First posted here three years ago today:
Taken behind Costco in Manassas, Virginia.
And this item was posted here two years ago today:
The Smoking Gun reports on a 34-year-old female teacher in Delaware having sex with a 13-year-old boy 28 times in one week.
At least that explains the attraction.
… died on this date in 1841 after serving one month as president. He was the first president to die in office. He was 68.
Harrison’s grandson, Benjamin, was president 1889-1893.
. . . was assassinated while standing on the balcony outside his room at the Motel Lorraine in Memphis, Tennessee, on this date in 1968.
The evening before King concluded his speech with:
You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, “Are you Martin Luther King?”
And I was looking down writing, and I said yes. And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that’s punctured, you drown in your own blood—that’s the end of you.
It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states, and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I’ve forgotten what those telegrams said. I’d received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I’ve forgotten what the letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I’ll never forget it. It said simply, “Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School.” She said, “While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I am a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I’m simply writing you to say that I’m so happy that you didn’t sneeze.”
And I want to say tonight, I want to say that I am happy that I didn’t sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream. And taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been around in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can’t ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to see the community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I’m so happy that I didn’t sneeze.
And they were telling me, now it doesn’t matter now. It really doesn’t matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us, the pilot said over the public address system, “We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we’ve had the plane protected and guarded all night.”
And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?
Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
Today is the birthday
… of Maya Angelou. The poet is 80.
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Read more Maya Angelou poetry (including the rest of “Phenomenal Woman”).
… of Craig T. Nelson. The voice of Mr. Incredible is 64. Nelson won an Emmy for Coach.
… of Steve Gatlin of The Gatlin Brothers. He’s 57.
Led by Larry Gatlin, the Gatlin Brothers are one of the most popular country groups in the music’s history. Adopting the close harmony vocal techniques of the Louvins and the Everlys to the highly polished country-pop era, Larry and the Gatlin Brothers scored a number of hits during the ’70s and ’80s. Often, the group walked the line between intricate, inventive country and pure commercial material, which resulted in strong sales but occasionally poor reviews. (allmusic)
All the gold in California
Is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills
In somebody else’s name
… of Robert Downey Jr. The Oscar-nominee (for Chaplin) is 43.
Jamie Lynn Spears is 17.
Heath Ledger should have been 29 today.
Anthony Perkins was born on this date in 1932. Tony Perkins is best known for his portrayal of Norman Bates in Psycho but he was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Friendly Persuasion. Perkins died in 1992 as a result of pnuemonia brought on by AIDS.
… was born on this date in 1915. His real name was McKinley Morganfield.
The following is excerpted from Waters’ obituary written by Robert Palmer in The New York Times, May 1, 1983:
Beginning in the early 1950’s, Mr. Waters made a series of hit records for Chicago’s Chess label that made him the undisputed king of Chicago blues singers. He was the first popular bandleader to assemble and lead a truly electric band, a band that used amplification to make the music more ferociously physical instead of simply making it a little louder.
In 1958, he became the first artist to play electric blues in England, and while many British folk-blues fans recoiled in horror, his visit inspired young musicians like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones, who later named their band the Rolling Stones after Mr. Waters’s early hit “Rollin’ Stone.” Bob Dylan’s mid-1960’s rock hit “Like a Rolling Stone” and the leading rock newspaper Rolling Stone were also named after Mr. Waters’s original song. …
But Muddy Waters was more than a major influence in the pop music world. He was a great singer of American vernacular music, a vocal artist of astonishing power, range, depth, and subtlety. Among musicians and singers, his remarkable sense of timing, his command of inflection and pitch shading, and his vocabulary of vocal sounds and effects, from the purest falsetto to grainy moaning rasps, were all frequent topics of conversation. And he was able to duplicate many of his singing techniques on electric guitar, using a metal slider to make the instrument “speak” in a quivering, voice-like manner.
His blues sounded simple, but it was so deeply rooted in the traditions of the Mississippi Delta that other singers and guitarists found it almost impossible to imitate it convincingly. “My blues looks so simple, so easy to do, but it’s not,” Mr. Waters said in a 1978 interview. “They say my blues is the hardest blues in the world to play.”
NewMexiKen will be returning to the Land of Enchantment later today. In the meanwhile, I haven’t much to say.
I don’t know why The Sweeties disappeared from the right sidebar — well, I know why but I can’t seem to fix it. I’ll get them back somehow. Update: Replaced old version with new slideshow version. It still needs some tweaking — and some new photos, but The Sweeties are back!
Dinner last night at a West Seattle waterfront restaurant included a stunning view of the city skyline across Elliott Bay on a beautifully clear evening. Mount Rainier stood out above the haze and from different vantage points one could see the North Cascades in the east and the Olympic Mountains across Puget Sound. This really is a magnificent setting and a great city to visit. If you haven’t been here, make a point of it.
I had salmon Friday, Sunday, Wednesday lunch and Wednesday dinner. Monday I had halibut. Oh, and oysters on the half-shell both Sunday and Monday. Yummy. (It’s not as if fresh fish isn’t available just about anywhere these days, but it just seems right when one is near the ocean.)
NewMexiKen and a group of friends saw the Seattle Mariners defeated by the Texas Rangers 5-4 Tuesday night at Safeco Field. Frankly it was too cold and damp for a ballgame, but the park is beautiful, we got to see the retractable roof close, and it was a pretty exciting game if a disappointing ending. The crowd of around 25,000 was really into it when the home team rallied in the eighth, but it got very quiet after J.J. Putz blew a save allowing a two-run homer in the ninth.
Here’s two photos. The first looks toward the outfield just before the game began — the roof open. The second is Seattle pitcher Felix Hernandez delivering the first pitch. Hernandez threw a great game and had several sparkling fielding plays. Click each photo for a larger version.
NewMexiKen mentioned the Seattle Westin yesterday but of course I can’t afford to stay THERE.
Here’s where I am staying.
Plus, of course, I got the AARP discount.
Take the Pew News IQ.
NewMexiKen scored 11 correct out of 12 but I knew the one I missed and was just careless.
Please let us know how you do.
Powell’s Books in Portland (Oregon, of course) remains the best bookstore NewMexiKen has ever visited. In the past it has edged out Tattered Cover in Denver for the top spot. After today I think Elliott Bay Book Co. in Seattle is number two.
(Larry McMurtry’s Booked Up in Archer City, Texas, is in a league all its own.)
Any other nominees — that is, bookstores I must visit?
The music in the lobby of the Seattle Westin (and I believe in all Westin Hotels) is terrific. It’s a delightful collection of music from around the world.
On the negative side, I can’t find the exact playlists online.
The Maserati parked in the motor entrance was pretty cool, too. Maybe when I get relocated here in Seattle I’ll get a Maserati.
“While the media obsess over bowling scores, the ability to understand and explain basic concepts of domestic and foreign policy is not up for question in the narrow political debate.”
NewMexiKen has decided to move to Seattle. Obviously I’ll need a different name for the blog. Any ideas?
“Well, in a stunning announcement, Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey Jr., who had said he would remain neutral, has endorsed Barack Obama. He said he did it because his four young daughters told him they wanted Barack for president, which also explains his choice for vice president, Hannah Montana.”
“Hey, did you hear about this? The Pentagon ordered a full inventory of our nuclear arsenal to see what’s missing. Wait, now we can’t even find our own weapons of mass destruction.”
Here are three photos so you can figure out where I might be. I took them during a drive from one city to another Monday.
(No fair playing if you actually KNOW where I am.)
Click each image for a larger version.
NewMexiKen is still away and doesn’t have convenient internet access. Stay tuned.
Researchers said Friday that they have played back the oldest audio recording ever made, a 10-second snippet of singing made 17 years before Thomas Alva Edison patented the phonograph.
Using technology originally designed to play records without touching them, a team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was able to convert a series of squiggly lines etched onto smoked paper into an ethereal voice singing “Au Clair de la Lune, Pierrot répondit,” a refrain from a French folk song.
As my regular seven readers — many of whom are where I am — may have guessed, NewMexiKen is away for a few days.
Bear with me, the usual blogging will return one of these days.
Jill, official oldest daughter of NewMexiKen, reports on Reidie, who turned two last Sunday:
As most of you know, I lost my cell phone 11 days ago when the baby got into my purse and spread its contents all over the kitchen area. I’ve asked the boy probably 50 times since then “Where is Mommy’s phone?”
Well, about half an hour ago he walked up and handed it to me, out of the blue.
Today is the birthday
… of Russell Banks, 68.
He was an exceptionally bright student and won a scholarship to Colgate, the first in his family to go to college. But he dropped out after only eight weeks, feeling that he, a poor boy, didn’t fit in among the privileged preppies, “the sons of the captains of American industry,” as he called them. He left the North for Mexico and Florida and intended to join Castro’s rebellious army, but he ended up in Florida fishing, writing, and working as a gas station attendant. By his early 20s, he was married and had a daughter, but the relationship ended in divorce when he was 22. He later called this period “the terrible years.”
When he was 24, he went back to college, entering the University of North Carolina, and this time around he felt well adjusted was a good student.
He wrote a novel, Hamilton Stark (1978), in which he experimented with narration techniques and perspective, using shifting points of view to frame the novel. His novel Continental Drift (1985) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and called by Atlantic reviewer James Atlas “the most convincing portrait I know of contemporary America: its greed, its uprootedness, its indifference to the past. This is a novel about the way we live now.”
Since then, Banks has written several more novels, including Affliction (1989), The Sweet Hereafter (1991), Cloudsplitter (1998), and most recently, The Reserve (2008).
… of two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest. She’s 60. Ms. Wiest won supporting actress Oscars for Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway. She was nominated for the same award for Parenthood.
… of Reba McEntire, 53.
McEntire was the single most successful female country vocalist of the ’80s and ’90s, scoring a consistent stream of Top Ten singles and a grand total of 18 number one singles. (allmusic)
… of Vince Vaughn. He’s 38.
… of Julia Stiles. Bourne’s Nicky is 27.
August Anheuser Busch Jr., “the master showman and irrepressible salesman who turned a small family operation into the world’s largest brewing company” was born on this date in 1899. Quotation is from his Times obituary.
Bandleader Paul Whiteman was born on this date in 1890.
. . . There he soon became the best-known American bandleader, particularly with his recording of Whispering and Japanese Sandman (1920), which sold more than a million copies. By the early 1920s his lush orchestral style was widely copied on countless bandstands at home and abroad.
. . .Whiteman was a key figure in American popular music. While jazz purists accused him of diluting the character of early jazz for commercial purposes, less biased observers applauded the high polish and versatility of his orchestras, which had to be as comfortable in the concert hall as at a college dance. He employed a number of talented musicians: in the original arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue three of his reed players were required to play a total of 17 instruments. Although his dance music tended to be sedate, there were occasional jazz solos from musicians such as Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Eddie Lang, Bunny Berigan, and Jack Teagarden.
And, of course, it’s the birthday of Jason, official youngest child of NewMexiKen. Happy Birthday Jason!
New Mexico’s very own “important” Civil War battle began on this date in 1862. As they do so often, The Edge of the American West has good background.
Courtesy of Sideline Chatter (where my “sports movies” got mentioned, too):
• Memphis coach John Calipari, to FSN, on star freshman Derrick Rose and the lure of the NBA: “If he wants to do what’s right for him and his family, he’ll go pro … If he wants to do what’s right for me and my family, he’ll stay.”
• Larry Stewart of the Los Angeles Times, on why TV Land executives are pulling for a North Carolina-West Virginia title game: “Andy Griffith’s alma mater versus Don Knotts’ alma mater.”
• Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on predicting Georgetown would be in the Final Four: “Like I said: North Carolina-Memphis-UCLA-Davidson.”
Robert Frost was born on this date in 1874.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Today is the birthday
… of Sandra Day O’Connor. She’s 78.
… of Leonard Nimoy. Mr. Spock is 77.
… of Oscar-winner Alan Arkin. He’s 74. Arkin was twice nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role — for The Russians are Coming, the Russians Are Coming and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. He won the supporting actor Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine.
… of James Caan and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. They’re 68 today.
… of Erica Jong, 66.
… of former journalist Bob Woodward, 65.
… of Diana Ross, once Supreme. She’s 64.
… of Johnny Crawford. He was the kid on The Rifleman and he’s now 62.
… of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, 60.
Aerosmith were America’s feisty retort to hard-rocking British groups like the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, the Who, Cream, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Almost alone among American bands, Aerosmith matched those British legends in power, intensity, and notoriety. Moreover, they’ve long since surpassed many of their influences in terms of longevity and popularity. In the words of vocalist Steven Tyler, “We weren’t too ambitious when we started out. We just wanted to be the biggest thing that ever walked the planet, the greatest rock band that ever was.”
… of Martin Short, 58.
… of Marcus Allen and the person who used to look like Jennifer Grey. They’re 48.
… of Michael Imperioli. Tony’s nephew Christopher is 42.
… of Kenny Chesney. He’s 40.
… of Keira Knightley, 23.
Condé Montrose Nast was born on this date in 1873. His earliest magazines were Vogue, Vanity Fair and House and Garden. Nast died in 1942, but the company that bears his name now publishes more than two dozen magazines.
Robert Frost, long thought of as the New England poet, was born in San Francisco on this date in 1874.
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
Quote found at The Writer’s Almanac from American Public Media, which has more about Frost.
Tennessee Williams was born on this date in 1911.
He was brilliant and prolific, breathing life and passion into such memorable characters as Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski in his critically acclaimed A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. And like them, he was troubled and self-destructive, an abuser of alcohol and drugs. He was awarded four Drama Critic Circle Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was derided by critics and blacklisted by Roman Catholic Cardinal Spellman, who condemned one of his scripts as “revolting, deplorable, morally repellent, offensive to Christian standards of decency.” He was Tennessee Williams, one of the greatest playwrights in American history.
Beethoven died on this date in 1827. He was 56.