July 30th, holiday wannabe

Edd “Kookie Kookie lend me your comb” Byrnes is 75 today.

Blues guitarist Buddy Guy is 72.

Oscar nominee (direction and co-writer, The Last Picture Show) Peter Bogdanovich is 69.

Paul Anka is 67. Anka is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is 61

Oscar best actor nominee Laurence Fishburne is 47.

Lisa Kudrow is 45.

Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank is 34.

The Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel was born on this date in 1890.

MANAGED NEW YORK YANKEES 1949-1960.
WON 10 PENNANTS AND 7 WORLD SERIES WITH
NEW YORK YANKEES. ONLY MANAGER TO WIN
5 CONSECUTIVE WORLD SERIES 1949-1953.
PLAYED OUTFIELD 1912-1925 WITH BROOKLYN,
PITTSBURGH, PHILADELPHIA, NEW YORK AND
BOSTON N.L. TEAMS. MANAGED BROOKLYN
1934-1936, BOSTON BRAVES 1938-1943,
NEW YORK METS 1962-1965.

A few Casey-isms:

“Can’t anybody here play this game?”

“Good pitching will always stop good hitting and vice-versa.”

“He’d (Yogi Berra) fall in a sewer and come up with a gold watch.”

One of the most remarkable Americans, Henry Ford, was born on this date in 1863. The following is and excerpt from Mr. Ford’s New York Times obituary in 1947:

Renting a one-story brick shed in Detroit, Mr. Ford spent the year 1902 experimenting with two- cylinder and four-cylinder motors. By that time the public had become interested in the speed possibilities of the automobile, which was no longer regarded as a freak. To capitalize on this interest, he built two racing cars, the “999” and the “Arrow,” each with a four-cylinder engine developing eighty horsepower. The “999,” with the celebrated Barney Oldfield at its wheel, won every race in which it was entered.

The resulting publicity helped Mr. Ford to organize the Ford Motor Company, which was capitalized at $100,000, although actually only $28,000 in stock was subscribed. From the beginning Mr. Ford held majority control of this company. In 1919 he and his son, Edsel, became its sole owners, when they bought out the minority stockholders for $70,000,000.

In 1903 the Ford Motor Company sold 1,708 two-cylinder, eight horsepower automobiles. …

With this material he began the new era of mass production. He concentrated on a single type of chassis, the celebrated Model T, and specified that “any customer can have a car painted any color he wants, so long as it is black.” On Oct. 1, 1908, he began the production of Model T, which sold for $850. The next year he sold 10,600 cars of this model. Cheap and reliable, the car had a tremendous success. In seven years he built and sold 1,000,000 Fords; by 1925 he was producing them at the rate of almost 2,000,000 a year.

He established two cardinal economic policies during this tremendous expansion: the continued cutting of the cost of the product as improved methods of production made it possible, and the payment of higher wages to his employes. By 1926 the cost of the Model T had been cut to $310, although it was vastly superior to the 1908 model. In January, 1914, he established a minimum pay rate of $5 a day for an eight-hour day, thereby creating a national sensation. Up to that time the average wage throughout his works had been $2.40 a nine-hour day.

The entire obituary is really rather fascinating reading.

Douglas Brinkley’s Wheels for the World (2003) is considered a good biography of Ford and the Ford Motor Company.

The Indianapolis

If you saw Jaws or read it, you will remember the harrowing story Quint (Robert Shaw) tells of surviving the sinking of the cruiser Indianapolis. It was on this date in 1945 that the ship, which had carried the Hiroshima atomic bomb, was torpedoed by the Japanese. According to the USS Indianapolis CA-35 web site:

At 12:14 a.m. on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea and sank in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 men on board, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remainder, about 900 men, were left floating in shark-infested waters with no lifeboats and most with no food or water. The ship was never missed, and by the time the survivors were spotted by accident four days later only 316 men were still alive.

Shark attacks began with sunrise of the first day (July 30) and continued until the survivors were removed from the water almost five days later.

The Navy web site includes oral histories with Indianapolis Captain McVay and Japanese submarine Captain Hashimoto. The Discovery Channel has a wealth of material.

The site dedicated to the Indianapolis is perhaps the best source.

In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors (2001) by Doug Stanton is a book on the voyage, the sinking, the survivors and McVay’s court martial.

What else is new line of the day

“For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true.”

The Washington Post

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell (Mrs. Alan Greenspan), who was with Obama, put it this way:

There was never an intention to make this political. But by tacking it on to the tail end of a political-the political leg of the trip, they opened themselves up they feared to the criticism, and if they’d gone, they’d be criticized and not going, they were criticized and the McCain commercial on this subject is completely wrong! Factually wrong.

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns.

It’s difficult to watch this well-done, if one-sided, video and not question a few personal habits.

And a lot in impersonal ones.

And, as Andrew Tobias puts it, “Chances are that whatever may be exaggerated now will soon be accurate if we don’t act.”

Link via Andrew Tobias.

Almost a no-no

Jill and Byron and their three boys are on vacation, tonight taking in the ballgame at Fenway.  Jill has been an Angels fan since she was a wee Sweetie herself and tonight she got some excitement.  Not only did her Angels win 6-2 over the Bosox, but Angel pitcher John Lackey took a no-hitter into the ninth, giving up a single and home run with one out.  He hung on for the win.  

NewMexiKen saw a one-hitter (Nolan Ryan) in person once, but never a no-no. By the late innings I was so excited at the prospect of Jill and family getting the chance, you’d have thought I was there myself.

Byron, by the way, had this to say earlier in the evening:

“Yankee stadium has some charm. Wrigley has tons of charm. Fenway has no charm. This stadium needs to be blown up.”

Ted Stevens indicted

I see they finally caught up with that scofflaw Ted Stevens for almost running me down in a crosswalk in front of the National Archives in 1973.

I see also that Bennigan’s has gone under — not only closed, but to be liquidated. Ha, that’ll teach her. Her being THAT bartender in April that was snippy with me when I was snippy with her about showing ID to buy a Michelob Ultra 42 years after I turned 21. “Do you want to get me fired?” she said. Well, yeah.

The Milky Way

Milky Way over Ontario

Of all the things we’ve done to ourselves and this planet, dimming the wonder of the night sky is surely the most aesthetically hurtful. Until 125 years ago people everywhere saw the Milky Way on clear nights. Now it’s just a great photo.

Click the image for a larger version and to learn more.

Born Standing Up

NewMexiKen picked up Steve Martin’s 2007 memoir Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life last night around 10:30 and stayed with it to the end, about three hours later.

Martin calls this book a biography “because I am writing about someone I used to know.” The comedian was among the biggest draws ever when he walked away from stand up in 1981, never to return. The book is the story up to that time. His first job, at age 10, was selling guides at Disneyland (he rode his bike to work).

It’s well-written, fast-paced, just enough about each phase of growing up and becoming “a wild and crazy guy.” Unlike many memoirs, it’s rarely what I’d call self-indulgent.

NewMexiKen was never what you’d call a fan of Martin. I thought he was funny when I caught him on Saturday Night Live and I’ve always enjoyed Roxanne, but not one who bought the albums or wore arrows on my head while waiting for a concert. I heard a podcast of Martin with Charlie Rose (speaking of self-indulgent) last week however, and got the book. I am a fan now.

The 14th amendment

… to the United States Constitution was ratified on this date in 1868. The first section of the amendment reads:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

July 28th

Catherine Howard married Henry VIII on this date in 1540. She was Mrs. VIII number five.

Maximilien Robespierre got nicked with his razor on this date in 1794. Witnesses said Robespierre died within seconds of the guillotine blade severing his head from his neck but, after viewing A Tale of Two Cities, Dr. Senator Bill Frist was certain guillotine victims “respond to visual stimuli.”

Beatrix Potter was born on this date in 1866.

Beatrix Potter thought she might become a scientist, but when she wrote a paper to present to the Royal Botanic Gardens, she was turned away because only men were allowed to present. So she continued to make detailed drawings of animals and plants, and she continued to refuse the suitors her parents brought home for her, because she didn’t want to be a Victorian housewife and raise children and have no time left for her own interests.

In 1893, Potter sent an illustrated letter to the child of her former governess, and it was in that letter that Peter Rabbit made his debut. She liked creating animal characters, writing and illustrating their stories. So she decided to write children’s books, but for years publishers didn’t take her seriously.

You’ll have to read the rest at The Writer’s Almanac.

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on this date in 1929.

“Dollar Bill,” Bill Bradley is 65 today.

Sally Struthers and Georgia Engel are each 60 today.

Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela is 54. Venezuela supplies about 6% of U.S. daily oil consumption.

An earthquake in China killed an estimated 242,000 people 32 years ago today.

Their profit, our loss

This from a useful quick take on Freddie and Fannie by James Surowiecki:

The result of all this was that the companies reaped the rewards of the private sector while enjoying the security of the public sector. Seemingly insulated from all harm, they became reckless. They constructed a giant pyramid of debt on a very small base of capital (eighty-one billion dollars, by the most recent publicly available figures), and by May, 2008, either owned or guaranteed more than five trillion dollars in mortgages. As a result, even though just a small percentage of Fannie’s and Freddie’s mortgages are delinquent, the potential losses are huge. That’s why, in recent weeks, investors finally lost faith in them.

Even one percent of five trillion dollars is fifty billion dollars.

Past Shock

Speaking of movie reviews, here’s an excerpt from David Denby:

Yet “The Dark Knight” is hardly routine—it has a kicky sadism in scene after scene, which keeps you on edge and sends you out onto the street with post-movie stress disorder. And it has one startling and artful element: the sinister and frightening performance of the late Heath Ledger as the psychopathic murderer the Joker. That part of the movie is upsetting to watch, and, in retrospect, both painful and stirring to think about.
. . .

The thunderous violence and the music jack the audience up. But all that screw-tightening tension isn’t necessarily fun. “The Dark Knight” has been made in a time of terror, but it’s not fighting terror; it’s embracing and unleashing it— ….

Best movie review in one-line of the day

“The legal definition of torture has been much aired in recent years, and I take “Mamma Mia!” to be a useful contribution to that debate.”

Anthony Lane

It took Leno a few more words:

“Here’s an amazing story of survival. Did you hear about this? This guy cut off his own arm using just a pocket-knife. What happened was — he had it around his girlfriend at a theater showing ‘Mamma Mia’ and he couldn’t take it anymore. He left the arm there. The arm is still there.”

Suburbs are done for

James Kuntsler, author of The Long Emergency (written when oil was $50 a barrel), is not what you’d call an optimist.

Here’s Kuntsler in the Schnectady Gazette:

A lot of people (Realtors, builders, bankers) are waiting for the “bottom” of the housing crash, with the idea that we’ll re-enter an up-cycle. I see it differently. There won’t be a resumption of “growth” as we’ve known it, certainly not in suburban residential and commercial real estate. The suburban project is over. We’re done with that. (I know people find this unbelievable.) The existing stuff will represent a huge liability for us for decades to come as it loses value and utility and falls apart.

And here he is in the Dallas Morning News:

I think the Sun Belt generally is in for tough times. We’re going to rediscover why the territory between Charleston and the Pecos was an agricultural backwater before 1945, with few cities of any size. You can’t overestimate the importance of cheap air conditioning – and the prospect for that is looking pretty grim in years ahead.

New Grandma

Debby, NewMexiKen’s official youngest sister, became a grandma for the first time early Saturday evening when her son Josh and his wife Beth gave birth to nine-pound, eight-ounce Kyle. All are well.

July 27th — Knocking on holiday’s door

Today is the birthday

… of television producer Norman Lear. He’s 86. Lear brought a revolution to TV when he introduced All in the Family in 1971. Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Maude, One Day At a Time and other shows were also his.

… of Jerry Van Dyke, 77.

Left at Albuquerque… of Bugs Bunny, who made his first featured appearance in a cartoon released on this date in 1940, A Wild Hare. Bugs was modeled on Groucho Marx with a carrot instead of a cigar — and with a Brooklyn accent.

… of Bobbie Gentry; she is 64. No word yet on what it was she and Billy Joe threw off the Tallahatchee bridge.

… of Peggy Fleming, 60 today. Miss Fleming won her gold medal for figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics.

… of A-Rod. Alex Rodriguez is 33. (Madonna will be 50 next month.)

Baseball manager Leo Durocher was born 103 years ago today. His Hall-of-Fame bio reads:

Leo Durocher was a good-field, no-hit shortstop for 17 years, but gained his greatest notoriety for accomplishments after his playing days. His combative and swashbuckling style, brilliant baseball mind, uncanny memory and fiery disposition became “The Lip’s” trademarks as a colorful and controversial manager for 24 seasons with the Dodgers, Giants, Cubs and Astros. He compiled 2,009 wins in 3,740 games, captured three pennants and won the World Series in 1954. He was named Manager of the Year three times by the “Sporting News.”

The truce ending the Korean War was signed on this date in 1953. Read the report from The New York Times.

The first U.S. government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs (which became the Department of State), was established on this date in 1789.

I’m beginning to think there might be something to this

This week Dr. Ronald Heberman — director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer Center — released a memo warning staff and faculty of health risks that may be connected with cell phone use. In May researchers from UCLA and Denmark analyzing data from a vast 13,000 person study reported cell phone use in pregnancy seriously elevated the risk of behavioral problems and diagnoses. In March an award-winning UK neurosurgeon warned that the impact of brain cancer associated with mobile phones may be more dangerous than asbestos and smoking. In January a study sponsored by the cell phone industry itself found cell phone radiation delays and reduces sleep and causes headaches and confusion. Last October, the journal Occupational Environmental Medicine published findings that people who have had the phones for a decade or more are twice as likely to get a malignant tumour on the side of the brain where they hold the handset.

Firedoglake has much more about your brain on cell phones.