• Despite being paralyzed as a result of a stroke, Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French journalist, wrote a 130-page book in his head. Using left-eye blinks, he dictated the book to copywriter Claude Mendibil. Mr. Bauby blinked once for yes, twice for no, as Ms. Mendibil recited (or pointed on a screen to) the letters of the French language in the order of the frequency of their use. At first, Mr. Bauby communicated one-half page a day, but later, as the two got used to their communication system, he communicated as much as three pages a day. Mr. Bauby died just days after the book, which was titled The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death, was published.
Playwrights
• A touring company in New Zealand once ran into a problem with their train schedule. In order to reach their train on time to get to their next performance, they needed to cut the epilogue to George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan. Because Mr. Shaw was strict about such things, they wired him for permission to cut his play. Mr. Shaw wired back, “PERMISSION GRANTED TO CUT EPILOGUE PROVIDED YOU PERFORM IT ON THE TRAIN.”
• In London, an English actor felt that he was making a notable success in one of the roles in Peter Pan, so he went to the playwright, James M. Barrie, to ask that he be featured in the handbills advertising the play. The actor wanted the handbills to separate his name from the names of the “lesser” actors with the word “AND.” Mr. Barrie asked, “AND? Why not BUT?”
• Producing a festival of Shakespeare plays causes an incredible amount of work. During the stress-filled preparations for the annual Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-on-Avon, actress Constance Benson once saw an Irish property man punching a bust of William Shakespeare while muttering, “I’ll learn ye to write plays!”
Poetry
• America’s first African-American poet was Phillis Wheatley, whose Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was published in 1773. Born in Africa, most likely in Senegambia, she was taken by slave traders to Boston, Massachusetts, when she was only eight years old. The slave ship that took her to America was named the Phillis, and she got her first name from the name of the ship. Her last name came from the last name of her owners, John and Susanna Wheatley. Although she was a slave for much of her early life, things got better for Phillis Wheatley. After growing up and gaining an education, she had the opportunity to dine with the family of Timothy Fitch, the slave merchant whose ship had brought her to America. The daughters of the Fitch family worried about sitting down and talking to a black person, but when they met Ms. Wheatley, she charmed them. In addition, after the publication of Ms. Wheatley’s book, her owners freed her.
• While children’s mystery writer Joan Lowery Nixon was attending Hollywood High, Pearl Harbor was bombed. Lots of soldiers were in Los Angeles, and city authorities begged families to entertain the servicemen. Ms. Nixon’s parents responded by often inviting servicemen who visited their church to also visit their home. Soon, Ms. Nixon began to write letters to many of the servicemen who visited her family. Other girls at her school were doing the same thing. Once in a while, Ms. Nixon would write a poem — something light and romantic that would let a serviceman know that he was being missed. She would let her friends copy the poem to put in their letters, and the friends of her friends would copy the poem to put in their letters, and suddenly Ms. Nixon found that she was writing for a large audience.
"The Liberty Bell" (1893) is an American military march composed by John Philip Sousa.
The march is now often associated with the British TV comedy program Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–74), which used the version performed by the Band of the Grenadier Guards as a signature tune. The use of the melody by the British comedy troupe Monty Python is ironic; the bouncy melody of the march may have appealed to the troupe. Terry Gilliam, the only American member of the troupe, advocated using the theme. He has said the piece was chosen because the troupe thought it would not be associated with the program's content, and that the first bell strike and subsequent melody would give the impression of getting "straight down to business."
The Monty Python mode of presenting the tune was with a single strike of the bell, lifted from the third section and increased in volume, followed by a strain of each of the first two sections, followed by the famous stomping foot animation and a noticeably flatulent "splat" sound reminiscent of a whoopee cushion (the first 13 episodes used a "raspberry"). At the end of the film Monty Python: Live at the Hollywood Bowl, the entire march was played over the closing credits.
Source
Kevin in Washington DC replied:
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Right! Stop that. It’s a silly question.
Dave in Tucson wrote:
The Liberty Bell March is the theme music to Monty Python's Flying Circus. The tune was chosen because it was free to use as the copyright expired.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, said:
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Michelle in AZ answered:
Monty Python
Rosemary in Columbus responded:
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Daniel in The City replied:
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
DJ Useo wrote:
It was those zany lads of MPFC. I love them so much. March music not so much. Never been a fan of it, even when I played in marching bands.
One time, when we marched in a parade, we got such a big reaction that they paid us $$$ to march a second time.
It was super hot & we got very tired, but afterwards the entire band went out to eat at a steak buffet.
I read that when audio recording began, marches were far & away the best sellers. Go figure.
Barbara, of Peppy Tech fame said:
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Jacqueline answered:
Monty Python
Joe ( -- Vote Blue, No Matter Who -- ) replied:
The famous Monty Python's Flying Circus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmu5sRIizdw I trust I spelled it right, you never know with those Brits.
Deborah, the Master Gardener took the day off to celebrate.
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Angelo D took the day off.
Harry M. took the day off.
George M. took the day off.
Gary K took the day off.
Roy the (now retired) hoghead (aka 'hoghed') ( Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid. ~Frank Zappa ) took the day off.
Saskplanner took the day off.
Gateway Mike took the day off.
Steve in Wonderful Sacramento, CA, took the day off.
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Brian S. took the day off.
Gene took the day off.
Tony K. took the day off.
Noel S. took the day off.
James of Alhambra took the day off.
BttbBob has returned to semi-retired status.
~~~~~
CBS opens the night on the East Coast with a FRESH'Big Brother', followed by the LIVE'What Passes As A Debate In 2020'.
CBS opens the night early on the left coast with the LIVE'What Passes As A Debate In 2020', followed by a FRESH'Big Brother', then padding with local crap.
Scheduled on a FRESHStephen Colbert are Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Matt Berninger.
Scheduled on a FRESHJames Corden, OBE, are Josh Gad, The Score and AWOLNATION.
NBC begins the night on the East Coast with a FRESH'Connecting ...', followed by the LIVE'What Passes As A Debate In 2020'.
NBC begins the night on the left coast with the LIVE'What Passes As A Debate In 2020', followed by a FRESH'Connecting ...', some local crap, and mabye an old 'Dateline'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are Nicole Kidman, Patton Oswalt, and Of Monsters and Men.
Scheduled on a FRESHSeth Meyers are Michael Keaton, HAIM, and Todd Sucherman.
On a RERUNLilly Singh (from 2/4/20) are D'Arcy Carden and Ali Kolbert.
ABC starts the night on the East Coast with a RERUN'Shark Tank', followed by the LIVE'What Passes As A Debate In 2020'.
ABC starts the night on the left coast with the LIVE'What Passes As A Debate In 2020', followed by a RERUN'Shark Tank', then padding with local crap.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Octavia Spencer, Jay Pharoah, and Lauv featuring Conan Gray.
The CW offers a FRESH'Supernatural', followed by a FRESH'The Outpost'.
Faux fills the night with LIVE'Thursday Night Football', then pads the left coast with local crap.
MY recycles an old 'Dateline', followed by an old 'L&O: CI'.
AMC offers the movie 'A Nightmare On Elm Street', followed by the movie 'Friday The 13th', then the movie 'House Of Wax'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - TRIALS AND TRIBBLE-ATIONS
[7:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - THE ASSIGNMENT
[8:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN ...
[9:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - THINGS PAST
[10:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - THE ASCENT
[11:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - RAPTURE
[12:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - THE NAKED NOW
[1:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - CODE OF HONOR
[2:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - THE LAST OUTPOST
[3:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE
[4:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - LONELY AMONG US
[5:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - JUSTICE
[6:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - THE BATTLE
[7:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - HIDE AND Q
[8:00PM] THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
[11:45PM] THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
[3:30AM] ELYSIUM (ALL TIMES ET)
Bravo has 'Southern Charm', another 'Southern Charm', followed by a FRESH'Southern Charm', then a FRESH'Watch What Happens: Live'.
Comedy Central has all old 'The Office' all night.
Scheduled on a FRESHThe Daily Show it's The Daily Social Distancing Show.
FX has the movie 'xXx: Return Of Xander Cage', followed by the movie 'Skyscraper'.
IFC -
[6:00am] Sherman's Showcase - White Music
[6:30am] Sherman's Showcase - Ray J's Showcase
[7:00am] The Lost Boys
[9:15am] Envy
[11:30am] The Birdcage
[2:00pm] Rush Hour 2
[4:00pm] Rush Hour 3
[6:00pm - 12:30am] Two And A Half Men
[1:00am - 5:30am] Parks And Recreation (ALL TIMES ET)
Sundance -
[6:00am - 12:30pm] the andy griffith show
[1:00pm - 1:00am] law & order
[2:00am] the preppy murder: death in central park - Parts 3 & 4: Who Is Robert Chambers?; Blame The Victim
[4:00am] the preppy murder: death in central park - Part 5: The Trial Of The Decade
[5:00am] perry mason
(ALL TIMES ET)
SyFy has the movie 'Dawn Of The Dead', followed by the movie 'Zombieland'.
TBS:
On a RERUNConan (from 9/24/20) is Jane Lynch.
Mel Brooks on Wednesday did something he has never done in his 94 years: He starred in a political ad.
The iconic actor-director (joined by his son and grandson, albeit socially distanced) made a short video encouraging people to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket this November.
"I'm Mel Brooks and behind me, you see my son and my grandson. And they can't be with me. Why? Because of this coronavirus," Brooks says. "And Donald Trump (R-Inept) is not doing a damn thing about it. So many people have died. And when you're dead, you can't do much."
He continued, "So, I'm voting for Joe Biden. I like Joe. Why do I like Joe? Because Joe likes facts, because Joe likes science. Joe will keep us going. Take a tip from me, vote for Joe."
Not taking a chance to miss a quip, the funnyman tells his family, "OK, you can leave. See you soon. I've got to fill out my ballot. Bye, bye."
Barack Obama mocked what he said was Donald Trump (R-Corrupt)’s “secret Chinese bank account,” telling a rally crowd that the circumstances would be far different if the same revelation was made about him.
“How is that possible? A secret Chinese bank account. Listen, can you imagine if I had had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for re-election?” Obama said in a campaign appearance for Joe Biden in Philadelphia. “You think Fox News might have been a little concerned about that? They would have called me Beijing Barry.”
Obama was making his first appearance on the campaign trail for Biden, after also headlining fundraisers and speaking at the Democratic National Convention.
Obama also seemed to be baiting when he made a jab at the president’s TV ratings, which have long been a currency that Trump holds in high esteem.
“By the way, his TV ratings are down,” Obama said. “So you know that upsets him, but the thing is, this is not a reality show. This is reality. And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.”
If baseball and apple pie are the quintessence of America, the ad Joe Biden's campaign dropped during Game 1 of the World Series seems intent on making a play for that proverbial country kitchen windowsill. The ad, "Go From There," has it all: high school football, veterans, corn farms, and — yes — a train, all rolling by under a piano playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and famously folksy actor Sam Elliott talking about how great America is and can be if it finds common ground.
"No Democratic rivers, no Republican mountains, just this great land and all that's possible on it with a fresh start," Elliott narrates.
"Joe Biden doesn't need everyone in this country to always agree, just to agree that we all love this country and go from there." Not mentioned in the ad is the current president of the United States.
The Beastie boys, for one of the only times ever in the hip-hop group’s history, has granted permission for a political advertisement to use one of their songs. Over the weekend an ad for presidential candidate Joe Biden featured the Beastie Boy’s edgy 1994 hit “Sabotage.”
The political commercial made its debut during Sunday night’s NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns. The ad zeroes in on the negative effects the COIVD-19 pandemic has had on live music venues, centering on the Blind Pig club in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“Sabotage,” has been used in permission for a “Star Trek” trailer and the video game “Destiny 2,” but never for advertising purposes until the Biden ad. Late Beastie Boys member Adam “MCA” Yauch stated in his will that he wants no music from the band to be used in advertising.
Lawyers appointed by a federal judge to identify migrant families who were separated by the Trump administration say that they have yet to track down the parents of 545 children and that about two-thirds of those parents were deported to Central America without their children, according to a filing Tuesday from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Trump administration instituted a "zero tolerance" policy in 2018 that separated migrant children and parents at the southern U.S. border. The administration later confirmed that it had actually begun separating families in 2017 along some parts of the border under a pilot program. The ACLU and other pro-bono law firms were tasked with finding the members of families separated during the pilot program.
Unlike the 2,800 families separated under zero tolerance in 2018, most of whom remained in custody when the policy was ended by executive order, many of the more than 1,000 parents separated from their children under the pilot program had already been deported before a federal judge in California ordered that they be found.
The ACLU and other organizations that are part of a court-appointed "steering committee" learned that more than 1,000 families were separated in 2017 based on data provided by the Department of Homeland Security. Of those, the committee has been able to contact the parents of more than 550 children and believes about 25 of them may have a chance to come back to the U.S. for reunification.
Earlier this month, a storm front swept across the Great Plains of the United States, plowing up a wall of dust that could be seen from space, stretching from eastern Colorado into Nebraska and Kansas. It was a scene straight from the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, when farmers regularly saw soil stripped from their fields and whipped up into choking blizzards of dust.
Better get used to it. According to a new study, dust storms on the Great Plains have become more common and more intense in the past 20 years, because of more frequent droughts in the region and an expansion of croplands. “Our results suggest a tipping point is approaching, where the conditions of the 1930s could return,” says Gannet Haller, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who led the study.
The dust storms not only threaten to remove soil nutrients and decrease agricultural productivity, but also present a health hazard, says Andy Lambert, a co-author on the study and a meteorologist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey, California. The dust contains ultrafine particles that can penetrate cells in the lungs and cause lung and heart disease.
Lambert came across the trend unexpectedly, while reviewing data from NASA satellites that remotely measure atmospheric haze due to smoke and dust. No matter how far back he went in the data, the trend remained. Using a network of dust sensors in the region, Lambert and his colleagues were able to corroborate the satellite data and push the trend back more than 20 years.
The findings, reported on 12 October in Geophysical Research Letters, show that across large parts of the Great Plains, levels of wind-blown dust have doubled over the past 20 years. One clue that agriculture is responsible is that the dust levels tend to peak during spring and fall—planting and harvesting seasons, Hallar notes.
Biologists recently made a "once-in-a-lifetime" discovery of a bird that's male on the right side and female on the left.
Researchers captured the bird, a rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Powdermill Nature Reserve, an environmental research center in Rector, Pennsylvania.
Plumage colors usually signal if a grosbeak is male or female, but this bird has both sexes' signature shades. Scientists who captured the bird saw male coloration — pink wing "pits," a red breast splash and black wing feathers — on the right side of its body. But the bird's left wing was browner and had yellow "pits," a color combination found in females, museum representatives said in a statement.
This condition, in which an animal possesses male and female traits divided down the middle of its body, is called bilateral gynandromorphism. In birds, gynandromorphy is thought to stem from an error during egg formation. Unfertilized eggs typically contain one sex chromosome: a Z or a W (male birds are ZZ, while females are ZW). But very rarely, an egg develops with two nuclei, one containing a Z chromosome and the other a W chromosome. If this egg is fertilized, it unites with sperm that carry the Z chromosome to produce an embryo with some cells that are ZZ, producing male traits, and some that are ZW, producing female traits, Natural History Magazine reported.
Researchers have identified gynandromorphy in many animals, including crustaceans, spiders, birds, butterflies and bees; but gynandromorphs are rare, so very few individual animals express the trait. The ARC has collected and banded birds since 1961, and its dataset holds more than 800,000 records. In that time, scientists have documented only five examples of bilateral gynandromorphs.
Caught with their pants down and wearing face masks, U.S. President Donald Trump (R-Shithead) and his challenger Joe Biden are the stars of a new range of defecating figurines that are a longstanding Christmas tradition in the Spanish region of Catalonia.
Known as "caganers" or "poopers" in English, the small statues offer a satirical take on the year's biggest news stories and are traditionally hidden in nativity scenes for friends and family to find.
Masked health workers who have become emblematic of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, also feature prominently in the 2020 Christmas lineup alongside the presidential hopefuls.
"In these four years Trump has been an excellent caganer, I mean excellent in terms of sales," said caganer artisan Marc Alos, 49, from his workshop in the small Mediterranean town of Toroella de Montgri.
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said:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
