from Bruce
Anecdotes
Money
• Max D. Stein, a lawyer, liked to tell this story: A man came to see him about a legal question. A dog had come into his butcher shop and had run away with a $4 steak. His question was this: Is the dog’s owner responsible for the loss of the steak? Mr. Stein replied that yes, the dog’s owner is responsible. Hearing that, the man said, “Please pay the $4—it was your dog.” Mr. Stein paid the $4, then said, “My minimum fee for legal advice is $500.”
• Being a ballet impresario is not necessarily (or likely!) a remunerative position. When Léonide Massine was choreographing ballets for Sergei Diaghilev, he was surprised to see that Mr. Diaghilev had holes in the soles of his shoes. And here is a bit of history trivia: Among the people who wrote to Serge Diaghilev saying they wished to become a member of his Ballets-Russes was the spy Mata Hari.
• Jazz singer Anita O’Day was named Anita Belle Colton when she was born. She took the name O’Day because in pig Latin it means “dough,” and she hoped to make a lot of dough as a professional walkathon contestant. (During the Depression, people tried to make money winning marathon walks, where they walked for days in front of an audience with only occasional 15-minute breaks.)
• On Purim, many pious Jews distribute money to the poor. R’ Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apta once counted money over and over again before Purim. His son saw him counting the money, and said, “Father, I thought you hate money.” R’ Avraham Yehoshua Heshel replied, “I want to distribute this money to the poor. If it means nothing to me, then my gift will be of no significance.”
• Theater director Tyrone Guthrie could be frugal at times. Once, he reserved tickets to see Paul Muni in Inherit the Wind. However, he arrived late, just after Act One. The ticket seller named the price for his ticket, but a somewhat inebriated Mr. Guthrie said, “That’s for three acts; what’s the price for two?”
• Corey Ford’s writings were widely plagiarized—especially his short humorous piece “How to Guess Your Age.” Whenever this happened, Mr. Ford would sue, winning every case. He once said about his lawsuits, “I find this a much easier way to make a living than by writing.”
• Basso Karl Formes loved the performing arts so much that in his early, impoverished years he once swam a river to see an actor because he did not have enough money for both passage on the ferry boat and a ticket for the play.
Music
• Dizzy Gillespie played a trumpet that had an unusual shape. Its bell did not point forward but up—at a 45-degree angle. He says, “The truth is that the shape of my horn is an accident. I could pretend that I went into the basement and thought it up, but it wasn’t that way.” So how did the shape come about? A man accidentally sat on it, and the bell bent. It was 6 January 1953, the birthday of Dizzy’s wife, and he played at the party for her. He liked the sound of the unusually shaped trumpet. He says that “when the bell bent, it made a smaller hole because of the dent. I couldn’t get the right sound, but it was a strange sound that I got from the instrument that night. I played it, and I liked the sound. The sound had been changed, and it could be played softly, very softly, not blarey.” The next day he had the trumpet straightened, but it missed the sound that the trumpet had had. He contacted the Martin Company and had an artist draw a trumpet with a bell at a 45-degree angle and told them, “I want a horn like this.” They told him, “You’re crazy!” Dizzy said, “’OK, I’m crazy, but I want a horn like this.’ They made me a trumpet, and I’ve been playing one like that ever since.”
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© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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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: "Ring of Gold"
Album: TALAHOMI WAY
Artist: The High Llamas
Artist Location: London, UK
Info:
“The expedition continues on Llama-back, as they continue deeper into their exotic world of sound. The new naturalism breathes with life — a city of the future is borne to your ears’ delight!”
“A good start [to listening to their catalogue] is near the beginning with HAWAII (a full two hours of music) but this song has always been one of my favorites, from TALAHOMI WAY: ‘Ring of Gold,’ [which is] about a racehorse put out to pasture.” — George Raymond, fan and author of TREFOLOGY Blog
“The High Llamas are an Anglo-Irish avant-pop band formed in London circa 1991. They were founded by singer-songwriter Sean O’Hagan, formerly of Microdisney, with drummer Rob Allum and ex-Microdisney bassist Jon Fell. O’Hagan has led the group since its formation. Their music is often compared to the Beach Boys, a band he acknowledges as an influence, although more prominent influences were drawn from bossa nova and European film soundtracks.” — Wikipedia
“Following the spirit. Sweet music to feed the soul. Get it out there, however you can. Channel the past, learn from the young. Check out brother High Llamas.” Sean O’Hagen
Price: $9 (USD) for 12-track album. Tracks cannot be purchased separately; only one track can be previewed.
Genre: Pop.
Links:
TALAHOMI WAY
The High Llamas on Bandcamp
Sean O’Hagen on Bandcamp
The High Llamas Wikipedia Article
Trefology
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
New Venture
Michael Egan
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
Ukraine
A Message to the Russian Ambassador - Pat Kenny
Pat Kenny's message to the Russian Ambassador to Ireland? "Give us a break, and cut the whining." This comes after a man was arrested after a truck was driven into the gates of the Russian Embassy in Dublin. The Russian Embassy in Dublin then issued a strongly worded statement condemning the “violation of its territory”. A 49-year-old man has since appeared in court in relation to the incident.
Other Links:
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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
Mostly sunny afternooon.
Leaves to Fight Russia in Ukraine
Malcolm Nance
A longtime MSNBC on-air terrorism and national security analyst is now fighting Russians in Ukraine.
Malcolm Nance, a former naval intelligence officer who became executive director of The Terror Asymmetrics Project on Strategy, Tactics and Radical Ideologies after leaving the service, appeared on Joy Reid’s 7 PM program Monday from a “secure location,” where he revealed that he had joined the “International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine,” essentially a Ukrainian version of the French Foreign Legion.
Nance has been an MSNBC analyst since 2007, according to his LinkedIn page, appearing on a number of shows to discuss intelligence, insurgency and national security-related topics.
An MSNBC spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter Monday that Nance “is not a contributor” with the cable news channel, though it is not clear when he parted ways with the network. He was identified as an MSNBC analyst on-air as recently as February 28, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had already begun.
“The more I saw of the war going on, the more I thought, ‘I’m done talking, all right? It’s time to take action here,’” Nance told Reid. “I am here to help this country fight what essentially is a war of extermination. This is an existential war and Russia has brought it to these people and they are mass murdering civilians, and there are people here like me who are here to do something about it.”
Malcolm Nance
Returns To Hollywood
TCM Film Festival
Classic film lovers know the importance of a grand entrance and the folks at Turner Classic Movies are pulling out all the stops for the return of the TCM Classic Film Festival this week in Hollywood.
After two years of virtual editions because of the pandemic, the festival kicks off Thursday with the help of Steven Spielberg, who will be on hand to celebrate the 40th anniversary of “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” He and stars Drew Barrymore, Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace and Robert MacNaughton will gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre for a discussion with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz before the new IMAX restoration of the 1982 film screens.
It’s the first time Spielberg will be at the festival. He’ll also make an appearance to introduce a 4K restoration of the George Stevens’ film “Giant,” starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean.
“E.T.” isn’t the only 40-year reunion on the slate. Kevin Bacon, Tim Daly, Steve Guttenberg and Paul Reiser are reuniting for a discussion and screening of Barry Levinson’s “Diner.” And Aileen Quinn is joining Alicia Malone to talk about playing the lead in John Huston’s “Annie.”
The festival will celebrate talent like 85-year-old Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie, the now 90-year-old star of “Carrie,” “The Hustler,” “Twin Peaks” and “Children of a Lesser God” and Floyd Norman, the 86-year-old animator who has had a hand in everything from “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Jungle Book” to “Toy Story 2.” Cast members of “Cooley High” and “A League of Their Own” will be on hand to discuss their films and Lily Tomlin will also cement her Hollywood legacy with a hand and footprint ceremony outside of the TCL Chinese Theatre.
TCM Film Festival
West Coast Tour
Bob Dylan
The question of whether and when Bob Dylan will go further west in his concert dates was resolved Monday morning, as the artist’s website revealed a run of 14 new shows, all of them along the west coast, commencing not much more than a month from now.
The first of the newly announced shows is May 28 in Spokane, Washington, and the last is June 18 in San Diego. In-between will come concerts in Seattle, Eugene, Redding, Oakland and Los Angeles. The latter two California cities will each get a three-night stand in a historic movie palace.
The June 14-16 run in Hollywood’s majestic Pantages Theatre brings Dylan back to a venue that has served him well in the past. He previously performed a seven-night there in May 1992, and returned for five nights in March 2005, the latter gigs with the late Merle Haggard as his opening act. His most recent concert appearance in L.A. was in June 2016 at the Shrine.
The new shows will kick off right after Dylan’s 81st birthday on May 24.
Bob Dylan
Flying Heritage Collection Sold
Paul Allen
Three and a half years after his death, another one of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s passion projects — the extensive collection of aviation and military artifacts that was housed at the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum in Everett, Wash. — has reportedly been sold off by his estate.
Air Current magazine reported late last week that the museum’s entire collection was sold “in its entirety.”
The collection’s new owner is Steuart Walton, the grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton, according to Scramble, a publication of the Dutch Aviation Society.
Since Allen’s death due to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 65 in 2018, his sister and the trustee of his estate, Jodi Allen, has dramatically transformed Vulcan through the transfer of numerous holdings — including the Stratolaunch space venture; prime property in Los Angeles and Hawaii; and Allen’s Octopus superyacht, which played a role in the billionaire’s deep-ocean exploration projects. (The new owner of the Octopus is said to be Swedish billionaire Roger Samuelsson.)
Vulcan also closed facilities such as Seattle’s Cinerama movie theater, the Living Computers Museum + Labs and the Flying Heritage museum, largely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paul Allen
Voids Mask Mandate
‘Not Qualified’
A Trump grifter-appointed Federal judge in Florida has voided a national mask mandate for airplanes and other transportation. “Wearing a mask cleans nothing,” U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle wrote in her decision on Monday. “At most, it traps virus droplets. But it neither ‘sanitizes’ the person wearing the mask nor ‘sanitizes’ the conveyance.”
Mizelle, 35, was only eight years out of law school at University of Florida when Trump the unindicted conspirator appointed her to the lifetime position in 2020. The Daily Beast noted at the time that her only trial experience was as an intern, and that she held four clerkships, including one for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Mizelle was rated “not qualified” by the American Bar Association prior to her appointment, citing her lack of experience.
The transportation mandate case on which Mizelle ruled was filed on behalf of a group known as Health Freedom Defense Fund, as well as airline passengers. Mizelle said that the Centers for Disease Control had exceeded its legal authority, that it had failed to justify its decision and follow comment protocols, and that the mandate was “arbitrary and capricious,” according to The Washington Post. The CDC had announced earlier this month that it extended its mask mandate to May 3.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it will no longer enforce the mask mandate in light of Mizelle’s decision, according to CNN.
Fortunately for the mandate’s opponents, the former president was able to appoint a slew of unqualified judges.
‘Not Qualified’
To The International Space Station
Holographic Doctor
For over 20 years, there has been a continuous human presence in space. If that’s not science-fiction made real enough for you consider this: on October 8, a doctor was beamed to the International Space Station (ISS) as a hologram.
Now we are not talking Star Trek Emergency Medical Hologram level, but it is certainly something of a breakthrough. NASA flight surgeon Dr Josef Schmid, together with Fernando De La Pena Llaca from AEXA Aerospace and their teams, were "holoported" to orbit to chat with European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
The approach combined, a Microsoft Hololens Kinect camera and custom software from AEXA. The results were high-quality 3D models of the people transmitted inside the ISS in a conversation that happened live. They interacted with 3D models of each other almost like they were there for real.
Holoportation has been developed by Microsoft over the last six years but this is the first time it has been used in space, making Dr Schmid and company the first people to be holoported off Earth. The next step for this technology is to combine it with augmented reality so that telementoring can become a reality. Technical expertise can be beamed up live to the astronauts to assist with experiments, for example.
Holographic Doctor
Stunning Aurora
Iceland
A sunspot that "awoke from the dead" last week and erupted with a medium-size solar flare, along with a mass ejection of plasma, also lit up the northern skies in glowing lights. One stunning image of the effect showed the aurora seeming to rain through the clouds above Iceland.
Rays from this aurora shone near Goðafoss Waterfall, which is about about 45 minutes from Akureyri, the second-largest city in Iceland.
"The nighttime window of darkness is rapidly shrinking here at 65.7 degrees north latitude, just 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle, which makes the aurora spectacle that much more precious," photographer Todd Salat, of AuroraHunter.com, told SpaceWeather.com.
The shining northern lights were generated by a moderate-sized solar storm, associated with an explosion of solar particles witnessed by satellites. The sunspot that exploded was poetically dubbed "dead" because it had recently erupted and become part of a quiet solar patch. Even so, as those solar particles interacted with Earth's magnetic field lines, air molecules high up in the atmosphere were excited, producing the incredible sky show.
On Facebook, Salat told viewers that this was the first time he had seen auroras of this magnitude during a planned two-week trip to Iceland, from his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. It was Salat's ninth night in Iceland, and he had only seen glimpses of the northern lights before this. Then the weather forecast turned.
Iceland
Enhance Salty Taste
Electric Chopsticks
Japanese researchers have developed computerised chopsticks that enhance salty tastes, potentially helping those who need to reduce sodium in their diets.
Co-developed by Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and beverage maker Kirin Holdings Co., the chopsticks enhance tastes using electrical stimulation and a mini-computer worn on a wristband.
The device uses a weak electrical current to transmit sodium ions from food, through the chopsticks, to the mouth where they create a sense of saltiness, said Miyashita.
"As a result, the salty taste enhances 1.5 times," he said.
The taste-enhancing chopsticks may have particular relevance in Japan, where the traditional diet favours salty tastes. The average Japanese adult consumes about 10 grams of salt per day, double the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Electric Chopsticks
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