Minor-Leaguer Scores a Baseball Rarity
Five strikeouts in one inning.
Monthly Archive: July 2011
The (Deadly?) Origins of ‘The Road Not Taken’
Many were the walks when Thomas would guide Frost on the promise of rare wild flowers or birds’ eggs, only to end in self-reproach when the path he chose revealed no such wonders.
Kim Jong-Il Looking At Things
North Korea’s dear leader gets his own Tumblr. Now we know what his days have in common with Queen Elizabeth’s. { Hat tip: TNW }
Merv Griffin Sings ‘I’ve Got a Loverly Bunch of Coconuts’
Ever wonder what Merv Griffin did for work before he became a talk show host and inventor of Jeopardy? Here’s your answer.
Benito Mussolini, Unhappy Birthday to You
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was born on this day in 1883. He caused plenty of havoc in the next 61 years. Benito Mussolini tends to be the Forgotten Fascist these …..
Beatrix Potter Sesquicentennial -5
Happy 145th birthday, Beatrix Potter. Love you, babe!You were born the same year as Butch Cassidy and H.G. Wells.
1976 Flashback: The Captain and Tennille Destroy ‘Muskrat Love’ Forever
We mentioned “Muskrat Love” in our earlier post about the late Dan Peek.
Dan Peek, Founding Member of ‘America,’ Dead at 60
Oh, wow. Dan Peek, one of the three founding members of the 1970s band America, has died. His wife found him dead in bed at their home in Missouri on Sunday.
Alex Trebek Chases Burglar, Ruptures Tendon, Utters Quip
“What is, it happened at 2:30 a.m., chasing a burglar down the hallway of my San Francisco hotel when my Achilles tendon ruptured and I then fell on carpet, bruising …..
Oregon Pols Complete the Rare Sex Scandal Grand Slam
So Oregon Rep. David Wu is resigning from Congress in the wake of his “unwanted sexual encounter” with the 18-year-old daughter of a campaign donor and old friend. Good grief!What is in the water in Oregon? Rep. Wu gives the state the full grand slam of political sex scandals: Congressman, senator, governor, and mayor of its largest city.
Let’s call the roll.
Cash Cab Kills a Canadian
A 61-year-old pedestrian was killed by TV’s Cash Cab in Vancouver last week, says the Vancouver Sun.
The Anniversary of Evita’s Death
Today is the anniversary of the death of Argentenian superstar Eva Perón. “Evita” died from cancer in 1952, at the age of 33.
Headline of the Day
“Kim Kardashian Has Psoriasis – Not Ringworm.”Duly noted.
Headline of the Day
“Kim Kardashian Has Psoriasis – Not Ringworm.”Duly noted.
Emmett Till Would Be Just 70 Years Old Now
Emmett Till, the black 14-year-old whose murder helped spark the Civil Rights revolution of 1955, was born on this day in Chicago in 1941. He’s been dead for 56 years, yet he’d be just 70 years old today.
Turning Bottles of Water into Liters of Light
From daily bread to daily light. Illac Diaz turns simple bottles of water into light for shanties in Manila. A touch of bleach keeps algae out, so the 55-watt “bulbs” …..
Chad Robertson and His Gorgeous White Bread
Do you like bread? I like bread. Let’s go to San Francisco and eat some of Chad Robertson’s fantastic bread.
{ Video: 4SP Films. }
Fedor Dostoevsky Predicts the Summer of 2011
“The heat in the street was terrible and the airlessness, the bustle and the
plaster, scaffolding, bricks, and dust all about him, and that special
Petersburg stench, so familiar to all who are unable to get out of town
in summer — all worked painfully upon the young man’s already overwrought nerves. The insufferable stench from the pot-houses, which are particularly numerous in that part of the town, and the drunken men whom he met continually, although it was a working day, completed the revolting misery of the picture.”
‘Just a Sweet Tiny Thing With a Huge Great Voice’
Tracy McVeigh remembers the late Amy Winehouse.”The reservoir of goodwill in the industry towards Winehouse was enormous. She had been a huge trailblazing force in the music industry, credited with clearing the way for, and inspiring, Adele, Duffy and even Lady Gaga.”Still…
Amy Winehouse, Talented Train-Wreck Singer, Dead at 27
“It sounds like such a wank thing to say,” Ms. Winehouse once said, “but I need to get some headaches goin’ to write about.”The Big Headache came for Amy Winehouse today. She was found dead at her home in London this afternoon.
Happy Birthday, Alexander Calder
Below is the Google tribute to Alexander Calder, who was born on July 22, 1898 in Lawnton, Pennsylvania:
“Sandy” Calder began his career as a sculptor when he was four years old. He had a little help — his father and his father’s father were both sculptors. And they were both named Alexander, too.
Remembering Clarence Clemons, Football Player
William Rhoden remembers the football-playing years of Clarence “Big Man” Clemons.
Apollo 11 Anniversary
Today is the 42nd anniversary of the first manned moon landing. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the lunar surface, while Michael Collins kept orbit in the “mothership.”
As you can see from the above graphic (courtesy of Oregon’s Eugene Register-Guard), the entire mission was done in just 15 easy steps.
Another Apollo 11 Anniversary
Today is the anniversary of the first manned moon landing. Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface on this day in 1969. Then Buzz Aldrin hopped down, followed by paparazzi.
Astronaut Michael Collins waited in the car and started honking the horn after only about 15 minutes.
It was a simpler time, as you can tell by this fantastic graphic that describes the Apollo 11 mission:
The Telegraph Goes ‘Tiger Lady’ on Wendi Deng
“She has catapulted herself from the anonymity and austerity of communist China to the family – and now the family trust – of one of the world’s most powerful and wealthy men.
Paul McCartney Plays Yankee Stadium
Super-enthusiastic reviews for Paul McCartney’s concerts at Yankee Stadium this weekend. McCartney even worked in a baseball joke for the crowd: “Who’s this Derek Jeter guy?
“I Have to Admit I Was a Prat”
“I used to give myself airs and graces when I was younger,” he said in the glow of victory. “I have to admit I was a prat. I was rude to people if I’d had a bad round, and it wasn’t right. But I like to think I have
learned from my mistakes.”Nice little story about Darren Clarke, winner of this year’s British Open.
This Is The Day Nico Died
Singer and model Nico died on this day in 1988. She was only 49 years old when she died. Nico was made famous in the late 1960s, thanks to her association with Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground.She was riding a bike on the island of Ibiza when she had a heart problem that caused her to fall and hit her head. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage. That’s what got Franklin D. Roosevelt, Marcus Garvey and WIlla Cather.
Bee Bearding in China
Wang Dalin is the winner of this year’s bee bearding competition in Shaoyang City, in Hunan Province China. They say he was able to attract nearly 27,000 bees to his body. You can read more about it here (there are more photos, too). Below is the competition’s runner-up, Lu Kongjiang. He was only able to attract about 23,000 bees:
Roy Scheider Biography
We’ve posted a Roy Scheider biography recently to go along with this spur-of-the-moment drawing:
Happy Birthday, Linda Ronstadt
Today is singer Linda Ronstadt’s birthday. She is 65 years old.
She has a great voice. I’ve liked some of her songs over the years, but her career has never quite been on my radar screen. I know that Philip K. Dick thought she was the cat’s pajamas.
Here she is with the Stone Poneys, singing “Different Drum” in 1967:
Roger Clemens Walks
The perjury trial of highly-decorated baseball pitcher Roger Clemens came to a halt on the second day of testimony when Judge Reggie B. Walton declared a mistrial.
Because prosecutors presented barred evidence to the jury. Oops.
As this piece from the Washington Post says: “His lawyers, unable to supress grins, declined to comment.”
Rebekah Brooks Resigns
“She was a timebomb strapped to Murdoch’s leg.”Once his “fifth daughter,” Rebekah Brooks becomes the latest casualty in the UK’s Rupert Murdoch wars.
Red Skelton Was a Good Guy, Says Corporal Klinger
“What a thrill! I was 19 or 20 years old and I’d grown up listening to Red Skelton’s show on a crystal set under the covers… He was such a big hero to me, and I was cast as his sidekick.” The late Sherwood Schwartz may not have loved Red Skelton, but Jamie Farr thought he was aces.
Sherwood Schwartz on Red Skelton, Guns, Threats and Comedy
Sherwood Schwartz gave birth to Gilligan and the Bradys, yes, but he was also a veteran of 70 years of comedy. (Dude was born during World War I, after all. He began …..
Who is More Powerful: Rupert Murdoch or Parliament?
Robert Peston wonders:”If Parliament is sovereign, there is something slightly odd about the idea that the vote can be passed and that Mr. Murdoch can choose to ignore it.”
The Who2 Biography of J.J. Grandville
Please read our new biography of French caricaturist J.J. Grandville. That’s him just above, a self-portrait from a museum in his hometown of Nancy, France. If nothing else, follow the links from our biography to see some examples of his work beyond what we’re showing here:
“This Is the Stuff of Which Heroes Are Made”
Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry received the Congressional Medal of Honor today from President Barack Obama. From the official citation: “Instantly realizing the danger, Staff Sergeant Petry, unhesitatingly and with …..
Sherwood Schwartz Ends 823,000-Hour Tour
Sherwood Schwartz, creator of Gilligan and the Brady Bunch, has died. He was 94 years old — over 823,0
What’s the Most Lucrative Film Franchise of All Time?
The answer is clear, but it may surprise you.Hint: Harry Potter is only third (so far) and Batman is sixth.
Liza Minnelli’s Facelift Is Both Honorable and Confounding
Liza Minnelli was awarded the French Legion of Honor on Monday in Paris.
Busy Weekend at the “ER to the Stars”
It’s no secret that Cedars-Sinai is our favorite Hollywood hospital.So we’re thrilled — thrilled — to report that two celebs had babies there this weekend.
Getting a Handle on the Phone Hacking Scandal
To understand the News of the World phone hacking scandal, you can’t do better than this calm, clear layout from Nick Davies, the Guardian reporter who’s been on the story …..
Roger Clemens on Trial for Perjury
Yesterday was the first day day in the perjury trial of Major League Baseball great Roger Clemens.
Why Can’t Today’s Republicans Compromise?
It’s all about conservative voter turnout, says Nate Silver:
Which Living Felon is Al Pacino Playing Now?
Al Pacino played the late Dr. Jack Kevorkian in a TV movie just last year.Now Al Pacino is playing another living person. Can you tell who it is from this on-the-set photo taken yesterday?
President Obama Uses Twitter
In a long-overdue show of “I can do the modern world, too,” President Barack Obama has apparently *tweeted* — asking for your opinion:
“The Jews Are Born Spies,” Says President Nixon
President Nixon: The Jews are born spies. You notice how many of them are? They’re just in it up to their necks.Haldeman: Well, got a basic devious abil– deviousness that–President Nixon: Well, also, an arrogance, an arrogance that says– that’s what makes a spy. He puts himself above the law.
Tom Felton: “An American Tried to Adopt Me”
“An American once tried to adopt me. It was the most disturbing fan mail I received… He sent a binder of official documents that he’d filled out for me, so I just had to sign, change my name to Draco, then divorce my parents and go over to America to live with him.”
Photos of Tom Cruise in Tiger Paint
According to the gossipmongers at Splash News Online Hollywood bigshot Tom Cruise got his face painted as part of his 49th birthday celebration. Here’s one of the creepy photos to prove it:
Ernest Hemingway = Captain Kirk?
“There’s a lot there to pick apart in the man: the bluster, exaggerated machismo, mood swings, four marriages, alcoholism, death-wooing in the bullring, at the D-Day landing, and in bed. No small ego there. But, in all the fancy analytical footwork, it’s sometimes forgotten that, like Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, Hemingway explored ‘strange new worlds … to boldly go where no man has gone before.'”
Ernest Hemingway: Epic Self-Destruction or Just Plain Old Suicide?
“It’s hard to shake off the feeling that what he was doing wasn’t bravery, but psychotic self-dramatisation. And when you inspect the image of Hemingway-as-hero, you uncover an extraordinary sub-stratum of self-harming.
All-Too-Juicy Controversy in the Disgusting World of Hot Dog Eating!
Joey Chestnut, horrifyingly, gobbled down sixty-two hot dogs in 10 minutes today to “win” the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island.
Thomas Jefferson at the Library of Congress
To celebrate Independence Day, read The Declaration of Independence. Or, as it’s sometimes called, “The Constitution.”
To celebrate The Declaration Independence, visit the exhibit from the Library of Congress on Thomas Jefferson and Establishing a Federal Republic.
Give Me Liberty Or…
Motorcyclist riding in an anti-helmet rally falls, hits head, and dies.
How Well Do You Know The Declaration of Independence?
Do you know your Jefferson from your Hancock? Prove it with the Declaration of Independence quiz. (I got 8 of 12.)
Koko the Gorilla is 40 Today
Koko the Gorilla, the ape who learned sign language, turns 40 today. Happy birthday to her!Koko was born in 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo. That’s where she was found by a Stanford graduate student, Penny Patterson, who has made gorilla sign language her life’s work.
Roger Ebert Is Not Too Keen on ‘Transformers 3’
Michael Bay’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” is a visually ugly film with an incoherent plot, wooden characters and inane dialog.
Princess Diana, Born On this Day in 1961
Amazing: Princess Diana would be turning just 50 today.
From the Movie Archives: Vincent Canby Slams ‘Rocky’
Mr. Stallone’s Rocky is less a performance than an impersonation. It’s all superficial mannerisms and movements, reminding me of Rodney Dangerfield doing a nightclub monologue…