Day: December 14, 2008

Final Days Fire Sale

Imagine if President Bush, on his last day in office, invited his friends to lift the Lincoln portrait from the White House Dining Room, take the 18th- century furniture from the Map Room and — for good measure — poison the Rose Garden on the way out.

In essence, he is doing the same thing this month with land that belongs to every American — the magical redrock country of the Southwest.

Timothy Egan continues.

Important stuff

I went to a surprise birthday party last night. I was responsible for bringing two essential ingredients — the cake and the suprisee, my good friend Donna.

She was totally surprised. That or she will be accepting an Oscar for best performance come February.

But that’s all trivia. Far more importantly, I was able to pick up three new Facebook friends.

December 14th

Today is the birthday

… of jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player Clark Terry, 88.

Clark Terry performed with Charlie Barnet (1947) and in Count Basie’s big band and small groups (1948-51) before beginning an important affiliation with Duke Ellington, which lasted from 1951 to 1959. During this period Terry took part in many of Ellington’s suites and acquired a lasting reputation for his wide range of styles (from swing to hard bop), technical proficiency, and infectious good humor. After leaving Ellington, he became a frequent performer in New York studios and a staff member of NBC; he appeared regularly on the Tonight Show, where his unique “mumbling” scat singing became famous.

PBS – JAZZ

… of Don Hewitt. The producer of 60 Minutes is 86.

… of Patty Duke. The Oscar-winning actress is 62.

… of Gabriella. Vanessa Hudgens is 20 today.

Oscar nominee, for Days of Wine and Roses, Lee Remick was born on this date in 1935. Miss Remick died in 1991.

Congressional Medal of Honor winner Jimmy Doolittle was born on this date in 1896. Doolittle led the daring bombing raid on Tokyo in April 1942. Sixteen B-25s from the U.S.S. Hornet did little damage, but the attack on the Japanese homeland was a major public relations and morale-boosting effort for U.S. forces just five months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

As predicted, Nostradamus was born on this date in 1503.

George Washington died at his Mount Vernon home on this date in 1799 at the age of 67. According to the Library of Congress, his last words reportedly were: “I feel myself going. I thank you for your attentions; but I pray you to take no more trouble about me. Let me go off quietly. I cannot last long.”

Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state on this date in 1819.

Roald Amundsen and four others became the first to reach the South Pole on this date in the summer of 1911. See the NOAA South Pole Live Camera.

And it’s the birthday of Veronica, one of the two official daughters-in-law of NewMexiKen. Veronica, like the President-elect a graduate of Columbia University, is the mother of Sweetie Sofie, law professor and attorney, and makes an awesome Thanksgiving turkey stuffing. Happy Birthday, Veronica.

The Economic Crisis Hits the Markson Family Monopoly Board

From McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, an excerpt of Mr. Markson’s letter to his wife:

This brings us to the housing crisis, for which you and you alone, Pamela, are responsible. When you choose a Chance card and Rich Uncle Pennybags orders you to pay taxes on your houses, then, damn it, Pamela, you pay taxes. Instead, you decide you’re not going to pay, because you only have $7 left. It’s just a game, you say. Stop taking it so seriously, you tell me. Well, maybe that’s what the millions of Americans caught in the subprime-mortgage crisis should have done.

Then you offered a solution—that we dole out my money and resume play. When I heard you suggest a redistribution of wealth in front of the children, I thought my head would explode. What type of example are you setting during Monopoly night, Pamela? Next, you’ll encourage Warren to smoke dope. Or Brittany to get a liberal-arts education.