseball player to compete on a major league team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was often heckled by opposing players. Ben Chapman, the team manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, ordered his players to heckle Mr. Robinson during some games early in the season, so they kept up a relentless torrent of racist abuse directed against him. Although Mr. Robinson was tempted to fight, he knew that a fight would set back integration in the major leagues. For a few games, the other Dodgers stayed silent, but finally Dodger second baseman Eddie Stanky, a Southerner, yelled at the Phillies, “Listen, you yellow-bellied cowards, why don’t you yell at somebody who can answer back?” After that, other Dodgers started defending Mr. Robinson, and Mr. Robinson became accepted as a member of the team.
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© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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Presenting
Michael Egan
U.S.A. took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
BANDCAMP MUSIC
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION OF BANDCAMP MUSIC
Music: "Miatalo Lenche Iabalka"
Album: SWAMP GOLD
Artist: Blato Zlato
Artist Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Info: Apparently, Blato Zlato and Beloe Zlato both play the same kind of music. “Beloe Zlato” is “White Gold” in Russian; it is a Russian group. Beloe Zlato is not on Bandcamp, but it is good.
“Blato Zlato (“Swamp Gold” in Bulgarian) is a New Orleans-based Balkan band featuring dreamy three-part vocal harmonies and hard-hitting instrumentals.”
“Hailing from the swampy city of New Orleans, Louisiana, Blato Zlato draws their inspiration from the old world melodies and village-style dance rhythms of Eastern Europe. Three-part vocal harmonies swirl and swell over hard-hitting instrumentals, making for a dynamic and trance-inducing auditory experience.”
Price: $1 (USD) for track; $10 (USD) for 10-track album
Genre: Eastern European Folk Music
Links:
SWAMP GOLD
Blato Zlato on Bandcamp
Blato Zlato (fan, with recommendations) on Bandcamp
Blato Zlato on YouTube
Beloe Zlato on YouTube
Other Links:
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog #1
David Bruce's Blog #2
David Bruce's Blog #3
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has over 140 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
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
Another quiet day at the laundromat-of-the-darned.
Now A Billionaire
Rihanna
Good girl gone billionaire? Barbadian singer Rihanna just joined an exclusive group of celebrities as the newest billionaire and the world’s wealthiest female musician, Forbes reported Wednesday.
Rihanna’s fortune currently stands at about $1.7 billion, the finance magazine tabulated. Only Oprah Winfrey surpasses her as the wealthiest female entertainer.
But while Rihanna may be known for hits such as “Umbrella” and “Diamonds,” her fortune is largely the result of the beauty and fashion companies she founded.
Fenty Beauty — which comes from the singer's last name — is currently valued at about $2.8 billion, and was founded in 2017 with luxury goods giant LVMH. Rihanna also owns Fenty Skin and the lingerie line Fenty x Savage, which is worth $1 billion.
Rihanna, who is 33 and originally from Barbados, is one of about a dozen Black billionaires in the United States.
Rihanna
Dog & Pony Show All Along
‘Jeopardy!’
The search for new permanent host of Jeopardy! has come to an end. The show’s executive producer Mike Richards is finalizing a deal to succeed the late Alex Trebek as emcee of the venerable syndicated game show, I hear. Noone would comment but I hear Richards, who emerged as a frontrunner early in the search, was quietly appointed as the host a couple of weeks ago with the deal now in final negotiations. Sony Pictures Television is expected to make an official announcement in the next few days.
Richards, who has hosting experience, was well received by fans when he served as a guest host earlier this year along with a slew of celebrities who filled in for the beloved Trebek. The show’s longtime host lost his battle with cancer in November.
“He was everything you could hope for and more,” Richards said of Trebek on the show. “He was an idol of mine, and I will work every day to try to live up to the example he set.”
Richards, whose pending deal for Jeopardy! was first reported by Variety, was named an executive producer of Jeopardy! in 2020 under a multi-year overall deal with SPT. He served as executive producer of The Price Is Right for more than a decade. A three-time Daytime Emmy Award winner and 17-time nominee, Richards also served as executive producer of Let’s Make a Deal and has produced over 4,000 hours of game show programming. Richards is also known for his work in front of the camera, having hosted five series including Beauty and the Geek, Game Show Network’s 2016–17 version of Divided and the 2012 revival of The Pyramid.
‘Jeopardy!’
Fires Principal Flutist
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday fired Emily Skala, its controversial principal flutist.
In a brief statement, the orchestra offered no specific reasons for its decision to terminate Skala, who was publicly rebuked by her employer six months ago for social posts that supported conspiracy theories about the origins of the coronavirus and about election fraud.
“Principal Flutist Emily Skala has been dismissed from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in accordance with the progressive discipline policy agreed to in our collective bargaining agreement with the Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore Local 40-543, AFM,” wrote Peter Kjome, the BSO’s president and CEO.
Skala, who had been suspended from her work duties, said she was notified by phone Tuesday afternoon that she had lost her job of 33 years.
The 59-year-old flutist, who joined the BSO in 1988, said the odds of her landing a position playing flute for another major orchestra are daunting. But once she has had time to process the shock of her dismissal, Skala said she intends to begin auditioning.
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
24-City Comeback Tour
Louis CK
Disgraced comedian Louis C.K. will be returning to the stage this month as part of a 24-city comeback tour around the country.
The tour kicks off Aug. 13 and 14 with two nights at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and concludes with two nights in Boston in mid-December. Some dates on this current tour are rescheduled from a 2020 tour that C.K. had planned but was forced to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic.
C.K. plans to also take the tour overseas; he is scheduled for appearances in the Ukraine, Denmark, Germany and Romania in 2022.
The comedian, whose real name is Louis Székely, went on hiatus after multiple women came forward with sexual harassment allegations against him in November 2017. He was accused of masturbating — or asking to do so — in front of women who were seeking to work with or learn from him. Comedian Rebecca Corry was one of the five women C.K. was accused of trying to expose himself to, and she told The New York Times that C.K. “told me he had issues.”
Following his admittance of the sexual misconduct, C.K. suffered a massive career fallout — he was dropped by his management team at 3 Arts Entertainment and his APA agency and publicist Lewis Kay also cut ties. C.K.’s film he was working on at the time called “I Love You, Daddy” for distributor The Orchard was shelved and streamers FX, Netflix, HBO and TBS all distanced themselves from the former star.
Louis CK
Power Failure Bonuses
Texass
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders raked in millions in campaign contributions from energy companies after the state electrical grid collapsed in February, according to the Texas Tribune.
An abysmal cold front swept over Texas in February, causing the power grid to fail in several regions of the state. Nearly 200 people ultimately died of hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, car wrecks, and more after the electrical grid could not keep up with the large uptick in energy demand.
Texas legislators are barred from taking campaign donations while the main legislative session is ongoing. The close of the session in May ushered in a downpour of cash from the energy industry toward some of the state's most influential leaders, namely Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Abbott reportedly brought in $4.6 million from oil, gas, and energy industry leaders including a $1 million campaign donation from the co-founder of a pipeline company that benefitted from the February winter failure to the tune of $2.4 billion. The Texas Tribune noted that the co-founder donates $250,000 almost every year to Abbott - the only year he donated substantially more was in 2021.
Abbott's next-in-line, Patrick, also received a windfall from energy companies following the February freeze, the Tribune reported. He brought in $1.3 million in total from energy interest groups in 2021, or just over a quarter of his total received contributions in 2021. He received about 12% more from energy interests in 2021 than he did in 2019, according to the Tribune, and the majority of his recent energy contributions were from oil executives.
Texass
Sues US Gun Manufacturers
Mexico
The Mexican government sued United States gun manufacturers and distributors Wednesday in U.S. federal court, arguing that their negligent and illegal commercial practices have unleashed tremendous bloodshed in Mexico.
The unusual lawsuit was filed in U.S. federal court in Boston. Among those being sued are some of the biggest names in guns, including: Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc.; Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc.; Beretta U.S.A. Corp.; Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, and Glock Inc. Another defendant is Interstate Arms, a Boston-area wholesaler that sells guns from all but one of the named manufacturers to dealers around the U.S.
The Mexican government argues that the companies know that their practices contribute to the trafficking of guns to Mexico and facilitate it. Mexico wants compensation for the havoc the guns have wrought in its country.
The Mexican government “brings this action to put an end to the massive damage that the Defendants cause by actively facilitating the unlawful trafficking of their guns to drug cartels and other criminals in Mexico,” the lawsuit said.
The government estimates that 70% of the weapons trafficked to Mexico come from the U.S., according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry. And that in 2019 alone, at least 17,000 homicides were linked to trafficked weapons.
Mexico
Melting Ice Imperils Colonies
Emperor Penguins
With climate change threatening the sea ice habitat of Emperor penguins, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday announced a proposal to list the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
“The lifecycle of Emperor penguins is tied to having stable sea ice, which they need to breed, to feed and to molt,” said Stephanie Jenouvrier, a penguin ecologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Research published Tuesday in the journal Global Change Biology found that by 2100, 98% of Emperor penguin colonies may be pushed to the brink of extinction, if no changes are made to current rates of carbon emissions and climate change.
Around 70% of colonies will be in danger sooner, by 2050.
The new study looked at overall warming trends and the increasing likelihood of extreme weather fluctuations due to global warming. And it noted that extremely low levels of sea ice in 2016 led to a massive breeding failure of an Emperor penguin colony in Antarctica’s Halley Bay.
Emperor Penguins
Long-Lost Fragment
Stonehenge
A long-lost piece of Stonehenge that was taken by a man performing restoration work on the monument has been returned after 60 years, giving scientists a chance to peer inside a pillar of the iconic monument for the first time.
In 1958, Robert Phillips, a representative of the drilling company helping to restore Stonehenge, took the cylindrical core after it was drilled from one of Stonehenge's pillars — Stone 58. Later, when he emigrated to the United States, Phillips took the core with him. Because of Stonehenge's protected status, it's no longer possible to extract samples from the stones. But with the core's return in 2018, researchers had the opportunity to perform unprecedented geochemical analyses of a Stonehenge pillar, which they described in a new study.
They found that Stonehenge's towering standing stones, or sarsens, were made of rock containing sediments that formed when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Other grains in the rock date as far back as 1.6 billion years.
Stonehenge's central circle of pillars was erected during the Neolithic period, about 2,500 years ago, according to English Heritage, a nonprofit organization that manages historic monuments in England.
When the scientists peered through a microscope at thin slices of sarsen rock from Stone 58, they were surprised to discover that the stone was 99.7% quartz. A quartz "cement" held fine-to-medium quartz grains and formed "an interlocking mosaic of crystals," Nash said. That made the rock more durable, and it may have been why the builders chose that type of rock for their massive monument thousands of years ago.
Stonehenge
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