from Bruce
Anecdotes
Husbands and Wives
• When Susan Butcher, four-time winner of the 1,049-mile-long Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, married David Monson, they had ring bearers, just as other brides and grooms do—but at their wedding, the ring bearers were two husky sled dogs, Tekla and Granite. (Before being married, the happy couple had a long-distance relationship—they dated despite living 600 miles away from each other.)
• In the first half of the 20th century, the Chicago White Sox had an effective way of ensuring that players maintained their training. Whenever a player would stay out late at night while on the road, manager Jimmy Dykes would send this form letter to the player’s wife: “Your husband has got into the habit of staying out late of nights. I wish you would find where he goes and what he does and let me know.”
• Fred Astaire’s first wife, Phyllis, once asked him to do the dishes. Fred went into the kitchen, and a few moments later, the sound of breaking dishes filled the air. Phyllis went into the kitchen to see what was going on, and she saw her husband breaking the dishes one at a time. He told her, “Never ask me to do dishes again.” Phyllis laughed, then she helped him break the rest of the dishes.
• Jerry Stiller married Anna Meara (they are the parents of Ben Stiller) because he was impressed by what she did on an early date—she stole spoons from the restaurant where they were dining. According to Mr. Stiller, “I fell in love when I saw her swipe those spoons. I respected her for it. I felt it showed that she was an Irish girl who had a lot of guts—or at least a lot of spoons.”
• When Charles Darwin was deciding whether to marry, he made two columns on a scrap of paper and headed one column “Marry” and the other column “Not Marry.” In the two columns, he listed all the reasons why he should marry and all the reasons why he should not marry. The column labeled “Marry” won, and he proposed to Emma Wedgwood, who happily accepted.
• Ballerina Suzanne Farrell’s choreographer husband, Paul Mejia, used to be the director of Ballet Guatemala, despite the precarious political situation in that country. One day, he was talking during a long-distance telephone call to his wife, and she heard shots in the background. Mr. Mejia explained, “There’s a revolution going on outside my window.”
• A man and his wife once approached comedian Groucho Marx. The couple introduced themselves, then the man said that his wife was a big fan of Groucho’s and was dying to be insulted by him. Groucho replied to the husband, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself. With a wife like that, it ought to be easy to think of your own insults.”
• As an old married couple, Charles Darwin and his wife, Emma, used to play backgammon together. Ever meticulous, Mr. Darwin kept a running total of the games he and his wife had won. He once wrote in a letter to a friend, “Emma, poor creature, has won only 2,490 games, whilst I have won, Hurrah, Hurrah, 2,795 games.”
• Comedian Rita Rudner’s father was very good at making Rita’s mother hurry when he was anxious to go somewhere. He would yell “P.C.U.,” which stood for “Pulling the Car Out.” At that point, he was ready to leave without her, and she would have to finish putting on her makeup in the car.
• Comedian Fanny Brice met and married the elegant Nicky Arnstein. She knew she was hooked on him when she looked in his hotel bathroom and discovered that he owned seven—seven!—toothbrushes. According to Ms. Brice, “I came out of that bathroom full of personality.”
• Whenever opera singer Enrico Caruso and his wife, Dorothy, were invited to dine out, he would ask his hostess if he and his wife could sit together—“Else, dear madame, we cannot come. You see, I can sit by her at home and I married Doro to be near her.”
• Actor Maurice Barrymore was a wit—so was his wife, Georgie. Once, Maurice came home early in the morning after a night of revelry only to meet his wife going out. He asked her, “Where are you going, Georgie?” She replied, “To Mass—and you can go to Hell.”
• Ed Muskie’s wife, Jane, was shy, but as the wife of a politician, she occasionally had to make a public speech. Once, in New Hampshire, she said, “Oh, I think I’m going to faint. But before I do, I’d like to say a few words about my husband.”
• Thomas Alva Edison and Mina, his second wife, were able to converse privately in a room filled with people by tapping the other’s palm with Morse code. In fact, Mr. Edison used this form of communication to propose to her.
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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
Track: "Late Again"
Album: BLOSSOM
Artist: Wild Bill & the Railroad Cats
Artist Location: Ramsgate, UK
Record Company: Aldora Britain Records (“The worldwide hub of independent and underground music since 2013.”)
Record Company Location: Rothley, UK
Info:
“Aldora Britain Records is an e-zine and record label that promotes the music and work of authentic independent or underground artists from all around the world. Originally established in 2013, they revamped themselves in 2018 with a brand-new approach. Their first weekly compilation, aptly titled THE SECOND COMING, was released in late 2019. They now also release original singles, EPs and charity projects.”
Price: £0.50 (GBP) for 14-track album by various artists
Genre: Rockabilly. Boogie-Woogie, 1950s. Various.
Links:
BLOSSOM
Aldora Britain Records on Bandcamp
Aldora Britain Records on YouTube
Other Links:
Bruce’s Music Recommendations: FREE pdfs
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog #1
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Stephen Suggests
30 Days
New Venture
Michael Egan
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
Tuesday
Ukraine:
Operator Starsky: Meet Chris, the German Volunteer
I'm really proud to have such a friend in our unit. In my opinion, Chris is a true representative of modern European people: democratic, responsible, and courageous. Guys like him are the foundation of the world, where freedom, justice, friendship, and partnership are valued, and dictatorship stands no chance.
Recommended Reading:
How would you rank Donald Trump among other presidents? (Quora)
Other Links:
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David Bruce's Blog #1
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Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
These people are either incredibly naive or have tremendous chutzpah.
It's ALL about him and his personal gain! Everything and everyone else be damned.
that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
So Cal Edison is scheduled to turn off the power around 10pm Tuesday night, lasting until 5am, for 'maintenance' purposes.
Will try to get a page up before then, and update/complete later in the day, when we have rejoined the 21st 20th century.
No Charges
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
Federal prosecutors have declined to bring charges against nine people associated with CBS’ “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” who were arrested in a building in the U.S. Capitol complex last month.
The decision, made by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, comes after prosecutors determined they “cannot move forward” with the misdemeanor charges against the nine people arrested June 16 in the Longworth House Office Building. The incident followed the third public hearing by the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office said it was not probable a conviction could be obtained and sustained given that the nine arrested had been invited and that their escorts had never asked them to leave the building.
Though Capitol Police have refused to provide the names of those who were arrested, a person familiar with the matter provided The Associated Press with a list of nine people who had been stopped by Capitol Police. They included several producers, along with comedian and writer Robert Smigel, the voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
Prosecutors said the group had been invited by congressional staffers and had never been asked to leave by the staff members who had invited them. The U.S. attorney’s office said some people in the group of nine had been told by police that they were supposed to have an escort.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
Board Rejects Demands
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize Board on Monday formally rejected an effort by the former President Donald Trump to get the panel that oversees the highest award in journalism to rescind the prize jointly awarded to The New York Times and The Washington Post in 2018 for coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 election and the ensuing special counsel probe by Robert Mueller.
The Pulitzer board said it had commissioned two separate reviews into The Post and The Times' reporting and that each of the independent inquiries found that the stories still stand.
"The separate reviews converged in their conclusions: that no passages or headlines, contentions or assertions in any of the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged subsequent to the conferral of the prizes," the board said in a statement.
Trump The seditious conspirator and some of his allies have complained that the prize should have been revoked. He reiterated this plea in a May letter where he threatened to sue the board if it failed to rescind the awards. The former president has also demonized the two national publications, among others, with his claims that journalists who report critically on him are "the enemy of the people."
Pulitzer Prize
First Female Pilot
Blue Angels
For the first time in its 76-year history, the Navy’s famed Blue Angels aerial demonstration team will feature a female pilot.
The Navy on Monday named Lt. Amanda Lee as one of the Blue Angels’ newest core members.
Since 1946, the Blue Angels have performed dazzling aerial displays at air shows, sporting events and other flight demonstrations, providing community outreach and an important recruiting tool for the U.S. Navy.
Lee, of Mounds View, Minn., is now on a flight demonstration team, Strike Fighter Squadron 106, known as the Gladiators, stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va.
She’s expected to report to the Blue Angels in the fall and will train with the squadron through the winter. Her first event will likely be early next year, Navy said.
Blue Angels
Split & End Showtime Series
‘Desus & Mero’
Desus & Mero are calling it quits.
It comes after the pair returned for the fourth season of their Showtime series in March. However, the fourth season saw the duo cut their on-screen time in half, going weekly rather than twice a week.
The final episode of their show aired on June 23.
Desus, otherwise known as Daniel Baker, and The Kid Mero, otherwise known as Joel Martinez, launched the Showtime series in 2019 and have made over 170 episodes. They have scored guests including President Barack Obama, Joe Biden (before he was President), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and David Letterman, who called them “the future of late-night”.
The Showtime version is their third series having previously hosted a show on Complex TV starting in 2014 and on Viceland starting in 2016. They also produced over 250 episodes of their Bodega Boys podcast.
‘Desus & Mero’
'Huge' Scale
Data Tracking
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used mobile location data to track people’s movements on a much larger scale than previously known, according to new documents unearthed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
It’s no secret that U.S. government agencies have been obtaining and using location data collected by Americans’ smartphones. In early 2020, a Wall Street Journal report revealed that both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) bought access to millions of smartphone users' location data to track undocumented immigrants and suspected tax dodgers.
However, new documents obtained by the ACLU through an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit now reveal the extent of this warrantless data collection. The 6,000-plus records reviewed by the civil rights organization contained approximately 336,000 location points across North America obtained from people’s phones. They also reveal that in just three days in 2018, CBP obtained records containing around 113,654 location points in the southwestern United States — more than 26 location points per minute.
The bulk of the data that CBP obtained came from its contract with Venntel, a location data broker that aggregates and sells information quietly siphoned from smartphone apps. By purchasing this data from data brokers, officials are sidestepping the legal process government officials would typically need to go through in order to access cell phone data.
Documents also detail the government agencies' efforts to rationalize their actions. For example, cell phone location data is characterized as containing no personally identifying information (PII) in the records obtained by ACLU, despite enabling officials to track specific individuals or everyone in a particular area. Similarly, the records also claim that this data is “100 percent opt-in” and that cell phone users “voluntarily” share the location information. But many don’t realize that apps installed on their phones are collecting GPS information, let alone share that data with the government.
Data Tracking
Judge Reneged On Promise
Roman Polanski
A Los Angeles judge privately told lawyers he would renege on a promise and imprison Roman Polanski for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl in 1977, a former prosecutor testified, setting the stage for the renowned director to flee the U.S. as a fugitive.
A previously sealed transcript of testimony by retired Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson, obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday, supports Polanski’s claim that he fled on the eve of sentencing in 1978 because he didn’t think he was getting a fair deal.
Gunson said during closed-door testimony in 2010 that the judge broke a promise to let Polanski go free after county probation and state prison officials had determined he shouldn’t serve hard time.
The victim, Samantha Geimer, has long advocated that the case be dismissed or that Polanski be sentenced in absentia. She went so far as as to travel from her home in Hawaii to Los Angeles five years ago to urge a judge to end “a 40-year sentence which has been imposed on the victim of a crime as well as the perpetrator.”
Roman Polanski
Shocking!
Newsmax
A conservative TV channel is presenting viewers with an “alternate universe” of how the deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021, a new research report finds.
Newsmax has broadcast at least 40 false claims or conspiracy theories about the attack since June, when a House committee began televising its evidence about the role former President Donald Trump and his allies played in the day’s events, according to NewsGuard, a tech firm that monitors misinformation.
“If you’re watching Newsmax, you may come away with an entirely different feeling of what happened at the hearings, and what happened on Jan. 6,” NewsGuard analyst Jack Brewster said of the findings.
Many of the falsehoods, presented by anchors, reporters and guests who include Republican members of Congress, have been repeatedly debunked. Newsmax did not comment on the report.
Anchors and guests have claimed that there were only a few hundred rioters or that they were “unarmed,” despite photos taken from that day and federal charges that show some were armed with guns or used pepper spray, flagpoles and stun guns as weapons. The Department of Justice estimates at least 2,000 people entered the U.S. Capitol.
Newsmax
'Needle In A Haystack'
Black Hole
Astronomers have spotted in a galaxy adjacent to our Milky Way what they are calling a cosmic "needle in a haystack" - a black hole that not only is classified as dormant but appears to have been born without the explosion of a dying star.
Researchers said on Monday this one differs from all other known black holes in that it is "X-ray quiet" - not emitting powerful X-ray radiation indicative of gobbling up nearby material with its strong gravitational pull - and that it was not born in a stellar blast called a supernova.
Black holes are extraordinarily dense objects with gravity so intense not even light can escape.
This one, with a mass at least nine times greater than our sun, was detected in the Tarantula Nebula region of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy and is located about 160,000 light years from Earth. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).
An extremely luminous and hot blue star with a mass about 25 times that of the sun orbits with this black hole in a stellar marriage. This so-called binary system is named VFTS 243. The researchers believe the companion star eventually also will become a black hole and could merge with the other one.
Black Hole
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