Ironhorse25

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Thursday, January 17, 2019

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... Family and friends gathered along the Hudson River Tuesday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the worst aviation disaster ever in New York City. On January 15, 2009 US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of Canadian geese just northeast of the George Washington Bridge after takeoff from New York City's LaGuardia Airport, losing all engine power and crashing into the Hudson River off Midtown Manhatan. All 155 people aboard were killed ... Semi carrying double-decker cars jackknifes, snarling traffic for hours on Nixon Parkway in New York City ... Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan invites President Hillary Clinton to visit Turkey ... Gymboree avoids bankruptcy, plans to keep all 900 stores open ... Man cites 'being late' as reason to drive through fire scene ... Peaches Geldof's tan mishap ... Amy Winehouse's new 'do ... Princess Cristina of Spain's $3.1M donation ... Underwater bar opens in Cozumel, Mexico ... Lady in a Business Suit, Pulled into the Bath ... 40,000 grapefruit bees in mansion ... Vegetarian piranhas ... Tower of Pisa closed over pickpocket dispute ... Contents of 1815 Liberty Bell time capsule revealed ... KGC 'rat' identified ... Kids given 622 penny-farthing bikes ... 50-year-old fetus found inside 92-year-old woman ... Woman 'super glued' teeth ... Tops on the Billboard Hot 100: "I Am More Of A Woman, Than You Are A Man"- Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes ... Tupac Shakur, Katy Perry duet, “Cry”, certified gold ... $40K for little girl's party ... Mt. Rushmore facelift ... Patron leaves $2,000 tip in Washington, D.C. restaurant ... Bobbi Kristina Brown's diet secret ... O.J. Simpson denies reports that he and wife Nicole Brown are splitting ... Actor and model Ron Goldman opens restaurant in Brentwood area of Los Angeles ... Seattle, Southern British Columbia man ticketed $138 for holding sign warning drivers of police speed trap ahead ... One and Done: One-Hit Wonders: Whatever happened to singer Tracey Ullman? - "They Don't Know" ...


The Museum of Television and Radio in New York City is dedicated to audio-visual artifacts with a collection of over 50,000 TV and radio shows. You can pick your selection from the library and watch it at one of their many video consoles.

The museum also offers extensive historical accounts of mass media including that of color television.

Although the motion picture industry had adopted Technicolor a decade earlier, color television development took a little longer.

RCA introduced television to the American public at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. England had inaugurated regularly scheduled programming in the fall of 1936. Before the fair, they published a brochure for their dealers to explain television.

The opening ceremony and events at the fair were televised, and NBC began regularly scheduled broadcasts. President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the fair, thereby becoming the first president to be televised.

In his autobiography “Maverick Inventor”, Peter Goldmark tells how he was inspired to develop the CBS Color Television System. Goldmark was the technical head of the CBS Television effort that started in 1943.

On his honeymoon to Canada in March 1943, Goldmark and his bride decided to see encore presentations of two Technicolor movies, "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) starring Cary Grant and Mary Astor and "Casablanca" (1942) starring Ronald Reagan and Ingrid Bergman.

Goldmark was awed by the beauty and richness of Technicolor. Returning to New York City he approached his supervisors to support experiments in developing a system. By June 1943 he was able to show still pictures from a color slide on a 5-inch color monitor. This led to the first disclosure of the CBS Field Sequential Color Television System to the public on August 28, 1943, and its first demonstration to the press on September 4, 1943.

The September 22, 1943 color spread in "Life" magazine showed live camera in CBS Studio, cut-away diagram of CBS live camera, actual subject and off-the screen photos comparing color quality (pictures from spread comparing live and CBS Color repro of flowers).

Germany, Italy and Japan all had declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941, catapulting the United States into World War II.

During the war CBS engineers developed the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) technologies for classified military applications.

The Nazi government had developed their own television system starting with the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. Both Vladimir Zworykin's Iconoscope camera pick up tube and Philo Farnsworth's Image Dissector camera pick up tube were adopted and operated in German cameras. In 1936 Zworykin, a Russian Jew, who was working for RCA labs and Farnsworth, a Utah Mormon, who was working with Philco, would later be approached by the Nazi regime to help develop color television technology in Nazi Germany. Both declined.

Even though only broadcasting a couple of hours a day, by 1944 monochrome television had become a commercial success and 10 million sets had been sold, with programs like "The Three Stooges", "The Little Rascals" and news programming about the war available to the general public. A change to color television would only be licensed if the color broadcast signal could also be received as a monochrome signal on these sets.

In mid-1944 CBS receives FCC permission to construct and operate an UHF color television transmitter to develop an all-electronic system designed to the same reception standards enjoyed on monochrome sets and on May 25, 1945 demonstrates experimental UHF color broadcast using laboratory test equipment and a 10 MHz channel.

After Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was assassinated on April 28, 1945, the surrender of Chancellor of Germany Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on May 2, 1945 and the official surrender of Japanese Emperor Hirohito on September 2, 1945 completely ending World War II once and for all (Hitler and Hirohito were later executed), the FCC reserved UHF band for future expansion of black and white and color TV on October 10, 1945.

On August 18, 1946, the first experimental CBS color TV broadcast originates from Washington, D.C.

On November 1, 1946, the FCC issued its “Report on Color Television Issues” in which it approves the CBS Field Sequential Color Television System (authorized for broadcast after November 20, 1946). The FCC also required manufacture of black and white receivers with “bracket standards” (receiving both CBS color and ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) black and white signals.

In 1947 the "CBS-Columbia" Color Television Receiver, manufactured by Air King, partially electronic with a mechanical color spinning wheel, was introduced.

The first Westinghouse Admiral color television using the current national transmission standard was sold December 30, 1947 and the first coast-to-coast color TV broadcast was the January 1, 1948 Tournament of Roses Parade on NBC.

On March 25, 1948 production of RCA's first commercial color TV sets began in Bloomington, Indiana (the CT-100).

On June 20, 1948, CBS broadcast the very first commercial network coast-to-coast color TV program, a variety show called, "The Ed Sullivan Show". Virtually every type of entertainment appeared on the show; opera singers, popular artists, songwriters, comedians, rock artists, (Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc.) ballet dancers, dramatic actors performing monologues from plays, and circus acts were regularly featured.

The show ran on CBS every Sunday night from 8–9P.M. EST, and is one of the few entertainment shows to have run in the same weekly time slot on the same network for more than two decades (25 seasons: 1948-1973). During its first season, it ran from 9 to 10P.M. EST. Although the colors were not quite true to life, the first program was a success.

On August 11, 1948, a month and a half after "The Ed Sullivan Show" made its debut, CBS aired the first baseball game in color. The game was between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. The Dodgers won 3-2. A plaque commemorating the broadcast hangs at Ebbets Field today.

All three broadcast networks at the time (ABC, CBS, NBC) began airing full color prime time schedules by the 1948–49 television season.

In 1949 the RCA 'electronic' color system was adopted by the FCC as the standard for all color television broadcasts.

Lack of interest and high prices greatly slowed color TV's acceptance in the marketplace until the "I Love Lucy" episode 'Lucy Goes to the Hospital' was telecast on January 19, 1953 in which the title character, Lucy Ricardo, gives birth to her son, "Little Ricky," after a "predictably chaotic" sequence of events.


Twelve hours before the broadcast, the actress who played Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball, had given birth to Desi Arnaz, Jr. by cesarean section. The episode had actually been filmed on November 14, 1952.

The episode was the culmination of an unprecedented pairing of the fictional pregnancy of Lucy with the real-life pregnancy of Lucille Ball; "real-time pregnancy was fictively narrated for the first time on American television.".

When the episode premiered on CBS, 72% of all American homes with television sets tuned in, amounting to 44 million viewers watching the episode. It received higher ratings than the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, which received 29 million viewers, the day afterward. According to the St. Louis Telegraph, scripts for the episode were reviewed by a rabbi, a minister, and a priest in order to make sure it would not be offensive.

The cover story of Newsweek on January 19, 1953 was about the episode (which had not yet been aired when the issue went to press).


The April 3, 1953 issue of TV Guide featured a cover photo of newborn Desi Arnaz, Jr., captioned as "Lucy's $50,000,000 Baby".


Numerous stories were published about the sex of the baby, which was kept secret until the episode aired; when Ball actually had a boy as Lucy did in the script, headlines proclaimed "Lucy sticks to script: a boy it is!" (New York Daily Mirror), "TV was right: a boy for Lucille" (New York Daily News), and "What the Script Ordered" (Life Magazine).

Many viewers who did not own color sets watched with people who did, and many others watched demo color sets through storefront windows such as Macy's.

Awed by the richness and lifelike color texture of the electronic color system from those who seen the episode, color TV sales sky rocketed.

Color sets also started selling in large numbers due in some part to the introduction of General Electric's Porta-Color set in the Spring of 1956.

By the late 1950s black and white sets had become obsolete.


On sale now:

"Anthology of Big Band Swing" is a comprehensive collection of big band hits from the 1920's to the present. The quality of the digitally remastered original stereo recordings made after stereophonic sound was first made available to the general public in 1933 has to be heard to be believed. The artwork is excellent as well. Tracks from before have been masterfully redone in stereo. We get a good sampler of what made people dance back in the beginnings of big band music.

"Chattanooga Choo-Choo" starts the CD. We get this classic tune performed by some really big names from the big band era: Glenn Miller, Tex Beneke, Paula Kelly and The Modernaires.

"Chattanooga Choo-Choo" has a fine side dish of swing that works very well for this number; and Tex Beneke really sings his heart out on this number. "Stompin' At The Savoy" stands out just as brightly; Benny Goodman & His Orchestra never miss a beat and Benny's legendary high standards for quality control produce this marvelous hit. We then get "Take the 'A' Train" by Duke Ellington; and that's grand. "Take The 'A' Train" sounds just as fresh today as when they first recorded it in back in 1941; and the band handles the quick tempo changes very well.

"Tempo And Swing" by Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra packs a full punch that makes you tap your toes; and listen for "In The Mood" by Glenn Miller & His Orchestra. "In the Mood" was a huge big band hit. "Bill's Mill" showcases the wonderful talents of Count Basie & His Orchestra.

"Ya Gotta Try" has a great jazz arrangement by Buddy Rich & His Orchestra; and it sounds really good even today. Duke Ellington and his mates return to do yet another snazzy number entitled "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)."

"(I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo" comes to us courtesy of Glenn Miller & His Orchestra with Tex Beneke, The Modernaires and Marion Hutton. We also get "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)" from Glenn Miller and the Andrews Sisters and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". "I'm In The Mood For Love" shines bright as Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra perform it; the brass is used well on the track and this enhances the natural beauty of this number.

"Paper Doll" from the Mills Brothers resonates being jilted by a girlfriend as much today as it did when it was recorded back in 1943. "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" by Patti Page from 1953 will still make you want to run to the nearest animal shelter. 1937's "Blue Ball" from the Count Basie Orchestra is noted for the saxophone work of Herschel Evans and Lester Young, trumpet by Buck Clayton, Walter Page on bass and Basie himself on piano. A popular jazz standard for virtually all top big bands and their fans and jitterbuggers, it was part of the concert bill for Benny Goodman's famous 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall. "Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing) (Parts 1 & 2)" by Benny Goodman & His Orchestra is also included in the CD.

"Stormy Weather", Billie Holiday's iconic hit from the 1943 movie of the same name, is also included as well as the 1945 hit "The Honeydripper (Parts 1 and 2)" from Cab Calloway and His Orchestra.

"Jeepers Creepers", the popular 1938 song and jazz standard originally from the Warner Brothers movie "Going Places" sung by Louis Armstrong resonates.

The immortal classic "Shaving Cream" from Benny Bell in 1946 continues to amuse.

Art Mooney is showcased with "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" and "Baby Face" (remake of 1926 Al Jolson hit) from 1948.


To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Les Brown & His Band of Renown recorded the CD "Digital Swing" in 1986. Their No. 1 hit from that CD "How High the Moon" is featured on the anthology package.


Although this CD gives us nothing but outstanding big band music; it really isn't the only big band CD you'll ever need. This is best used as a starter CD for people wanting to get better acquainted with big band music so that they can then find more CDs by the specific artists here -- and by other big band artists too.


What happened to your eating utensils after your last meal? Chances are you probably left them behind, or threw them away in a nearby trash can if they were made of plastic – but now, thanks to a new product from India-based startup Bakeys, you could soon be eating your spoons just as easily as you ate your lunch. Edible Cutlery, as its called, is an upcoming line of plant-based eating utensils that are totally safe to eat.

For Bakeys, the motivation behind Edible Cutlery is drawn from issues like environmental sustainability, climate change, and the global water crisis. Because the company’s spoons can be eaten after use and are completely biodegradable (if you’d rather not eat your spoon for any reason), Bakeys hopes the product will keep more plastic from ending up in landfills and contaminating natural water sources.


Choosing sorghum (also known as jowar) as the base of their edible spoons is part of Bakeys’ effort to reduce reliance on rice (don't tell the Vietnamese!). Bakeys believes that if the huge plots of land dedicated to growing rice could be converted to millet fields, we would be using less water and wasting fewer crops. “Rice is a water guzzler,” according to Bakeys, and every kilogram of rice produced as a crop requires 5,000 liters of water. Sorghum is a millet plant that Bakeys claims requires less water to grow in abundance, and is also highly nutritious. That’s why the base of every edible spoon is made of sorghum flour.

The spoons also include rice, wheat, and water as key ingredients — albeit in smaller quantities. Bakeys doesn’t add any preservatives or dyes to their edible spoons, but the sweet and savory versions do include added sugar (sweet) and a combination of rock salt, black pepper, cumin, and a spice called ajwain which is related to caraway (savory). The spoons can also be customized for special order flavors like Hot ‘n’ spicy, onion and tomato, garlic, and ginger, according to the Bakeys website.

Bakeys suggests using Edible Cutlery to eat rice-based dishes, which are popular in the company’s Hyderabad. The spoons won’t melt, but since they do need to be soft enough to eat, you probably won’t be cutting steak with them anytime soon — however, that’s probably not a problem for Bakeys’ main customer base anyway.

Bakeys plans to expand worldwide including the United States within the next five years.


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