July 27th

Today is the birthday

… of television producer Norman Lear. He’s 89. 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. The shows were primarily character-driven, taped before live audiences, and touched on political and social subjects previously unknown on sitcoms. Lear has also been an activist and philanthropist for First Amendment rights and other causes.

… of Jerry Van Dyke, 80. (Hey, I could do a whole another Ron Howard’s brother type thing with Dick Van Dyke’s brother. Or not.)

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 67. No word yet on what it was she and Billy Joe threw off the Tallahatchee bridge.

… of Peggy Fleming, 63 today. Miss Fleming won her gold medal for figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics.

… of Maya Rudolph, 39.

… of Pete Yorn, 37.

… of A-Rod. Alex Rodriguez is 36. He’s really younger because “A-Rod years” didn’t used to have Octobers.

Baseball manager Leo Durocher was born 106 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 Atlanta Olympics bombing was 15 years ago today. Six-year-old Adam Walsh was kidnapped 30 years ago today.

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.

He’s a troublemaker, you take him

Grand Teton National Park biologists report that an interesting turn of events occurred late last week when two female grizzly bears apparently “exchanged” one cub with one another. The two female grizzlies are related (mother and daughter), and have occupied overlapping home ranges since they both emerged from hibernation with their newborn cubs this past spring. The adoption or fostering of cubs between two female bears is rare, but not unprecedented.

. . .

Grand Teton National Park News Releases

Perhaps the most important duty

Just for a moment, let’s think the unthinkable: What if we get to August 2 and there’s still no deal to raise the debt ceiling? How big a disaster would that be?

Somewhere between massive and apocalyptic, if an actual default were to ensue. That’s why I’ve never understood, throughout this whole endless tragicomic melodrama, how President Obama could possibly let that happen. It seems to me that definitive action — unilateral, if necessary — to prevent the nation from suffering obvious, imminent, grievous harm is one of the duties any president must perform. Perhaps the most important duty.

Eugene Robinson

Or put another way:

I did understand however, that my oath to preserve the constitution to the best of my ability, imposed upon me the duty of preserving, by every indispensabale means, that government — that nation — of which that constitution was the organic law. Was it possible to lose the nation, and yet preserve the constitution? … I felt that measures, otherwise unconstitutional, might become lawful, by becoming indispensable to the preservation of the constitution, through the preservation of the nation. Right or wrong, I assumed this ground, and now avow it.

A.Lincoln 1864

Robinson again: “By any theory of the presidency, his responsibilities have to include stopping the country from hurling itself off a cliff.”

Aldous Huxley

… was born on this date in 1894. This is from The Writer’s Almanac in 2007:

The result was Brave New World (1932), about a future in which most human beings are born in test-tube factories, genetically engineered to belong in one of five castes: Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. There are no families; people have sex all the time and never fall in love, and they keep themselves happy by taking a drug called “soma.”

Brave New World was one of the first novels to predict the future existence of genetic engineering, test-tube babies, anti-depression medication, and virtual reality. When George Orwell’s 1984 came out a few years later, many critics compared the two novels, trying to decide which one was more likely to come true. Huxley argued that his imagined future was more likely, because it would be easier to control people by keeping them happy than it would be by threatening them with violence.

Pu`uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (Hawaii)

… was authorized as City of Refuge National Historical Park on this date in 1955. It was renamed in 1978.

Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau

Pu`uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park preserves the site where, up until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who broke a kapu or one of the ancient laws against the gods could avoid certain death by fleeing to this place of refuge or “pu`uhonua”. The offender would absolved by a priest and freed to leave. Defeated warriors and non-combatants could also find refuge here during times of battle. The grounds just outside the Great Wall that encloses the pu`uhonua were home to several generations of powerful chiefs.

Pu`uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Albuquerque

It’s been six years today since I first posted this:

The Rio Grande is (Sandia Crest notwithstanding) simply the best thing about the Duke City. America’s third longest river passes through the entire length of the city from north to south. And yet, at no place along the river can one stroll at the river’s edge. Yes, there are paths parallel to the river through the bosque (groove) that borders the river, and one can occasionally push aside the bushes and bugs and find the river’s edge. But nowhere can one stroll, or paddle, or stop and drink some wine or enjoy some New Mexican cuisine and watch the river roll by. With lesser rivers, San Antonio and even Oklahoma City have made attractive river walks. Why not here?

If I were emperor I would … re-zone a few appropriate areas of the Rio Grande waterfront for commercial development. Inviting developers to such an area would, I believe, be so attractive that no public funding would be needed and safeguards to protect the natural beauty of the riverfront could be easily enforced.

There is much to love about living in Albuquerque — a climate with seasons, yet none of them extreme; affordable real estate and manageable traffic; a simple, yet attractive airport; a fine zoo; red and green chiles. And yet, as with all places, there are things worth lamenting — more than our share of violence; a police force that fails to police itself; an awful newspaper (despite some good writers); failing schools; no Crate and Barrel.

And no tasteful development of the Great River of the North.

The Cult That Is Destroying America

“The reality, of course, is that we already have a centrist president — actually a moderate conservative president. Once again, health reform — his only major change to government — was modeled on Republican plans, indeed plans coming from the Heritage Foundation. And everything else — including the wrongheaded emphasis on austerity in the face of high unemployment — is according to the conservative playbook.”

Paul Krugman

His “Cult That Is Destroying America”?

News organizations and pundits. Go read.

July 26th is the birthday

… of Mick Jagger. He’s still can’t get no satisfaction, even at 68. (Especially at 68.) And time isn’t really on his side so much any more, is it?

… of Bob Lilly. He’s 72. My god the years do go by.

… of Oscar-winner Helen Mirren, 66.

… of Dorothy Hamill, 55. Another that makes one wonder where the years have gone. Her gold medal was at the 1976 Winter Olympics.

… of two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey. He’s 52. Spacey won for best supporting actor for The Usual Suspects and leading actor for American Beauty.

… of Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock. From Arlington, Virginia, she’s 47.

Two great comediennes were born on this date — Gracie Allen in 1895, 1897 or 1902 (her birth certificate was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake) and Vivian Vance in 1909.

Because George Burns lived to be 100 and managed to stay in show business nearly until then (playing God, no less), Gracie, who died in 1964 has been largely forgotten. She was the true comedic talent of the two, however. On their radio and television programs George was the straight man, Gracie had the good lines.

At the end of their show, George Burns would say, “Say goodnight, Gracie.” Urban myth has it that she said, “Good night Gracie,” but, in fact, she always just said “Goodnight.”

“Were you the oldest one in the family?” “No, no, my mother and father were much older.” — Gracie Allen

“They laughed at Joan of Arc, but she went right ahead and built it.” — Gracie Allen

“When I was born I was so surprised I didn’t talk for a year and a half.” — Gracie Allen

Vivian Vance was two years older than her long-time co-star Lucille Ball, though many thought Vance to be much older because her I Love Lucy character Ethel Mertz was married to Fred, played by actor William Frawley, who was 18 years older. Miss Vance died of cancer in 1979.

Actor Jason Robards was born on this date in 1922. Robards won two best supporting actor Oscars and was nominated a third time. NewMexiKen liked Robards in A Thousand Clowns, but Martin Balsam got the acting Oscar for that fine film.

Humorist Jean Shepherd was born in Chicago on this date in 1921. As they so often do, The Writer’s Almanac had a nice, succinct essay (from 2004):

… He’s remembered for the autobiographical stories he told on the radio about a boy named Ralph Parker growing up in Hohman, Indiana. One of his stories was made into the movie A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated. It’s about a boy who wants a BB gun for Christmas, even though every adult in his life says that he’ll shoot his eye out. The stories Shepherd told on-air were always improvised, but he later wrote them down and published them in collections like In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash (1967) and Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters (1972).

Shepherd said, “Some men are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man.”

George Bernard Shaw (1856), Carl Jung (1875) and Aldous Huxley (1894) were born on July 26th. So were Blake Edwards (1922) and Stanley Kubrick (1928).

George B. McClellan took command of the Army of the Potomac 150 years ago today, five days after Bull Run (Manassas). McClellan loved to play soldier, but hated to play war.

President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 desegregating the U.S. military on July 26, 1948.

Mary Jo Kopechne might have been 71 today, but she died in 1969.

July 25th

The liners Andrea Doria and Stockholm collided in fog 45 miles off Nantucket 55 years ago today. The Andrea Doria went down the next day and 51 were killed.

Today is the birthday

… of basketball hall-of-famer Nate Thurmond, 70 today.

… of Joey. Matt LeBlanc is 44.

Louise Brown, the first baby conceived by in vitro fertilization is 33 today.

Henry Knox was born on July 25th in 1750. He is one of the most enjoyable of the Founding Fathers. The following is taken from a longer profile at The General Henry Knox Museum:

Henry Knox was an ordinary man who rose to face extraordinary circumstances. He was born into poverty in Boston in 1750. He left Boston Latin Grammar School at a young age to apprentice to a bookbinder, helping to support his widowed mother and younger brother. He eventually worked his way to opening his own bookshop in Boston at the age of 21, little suspecting the important role that he would play in the birth of our nation. His keen interest in military strategy led him to do a lot of reading on the subject, and when he joined the local militia, his talent was noticed.

In 1775, as the situation between Great Britain and the American colonies was heating up, General George Washington inspected a rampart at Roxbury designed by Knox and was instantly taken with the young man’s abilities. Knox soon became Washington’s Chief of Artillery, and earned a place in history in the winter of 1776 by carting sixty tons of captured cannon from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to Dorchester Heights, driving the British from Boston Harbor. Throughout most of the war he was by Washington’s side, and eventually rose to Major-General. Following the war he was Washington’s choice for the first Secretary at War. They remained life-long friends.

Reportedly, General George Washington actually said this to the portly General Knox while boarding the boat to take them across the Delaware River. “Shift that fat ass, Harry. But slowly, or you’ll swamp the damned boat.”

Thomas Eakins, Baseball Players PracticingIt’s the birthdate of painter and photographer Thomas Eakins, born on this date in 1844. “Esteemed for his powers of characterization and mastery of technique, Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) is recognized as one of America’s foremost painters, a master draftsman and watercolorist, and an especially gifted photographer.” The Metropolitan Musuem of Art (source of the preceding quote) had an exhibition of Eakins’s work in 2002, which fortunately remains on line. Click the painting to see the exhibition.

The longshoreman philosopher Eric Hoffer was born on this date in 1902. “When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.”

The alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges was born on this date in 1907.

One of the most distinctive solo voices in jazz, Hodges was inextricably bound up with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which he first joined in [M]ay 1928, remaining for most of the rest of his life, apart from a brief venture into bandleading from 1951-5. His plaintive blues playing was as memorable as his haunting ballad playing, and although he was capable of producing a tone of incredible beauty and intensity, he could also add a jazzy edge to his sound, and play in a jumping swing style.

BBC – Radio 3 Jazz Profiles

Here’s a brief but lovely sample of Hodges from iTunes. And another.

Sweetness, the great Walter Payton, was born on July 25th in 1954. He died at age 45 of a liver disease.

NewMexiKen’s father was born 88 years ago today. Miss you, Dad.

Truest lines of the day

“The debt ceiling is a joke. It serves no purpose except political posturing. It is not about the deficit – it is about paying the bills, and the U.S. will pay the bills.”

Calculated Risk

“The Treasury’s lawyers should simply announce at 9 am Monday morning that (a) since the Constitution prohibits questioning the validity of the national debt, and (b) since the continuing resolution that mandates spending through September 30 was passed later in time than the restriction on borrowing, that (c) the debt ceiling is a dead letter. This is so by the oldest of the principles of black-letter law: a law inconsistent with a previous law is deemed to repeal the previous law even if it does not do so explicitly.”

Brad DeLong

July 24th

Today is the birthday

… of cartoonist Pat Oliphant, 76.

… of Ruth Buzzi, 75.

… of Kramer. Michael Richards is 62 today.

… of Lynda Carter. Wonder Woman is 60!

… of Pam Tillis, 54.

… of Barry Bonds. The best baseball player ever is 47.

… of Kristin Chenoweth. The Tony Award-winner is 43, all 4-foot-11 of her.

… of J Lo. Jennifer Lopez is 42.

… of Anna Paquin. An Oscar winner at age 11, she’s now 29.

Amelia Earhart was born on July 24th in 1897. She disappeared at age 40.

It was on this date in 1847 that Brigham Young gazed at Utah’s Valley of the Great Salt Lake and made his famous declaration: “This is the place.”