Remember the Maine

On February 15, 1898, an explosion of unknown origin sank the battleship U.S.S. Maine in the Havana, Cuba harbor, killing 266 of the 354 crew members. The sinking of the Maine incited United States passions against Spain, eventually leading to a naval blockade of Cuba and a declaration of war.

Ostensibly on a friendly visit, the Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect the interests of Americans there after riots broke out in Havana in January. An official U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry reported on March 28 that the ship, one of the first American battleships and built at a cost of more than two million dollars, had been blown up by a mine without laying blame on any person or nation in particular, but public opinion in the United States blamed the Spanish military occupying Cuba anyway. Subsequent diplomatic communications failed to resolve the matter, leading to the start of the Spanish-American War by the end of April.

Library of Congress

Sounds a lot like a “weapons of mass destruction” type scare scenario to me.

February 15th is the birthday

… of actor Allan Arbus. Major Sidney Friedman on M*A*S*H is 89.

… of Harvey Korman. Hedley Lamarr (that’s Hedley) and Carol Burnett’s buddy is 80.

… of Melissa Manchester. She’s 56.

… of Jane Seymour. Dr. Quinn is 56.

… of Matt Groening. He’s 53.

It’s the birthday of cartoonist Matt Groening, . . . born in Portland, Oregon (1954). He decided to move to Los Angel[e]s after college to try to make it as a writer. He lived in a neighborhood full of drug dealers and thieves, and got a job ghostwriting the memoirs of an 88-year-old filmmaker. After that, he worked at a convalescent home, a waste treatment plant, and a graveyard.

He started writing a comic strip based on his daily troubles called “Life in Hell.” When a television producer asked Groening to create a TV show, Groening decided to invent a cartoon family that would be the exact opposite of all the fictional families that had ever been on American television. He named the parents after his own parents, Homer and Marge, and he named the two sisters after his own sisters, Lisa and Maggie. He chose the name Bart for the only son because it was an anagram of the word “brat.”

Critics immediately praised The Simpsons, because it was in some ways more realistic than any other American sitcom. Homer was fat, bald, and stupid; he drank a lot, worked at a nuclear power plant, and occasionally strangled his son. His wife, Marge, was an obsessive-compulsive housewife with a blue beehive hairdo. The characters were frequently selfish, rude, and mean to one another, and the show often took on dark subjects like suicide, adultery, and environmental disaster. The Simpsons went on to become the most popular and longest-running sitcom in America.

Matt Groening said, “Teachers, principals, clergymen, politicians — for the Simpsons, they’re all goofballs, and I think that’s a great message for kids.

The Writers Almanac from American Public Media

… of Vito Spatafore. Actor Joseph R. Gannascoli is 48.

Traffic questions

In Tucson they turn left after the light has been green. Everywhere else I know of the left turn signal routinely comes at the beginning of the cycle. I find Tucson’s system bizarre and dangerous, but maybe they are onto some awful new trend. Anyone know?

New Mexico has “Safety Corridors” in a few places on the interstates. In these miles long sections speeding fines are doubled. I don’t know why they do this. I assume these areas have just had more problems and this is an attempt to control speeding. One of the the safety corridors I drove through Wednesday also had a construction zone where speeding fines were also doubled. I got to thinking about quadruple fines and was very cautious.

NewMexiKen’s rant of the day

Capital One sucks.

“Here’s what you need to do sir.”

“Oh, and now here’s what you need to do.”

“Oh, and by the way, today this is what you also need to do.”

Smallest account. Biggest trouble.

I’d put money in a Nigerian oil minister’s hands before I’d deposit a cent in Capital One.

Convenient I suppose, but ick

A NASA astronaut who drove hundreds of miles to confront a romantic rival, wearing diapers on the journey so that she would not have to stop to use the restroom, appeared in court today facing charges that included attempted kidnapping, and was ordered released on $15,500 bond.

The New York Times

February 6th is the birthday

… of Zsa Zsa Gabor. Once well-known for being well-known, she’s 90.

… of Rip Torn. He’s 76.

Babe Ruth plaque

… of Mamie Van Doren. Once a B-level blonde bombshell, she’s 76.

… of Mike Farrell. Captain B.J. Hunnicut is 68.

… of Tom Brokaw. He’s 67.

… of Fabian, now 64.

… of Axl Rose. He’s 45.

Babe Ruth was born on this date in 1895.

Ronald Reagan was born on this date in 1911.

It should be a friggin’ holiday. No silly, for Ruth.

Aaron Burr, the first vice president known to have shot someone, was born on this date in 1756.

Seeing red

Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us, that sweet Hallmark holiday when you can have anything your heart desires, so long as it’s red. Red roses, red nighties, red shoes and red socks. Red Oreo filling, red bagels, red lox.

As it happens, red is an exquisite ambassador for love, and in more ways than people may realize. Not only is red the color of the blood that flushes the face and swells the pelvis and that one swears one would spill to save the beloved’s prized hide. It is also a fine metaphoric mate for the complexity and contrariness of love. In red we see shades of life, death, fury, shame, courage, anguish, pride and the occasional overuse of exfoliants designed to combat signs of aging. Red is bright and bold and has a big lipsticked mouth, through which it happily speaks out of all sides at once. Yoo-hoo yodels red, come close, have a look. Stop right there, red amends, one false move and you’re dead.

Such visual semiotics are not limited to the human race. Red is the premier signaling color in the natural world, variously showcasing a fruitful bounty, warning of a fatal poison or boasting of a sturdy constitution and the genes to match. Red, in other words, is the poster child for the poster, for colors that have something important to say.

Continue reading How Do We See Red? Count the Ways from The New York Times.

Customer Service

Things NewMexiKen has learned in the past month.

The utility companies in Tucson appear to be staffed with morons.

Chase Bank should be run out of business. Zero cooperation (by telephone at least.)

World Savings is awesome.

Bank of America is pretty darn good.

Verizon has a different story every time you call — but came through pretty well in the end.

Social Security, which has an incredible task, serves us well. And, in my experience, with extraordinary courtesy. Next time you wish to bad mouth a government worker, bite your tongue!

February 5th is the birthday

… of priest-professor-author Andrew M. Greeley. He’s 79.

It’s the birthday of one of the few Catholic priests who’s ever been a best-selling novelist, Andrew Greeley, (books by this author) born in Oak Park, Illinois (1928). Soon after his ordination in 1954, Greeley decided that he had other interests beyond running a parish. He went on to get a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, and he became a professor of sociology. He began writing about the changing role of religion in society and eventually published more than 60 books on sociology, religion, and other subjects. But he also began to write novels, and he generated a storm of controversy with his fourth novel, The Cardinal Sins (1981).

The Cardinal Sins tells the story of a young Irish boy named Patrick Donahue from Chicago’s West Side who becomes a priest and then rises through the ranks of the church hierarchy, eventually becoming the archbishop of Chicago and a cardinal. Along the way, he takes a mistress and fathers an illegitimate child. At the time, many people thought the novel was a veiled attack on Cardinal John Cody, then the Archbishop of Chicago.

Greeley went on to write several other novels that were controversial, in part because they exposed the behind-the-scenes world of the Catholic Church, and in part because they often contained explicit sex scenes. He was eventually ostracized by his local church leaders, and when he tried to donate $1 million of the proceeds from his books to the Chicago Catholic schools, they refused to take his money. He said, “It was arguably the first time in history the Catholic Church has turned down money from anyone.”

Greeley has now written more than 150 books, which have sold more than 15 million copies. When asked how he can write so much, he said, “I suppose I have the Irish weakness for words gone wild. Besides, if you’re celibate, you have to do something.”

The Writer’s Almanac

Hank Aaron plaque… of baseball hall-of-famer Hank Aaron. Henry is 73.

… of singer-songwriter Barrett Strong. He’s 66. “Money (That’s What I Want)” was Strong’s only hit as a singer. The record provided Berry Gordon the capital to expand into Motown. With Norman Whitfield, Strong authored “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “Ball of Confusion,” and “War.”

… of football hall-of-famer Roger Staubach. Jolly Roger is 65.

… of rock musician Al Kooper. If for nothing else, Kooper is known for playing the organ on Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” He’s 63.

… of actor, director, screenwriter Christopher Guest. He’s 59.

… of actress Barbara Hershey. She too is 59.

… of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. She’s 45.

… of two-time Oscar nominee Laura Linney. She is 43.

February 4th is the birthday

… of Conrad Bain. The actor (Maude, Diff’rent Strokes) is 84.

… of John Steel. The Animals drummer (and therefore Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee) is 66.

Inductees: Eric Burdon (vocals; born May 11, 1941), Chas Chandler (bass; born December 18, 1938), Alan Price (keyboards; born April 19, 1942), John Steel (drums; born February 4, 1941), Hilton Valentine (guitar; born May 22, 1943)

The Animals were part of the budding, homegrown U.K. blues scene of the early Sixties and one of the most noteworthy bands of the British Invasion. Formed in Newcastle-on-Tyne, a port city and coal-mining hub in northeast England, the Animals reflected their upbringing with brawling, blues-based rock and roll. The group derived its inspiration – and much of its early repertoire – from American blues and R&B sources, adapting them to their native British working-class sensibility. Eric Burdon was among the best white R&B singers of the Sixties. His gruff, soulful vocals brought out the anguish in such anthems as “It’s My Life” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” The band’s sound was also heavily defined by Alan Price’s organ playing, which provided dramatic accents and a blues-jazz atmosphere. The other founding members – guitarist Hilton Valentine, bassist Chas Chandler and drummer John Steel – balanced Burdon’s earthiness and Price’s melodic finesse.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

… of David Brenner. The comedian is 62 today.

… of Dan Quayle. The former VP is 60.

… of Alice Cooper. The rocker is 59.

Well we got no choice all the girls and boys
Makin’ all that noise ’cause they found new toys
Well we can’t salute ya can’t find a flag
If that don’t suit ya that’s a drag
School’s out for summer school’s out forever
School’s been blown to pieces
No more pencils no more books no more teacher’s dirty looks yeah

… of Lawrence Taylor. The NFL hall-of-famer is 48. NewMexiKen was at RFK the night Lawrence Taylor ended Joe Theismann’s career by smashing his leg. There were great linebackers before Taylor, but he was the first of the new breed.

A dominant force on defense, Taylor was named first-team All-Pro in each of his first nine seasons. His ability to dominate a game with his attack style changed the outside linebacker position from a read-and-react posture to an aggressive mode.

An intense player, he had the speed to run past offensive linemen and the strength to out-muscle them.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

… of Clint Black. The country music star is 45.

Ain’t it funny how a melody can bring back a memory,
Take you to another place and time,
Completely change your state of mind.

It’s also the birthday of Rosa Parks. The soul of the civil rights movement was born on this date in 1913.

Byron Nelson, the golfer who once won 11 PGA events in a row, 18 in one year and 52 overall including five majors, was born on this date in 1912. He retired in 1946 at age 34.

Charles Lindbergh was born on this date in 1902.

And George Washington was elected the first President of the United States on this date in 1789 when all 69 electors voting cast their ballot for him. John Adams was second with 34, becoming Vice President. (Each elector had two votes.) Coming in third with nine votes was?

Birthday Present

NewMexiKen was a Michigander in those days, though young enough to still be just a Michigosling.

Children didn’t get driven to school then. They walked. Or they took a bus. Or they rode a bike. And my bike was gone. Fortunately it was Saturday.

Still, it was my 11th birthday and it was depressing to have my bike missing on my birthday. We looked everywhere.

Finally Mom called the police. She described the vanished bike to them. “There was? Where? Downtown. OK!”

Dad and I drove the mile or so downtown to the bike shop. The missing bike was reportedly there.

We went in and Dad asked about the bike in our name. Sure enough, there was one.

Trouble was it wasn’t my bike. It was a brand new three-speed English racer.

“That’s not my bike.” I protested to Dad.

“Yes it is,” he said. “Happy Birthday!”

The Day the Music Died

One day in early February 1959, a 13-year-old in New Rochelle, New York, cut open the stack of newspapers he was about to deliver and read that three rock ’n’ roll stars, Buddy Holly, J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and Ritchie Valens, had died in a plane crash in Iowa. The boy later said he felt “like someone had punched me in the face.” It was a feeling shared by many in America and around the world. Years later, in 1971, that paperboy, Don McLean, would write the song “American Pie,” which gave an enduring name to the event: the Day the Music Died.

Right up there with other “where were you when you heard” events for those of us of a certain age. Read all about it at AmericanHeritage.com.

February 3rd is the birthday

… of two senior citizen comedians. Joey Bishop is 89 and Shelley Berman is 81. Big stars in their time. (I saw Bishop in The Sands lobby once.)

… of hall-of-fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton. He’s 67.

… of Blythe Danner. Gwyneth Paltrow’s mom is 64.
Norman Rockwell's Rosie
… of another hall-of-fame quarterback, Bob Griese. I saw Griese play in college (for Purdue vs. Michigan). He’s 62, joining Tom Selleck, who turned 62 three days ago. An excellent age.

… of folk singer Melanie. She’s 60, old enough to need a brand new key. (As with too many songs, the iTunes version of “Brand New Key” is a horrible remake. Beware!)

… of Morgan Fairchild. She’s 57.

Two staples of American pop culture were born on this date: Norman Rockwell in 1894 and James Michener in 1907. Click the 1943 Rockwell cover for larger version.

Best Pierce quote of the day, so far

Charles Pierce is also finding fault with our insipid press:

Two weeks of idiocy about a caesura in a remark made by Hillary Clinton in Iowa a flat year before anyone votes there. . . . Sorry, you pack of smug, insufferable bastards — a war’s gone bad and the country’s a mess, and you never were funny, anyway, not like Molly was. So go and take your little slambooks and wreck some other profession for a while. The grown-ups have work to do.

Barbershop II — Not the movie!

Once again, from the Daily Howler, just in case you aren’t reading it yourself everyday as you should:

On page one, above the fold, Rachel Swarns reports on black voters’ reactions to Barack Obama. In paragraph 5–above the fold–she prints this remarkable paragraph:

SWARNS (2/2/07): ”When you think of a president, you think of an American,” said Mr. Lanier, a 58-year-old barber who is still considering whether to support Mr. Obama. ”We’ve been taught that a president should come from right here, born, raised, bred, fed in America. To go outside and bring somebody in from another nationality, now that doesn’t feel right to some people.”

That paragraph appears above the fold on page one of today’s New York Times’ front page. Again, it raises the anthropological question: Are we Americans smart enough to conduct the most basic journalism?

What’s so remarkable about that paragraph? In it, Swarns quotes a 58-year-old barber as he makes a string of counterfactual claims about a White House candidate. What does this barber seem to say? He seems to say that he is concerned because Obama is not “an American.” He seems to say that Obama is “from another nationality.” And he seems to say that he is concerned because Obama wasn’t “born, raised, bred, fed in America.” These statements appear without challenge or comment. And all of these claims are just false.

Duh! Barack Obama was born in America; otherwise, he couldn’t serve as president. And Obama was “raised, bred and fed in America,” except for a four-year period (ages 6-10) when he lived with his mother in Indonesia. Meanwhile, is Obama “an American?” Is he “from another nationality?” The latter phrase has various meanings, but Obama plainly is an American; he has been an American citizen since the day of his birth. But uh-oh! Given the rest of the quoted material, a reader of Rachel Swarns’ fifth paragraph may well come away thinking different.