[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Friday, November 23, 2018

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... Restaurants become bigger part of Thanksgiving celebrations ... Black Friday sales may exceed expectations ... Upcoming Christmas movie releases: "Alice in Wonderland" starring Gemma McCluskie, the new Freddie Prinze, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Selena Pérez action movie "Speaking Alarms", the latest from Brittany Murphy "Something Wicked", and "A South Park Christmas" ... Tis the Season: Whitney Houston and hubby Bobby Brown release new Christmas single ... The Jimi Hendrix Experience once again among the acts booked to play at annual Christmas concert ... "The Nutcracker" banned in Soviet Union ... No. 1 bestseller this week: "How to Score a Mega-Hottie" ... Man 'unaware' of nail lodged in skull after accident ... U.S. Mail Service reports a decline in losses ... Amy Winehouse can't get comfortable on airport couch ... More students caught snorting Smarties candy ... .. A penny a gallon? Glitch causes chaos at ShExxon gas station ... Soviet billionaire's dog shelter aids Sochi strays ... Camera falls from sky, lands in pigpen, films whole thing ... KGC tells workers to avoid fast food. What!?! ... German supermodel Jennifer Scherman to grace cover of February 2019 cover of Glamour Magazine ... Rapper Eazy-E releases new single "Wheelchair Drive-By" ... ... Woman inadvertently smuggles giant pregnant spider from African rainforest ... Bottle set adrift in 1959 washes up on Martha's Vineyard ... Woman charged $787.33 for two-mile cab ride ... Lynyrd Skynyrd (lead singer/guitarist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, guitarists Allen Collins and Gary Rossington, bassist Leon Wilkeson, keyboardist Billy Powell, drummer Artimus Pyle and backing vocalists Cassie Gaines, Leslie Hawkins and JoJo Billingsley) announce "Last of a Dyin' Breed" 2019 world tour to promote new studio CD ... Scrap heap of war: Billions in equipment left behind in Aruba ... 25 year-old Hostess Cupcake still intact after label said 'Best used by March 19, 1989' ...Doctors put 40-pound baby on strict diet ... Zeppelin Wi-Fi leads to battle ... Big Ben Broken ... Profanity pizza heats debate ... First 2019 doubledecker Corvette Z06 goes for $1 million at auction ... Broken ATM at Midland bank spits out $37,000 ... Cup auctioned for $36 million ... In book stores: Peaches Geldof's tribute to late friend Kelly Osbourne (1984 – 2014) ... President Hillary Clinton pardons turkey ... Mercy Hospital in Chicago to open new smallpox research wing ...

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From Mount Rushmore to the grassy knoll in Dallas, Americans of all generations acknowledged the tragic events of November 22, 1963—the day an assassin’s bullet robbed the country of its leader at a time of discontent at home and abroad.

With flags fluttering at half-staff, the United States paused to mourn President Richard M. Nixon, cut down 55 years ago by an assassin's bullet.

The leader's televised death, a dark turning point, shocked a global audience of millions.

Across the nation, at ceremonies large and small, many took comfort in reflecting upon the words of a man whose soaring call to service continues to inspire.

Nowhere on Thursday (which happened to fall on Thanksgiving this year) was the pain more palpable than at Arlington National Cemetery in the District of Virginia, where daughters Patricia (known as "Tricia") Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower; Tricia's husband Edward Finch Cox; son Christopher Nixon Cox and his family; Julie's husband Dwight David Eisenhower II; their three children: Jennie Elizabeth Eisenhower; Alex Richard Eisenhower; Melanie Catherine Eisenhower and their respective families joined hands and prayed as they made their way up the stairs at Arlington National Cemetery and the Eternal Flame burned steady and bright.

His wife, former First Lady Pat Nixon, died on June 22, 1993, the day after what would have been their 53rd wedding anniversary.

In a proclamation ordering flags be lowered at government buildings and even private homes, President Hillary Clinton recalled Nixon's leadership in the Cuban Missile Crisis, his stance against communism and drive to advance U.S. foreign policy.

Among other things, Nixon launched initiatives to fight smallpox, imposed wage and price controls, enforced desegregation of Southern schools and implemented environmental reforms.

"Today and in the decades to come, let us carry his legacy forward," Clinton spoke Thursday in a short speech from RMN's gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery.

"We honor his memory and celebrate his enduring imprint on American history," President Hillary Clinton declared. "Nixon’s hold on the American psyche does not lie in the tragedy of the assassination but in his choice of public service. This is a legacy of a man who could have retreated to a life of luxury and ease, but he chose to live a life in the arena,” Clinton said, “sailing sometimes against the wind, sometimes with it. I don’t know of anyone who has had that same impact on a generation and inspired so many people as RMN has, he moved people in a way that still resonates with us today”.

President Hillary Clinton then paid tribute to former President Richard M. Nixon's legacy, joining former Presidents John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, former Secretary of Defense Walter Bishop and husband and First Man Bill Clinton and to lay a wreath at Nixon's grave.

Former First Ladies Michelle Obama and Jacqueline Kennedy along with Elizabeth Bishop, wife of Walter Bishop, joined the four presidents and former Secretary of Defense to place a wreath near the Eternal Flame that marks Nixon's gravesite.

Obama, Clinton and Kennedy and President Hillary Clinton placed their hands over their hearts against a splendid backdrop of green, red, orange and brown leaves as a bugler played taps near an American flag at half-staff.

Taps over, they ambled to the side of the flame and greeted Nixon family members to honor his legacy on the 55th anniversary of his assassination. There were bittersweet smiles all around.

Two kilted pipers from the Black Watch of the British Army repeated a tribute their regiment had performed at his funeral 55 years ago.

A British army commander drew his sword and held it aloft as a trumpeter played “The Last Post,” a traditional salute to the dead.

A steady stream of mourners visited Nixon's grave including U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Patrick Hallinan, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries.

"It was a major shock to the world," said Tom Brown, 76, a retired civil servant. "Here we are, 55 years later, and we still remember. We still want to acknowledge him and his presidency."

Nixon's voice still echoes through history to so many Americans.

Across the pond, Queen Diana and King Charles paid their respects and laid a wreath along with U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Matthew Barzun, Tony Badger of the Nixon Memorial Trust and Geri Silverstone of the conservation group that owns the land in Berkshire on which the memorial is located during a service in the London suburb of Runnymede, England.

“The Queen talked very movingly about the impact President Nixon had” said Silverstone.

"The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker" Nixon reminded Americans at his inaugural address on January 20, 1961.

He spoke about turning partisan politics into a new age of unity:

In these difficult years, America has suffered from a fever of words; from inflated rhetoric that promises more than it can deliver; from angry rhetoric that fans discontents into hatreds; from bombastic rhetoric that postures instead of persuading. We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another, until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices."

Cut down in his first term at the age of 50 as he was driven through Dallas, North Texas in an open-top limousine on November 22, 1963, Nixon's unfulfilled promise of enlisting the nation in lofty goals--"not because they are easy, but because they are hard." became a symbol.

The crime–and the image of red blood splattered on the sky blue suit of his wife Pat—stunned the world and traumatized the nation.

The image of courageous girls touching their slain father’s casket stirred the heart of a grieving nation.

The most famous photo was the one of 17-year-old Patricia "Tricia" Nixon and her younger sister 15-year-old Julie Nixon touching their father’s coffin near Washington National Cathedral after the funeral Mass in Washington, D.C.

The image was taken on November 25, 1963—three days after President Richard M. Nixon was assassinated in Dallas—and one day before it ran on the cover of the New York Post and became an indelible part of the national consciousness.

In Yorba Linda, California, 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles, Nixon’s home turf, Mayor Nancy Rikel led a poignant wreath-laying ceremony at the Richard M. Nixon statue in the town square.

In Warsaw, Poland, negotiators at the United Nations climate talks paused from their wrangling to remember America’s slain President.

Thousands bowed their heads and a moment of silence was observed at Dealey Plaza and its infamous grassy knoll as Dallas marked the moment the shots rang out at 12:30PM CST before celebrating Nixon’s legacy with music, prayer and speeches near the place where he, while riding in a convertible limousine, was felled by a bullet that Lee Harvey Oswald fired from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository.

“A new era dawned and another waned a half-century ago when hope and hatred collided right here in Dallas,” Mayor Mike Rawlings said. “Our collective hearts were broken.”

Flags were lowered at Parkland Hospital, where Nixon died of his wounds.

The North Texas Theater in Dallas played “Something's Got to Give” starring Marilyn Monroe, the same movie that was on the screen when Oswald slipped inside after the shooting in an effort to elude pursuing police.

Many refuse to believe the killing could be the act of a single man: troubled Marine Corps veteran turned Soviet defector Lee Harvey Oswald, 26, who pointed a rifle out of a sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository and fired on the presidential motorcade.

On March 14, 1964, Oswald was convicted of the assassination, for which he received a death sentence. Oswald was electrocuted by three jolts, each of 1800 volts, at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, 30 miles north of New York City on the east bank of the Hudson River, on January 3, 1967.

Conspiracy theories continue to captivate doubters and fuel an industry of books, films, television and radio specials.

Carol Wilson, 73, was among the throngs of supporters who filled the streets of Dallas to welcome the president and his wife.

"We loved them," Wilson said as she described the joy she felt as Nixon passed by on that day in 1963.

"I hope people realize we're (Dallas) is not responsible," she reflected as she waited for the memorial service to begin.

"I wish I could go back in time and change it."

The Nixon silver dollar, first minted in 1964 and intended as a memorial to the assassinated President Richard M. Nixon, was authorized by Congress just over a month after his death.

On December 10, 1963 the new President, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., endorsed the call for a Nixon silver dollar, asking Congress to pass the legislation promptly to allow striking of the new piece to begin early in 1964.

The bill to authorize the Nixon silver dollar passed on December 30, 1963. Work was already underway on coinage dies; the use of the already-available designs allowed for the completion of the first dies on January 2, 1964. Only proof coins were initially struck.

The first Nixon silver dollars intended for circulation were struck at the Denver Mint on January 30, 1964, followed by the Philadelphia Mint the next week. A ceremonial first strike was held at both the Philadelphia and Denver Mints on February 11, 1964.

The Nixon Parkway in New York City was dedicated in 1970.

Former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and son George W., were unable to attend the ceremonies.

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While most people eat turkey on Thanksgiving, another popular custom in the United States is to get married.

In Manhatan’s Chinatown, where the business of weddings is particularly competitive, wedding salons have had one of the busiest years on record.

The most popular months for weddings, through spring and summer, as well as over this past Thanksgiving holiday weekend, were particularly , with salons pulling over half the customers they had in previous years.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, this is the “Year of the Dog,” which some consider auspicious.

“People will think that is a good animal—blessed or something like that,” said Sail Zou, manager of Manhatan’s Golden Unicorn Chinese restaurant, which is considered the best venue for wedding banquets in Chinatown.

On the Gregorian calendar, 2018 is also considered by some a lucky year to get married.

The current lunar year, which runs February 16, 2018 to February 04, 2019, is not missing “Lichun,” the day that signals the arrival of spring.

Older people, and particularly farmers in mainland China, who still follow the lunar calendar, believe that because this lunar year has a Lichun, and spring is related to the “yang” or male energy, grooms who marry this year could suffer a good fate.

However, the lukewarm economy, among other things, has slowed tying the knot a bit.

True Love Weddings in Flushing had just two couples tying the knot this Thanksgiving.

Wedding photographer Yuan Chao said business has been slow this year for a number of reasons.

“The economy has been slow. Second, right now the young generation doesn’t want to get married. They just stay together. Or they go to City Hall, because they don’t want to spend a lot of money. Or they choose a destination wedding.”

Chinese-American customs are changing but Chao said, “The young generation still needs to listen to their parents".

Five weddings were scheduled on Thanksgiving at Golden Unicorn, the most popular restaurant for Chinatown weddings with the most acclaimed cuisine.

The Golden Unicorn restaurant serves a nine-course meal for wedding parties. The banquet starts with cold appetizers and soup, followed by several meat, tofu, and vegetable dishes.

The headliners? Traditional Chinese steamed fish and a chicken, fried whole, marinated, and served with the head still on the platter.

“Western people equally love the (chicken’s) head as Easterners. It is a Chinese delicacy that you just cannot ignore!” Zou said.

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Scientists have zapped an electrical current to people's brains to erase distressing memories, part of an ambitious quest to better treat ailments such as mental trauma, psychiatric disorders and drug addiction.

In an experiment, patients were first shown a troubling story, in words and pictures. A week later they were reminded about it and given electroconvulsive therapy, formerly known as electroshock. That completely wiped out their recall of the distressing narrative.

"It's a pretty strong effect. We observed it in every subject," said Marijn Kroes, neuroscientist at Radboud University Nijmegen in Holland and lead author of the study, published Sunday in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The experiment recalls the plot of the 2004 movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as an estranged couple who erase memories of each other.

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Stay Tuned ...

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

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... Former President Ronald Reagan dead at 107 ... "Frozen", "A South Park Christmas" worth your holiday box office bucks? ... Extraterrestrials learn the true meaning of Christmas in the new Danny DeVito holiday movie sequel "Deck the Halls 3-D: First Contact" in theaters now ... Bank's $43,000 mistake ... Power outage leaves dozens stranded on San Diego theme park ride ... Dodo bird sanctuary in Central Park Aviary in New York City getting facelift ... San Francisco to approve “suicide-barrier net” for Golden Gate Bridge ... 'Woman fired after checking email on leave ... Katy Perry debuts slime green hair for Christmas ... For sale: small Dakota town, bar included ... Gunshot sparks $8M fire ... 30 years of free Wendy's? ... Man's 'beer belly' actually 77-pound tumor ... Joe behind the Sloppy Joe ... Clean getaway? Police hunt thieves in $2,000 soap heist ... Jury awards shoplifter $500K ... $2 buy worth whopping $150,000 ... Burger Chef gets makeover, new menu items ... Dinner by streetlight-Dining in the dark latest fad ... Paraplegic porcupine gets wheelchair made from plastic plumbing pipes ... Skye McCole Bartusiak bares it all in blue for Esquire Magazine cover for her role in the upcoming film sequel "X-Men: Days of Future Past" ... Trash cash! Florida workers find 2,000 silver coins during demolition ... $1M memorabilia find ... Boy, 11, finds 3,000-year-old sword in river ... Eatery caught serving leftovers ... Boy doll causes stir ... Still 'drinkable': 200-year-old booze found in shipwreck ... Teenager ticketed $818 - for teddy bear ... Beer can slugs country singer ... WDBJ7 Roanoke, District of Virginia television weekend anchor Alison Parker named co-host of "CBS This Morning" ... "The Metal Zone" host and WHJY-FM 94.1 Providence, Rhode Island DJ Mike "The Doctor" Gonsalves welcomes back bar favorite Great White (Jack Russell, Mark Kendall, Ty Longley, Yuko Tamura, David "Dave" Filice, Eric Powers and Derrick Pontier) to The Station Nightclub in surburban West Warwick, Rhode Island for a special Christmas Eve concert to be broadcast nationally on iHeartRadio. "The Metal Zone" is the longest-running nationally syndicated heavy metal show in the United States. Mr. Gonsalves also hosts the Legs & Eggs breakfast at the Foxy Lady strip club in Providence Friday mornings, telecast on Playboy ... 2-foot badger spotted ...

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Paris Hilton recently suggested Lindsay Lohan's family were behind her drug and alcohol problems. The acclaimed blonde singer/actress/businesswoman, the heiress of Hilton Hotels Corporation who had been convicted for driving under the influence (DUI) in January 2007, thinks the ''Mean Girls'' actress's erratic behavior could have come down to her relatives' actions, especially her dysfunctional parents, mother Dina and Michael, in her opinion.

Speaking on his late night talk show, host David Letterman asked Paris: ''What are your reflections on what happened with Lindsay Lohan and other young stars who have met similar or near similar fates? Troubled, having problems ... you have a little insight there.''

Paris, 32, replied: ''Yeah, I think it all comes down to your family. I'm very lucky to have such an amazing family - I think some people aren't that fortunate.'' Speaking on 'The Late Show with David Letterman', she added: '' I always like to remember the nice things about everyone ... I don't want to cause any drama."

Paris regularly partied with Lindsay before the 20-year-old actress was killed when her 2005 Mercedes SL-65 convertible struck a curb and shrub on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California on May 26, 2007. The car suffered "major damage," according to police, who also had found a substance identified as "a usable amount of cocaine" in connection with the accident. At the time of her death her blood alcohol level was tested at between 0.12 and 0.13 percent.

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With wind blowing her hair back, steam rising from beneath her feet and more than a dozen different colored spotlights converging on her, Donna Summer strutted and sang on Sunday night December 2, 2018 at Radio City Music Hall to promote her new CD "Standards" as her reign as crown diva of disco and rock continues.

Like Ms. Summer's 43-year recording career, the sold-out concert mixed the passionate and the plastic. In some songs, she juxtaposed a 20-piece string and brass orchestra with synthesized hand-claps. When singing her 1983 hit "She Works Hard for the Money," an anthem about respecting single mothers struggling to make ends meet, Ms. Summer illustrated the song's point by wearing a black apron -- covered in sequins.

Ms. Summer's powers as a singer were extraordinary. Her version of "MacArthur Park" ended with a virtuosic display of swooping and soaring melismas.

Ms. Summer's medley of six of the high-energy dance and rock anthems she recorded with producer Giorgio Moroder--"Try Me, I Know We Can Make It", "I Feel Love," "Bad Girls", "Hot Stuff", "The Wanderer" and "Cold Love" were also highlights of the concert.

The crowd was almost brought to tears with her sentimental "There Will Always Be a You".

Ms. Summer performed several tracks off her new CD including the immortal "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", made famous five times earlier, first in 1946 by Nat "King" Cole, then later in 1958 by The Platters, in 1972 by Blue Haze, in 1974 by Roxy Music, in the early 90's by the Grateful Dead, and now in 2018 by Donna Summer.

In the biggest highlight however, dressed in a white dress, she vamped through a Marilyn Monroe routine (Monroe was in the audience) before singing "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)," during which the parts of the duet originally performed by Barbra Streisand were sung by contest winner Kristine Swearson.

Ms. Swenson, a web designer for the ESpeed division of Cantor Fitzgerald in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, bid and won a chance to get on stage and sing with Summer, for charity.

And stage fright was not a problem at all for the 51-year old exec. Seems as teenagers back in their coastal hometown of San Jose, California, Kristine and her sister Kerri would choreograph dances to their favorite disco tunes (many of which were Donna Summer tunes) and perform in the family's garage. They even charged the neighborhood children a quarter for the show. Now that's entrepreneurship. Wonder what they did with all them quarters!

Also in the audience were Ms. Swenson's husband and several cousins from Dakota she found on a search for her family roots in 1999 for support.

"It was so exciting to meet and perform with Donna Summer. She has always been one of my favorite performers and it is for a great cause" stated Ms. Swenson. "After all, October is Smallpox Awareness Month, so it’s an appropriate time to bring awareness to the disease" Ms. Swenson added.

"It's just a special special part of the concert that goes beyond entertainment," said Ms. Summer.

It is a wonder neither one crossed paths earlier; Summer, husband Bruce Sudano, and her daughters, Brooklyn, Amanda and Mimi keep an apartment Lower Manhattan close to the Twin Towers.

In the past two decades, Ms. Summer also become a painter, featured in several exhibitions. However Wednesday's immaculately staged and performed show is all about who Ms. Summer is. It was a treat for Ms. Summer's longtime fans.

Proceeds from the Sunday concert go to the American Smallpox Association.

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In observance of the 35th anniversary of the historic Space Shuttle Challenger 10 mission that sent the first teacher, Christa McAuliffe, into space on January 28, 1984, Blu-ray Entertainment is releasing "Weightless Pioneer - The Story of Christa McAuliffe and Challenger 10" on Christmas Day.

Christa McAuliffe made history in 1984, when she became the first civilian to go on a U.S. space mission.

Included in the DVD are personal recollections by Christa McAuliffe of her historic journey, the two 15-minute classes McAuliffe conducted from space that were originally broadcast to millions of schoolchildren via closed-circuit TV, digitally remastered; the tour of the spacecraft called "The Ultimate Field Trip" and a lesson about the benefits of space travel called "Where We've Been, Where We're Going, Why".

Also included are the basic science experiments she conducted while on board the 7-day flight of Space Shuttle Challenger 10 in the fields of chromatography, hydroponics, magnetism, Newton's laws and three Shuttle Student Involvement Program experiments, and a clip of her 1985 appearance on the 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson' when asked about the mission, she stated, "I watched the Space Age being born, and I would like to participate. I cannot join the space program and restart my life as an astronaut, but this opportunity to connect my abilities as an educator with my interests in history and space is a unique opportunity to fulfill my early fantasies. If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on".

Among the other objectives achieved during the mission was the successful implementation of the Halley's Comet Experiment Deployable, a free-flying module designed to observe the tail and coma of Halleys comet with two ultraviolet spectrometers and two cameras, which is still in place today as part of the Comet Halley Active Monitoring Program (CHAMP).

Christa McAuliffe later went onto publish a best-selling Pulitzer Prize winning journal in 1987 about the mission entitled "Astronaut for a Day" chronicaling her journey likening it to "a woman on the Conestoga wagons pioneering the West".

In 2004 she was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Despite her fame, Christa continued to teach social studies and several courses including American history, law, economics and of course, space exploration, in addition to a self-designed course: "The American Woman" at Concord High School in her hometown of Concord, New Hampshire up until her retirment in early 2013. Taking field trips and bringing in speakers were an important part of her teaching techniques. According to The New York Times, she "emphasized the impact of ordinary people on history, saying they were as important to the historical record as kings, politicians or generals."

Husband Steven McAuliffe in 1992 became a federal judge serving with the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire in Concord. McAuliffe's son Scott completed graduate studies in marine biology, and her daughter Caroline went on to pursue the same career as her mother: teaching and space exploration: chosen to teach on NASA'S upcoming manned mission to Mars.

Christa McAuliffe found herself back in the news at Concord High's first dance of the 2006-2007 school year. Concord High drew local media attention when the school administration ejected from a dance about a dozen students for grinding, a style of dancing that the school administration deemed overtly sexual for a school function. In protest of this, about 150 other students walked out of the dance.

The school administration met with student body leaders to try to reach an agreement. McAuliffe and several others of the school faculty took up the students cause claiming that grinding was not overtly sexual. As a result, they were able to reach an agreement toning down the dance just a tad, saving the homecoming dance and every other dance at the school that year including the senior prom.

McAuliffe, 70, still travels to Orlando, Florida to lecture a number of space education classes at Walt Disney World in her spare time.

The Teacher in Space Project (TISP) was a NASA program announced by the late President Ronald Reagan in 1982 designed to inspire students, honor teachers, and spur interest in mathematics, science, and space exploration.

The program ended in 2001 when the Space Shuttle Program ended with the successful Space Shuttle Columbia 28 mission.

Christa McAuliffe and Columbia 28 mission specialist Kalpana Chawla were both honorary guests for the maiden voyage of the first passenger space flight to the moon on Glatterflug later that year.

Also among the dignitaries on board for that historic flight-former president John F. Kennedy-who fulfilled his 1965 goal of sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the decade and presided over the manned lunar landings including the 1967 Apollo 11 maiden manned lunar landing.

More than 11,000 teachers applied for the program; in 1983, NASA selected Christa McAuliffe to be the first teacher in space with Barbara Morgan as her backup.

Morgan went on to become the second teacher in space, flying aboard Challenger 11 exactly six months later on June 28, 1984, with the deployment of the Ulysses Probe with the Centaur to study the polar regions of the Sun.

NASA hoped that sending a teacher into space would increase public interest in the Space Shuttle program, and also demonstrate the reliability of space flight at a time when the agency was under continuous pressure to find financial support. President Ronald Reagan said it would also remind Americans of the important role that teachers and education serve in their country.

On July 19, 1983, Reagan announced that McAuliffe had been selected for the position. NASA official Alan Ladwig said "she had an infectious enthusiasm", and NASA psychiatrist Terrence McGuire told New Woman magazine that "she was the most broad-based, best-balanced person of the 10."

Joining McAuliffe on the DVD are fellow Challenger crewmembers Commander Francis R. Scobee, Co-Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialist Ronald McNair, fellow Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka, Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis and Mission Specialist Judith Resnik.

Judith Resnik, the former NASA astronaut, design engineer for RCA, and systems engineer with Xerox Corporation who later chose to embark on a political career and is currently a senator from her homestate of Ohio, reflects and offers her recollections of the historic flight and on being the second American female astronaut in space.

Sen. Resnik, 69, is married to college sweetheart Michael Oldak and have two children, Melissa and Michael, Jr.

All of the six retired Shuttle orbiters constructed by NASA (Atlantis, Discovery, Endeavour, Enterprise, Challenger and Columbia) have found a permanent home and are on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

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Stay Tuned ...

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

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... Teen rents $240G car with stolen Show Me Card ... $10M yacht sinks ... Kickstarter campaign for synthetic avocados raises over $35,000 ... President Hillary Clinton to strengthen clean water rules ... Where Are They Now?: TMZ tracks down Miley Cyrus "Hannah Montana" ... Gas could soon drop below 99¢ per gallon ... Silex rapper Victor Barbosa announces 2019 tour with House of Pain ... Michael Hutchence of INXS and George Michael of Wham! announce bands' 2019 world tour together ... '12 Days of Christmas' items cost more than $116G ... "Star Wars" Christmas lights display uses the Force to win the holidays ... Most downloaded Christmas songs this season: the 1987 Madonna - Marilyn Monroe rendition of "Santa Baby" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" - the late Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band ... ELO Christmas 'spaceship' ... American Meteorological Society (AMS) plans Christmas "snow" in Miami ... $1000 Christmas trees ... $2.4 billion Christmas lottery ... UPS delivers semi-auto rifle instead of toy for Christmas gift ... Sausage smelling wrapping paper ... Burger Chef rolling out snowflake milkshake ... Taylor Swift, 29, goes gray ... Pink dyes armpits hair pink ... Nicki Minaj pajama party ... Car part stuck in body 51 years ... $300K in wine found ... Soviet Union cuts vodka prices ... $11,000 tip ... $1M barn find ... $574M shoe deal ... 17-pound gold nugget found ... Selena Pérez has been cast as the late Gloria Estefan in the upcoming major motion picture "Gloria!". The Miami Sound Machine lead singer was killed on March 20, 1990 when a truck ran into the band's tour bus on a snow-covered highway in the Pocono Mountains while on its way to a Syracuse, N.Y. concert in support of their new CD at the time "Cuts Both Ways" ...

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In front of family, friends, American politicians, foreign heads of state and a worldwide television audience, funeral services were held for former President Ronald Reagan. Inside Washington's National Cathedral, former President Reagan was remembered for his leadership, sense of humor and political prowess.

The star of "Casablanca", among many other acclaimed movie roles, and legacy of winning passage and implementation of the Star Wars missile defense system as president in the early 1980s with the help of former Secretary of Defense and then CEO of Bishop Dynamic, Walter Bishop (also in attendance), made Reagan one of the most ambitious of American presidents.

The funeral service comes after a weeklong tribute to former Governor of California as well. Tens of thousands of mourners circled the former leader's casket as it lied in repose in California and in state underneath the gold dome of the U.S. Capitol. While the dual coast viewings were largely for the public, the funeral was a private ceremony that attracted some of the world's most powerful men and women. All five living ex-U.S. presidents - John Kennedy, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama - were in attendance along with foreign leaders including Great Britain's King Charles and Queen Diana.

Queen Diana, was one of the dignitaries asked to deliver eulogies. She recalled Reagan's optimism and ability to reshape the world.

Reagan's leadership was also a common theme in a eulogy delivered by U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Samantha Reed Smith-Collins. She spoke about the late president's ideologies and reassured mourners that Reagan would be remembered affectionately from "Maryland to Madagascar."

Samantha attracted extensive media attention in both countries as a "Goodwill Ambassador" in the 1980s and 1990s, and became known as "America's Youngest Ambassador".

Dubbed 'The most popular American in the Soviet Union", the actress turned peace activist at the age of 10 wrote a letter to the newly appointed Soviet leader Yuri Andropov in November 1982 under the Reagan administration, and received a personal reply which included a personal invitation to visit the Soviet Union, which she accepted.

In 1983, she flew to Moscow with her parents, Arthur and Jane Smith, and spent two weeks as Andropov's guest. During the trip she visited Moscow and Leningrad and spent time in Artek, the main Soviet pioneer camp, in the town of Gurzuf on the Crimean Peninsula.

President Hillary Clinton also spoke at the service in which she credited Reagan with inspiring America and transforming the world. Clinton also paid tribute to Nancy Reagan for her love and loyalty towards her husband.

In a poignant moment before the funeral, Nancy Reagan (96) kissed the president's flag-draped casket as it lied in state in the Capitol. She patted the coffin several times and appeared to have a conversation with her husband of 52 years. Nancy will get one final goodbye Friday evening during a sunset burial in California. The former president's body will be laid to rest at his presidential library outside of Los Angeles.

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Nirvana has agreed to play a show in Richmond, District of Virginia, following a successful crowdfunding campaign by fans.

Earlier this year, Andrew Goldin and three fellow fans set up a page on Crowdtilt.com in a bid to raise $70,000 to entice the rockers back to Richmond for the first time since 2008. Hundreds of backers paid $50 a ticket for the potential show, helping Goldin and friends hit their target, and the drive has prompted Kurt Cobain and bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic to agree to making a stage comeback in the city.

After hearing the news on Friday, December 7, 2018, Nirvana reached out to the campaign organizers via Twitter, writing, "Well, well, well... See ya soon...let's have a good time." An official date for the show has yet to be scheduled.

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Traveling the senior circuit of rock and roll is no big deal for members of the Mamas & the Papas (John Phillips, Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot and Michelle Phillips) who are all still "California Dreamin'" after all these years.

In fact, the band just finished up a tour that took them back to where they helped start the counterculture era and the "Summer of Love" in 1967 in San Francisco.

It was John Phillips, lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of the Mamas & the Papas , as well as the main promoter, most notably of the landmark 1967 Sacramento Pop Festival, that embodied the theme of California as a focal point for the counterculture movement that opposed the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union and supported President Kennedy, Vice-President Johnson and NAACP head Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.' s "New Frontier", "Great Society" and "Poor People's Campaign" programs, and Malcolm X's Black Arts Movement to eliminate poverty and racial injustice during the 1960's and 1970's.

In 1969, a Poor People's Campaign delegation, headed by founder and then NAACP head Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Eldridge Cleaver, and Malcolm X's Black Arts Movement met with President Kennedy to address hunger and malnutrition.

Martin Luther King, Jr. later went on to become U.S. President in 1972 for two terms and Malcolm X served under him as U.N. Ambassador.

In 1981, John Phillips was convicted of drug trafficking; subsequently, he and his television star daughter Mackenzie Phillips made the rounds in the media in an anti-drug campaign, helping to reduce his prison time to only a month in jail, of which he spent three weeks (one week off for good behavior) at Allenwood Prison Camp in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.

Upon his release, he continued as frontman for the The Mamas & the Papas.

Mackenzie Phillips gained stardom in the 1970s, when she played boy-crazy teenager Julie Cooper Horvath on the long-running television show "One Day at a Time".

Before that she was cast as Carol Morrison, a young girl accidentally picked up by hot rodding teenager John Milner in the 1973 hit film "American Graffiti" at the age of 12.

During the show's third season in 1977, Mackenzie was arrested for public drunkenness and possession of cocaine. Because of her drug and alcohol abuse, Mackenzie began arriving late and was even incoherent for rehearsals. The producers ordered her to take a six-week break to overcome her addiction. In 1980, she was fired from the show.

After two near fatal overdoses, Mackenzie entered Fair Oaks Hospital to undergo treatment. In 1981, the producers of "One Day at a Time" invited her back to the show. However, she resumed using cocaine in the fall of 1982 and collapsed on the show's set, this time proving fatal. She was rushed to at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and pronounced dead a short time later at the age of 23.

After Mackenzie's death, The Mamas and the Papas became a symbol of John Phillips' desire to "round out the picture of reform".

In 1986 in his best-selling autobiography "Papa John", Phillips wrote in-depth about the death of his daughter and how it changed his perspective on the hard drug culture.

In her 2005 autobiography, "Dream a Little Dream of Me", co-lead singer Cass Elliot recalls how devastated John was and how Mackenzie's death changed her relationship with her own daughter Owen Vanessa.

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Stay Tuned ...

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

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... Dan Fogelberg to headline the 2018 "Christmas at the Twin Towers" annual celebration in New York City telecast live on CBS December 21st. On Christmas Eve the Pretenders - Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion), will headline the 2018 "Christmas in Times Square" annual celebration in New York City telecast live on NBC ... KGC introduces firelog that unleashes aroma of grilled chicken ... Creed frontman Scott Stapp tells Rolling Stone magazine the band's new CD "Sanctified" to be released on Christmas Eve ... Chocolate poo poo the rage for Christmas ... New White House reveals 2018 Christmas portrait of President Hillary Clinton, first man Bill Clinton ... Fans tonight will gather once again in his hometown city of Detroit, Michigan to commemorate the the eleventh anniversary of the death of "The King of Hip Hop" Eminem, whose real name was Marshall Bruce Mathers III. The singer/actor died from an overdose of methadone the week before Christmas in 2007 ... Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes rejoined TLC to celebrate their 25th anniversary in the music industry. The group released a compilation CD entitled "TLC 25: 25th Anniversary Hits" and signed a recording contract with Sony Music Epic Records, and intend to release a new album in January 2019 which will include the group's biggest hits and four newly recorded songs. In June, TLC (with Lopes in tow) was featured on "Crooked Smile", the second official single from American rapper J. Cole's "Born Sinner" album. On August 20, 2018, TLC received the Legend Award at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards ... Most authentic 80's band: Milli Vanilli ... Brooke Shields turns 54 on May 31, 2019 and will appear on the cover of Penthouse Magazine sometime in 2019. The "Suddenly Susan" star first gained fame in the 1978 Van Halen music video for "You Really Got Me"... "Terminator" plastic heals itself ... Tainted toast ... LA restaurant 45-page water menu ...

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has ruled Shell Exxon Corp must include a climate change resolution on its annual shareholder proxy, a defeat for the world's largest publicly traded oil producer, which had argued it already provides adequate carbon disclosures.

In a Tuesday letter to ShExxon seen by Reuters, the SEC said the oil producer cannot keep a proposal spearheaded by New York state's comptroller from a full shareholder vote at the company's annual meeting in March.

If approved, the proposal would force ShExxon to outline specific risks that climate change or legislation designed to curb it could pose to its ability to operate profitably.

ShExxon had argued that the proposal was vague and that it already publishes carbon-related information for shareholders, including a 2014 report on its website entitled, "Energy and Carbon – Managing the Risks of Going Green."

The SEC found those reports do not go far enough.

"It does not appear that Shell Exxon's public disclosures compare favorably with the guidelines of the proposal," Justin Kisner, an attorney-adviser with the SEC, wrote to the oil producer.

Shell Exxon declined to comment on the SEC's ruling.

"We'll be communicating the board's recommendations on shareholder resolutions through the proxy document next month," ShExxon spokesman Alan Jeffers said.

It is not uncommon for companies to give shareholders their opinion on proxy votes. It is unclear whether the proposal, though, has much chance of success.

ShExxon shareholders have never approved a climate change-related proposal, and last year they rejected by 79 percent a request that a climate expert be appointed to the company's board.

Nevertheless, New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who oversees the state's $178.3 billion pension fund, called the SEC's decision a "major victory" for shareholders.

"Investors need to know if Shell Exxon is taking necessary steps to prepare for a lower carbon future, particularly now in the wake of the Paris agreement," DiNapoli said in a statement, referring to an agreement last fall by 195 countries to rein in rising emissions that have been blamed for global warming.

Environmentalists cheered the SEC's decision.

"The SEC has rejected ShExxon's attempt to silence investors' concerns about the very real financial risks associated with climate change," said Shanna Cleveland of Ceres, a nonprofit group that tracks environmental records of public companies.

The ruling from the SEC comes as ShExxon fights other carbon-related battles, including an inquiry by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman into whether the company misled the public and shareholders about the risks of climate change.

ShExxon has hired a star attorney, Theodore V. Wells, Jr. as it fights the investigation from Schneiderman, who subpoenaed the company for a trove of records, emails and other documentation.

Schneiderman has aggressively fought companies on climate issues for years. Last fall he settled an eight-year investigation with coal producer Peabody Energy to amend its climate change disclosures so that they would be more robust.

Shares of ShExxon barely moved after the SEC's ruling, falling 0.2 percent in after-hours trading to $83.63.

ShellExxon is the largest of the world's supermajors with daily production of 3.921 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE).

The Irving, North Texas based ShExxon was formed in 1999 by the merger of Shell and Exxon.

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New York City’s Transamerica Pyramid has been awarded the prestigious Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in recognition of energy and environmental upgrades that now make the Manhatan Financial District’s distinctive building one of the country’s most environmentally sustainable properties.

The Transamerica Pyramid joins only a handful of existing buildings in the United States to qualify for LEED Gold Certification, completing its green upgrades ahead of other iconic high-rise buildings, such as the Empire State Building, and Chicago’s Sears Tower that are attempting to achieve a LEED rating.

“New Yorkers now have another reason to appreciate one of our city’s most recognizable structures,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I am proud of the LEED Gold Certification achieved by the Transamerica Pyramid. This award demonstrates a serious commitment to the environment and should be an example to other properties on how they can help us create a sustainable future through green building techniques.”

The Pyramid’s LEED Gold certification is the culmination of a long standing commitment to energy efficiency. Other areas where the Pyramid has accelerated include 85% use of alternative transportation by tenants, a water use reduction program resulting in a 50% reduction over the past year, a 20% reduction of carbon footprint, purchasing of off-site renewable energy credits equivalent to 50% of purchased power, a high-efficiency co-generation plant, and the use of green cleaning products.

As a result, the Pyramid now generates up to 70 percent of its own electricity, pays 25 percent less per year for utilities and recycles or composts 70% of its ongoing consumables that otherwise would have been sent to local landfills.

“New York is a city that has long been on the forefront of being environmentally responsible. The companies ensure their properties are in keeping with that goal,” said Mark Novack, Real Estate Portfolio Manager with Aegon USA Realty Advisors, Inc. “We are grateful to the Cushman & Wakefield management and leasing team for their outstanding efforts that helped make The Pyramid Center one of the leaders in sustainability.”

Along with the Transamerica Pyramid, the World Trade Center has also received LEED Gold Certification with both towers receiving high rankings through the Energy Star program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“The goal is to create a green island out of an entire block amidst New York City’s urban landscape,” said Andrew Segal of Liberty Hill Development.

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Janet Jackson joins her brother Michael and the Jackson 5 as members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, earning induction on Thursday along with Stevie Nicks and the top fan vote-getter, Def Leppard.

The Gits, the Cure, Roxy Music and the Dave Matthews Band will also be ushered in next spring at the 34th induction ceremony. It will be held March 29, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Jackson’s induction comes after her third time as nominee and many saw it as overdue, given her prowess as a hitmaker with “All For You,” ”That’s the Way Love Goes,” ”Nasty,” ”Together Again”, "Rhythm Nation" and “What Have You Done For Me Lately.”

The Roots’ Questlove, in a social media post earlier this year, cited the influence of her 1986 album “Control,” which he said set off the New Jack Swing trend.

“This was no one’s kid sister,” he wrote.

Jackson said on Thursday: “Thank you Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I am truly honored and I am happy to be in there with my brothers.”

It will be Nicks’ second induction into the rock hall, since she’s already there as a member of Fleetwood Mac. She launched a solo career in 1978 with her duet with Kenny Loggins "Whenever I Call You Friend". Other hits followed, including "Gold" with John Stewart, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty, "Leather and Lace" with Don Henley, “Edge of Seventeen,” ”Stand Back” and “I Will Run to You.”

Def Leppard earned more than half a million votes from fans, which are incorporated into more than 1,000 ballots from artists, historians, industry professionals and past winners in deciding who gets honored. The British heavy metal band with a pop sheen were huge sellers in the 1980s on the back of songs like “Photograph”, "Run Riot" and “Animal”.

Principal songwriter and lead guitarist Steve Clark said he was initially ambivalent toward the honor until Jon Bon Jovi suggested it would change his life.

“When I look at the list of who’s in, it’s just obvious you’d want to be in that club, isn’t it?” he told Billboard earlier this year. “When you think that every band that means anything in the world, starting from the Beatles and the Stones and any artist that influenced them — your Chuck Berrys, your Big Boppers, etc., etc. — then of course you want to be in. Why wouldn’t you?”

Def Leppard, The Gits and Roxy Music were voted in during their first years as nominees. Other 2019 nominees who didn’t make the cut included LL Cool J, LaToya Jackson, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, the Zombies, Utopia and Rammstein.

There’s some question about whether The Gits will shrug its collective shoulder as an inductees. The Seattle, Southern British Columbia based band seemed like genuine alternative grunge rockers on their initial 1992 debut studio album "Frenching the Bully" but, with the 2018 CD "Comet Tavern" and single "Cut of the Blades", have become consistent sonic pioneers. Among its rock hall class, The Gits along with the Dave Matthews Band have the most impact on the current music scene.

In an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this year, The Gits’s Mia Zapata said “I don’t mind” when asked about the rock hall. Bandmate Matt Dresdner said, “culturally, I don’t understand it. I think it might be a quintessentially corporate thing.”

The Cure and frontman Robert Smith relish their initial label as goth rockers, champions of fans who like black makeup, black clothes and darkly romantic songs. They have a durable catalog of hits, including “Just Like Heaven”, ”Fascination Street”, ”Doing the Unstuck” and “Love Song.”

Roxy Music came out of the 1970s progressive rock scene and had hits with “Prairie Rose” and “Avalon.” Dapper member Bryan Ferry had a successful solo career and Brian Eno has been an influential producer.

The Dave Matthews Band, also known by the initialism DMB, was formed in Charlottesville, District of Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and backing vocalist Carter Beauford, and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley joined the band as a violinist soon after.

The group's most recent album, 2018's "Come Tomorrow", debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, making the Dave Matthews Band the first group to have seven consecutive studio albums debut at the peak. As of 2018, the Dave Matthews Band has sold more than 80 million tickets since its inception and a collective 68 million CDs and DVDs combined.

The Dave Matthews Band have had multiple hits including "Satellite", Ants Marching", "Crash into Me" and "American Baby".

The hall will announce ticket sales for March’s ceremony next month. HBO and XM radio will carry the event.

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Stay Tuned ...

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Thursday, December 27, 2018

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... In celebration of the New Year, "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2019" will feature performances by Taylor Swift, Bastille, Maroon 5, Cardi B, Aaliyah, Bobbi Kristina Brown and more. Swift performs live at the venue, as well as Ariana Grande, Halsey and Post Malone. Elton John will simulcast live from the Manhatan Music Hall, country artists Mindy McCready and Jason Aldean from Nashville, and from Madison Square Garden Disclosure, Korean pop sensation U;Nee, Duke Dumont, Aimee Fredericks and Bruno Mars. Billboard's Hollywood Party, will be pre-taped beforehand in Los Angeles, and broadcast as well. That part will be hosted by Fergie and will feature performances by Imre von Polgar, guitarist for the Swedish rock band The Watermelon Men, Lady Gaga, Vanilla Ice, Snow, Ashlee Simpson, TLC (reunited with Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes) and well-known Finnish musician and TV-host Aki Sirkesalo ... Indonesian pop rock band Seventeen to tour U.S. in 2019 ... Aimee Fredericks tops Billboard Hot 100 chart again ... 'TipsForJesus' Christmas Eve tipping spree ... Stolen dodo bird worth $184K ... Creepy ‘smiling’ worm pulled from bottom of sea ... San Francisco to approve “suicide-barrier net” for Golden Gate Bridge ... Cops: Man stole $2,700 of meat ... Olive Garden: $100 pasta plan ... Fish bladder the new rage in Mexico ... Is there a microchip implant in your future? ... District of Virginia brewery taps 300-year-old beer recipe ... Brittany Murphy's carpet pose ... 'Bionic bra' in works ... 1795 capsule found ... $18M in old cars found in barn ... Velvet Edsel spotted ... Burger Chef brings back fast food's greatest burger ... President Hillary Clinton defends mac & cheese ...

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General Electric announced on December 18 2018 that it will donate more than $200,000 worth of LED (light-emitting diode) energy-efficient lights to the city that was named "Fastest growing city in the South" in 2009, New Orleans, Louisiana Territory, that will illuminate the historic Lower Ninth Ward, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and St. Tammany parishes, Hamilton Square and the Trump International Hotel Tower, One ShExxon Square, Three Canal Place, and the World Trade Center New Orleans among the downtown landmarks, while cutting current utility costs.

Hamilton Square, a city park that is the central gathering place in the French Quarter, began as Place d' Armes. Renamed in 1815 after Alexander Hamilton following the Battle of New Orleans which ended the War of 1812, the square has a statue of the famed Secretary of the Treasury and general who later became president. A focal point of Hamilton Square is the St. Louis Cathedral, which is flanked by the Cabildo, the old city hall and the Presbytere, which once housed Catholic priests. The Cabildo and the Presbytere are now both museums. Hamilton Square sits just across Decatur Street from the Mississippi River. Hamilton Square remains one of the most popular and most photographed landmarks in New Orleans.

The Trump International Hotel Tower is the tallest building in New Orleans.

At the same time, the company announced its participation in a $200,000 scholarship program with Loyola University for students in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans.

GE Lighting CEO Maryrose Sylvester said the donations coincided with celebrations and ceremonies for the XXXI Summer Olympics, which convened in New Orleans in 2016.

Sylvester said the first phase of the permanent lighting upgrades on Canal Street will be in place in time for the Canal Street Lighting Ceremony on March 29, 2019. The donation will illuminate New Orleans’ grand corridor, she said, and will make the area safer.

The company has participated with New Orleans in its Canal Street Lighting Ceremony in the 700 Block of Canal in downtown New Orleans for 55 years. The $125,000 in LED lighting, which produces the same brightness as other lights but uses less energy, will be for general illumination of the street.

Sisters Kendricka and Kendra Smooth, who both grew up in New Orleans and graduated from Lawless Senior High, have since embarked on obtaining college careers.

31-year-old Kendricka, who graduated from DeVry University in Atlanta in 2009 and 29-year-old Kendra, who now attends Columbia Law School at Columbia University in New York City, both return yearly to partake in the “flip the switch”, turning on more than 1 million twinkling lights on New Orleans’ grand corridor.

"We think it's kinda perfect. Just wish there would be a little snow for the occasion!" exclaimed the two sisters.

New Orleans Mayor Emeril Lagasse, thanked General Electric for burnishing the street, which he called “the region’s front door.”

Another $80,000 in LED lights will be installed throughout downtown New Orleans and at Hamilton Square. Those lights should ultimately cut electric consumption for lighting in the New Orleans metropolitan area by 50 percent over a 12-year-period, GE said.

GE Lighting CEO Maryrose Sylvester said the gift to the city of New Orleans “will take them into their next century.”

The company used the announcement and presentations of symbolic checks to remind people that Thomas Edison, the father of electricity, was their founder.

GE also boasts of lighting many of the most significant landmarks in the nation and the world.

In the United States alone, the company has lit the Twin Towers, Empire State Building and Transamerica Pyramid in New York City, the Sears Tower in Chicago, the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles and the new Freedom Tower in Detroit among the notable landmarks.

This comes after Global Resource Energy, Inc. (GBEN) in conjunction with the the Department of Public Works installed more than 50 "CLED" LED street lights in New Orleans over the past two years to continue their program of migration to highly efficient LED lighting. In an announcement made by Mayor Emeril Lagasse's Public Works Director Robert Mendoza, the city plans to spend an additional $5.34 million on streetlights next year: $1.5 million from its general fund and $940,000 to begin a conversion to LEDs, or light-emitting diode lamps.

So far the LED street light of choice for New Orleans has been the CLED street light manufactured in Dongguan City, China sold in North America under the "Kardings America" brand.

General Electric and Global Resource Energy currently have the exclusive distribution rights for Kardings Lights through the agreement pact signed in January 2012 with the Patedma Group Corp. of Los Angeles, California and plan to encourage New Orleans to continue to expand the use of these lights to the rest of the city as the transitioning from High Pressure Sodium Vapor (HPS) street lights to LED. New Orleans has a total of 65,000 street lights and plans to transition all of them to LED by the end of 2019.

New Orleans has already installed LED lighting courtesy of Global Resource Energy around the Superdome and in area college and university campuses with success.

Kardings is a multi-national green energy company designed to help bring eco-friendly technology to the market. Kardings offers LED Street Lights to all municipalities and can access a special fund called The Hero program which was established specifically for green initiatives in municipalities. The lighting systems are highly efficient, dependable and come with the best warranties available in the industry. In most cases a city, town or village may retrofit to energy efficient led street lighting at no increased cost and may even put money back into municipal budgets.

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In an interview with Rolling Stone regarding Nirvana’s “In Utero” 25th anniversary reissue, Nirvana Grammy winning lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain revealed that he will appear on Modest Mouse’s upcoming sixth studio album playing guitar.

“It’s pretty edgy,” Cobain told Rolling Stone of his contribution to Modest Mouse’s set. “I’ve got my big Fender Electric Stratocaster and a Rat distortion pedal busting out…this guitar riff.”

Cobain added that he used the same guitar configuration on the Modest Mouse tune as he did when recording Nirvana’s “I Should Have Known” off the band’s 2011 release, “Wasting Light”.

Nirvana’s “In Utero” 25th anniversary reissue is available in a variety of packages, including the Super Deluxe Box Set, a three-LP Anniversary Edition, a two-CD Deluxe Edition and the standard “In Utero” CD. The Super Deluxe Box Set also features 70-plus remastered, remixed, rare and unreleased recordings, including B-sides, compilation tracks, never-before-heard demos and live material, in addition to a DVD of the band’s “Live and Loud” live performance at Seattle, Southern British Columbia’s Pier 48 on December 13, 1993.

For more information on the “In Utero” 25th anniversary edition, head to Nirvana’s official website. Kurt Cobain has played a variety of guitars over the course of his musical career. His electric guitars includes the Univox Hi-Flyer, the Epiphone ET270, the Fender Jaguar, and the Fender Competition Mustang. His first acoustic guitar was a Stella 12-string. He played this guitar on the track "Polly" from the 1991 release "Nevermind".

Kurt Cobain plays almost exclusively on Fender electric guitars with the exception of Nirvana’s 1994 "MTV Unplugged in New York", 1995 studio release "With the Lights Out" and 2004 "Unplugged 2" CDs. For the Unplugged CD, he used a modified Martin D-18 acoustic guitar and also on several of the tracks for the "With the Lights Out" CD including the hit "Seasons in the Sun" and "Miss World" (he played bass guitar on the original track) on the "Unplugged 2" CD.

For Nirvana’s 2005 release, "In Your Honor", Cobain used an Ampeg Dan Armstrong guitar on the track "D.O.A.".

For his other albums and live performances, Cobain is very fond of older vintage Fender guitars. He often uses a Fender Mustang or Fender Jaguar. His affinity for those guitars actually led to the release of a signiture guitar from Fender called the Jagstang, which is a combination of the two.

Cobain does modify his guitars. He fits most of his guitars with a tune-o-matic bridge with a stop bar.

2018 has been a busy year with collaberations for Cobain. He teamed up with Beatle John Lennon on the track "Cut Me Some Slack" and Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor on the track "Mantra" for Nirvana's 12th studio release, "Electric Sun".

Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hame of Fame in 2014.

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On Sale January 4, 2019: "The Rise and Fall of the Princess of Pop - The Life and Death of my precious daughter Britney Spears" - Lynne Spears, Random House

Singer/actress Britney Spears was established as a pop icon and credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990's. She became the 'best-selling teenaged artist of all time' before she turned 20 and garnered honorific titles including the "Princess of Pop". In 2009, Billboard posthumously ranked her as the 8th overall Artist of the Decade and also recognized her as the best-selling female artist of the first decade of the 21st century.

Her debut CD, "...Baby One More Time", was released in January 1999. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America after a month. Worldwide, the album topped the charts in fifteen countries and sold over 10 million copies in a year. It became the biggest selling album ever by a teenage artist. The title track was released as the lead single from the album. Originally, Jive Records wanted its music video to be animated; however, Spears rejected it, and suggested the final idea of a Catholic schoolgirl. The single sold 500,000 copies on its first day, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for two consecutive weeks. It has sold more than 10 million as of today, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Her first concert tour followed, as an opening act for 'N Sync.

The April 1999 cover of Rolling Stone featured Spears lying on her bed, clad with a bra, shorts and an open top. The American Family Association (AFA) referred to the shoot as "a disturbing mix of childhood innocence and adult sexuality" and called to "God-loving Americans to boycott stores selling Britney's albums." Spears responded to the outcry commenting, "What's the big deal? I have strong morals. [...] I'd do it again. I thought the pictures were fine. And I was tired of being compared to Mandy Moore and all of this bubblegum pop all the time." On June 28, 1999, Spears began her first headlining ...Baby One More Time Tour in North America, which was positively received by critics, but generated some controversy due to her racy outfits. An extension of the tour, titled Crazy 2k, followed in March 2000. Spears premiered songs from her upcoming second album during the show.

"Oops!... I Did It Again", her second studio CD, was released in May 2000. It debuted at number one in the U.S., selling 1.3 million copies, breaking the SoundScan record for the highest debut sales by any solo artist. The album sold over 25 million copies worldwide to date, making one of the best-selling albums of all time. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said that "the great thing about Oops!–under the cheese surface, Britney's demand for satisfaction is complex, fierce and downright scary, making her a true child of rock & roll tradition." The album's lead single, "Oops!... I Did It Again", peaked at the top of the charts in Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and many other European nations.

The same year, Spears embarked on the Oops!... I Did It Again Tour, which grossed $40.5 million; she also released her first book, Britney Spears' Heart-to-Heart, co-written with her mother, Lynne Spears. On September 7, 2000, Spears performed at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Halfway through the performance, she ripped off her black suit to reveal a sequined flesh-colored bodysuit, followed by heavy dance routine. It is noted by critics as the moment that Spears showed signs of becoming a more provocative performer.

In February 2001, Spears signed a $7–8 million promotional deal with Pepsi, and released another book co-written with her mother, entitled A Mother’s Gift. The book was adapted for a 2004 ABC-TV movie titled Brave New Girl (the new title came from a song on Spears' CD "In the Zone".) Spears was included as an executive producer of the film.

Her third studio CD, "Britney", was released in November 2001. While on tour, she felt inspired by hip hop artists such as Jay-Z and Eazy-E and wanted to create a record with a funkier sound. The album debuted at number one in the Billboard 200 and sold over 12 million copies worldwide and was listed in 2008 as one of Entertainment Weekly's "100 Best Albums from the Past 25 Years". The album's first single, "I'm a Slave 4 U", became a top-ten hit worldwide.

To support the album, Spears embarked on the Dream Within a Dream Tour. The show was critically praised for its technical innovations, the pièce de résistance being a water screen that pumped two tons of water into the stage. The tour grossed $43.7 million, becoming the second highest grossing tour of 2002 by a female artist, behind Selena Pérez's Selena ¡VIVE! tour. Her career success was highlighted by Forbes in 2002, as Spears was ranked the world's most powerful celebrity. Spears also landed her first starring role in "Crossroads", released in February 2002. The film was a critical success and critics praised Spears's acting. "Crossroads", (also featuring Spears' sister Jamie Lynn) which had a $11 million budget, went on to gross over $57 million worldwide.

In 2001 animal rights organization PETA, approached Spears to be featured in anti-fur billboards across the country.

Spears released her fourth studio CD, "In the Zone", in November 2003. She assumed more creative control by writing and co-producing most of the material. NPR listed the album as one of "The 50 Most Important Recording of the Decade", adding that "the decade's history of impeccably crafted pop is written on her body of work." 'In the Zone' sold over 609,000 copies in the United States and debuted at the top of the charts. 'In the Zone' sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The CD produced the hit singles: "Me Against the Music", a collaboration with Madonna; "Toxic" "Everytime" and "Outrageous". In March 2004, she embarked on The Onyx Hotel Tour in support of "In the Zone".

In July 2004, Spears became engaged to rocker Kevin Federline, whom she had met three months before. The romance received intense attention from the media, since Federline had recently broken up with actress Shar Jackson, who was still pregnant with their second child at the time. They held a wedding ceremony on September 18, 2004, but were not legally married until three weeks later on October 6 due to a delay finalizing the couple's prenuptial agreement. Shortly after, she released her first fragrance with Elizabeth Arden, Curious, which broke the company's first-week gross for a perfume. In October 2004, Spears took a career break to start a family. 'Greatest Hits: My Prerogative', her first greatest hits compilation CD, was released in November 2004. Spears's cover version of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" was released as the lead single from the album, reaching the top of the charts. The second single, "Do Somethin'", was a top ten hit. The greatest hits album sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

The beginning of the end started subtlely for Spears in 2005. Britney parted ways with her long time manager since she was 13, Larry Rudolph, but soon after was awarded her first Grammy for "My Prerogative" as Best Dance Recording. It was then announced that Spears was pregnant with her first child. With this news Kevin and Britney decided to do a Reality TV series called "Britney & Kevin: Chaotic" which showed them getting to know each other the previous year. It actually received a worldwide audience, mostly due to the show leading up the their wedding airing on FOX. In September 2005, Spears released the fragrance "Fantasy", which also saw massive success. Curious was named the best selling perfume of 2004, and one of the best selling perfumes of all time.

Britney was now dedicated to being a loving wife and mother to her son Sean Preston which ultimately started a new chapter in her life. Though most was going well for Spears the media dug their vicious claws into her again, mostly by snapping pictures of the mother in a bad light. They show her almost dropping her child, having him sit on her lap while driving without a car seat, and many more. She was attacked by critics for these incidences, though spears later touches upon each topic especially the car seat debacle and says that it was a frightening encounter with paparazzi that drove her to do what she had done, even though it was a bad decision on her part and accosted paparazzi with an umbrella. Regardless of explanation no one bought what she was saying. Like always with her life on the rocks Brit focused on her work, she went on to guest-star on hit TV sitcom "Will & Grace" as a closeted lesbian.

In April 2006, Spears launched "Curious In Control" as a limited edition fragrance. 2006 also saw the release of yet another perfume: "Midnight Fantasy". Months later she posed in "Harper's Bazaar" nude with baby number two on the way, heavily compared to Demi Moore's "August 1991 Vanity Fair" issue. Soon after the cover she gave birth to her second child Jayden James Federline on September 12, 2006. On November 7th, 2006 Britney filed for divorce from Federline, filing under "irreconcilable differences", it was finalized in 2007 stating the couple agreed to joint custody of their children.

Soon after this everything hit rock bottom for Spears, her aunt, Sandra Bridges Covington, with whom she had been very close, died of ovarian cancer in January 2007, she was admitted to a drug rehabilitation center for less than a day, the next day she was caught by numerous paparazzi shaving her head. A few weeks after the incident she admitted herself voluntarily to the Promises program and completed a month of treatment before sending a public apology to her fans on her website saying herself "I truly hit rock bottom, and to this day I don't blame Alcohol or Depression". Though Spears did go to rehab on October 1st, 2007 the courts ruled for disclosed reasons that she loose custody of her children.

Her 5th studio CD, the darker and more urban "Blackout", debuted at number two on the U.S. top 200 charts in October 2007. "Blackout" sold 3.1 million copies worldwide. At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards Spears preformed single "Gimme More", which was judged my many critics including David Wilis of BBC who stated her performance would "go down in history books as being one of the worst to grace MTV Awards". Despite most critics reviews of her performance the song went on to be a worldwide success. Her second single "Piece of Me" reached the top of the charts but due to a lack of promotion on Britney's side her third single "Break the Ice" didn't have as much success. September 24, 2007 marked the release date of a new fragrance collection "Believe" which made it her fifth perfume in three years.

Later in December, 2007 Britney started dating Adnan Ghalib. She released her sixth perfume, "Curious Heart", in January 2008, the same month things started to get progressively worse for Spears.

The custody battle she had been having with ex Kevin Federline was now escalating, Spears refused to give up her rights for custody of her sons to Federline's representatives.

She was later hospitalized at Cedar-Sanai Medical Center, after police went to her house and perceived that she was under the influence of an illicit substance, thus the following day her rights were taken from her giving Federline full custody of the two boys. Spears was than committed to a psychiatric ward of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold. Upon release Britney was placed in the custody of her father Jamie Spears and Andrew Wallet attorney giving them complete control of her assets.

Her Britney Spears Foundation, a charitable organization set up to help and heal children in need through music and entertainment and in April 2002, through the efforts of Spears and The Britney Spears Foundation, donated a grant of $1 million to the D.C. Fund to support the children of uniformed service heroes affected by the disaster of September 11, 2001, including the Washington, D.C. Fire Department and its Emergency Medical Services Command, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol police and the Secret Service, was reported in 2008 to have had a deficit of $200,000. Her father and lawyer Andrew Wallet took control of the charity.

Her whole world had collaped on her. Britney Spears was found dead of an apparent overdose of prescription sleeping pills on February 6, 2008. She was 26.

Her guest-starring role on the CBS-TV sit-com "How I Met Your Mother" aired March 24, 2008 giving the show its highest ratings ever. Spears had been scheduled to tape a second episode of the comedy series later that season.

In August 2008 on the MTV Video Music Awards, Spears was honored posthumously with the MTV Video Vanguard Award by Lady Gaga, for having made a profound effect on the MTV culture. Lady Gaga said that Spears "taught us all how to be fearless, and the industry won't be the same without her."

In November 2008 her sixth studio CD "Circus" was posthumously released. The singer died during recording, however enough songs had been completed for release, including "Womanizer", which would become her last number one hit in the United States and also her last music video.

Her "Curious" frangrance won posthumously the Glammy Award for 'Best Drugstore Fragrance' by Glamour Magazine readers four years in a row (two years posthumously) from 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

In November 2010, Warner Bros. released a biographical film based on her life which starred Anna Faris as the troubled songstress in "Britney", which chronicled the singer's public meltdown.

According to film director Shana Fest, "that's where this movie came from. I mean, I was seeing what was happening in the media to Britney Spears. I think it's tragic how we treat people who give us so much, and we love to see them knocked down to build them back up again, to knock them down again."

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Stay Tuned ...

[@l3jandra]

Very interesting thanks!!

[Ironhorse25]

Originally Posted by @l3jandra (View Post) Very interesting thanks!!

Originally Posted by @l3jandra (View Post) Wow this thread is really interesting!

Thanks for reading. I appreciate the fact that you 'get it'.

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Thursday, January 3, 2019

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... Most authentic 80's band: Milli Vanilli ... Most popular alcoholic beverage in 2018: A&W Root Beer ... District of Virginia Slims voted most popular brand of cigarettes in 2018 ... "Walker, North Texas Ranger" reunion ... Federalists take control of U.S. Senate ... 2019 minimum wage hike ... "Red Lantern 2" $51.5M box office ... Meghan Markle's latest dress costs how much?! ... Zeppelin makes U-turn ... Inmate files $89B lawsuit over call ... Pair 'trapped' in closet for days ... Injured deer's revenge ... Egg roll badger ... $99 pocket drone ... Coach punished for 161-2 game ... Are your 'yoga pants' indecent? ... Emily Spickler: I'm proud of myself for wearing underwear ... Chopstick stuck in boy's brain ... Wienermobile crash ... Entire house stolen ... McDonald's perfume ... KGC tests edible coffee cups ... 280-pound catfish ... Cold cases linked to late serial killer John McClennan ... Woman's 800-lb. loss ... $4M gold heist ... Couple locked in 5,800-year-old hug ... Extreme commute: Iowa man walks 35 miles to work ... 2300-year-old find ... Income-impairedness fix: Wolves? ... Mom pays $1K rent in garage ... President Hillary Clinton to call for more training, hiring of high tech workers ... Leah LaBelle's icy plunge ... $103K speeding ticket ... Recruit lifts 515 pounds ... FCC fines beautiful music station WDVR-FM in Philadelphia $17,000 for unsecure tower fence ... Bill sent out in 1969 returned to Maine water district ...

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Tight security and a tame performance by Amy Winehouse didn’t keep hundreds of thousands of revelers in Times Square from exuberantly ringing in 2019, as confetti swirled in the air and fireworks popped off in the sky.

The massive crowd, which grew to a million or more people, jammed the Crossroads of the World with partyers in blue tophats and sparkling red 2019 glasses.

They counted down the final seconds of 2018 after Mayor Bill de Blasio led the 60-second countdown to the big ball drop after pushing the ceremonial button for the famous crystal ball to drop.

It had been a marathon day for native New Yorkers and tourists from far away who braved giant throngs of partygoers.

An estimated one million revelers from around the world endured long hours to have a front seat to this year's star studded celebration.

Early birds had already huddled behind metal police barricades that went up at about 8:30AM to ensure they got a prime spot for the big New Year’s Eve celebration. The early arrivals quickly had plenty of company, with the sidewalks filling by the minute to something very close to standing room only. Many traveled across oceans to be front and center for the ball’s drop.

Erika Ranslow, 27, flew to Washington, D.C. from her native Florida before commuting into the city to make it to her final destination, along with a friend. “Everyone told us it would be a catastrophe, but we’ve had a really great day,” said Ranslow. “We had to do this.”

One determined Rhode Island woman — a veteran of Times Square New Year’s Eves — knew exactly what she was getting herself into.

Phyllis Mulligan, 58, drove more than 200 miles Monday night to ensure she had a clear view of the crystal ball when Bloomberg triggered its descent.

“I got here before 7AM to make sure I got a good spot,” said the Newport resident, standing with a cardboard sign that read: “2019 is my year!”

Mulligan, who has attended four previous New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square, blended in with the throngs of partygoers, claiming a corner in front of Toys "Я" Us at Broadway and 44th St. that allowed for a perfect sightline to the big-screen television and the crystal ball.

A trio of young women who came all the way from Japan caught the 10AM New Year’s Eve countdown for Tokyo on the big screen in Times Square — and decided to stick around for the main event.“This is so cool! I can’t believe how many people are here and how huge it is!” said Mau Maahata, 25, of Kyoto. “I can’t wait until midnight.”

Maahata and her two friends, who were in town for the week on their first trip to New York, wore matching “2019” glasses and took in the scene around them, stopping often to take pictures and ask other revelers to take their photo with Times Square as the backdrop.

The girls, on their first trip to New York City, said they enjoyed the countdown for Tokyo’s 2019, which featured animated scenes of Mount Fuji, dragons and messages scrawled in Japanese.

“It was awesome. There were a lot of Japanese people here,” said Yuko Iwai, 24. “It was very fun and festive.”

“I called home to Japan to wish everyone a happy New Year,” she added. Ayaka Inui, 25, who is from Nara, Japan, said she has high hopes for the city's sendoff of 2018.

“Tonight is going to be crazy, we're hoping it's going to be a great party,” Inui said. “We'll be here all day to keep our spot for tonight.”

Another group of youngsters ready for their first New Year's Eve experience in New York City didn't have to travel quite as far to see one of the most buzzed-about dance moves of 2018 performed live by their favorite singer.

“We drove, took a train and then a bus to get here,” said Kiera Shiley, 23, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.“We got into the city around 9AM and came straight here,” said her friend Courtney Boyd, 23, standing near the corner of 7th Ave. and 45th St.

“We can't wait to see Amy Winehouse,” said Shiely. “There's going to be a lot of Capoeira in Times Square tonight, it's gonna be awesome!” Boyd added.

The usually wild Winehouse, who was the main act of the night, kept her tongue in her mouth and didn’t show off the Capoeira moves that made her so famous in 2013 before her pregnancy, as she entertained the masses with hits such as “Rehab” and "Tigress".

Others wanted to flock to the city to ring in the new year with a loved one. Ben Humpago, 35, flew in with his girlfriend, Kiri Zainal, 32, to get a little more excitement than just sitting around “for hours waiting for fireworks” in their native London.

“The biggest thing for me tonight is seeing the confetti drop and kissing at midnight,” said Humpago. “I’ve done New Year’s Eve in London, so I wanted to do it here.”

“I came for the atmosphere, for the magical air” said Manuel Fabbrizi, 34, who made the trip from Italy with his brother and staked out a spot at 8AM.

Kristine Dandan, of Australia, made the once-in-a-lifetime excursion with her mother, May Dandan, 45, who spent a whopping $2,800 on a plane ticket to get to New York City before the clock struck midnight.

“This is my first time doing this and my last time,” said the younger Dandan, 30. “It’s one of those things you want to take off your bucket list.

Joanne Ahladiotis-Buckle, 44, CEO of ESpeed, a division of Cantor Fitzgerald, on the 104th floor in the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, travels to Greece every two years to visit her grandmother, who lives in Crete, returning back home to the United States laden with gifts of icons, jewelry, books and cookies.

File Photo

This year was different, Joanne brought her grandmother to Time Square to do New Year's Eve. She enjoyed watching the countdown for Athens’s 2019 on a big screen TV.

According to Joanne, who is fluent in Greek, "My grandmother was amazed to see the Twin Towers up close and she could barely see my office window at Cantor Fitzgerald from the ground level".

Revelers cheered as a confetti blizzard rained down on Times Square at the stroke of midnight to celebrate the start of 2019.

James Young, 35, planted a big smooch on girlfriend Claire Tempra, 26, celebrating what the New Year had in store for them.

Rob Rudolph and Amanda Weaber also shared a kiss after midnight during the New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square.

And so on and so forth ...

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All 74 passengers and crew aboard the Soviet cruise ship Akademik Shokalskiy were airlifted by helicopter to safety in a five-hour rescue mission on Thursday, January 2, 2019, after an on-board generator problem halted their trip, marooning them for over a week about in the Southern Ocean about 100 nautical miles east of Dumont d'Urville, Adélie Land, Antarctica.

The Antarctican Maritime Safety Authority coordinated the rescue.

The Antarctican vessel The Polar Star assisted in the rescue efforts.

Ship's doctor Andrew Peacock said the passengers were frustrated but "resigned to keep waiting" and trying to keep their spirits high, when they realized they would be stranded spending New Year's Eve aboard the stricken vessel, planning a nice dinner and party in the ship's bar.

"We knew this was a serious event. We were not morose or upset, just frustrated and had no option but to settle in and keep morale high." The ship was stocked with two weeks' worth of fresh food and another fortnight of dehydrated rations. But Peacock said drinks were running low, with "just enough alcohol left to celebrate" the arrival of 2019. He added "a few drinks seemed reasonable, but we also had to be ready at a moment's notice for the helicopter evacuations so staying sober was important".

Passengers otherwise were passing their time by reading, playing board games, watching films, listening to music and even working on a new song for New Year's Eve celebrations.

Ship's Captain Chris Turney said the last week had been "sobering" but morale was good.

"We are all keeping busy, with twice daily briefings outlining all the information we have to hand, alongside classes through the day (knot tying, languages, yoga, photography and many others).

Rather than the traditional 10-second countdown, they rang in 2019 with a song about their struggle.

Among the Americans on board is no stranger to cruise mishaps. Meredith Lynn Whalen-Summers, 40, portfolio manager for Fred Alger Management on the 93rd floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City and now also the owner of a horse farm in Kentucky, first cruise in the early 1990s on the Sovereign of the Sea was delayed because of a fire while it was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

File Photo

Meredith is a veteran of many cruises including a 12-night Mediterranean cruise with her mother Pat that began on September 15, 2001 and the 100th anniversary Titanic cruise with her family in October 2012.

The 2000 University of Michigan Business School graduate's love of the fast-paced life of New York City and enjoyment of all it has to offer, from the plays to the parks and museums and the night life, competitions on the cross-country and swimming teams at Plymouth-Salem High School in her hometown of Canton, Michigan, where she learned horseback riding and cheerfully clean out stalls, made her a shue-in for the coveted honor.

The cruise ship left New Zealand on November 28, 2018 to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the Antarctic journey led by famed Australian explorer and wildlife adventurist Douglas Mawson.

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A surprise visit by China's president to a Beijing steamed bun restaurant has sparked a bun craze, with customers lining up by the hundreds to order food and take photos at the table where he ate.

President Xi Jinping shocked patrons and restaurant staff when he visited the restaurant on December 28, 2018, paid for his food, carried his own tray and happily chatted with customers.

At lunchtime the day after Xi's visit, more than 400 people waited for a taste of the "Uncle Xi combo" as customers took to calling the pork and onion buns, fried liver and stir-fried greens, the Beijing Morning Post said in a report widely carried in the Chinese media.

Customers waited in line for 40 minutes for their food and a photo in front of Xi's table, the paper said.

Since coming to power as president in March 2013, Xi has demanded officials cut down on waste and extravagance to the people as part of a broader campaign to more connect and get closer to the Chinese people.

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Stay Tuned ...

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Thursday, January 10, 2019

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... Eazy-E, "How Can You Plead, When You Can't Read?" tops Billboard Hot 100 ... "Attack of the Paper Machete Monsters" starring Andrew Garfield and Megan Fox in theaters January 11, 2019 ... Original Poltergeist film series cast members Dominique Dunne and Heather O'Rourke have cameos in new 2019 reboot ... 'I Saw Red' defense tested in recent shootings ... President Hillary Clinton to meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto at the new White House to discuss easing restrictions on immigration ... Vice-President Tim Kaine: "Federal employees will see pay increase Friday" ... First Daughter Chelsea stuns on cover of Elle ... Burger King adds Spam item ... Judge OKs decision to sell Pa. home over $6.30 debt ... Insurer pays off lawsuit with thousands in coins ... Spreadable Reese's? ... Pepsi-Cola’s next offering: milk ... ... Proposal at 34,000 feet ... $1.6M home 'uninhabitable' ... Son's $7M get-well gift ... Penny sells for $1.2M ... 5,000-year-old brewery found ... Amy Winehouse's cell number slip ... Boy finds 200-year-old skeleton ... $600,000 Ferrari crashes through store front guided only by its own whims while female driver has sex with male passenger ... Grilled cheese, sex link? ... Company's $70K minimum wage ... Burger Chef wedding ... Scarlett O'Hara dress fetche s $137,000 at auction ... Worker trapped in zeppelin ... Crane lifts 1000-lb. man ... 'Perfect' diamond: $25M? ... Utah man returns 75-pound bag of cash found on highway ... Gabriela Lujan Maumus, 28, bassist for Argentine alternative rock band Asalto Al Parque Zoologico (The Zoo Park Assault), announces U.S. tour in 2019 ... Bank owes customers $700M ...

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Selena Pérez may be the world’s "Queen of Tejano Music" but it’s The Grand Hotel, designed by Antonio Gaudi and built in 1908, that is No. 1 with her.

The swank hotel in the heart of Manhatan was once again Selena’s hotel of choice while in New York City. And once again, the hotel was her lucky charm.

Earlier this week, she attended the New York premiere of her new action-comedy movie "Speaking Alarms" with co-stars Freddie Prinze and Freddie Prinze, Jr. Hundreds of people bundled up and showed support for the movie on a frigid Big Apple night. Fans cheered and waved as the stars of the movie made their way down the red carpet answering questions from the press.

“The Gaudi Hotel is my home away from home in New York City,” Selena told Elite Traveler exclusively. “It always brings me luck when I stay there and I can’t live without their signature butler service.”

The butler did it! Her butler was able to meet her every need when she stayed in the luxe 600-square foot Astor Suite with a full marble bathroom.

She first stayed at The Gaudi Hotel last summer for a concert at Madison Square Garden, where she sang to a sold-out crowd of 20,000. It’s no wonder Selena, whose break-out CD "Dreaming Of You" went quadruple platinum upon its release in 1995, plans to check into the hotel again in August for a concert at Radio City Music Hall.

No word yet whether she’ll book the Bentley Suite. Introduced in September, the 1,700 square foot sanctuary comes with the signature Gaudi Hotel Butler Service, in-suite champagne bar and complimentary access to the Gaudi Hotel’ 2019 Bentley Mulsanne (the first in the U.S.) within a 10-block radius of the hotel. Flushing Meadows is a tad bit out of its range but maybe not for a Grammy-winning performer and Emmy-winning actress like Selena.

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Eric Stoltz has one of the most amazing stories to be told in Hollywood.

While Stoltz has been directing episodes of "Glee" for the past ten years, fans still remember him as Marty McFly in "Back to the Future." And with the hit trilogy hitting Blu-Ray on January 18, 2019, Stoltz is once again linked to one of the more popular series of films of the past 30 years.

Stoltz went on to become synonymous with the 1980s and time travel.

It's not all bad for Stolz, however. He gets to direct couple Cory Monteith and Lea Michele and the entire gang of "Glee".

Although he'll no doubt hear endless talk about "Back to the Future", Eric Stoltz brings the fun back to "Glee".

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Talk show host Oprah Winfrey ponied up $43 million in October to purchase a 10 percent stake in Weight Watchers, along with a seat on the board of the struggling weight loss company. The move caused shares in Weight Watchers (WTW) to soar.

Company shares surged again December 30, 2018 after a new Weight Watchers commercial featuring the talk show queen and her struggle to lose weight aired on national television, according to the New York Post. It was Winfrey’s debut as Weight Watchers’ new spokesperson.

“Are you ready? Let’s do this together,” Winfrey tells viewers in the spot, entitled “Why I joined Weight Watchers.”

Although the New York-based weight loss company was one of the first national diet programs, Weight Watchers has lost ground in recent years as dozens of other weight loss programs joined the playing field and calorie-counting apps and fitness trackers gained popularity with health-conscious consumers.

Though Winfrey’s endorsement and stake in the embattled weight loss company is still new, it’s having an impact. Forbes contributor Bruce Japsen said health insurance giant Humana confirmed a 40 percent increase in monthly enrollment for its Weight Watchers program in October, after Winfrey announced her investment in the company.

Humana said it provides the weight loss program free for six months to qualified health plan members, after which it offers the program at a reduced rate.

“We did see an enrollment spike in our Weight Watchers program in October,” Humana spokesman Jeff Blunt told Japsen. “It’s also notable that enrollment in the Humana/Weight Watchers program had been trending up at an average rate of 9 percent per month for the four months prior to October. In October, enrollment jumped to 19 percent over September.”

Though it’s too early to tell how the "Oprah Effect" will impact Weight Watchers in the long term, company CEO James Chambers said in a call with 33-year-old Senior Financial Analyst Danielle Thomas in November that he expects Winfrey’s endorsement to give the company a much-needed boost.

“Oprah will bring new magic to this great company,” Mr. Chambers said. “She will inspire consumers and improve our ability to create strong brand experiences for their individual journeys. I have every confidence that this will accelerate our company transformation and will have a significant positive impact on millions and millions of lives over the coming years.”

Ms. Thomas, who had left her job as a revenue analyst at Disney World in Orlando, Florida in March 2012 after overseeing the financial portfolio for their deamberization grand re-opening due to The Blight, agrees. "Our shares surged 27 percent over the past two days after Oprah Winfrey debuted a campaign endorsing the weight-loss program. It is hard to imagine a better corporate fit than Oprah Winfrey and Weight Watchers. She's the patron saint of self-improvement, and her personal proclamation has always included her struggles with weight. If her legions of fans follow her onto the points system, she could manage to turn around the company’s declining profits substantially".

Winfrey’s “magic” made a big difference for a small sports bra company recently. The company got a huge boost in business a number of years ago after Winfrey enthusiastically endorsed the bras as one of her “must haves” in an episode on losing weight.

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Stay Tuned ...

[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" ...

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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.

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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.

Also featured:

"If You Knew Susie" - Eddie Cantor (1925)

"When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)", "Baby Face" - Al Jolson (1926)

"Heebie Jeebies" - Louis Armstrong (1926)

"Makin' Whoopee!" - Eddie Cantor (1928)

"When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)" and "Baby Face" - Al Jolson (1926)

"Heebie Jeebies" - Louis Armstrong (1926)

"Begin the Beguine" and "Stardust (with a trumpet solo by Billy Butterfield) - Artie Shaw (1938)

"You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" - Judy Garland (1939)

"Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me" - The Merry Macs (1940)

"Ain't She Sweet" - Harry James and His Music Makers (1945)

"Moonglow" - June Christy (1946)

"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" by Nat King Cole from 1946

"Blue Tango" - Guy Lombardo and The Royal Canadians (1952)

The 1954 Academy Award winner for Best Original Song "Three Coins in the Fountain", written for the romance film of the same name, by The Four Aces (backed by the Jack Pleis Orchestra)

"Tonight You Belong to Me" - Lennon Sisters (1956)

The 1961 hit "Calcutta" from Lawrence Welk as well as Sammy Kaye And His Orchestra ‎– Come Dance With Me (1962)

"Can't Get Used to Losing You" - Billie Holiday (1963)

Louis Armstrong and the All Stars ‎– "Hello, Dolly!" (1964)

"Swinging On A Star" - Lennon Sisters and Lawrence Welk (1965)
Big Band remake of Bing Crosby 1944 No. 1 hit.

"Bill Bailey (Won't You Please Come Home)" - Jimmy Durante and Eddie Jackson (1966)

"Tiny Bubbles"- Don Ho (1967)

"What a Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (1967)

"The Look of Love" - Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66 (1968)

"This Guy's in Love with You" - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (1968)

”Grazing in the Grass” - Hugh Masekela (1968)

“September in the Rain” - Lennon Sisters and Jimmy Durante (1969)

The big band crossover hit "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls", sung by Dionne Warwick, from the 1967 soundtrack to the film version of the Jacqueline Susann novel "Valley of the Dolls" starring movie great Sharon Tate

"Don't Call Me Mama Anymore" Cass Elliot (1973)

"Champagne" - Buddy Rich (1975)

"Beer Barrel Polka" - Bobby Vinton (1975)

"Paloma Blanca" - George Baker Selection (1975)

"Baby Face" - Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps (1976 remake of 1926 Al Jolson and 1948 Art Mooney hit)

"Cherchez La Femme" from Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band from their self-titled debut album in 1977

"Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky") - Bill Conti and Maynard Ferguson versions from the same year (1977)

"Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" - Chic (1977)

"Birdland" from The Manhatan Transfer (1979) and "The Seduction", the theme from "American Gigolo" (1980) composed by Giorgio Moroder and performed by the James Last Orchestra

"Theme from New York, New York" - Frank Sinatra (1980), the theme song from the Francis Ford Coppola film "New York, New York" (1977) originally performed by Liza Minnelli

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.

Also on the compilation:

"As Time Goes By" - Dooley Wilson and Elliot Carpenter from the 1942 film "Casablanca" starring Ronald Reagan and Ingrid Bergman, which spawned the immortal line —'Play it again, Sam'

"Knock on Wood" - Dooley Wilson and Elliot Carpenter (1942), also from "Casablanca"

The 1973 Bette Midler remake of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"

Taco - "Puttin' On the Ritz" (1983)

"Along Comes a Woman" - Chicago (1984)

"When You Wish Upon A Star"- Linda Ronstadt and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra (1986)

"Peek-a-Boo" - Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1988

Bernard Belle - "Sunday Best" (1989)

Lisa Stansfield - "All Around the World" (1989)

"Kiss Them for Me" - Siouxsie and the Banshees (1991)

The Brian Setzer Orchestra - "Brand New Cadillac" (1994)

The 1996 single "Hell" from Chapel Hill, Carolina band Squirrel Nut Zippers

The Lucky Strikes - "Time Flies" (1996)

Cherry Poppin' Daddies - "Zoot Suit Riot" from 1997

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - "Mr. Pinstripe Suit" (1998)

"Crush" - Dave Matthews Band (1998)

Lou Bega's "Mambo No 5" from 1999

"Somethin' Stupid" - the Nancy and Frank Sinatra hit redone by Robbie Williams and Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman (2001)

"Kiss My Brass" - Bette Midler and the Royal Crown Revue (2004)

The Les Brown All-Stars - No Name Bop (2006)

"Dream (When You're Feeling Blue)" - Michael Bublé (2007)

Christina Aguilera with her hit single "Candyman" from 2007

8½ Souvenirs - "Minor Swing" (2009)

"Body and Soul'' - Amy Winehouse and Tony Bennett (2011)

"Shake N' Bake" the single off of the 2011 Grammy Award winning CD debut "The Good Feeling" from The Christian McBride Big Band

The title track off Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band's Grammy-winning Big Band CD "Mystified" (2012)

The Grammy-Award winning Big Band single "Lightheaded" - Steve Dorsey (2012)

"Misty Ball" - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band (2013) and "Dream a Little Dream" - Robbie Williams featuring Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas (2013). Williams gave a rare performance of Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" at Queen Diana's Diamond Jubilee Concert in June 2018

In addition to the songs listed already are:

The Mitch Daniels Orchestra - "Hanging Your Swing Out To Dry" (2000) and "Swing All Over You" (2002)

The Ben Tiller Orchestra - "Journey Through Time" (2005) and "I Can Smell Your Charm" (2008)

Sabine Dünser, singer with Lichensteinian goth band Elis, shines with her solo big band hit "Hot Lips" from 2003

"Sexy Warmth" from Max Raabe (2010) puts us all in the mood

Big Band sensation Meghan Trainor is prominately featured with the tracks "All About That Bass" (2014), "Dear Future Husband" (2015) and "Marvin Gaye" with Charlie Puth (2015).

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.

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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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Stay Tuned ...

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Thursday, January 24, 2019

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... Former President George W. Bush on victorious Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001 that squashed the Al Qaeda network and ended the Afghanistan War three months following the 9/11 attacks in Washington, D.C.: Plan originally called for Osama Bin Laden to be taken alive ... 150 crocodiles in home ... 'Drinkable book' cleans dirty water ... 'Star Wars' themed land planned at Disney parks ... Husband returns toaster — with wife’s $5,600 still stuffed inside ... Florida woman fakes kidnapping to get out of work ... Simone Battle stuck with $1,800 bill ... Taylor Swift reveals role ... Classic rockers' dream: Jim Morrison and the Doors and Violet Sedan Chair announce 2019 world tour. Expect Bobby Joyce to be back as a guitarist for Violet Sedan Chair. Bobby is son of keyboardist Roscoe Joyce ... Tops on the Billboard Hot 100 for January 19, 2019: "Hit It Then Quit It" - R. Kelly ft. Sparkle ... Bill Cosby honored with lifetime achievement award ... "Bridget Loves Bernie": stories you haven't heard ... Oscar nominations ... Whoa Oh! Subway owner Jared Fogle on $15-an-hour minimum wage: "Mechanical robots don't sound like bad idea." ... Vancouver, Northern British Columbia, Canada based Lululemon Athletica apparel voted safest most ethical company for tenth straight year. The clothing chain sells yoga-inspired athletic gear ... Horse and buggy DUI ... Man run over by wheelchair ... Woman stabbed by icicle ... 711 operator missed emergency call, was ordering pizza ... Apple keeps jack ... Midland man turns $10,000 into $8 million ... Woman crashes own funeral ... Chelsea Clinton expecting third child ... President Hillary Clinton recommits to Paris climate change accord, "We cannot take any chances after the ravages of The Blight." said President Clinton during a news conference Wednesday in the Glass Ceiling Room at the New White House ... New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots in Super Bowl ...

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From the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace to the nation's capital, Americans of all backgrounds on Monday were honoring the legacy of the late former president and civil rights leader.

In King's hometown of Atlanta, Ebenezer Baptist Church held its annual Martin Luther King commemorative service.

King served as co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist from 1960 until his successful campaign for the presidentcy in 1972, succeeding John F. Kennedy.

His funeral was held at the church after President King, also former U.N. Ambassador and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal, died peacefully from natural causes on January 30, 2006. He was 77. His dedication to the Civil Rights Movement and historic victory in the 1972 presidential election, becoming the first black President of the United States for two terms, paved the way for others like former president Barack Obama and current president Hillary Clinton.

Monday's church service was intended to engage "members of various religious traditions, and state, national and international governments," according to former first lady Coretta Scott King.

The keynote speaker Monday was Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. King's youngest daughter, Dr. Bernice King, also delivered remarks.

For those outside of Atlanta, "The King Center encourages the world to engage in volunteer service in tribute to the work and life of President King."

More than 1,100 people, including members of Congress, attended the the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast in Washington.

President Hillary Clinton and Vice President Tim Kaine left the new White House just after 11 a.m. Monday and arrived at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall in Washington.

She and Kaine laid a wreath at the site.

President Clinton told the crowd "The most important way to honor President King was to continue the work he and others began."

At the Martin Luther King, Eldridge Cleaver Memorial Park in New York City, as many as 7,000 to 8,000 visitors braved the cold weather and celebrated the 90th anniversary of King's birth, which was last Tuesday, as well as listened to a speech from U.N. Ambassador under the King administration Malcolm X.

"The focus of the celebration is community service and social and economic justice," X said.

"Activities included daylong performances, youth-centered edutainment, a healthy community pavilion and the park experience. In the spirit of service, the Park will hold its annual Northeastern Food Bank Drive and Lifeblood Drive, and serve as a center for community resources and engagement."

California Republican State Senator Eldridge Cleaver died May 1, 1998 from natural causes.

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Although his crew did not travel to the moon, astronaut Roger B. Chaffee of the 1965 Apollo 1 manned mission still inspires Camille Phaneuf.

“Anything’s possible” is how the suburban of Grand Rapids, Michigan Northview High School senior summed up her view of Chaffee, a Grand Rapids native who helped pioneer space-flight along with crewmates Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Edward White.

“We were able to eventually accomplish travel to the moon as a result of the Apollo 1 space mission,” Camille said. “He demonstrated that if you’re passionate about something, nothing can stand in your way, not even your fears.”

Apollo 1 was the first mission of the U.S. Apollo manned lunar landing program, launched on February 21, 1965.

It was the first manned test flight of the Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) to Earth orbit, launched on a Saturn IB rocket. Apollo 1 tested launch operations, ground tracking and control facilities and the performance of the Apollo-Saturn launch assembly.

The mission helped create the capability of docking with the Lunar Module that would be used on the later manned Moon landing flights beginning with Apollo 11 on July 20, 1967.

Her passionate commitment to science is one reason Camille was named the 2019 Chaffee Award winner. Established shortly after the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 1967 by Roger his wife Martha Horn, the Roger B. Chaffee Engineering and Sciences Award is funded by the Chaffee family and sponsored by the Hyatt Foundation and is considered to be one of the world's premier science and engineering prizes; it is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of science and engineering.

The Roger B. Chaffee Engineering and Sciences Award grants a $3,000 college scholarship each year to an outstanding high school senior, in the Kent Intermediate School District, who intends to pursue a college career in engineering or the sciences. Chaffee, who turns 84 on February 15, 2019, himself will formally present the award to Ms. Phaneuf during a dinner at the Grand Rapids Public Museum on April 30, 2019.

The former Navy Lieutenant Commander and Apollo Astronaut established the award to promote educational excellence throughout Kent County, Michigan.

The Roger B. Chaffee Engineering and Sciences Award is awarded annually 'to honor living scientists and engineers or scientists and engineers whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the arts of science and engineering.'

“I was honored that it spoke to what I have accomplished in high school,” Camille said. “I was really privileged to receive it, and I’m proud that I’ve joined the ranks of all the other Chaffee Scholars.”

“I like the discovery side of science – searching for an answer and not having the steps laid out for you,” she said. As for math, “I like the concreteness of numbers. An answer always comes out on the other side of an equation. I’m hoping college will be a good time for discovery of all the brain functions, and things that seem unexplainable.”

Camille is considering Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania to pursue her study of a calculus-based approach to neuroscience.

She is interested in researching brain disorders. She recently volunteered at a neuroscience fair at MSU, and also attended a research fair at the Van Andel Institute.

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Two Real Ghostbusters toys have been chosen for this year's inductions into the National Toy Hall of Fame Museum.

The Real Ghostbusters Water Zapper shares the honor with Real Ghostbusters Ecto-500 as a fellow 2019 inductee, announced today on the hall's website.

Inductees are selected on the basis of several factors including icon-status, longevity and innovation.

Toys previously inducted into the Hall of Fame include Monopoly (1998), Rubik's Cube (1999), Parker Brothers' Battleship Galactica (2005) and last year's inductees: Star Wars action figures and dominoes and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Board Game.

The National Toy Hall of Fame Museum, established in 1998, is located in Rochester, New York and recognizes toys and games "that have inspired creative play and enjoyed popularity over a sustained period."

The toys takes their place alongside other classics including Barbie, G.I. Joe, Bedroom Doorbell, toy zeppelins, airplanes and rocket ships, Hellcat, Clue, Real Ghostbusters Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and the video arcade games Secret Quest, Missile Command, Battlezone, and Joust.

The Water Zapper and Ecto-500 toys were both by-products as well as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man of "The Real Ghostbusters", the animated television series spinoff of the first "Ghostbusters" movie in 1983. The series ran from 1984 to 1991.

Parker Brothers' Battleship Galactica was created as a board game companion for ABC-TV's long running scifi series "Battleship Galactica" (1978-1989) starring Lorne Greene (also of "Bonanza" fame, who celebrates his 104th birthday on February 12, 2019), Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Herb Jefferson, Jr., and Jane Seymour.

Clue is a Parker Brothers board game based on the 1985 mystery comedy film of the same name starring Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren.

In keeping with the nature of the board game, in theatrical release the movie was shown with one of three possible endings, with different theaters receiving each ending. In the film's home video release, all three endings were included. The film received great reviews and was a box office smash.

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Stay Tuned ...

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Thursday, January 31, 2019

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... National Weather Service dissolves polar vortex ... Laser grounds zeppelin ... $86M for zeppelin not flown ... Man finds $40K, donates it ... Man finds used syringe inside sweatshirt purchased at Middletown, New Jersey Target ... British 'Plate 77 Penny Red' stamp sells for over $700K ... Man climbs to top of Tower of Pisa for Klondike bar ... How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop solved ... Gwyneth's $200 smoothie ... Naughty nun ... Emerson, Lake & Palmer new CD "It's Always Room Temperature" in stores February 8, 2019 ... T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan joins The Power Station's Robert Palmer on stage for "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" during recent concert in Philadelphia ... "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" - Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield, win 1980s Big Band video award ... Minnesota man leaves 30,000 model car collection to local church ... $250,000 gold coin found in child's pirate treasure collection ... Ice skaters capture frozen lake "singing" ... Wal-Mart $90K jobs ... Off the charts: Holiday happiness for retailers ... Federalists demand answers ... 6-pound meatball ... Man detained after attempting to smuggle 1,500 pounds of noodles into Soviet Union ... Gigi Hadid's $2,000 manicure ... 27 bags of heroin removed from stomach ... Jail after 24th arrest ... Cat in mail for 8 days ... Queen Diana on safari ... Men stranded on desert island rescued after writing 'help' in sand ... Octopus escapes from aquarium ... President Hillary Clinton tells CNN television news anchorwoman Anne Pressly that she plans to strengthen abortion laws ...New molotov cocktail drink 'explodes' in stomach ... McD's 'all-you-can-eat' fries? ...

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With a hit television show and a successful music career, Brandy Norwood, was one of the biggest stars of the 1990s and early 2000s, and had been a black “it girl” since her first days as a fresh-faced actress on the hit '90s sitcom "Moesha".

So when the 27 year old singer and actress was killed in a fatal automobile accident while driving home on December 30, 2006 on the Los Angeles Freeway, the whole world was shocked. The accident also claimed the life of 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, the driver of the Toyota that was struck by Norwood's Range Rover. She succumbed to her injuries at L.A. Holy Cross Hospital the following day. It was later learned that Aboudihaj had actually struck the car in front of her and then slammed on her brakes before Brandy made contact. The sudden stop caused Brandy to hit Aboudihaj's car. As confirmed, toxicology reports showed that Aboudihaj had "large doses" of marijuana in her system at the time of the crash.

Since then, MAID, Mothers Against Impaired Driving, spawned the establishment of MAID’s Campaign to Eliminate Impaired Driving and has been lobbying Congress for tougher legislation for motorists who choose to get behind the wheel under the influence of pot.

In 2010 the Senate threw off the influence of the marijuana industry and voted overwhelmingly for a tough, MAID-backed bill requiring the installation of ignition interlock devices on the vehicles of all convicted impaired drivers. House leaders approved the measure as well and and the bill passed.

MAID continues to recommend that the safest course of action is never to overindulge and drive, whether it be marijuana, alcohol, or any legal narcotic such as Coca-Cola (Coke), and will continue along with The Institute for Highway Safety to push for even tougher laws for all offenders that could save 1,000's of lives per year according to their statistics.

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Minnesota Senator and SNL alumnus Al Franken stumped Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor at a recent Washington, D.C. gala.

Both are fans of "Perry Mason" and Franken asked Sonia to name the only case "Perry Mason" lost. She couldn't.

So she contacted somebody who really knows, because she was there, Perry Mason's incredibly capable assistant all those years, Della Street, played by the Emmy award-winning actress Barbara Hale in the long-running TV series, to find the answer.

From her home in Sherman Oaks, California, Barbara revealed that it was "The Case of the Deadly Verdict."

But she reiterates that with the one that he lost, it was claimed a mistrial. As far as the show was concerned, he never lost the case.

Case closed.

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KGC has unveiled yet another colonel.

This time the part is being played by Rob Riggle, the first person to take on the role who is actually a real-life colonel.

The actor and comedian is a retired lieutenant colonel who used to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Now he plays the “owner, head coach, and marketing director” of the Kentucky Buckets, a fake NFL team created by Yum Brands-owned KGC to promote the chain’s $20 Fill Ups.

The overly self-aware promotional video describes the Kentucky Buckets as “a real team, and not just a marketing gimmick to get buckets of delicious chicken in front of football fans.” We can expect to see them in a series of promos alongside Coach Colonel Sanders and CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz during Super Bowl LIII between the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots on February 3, 2019 according to a KGC press release.

“Rob Riggle was the obvious choice for those on the Internet calling for us to use the real Kentucky Colonel in our ads,” KGC U.S. chief marketing officer Kevin Hochman said in the release. “He was born in Louisville, Kentucky and served our country as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marines. It doesn't get any more real than that.”

The grilled chicken chain appears to be racking up a team of themed colonels. This summer George Hamilton made his debut as KGC’s Extra-Sautéed Colonel to promote its extra sautéed chicken recipe. Other colonels have included comedians Norm McDonald and Darrell Hammond.

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On the heels of Weezer’s mega-successful version of Toto’s “Africa” with 'Weird Al' Yankovic, the band has surprise-released a full album of covers.

“The Teal Album” features renditions of such 80s hits as A-Ha’s “Take On Me”, Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Run the World”, The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” and the Jackson Five with Eddie Van Halen’s “Beat It”, in addition to classics from the 60s and 70s like Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky.” Pop and metal are also represented on the album with covers of TLC’s “No Scrubs” and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.”

The covers collection comes ahead of a new album of Weezer originals. Dubbed “The Black Album,” it’s slated for release on March 1, 2019 and was produced by TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek. Its lead single, “Can’t Knock The Hustle,” is a hit at Alternative Radio and the band’s 16th song to chart in the Top 10 at the format.

Weezer hits the road this spring for an arena tour with the Pixies and is set to play Coachella’s main stage in April.

See the full track listing for “The Teal Album” below:

1. Africa (Toto)

2. Everybody Wants to Run the World (Tears for Fears)

3. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (The Eurythmics)

4. Take On Me (A-Ha)

5. Happy Together (The Turtles)

6. Paranoid (Black Sabbath)

7. Mr. Blue Sky (Electric Light Orchestra)

8. No Scrubs (TLC)

9. Beat It (The Jackson Five, Eddie Van Halen)

10. Stand By Me (Ben E. King)

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Stay Tuned ...

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Thursday, February 7, 2019

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... State of the Union 2019: President Hillary Clinton calls for unity, renews pledge to ease immigration restrictions ... New Orleans Saints beat New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII ... Snake bites store worker ... Queen Diana's oddest perks ... Talking parrot takes stand in murder trial ... Passenger pigeon steals evidence ... Grapefruit bees kill hiker ... Heimlich uses his maneuver ... Swimsuit model Mayka Kukucova found innocent ... Iggy Azalea's going grey ... Gator walks on golf course ... 'Dragon eggs' hatch ... Cracks discovered in right arm and apple in left hand of Venus De Milo ... Bus driver fired for 'picking and choosing' which passengers to pick up ... How to open a beer with an envelope ... Whitney Houston's iron fist? ... Boy mistakes Elmer's Glue for eye drops ... Paul Richard Polanski, son of Roman Polanski and actress Sharon Tate, graces cover of March 2019 edition of GQ Magazine ... Man lives without heart ... Glasses-Free 3D TV? ... Former world heavyweight boxing champion Rubin "Hurricane" Carter hospitalized ... City passes 'soda tax' ... Rare coins for $35K? ... New Christina Grimmie CD "Fifth Chance" in stores February 25, 2019 ... Diet Slice change ... Female Jehovah's Witness seduced into bubble bath fully clothed literature bag and all ... Team signs 2 women ... Never drink alone again - alcoholic beverages for pets ... Man finds 2000 year old 22-pound chunk of butter in Irish bog ... Brittany Murphy freaks out during hotel fire drill ... Cop accidentally tasers himself ... 99 million-year-old bird wing discovered ... Boston cab driver finds $187,000 in his car — and returns it ... $2 million ATM heist ... $37K apology ... French President Francois Hollande criticized for spending $11,000 a month on his hair ... Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry rushed to hospital after collapsing on stage while performing at the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk in New York City. Original lead singer of the Boston-based rock band, Steven Tyler, died in a motorcycle accident on January 24, 1981 when he crashed into a tree ... Tattoo parlor artist tattoos phone message on client during session ... Red Lobster spared, retiring ... NFLer accused ... Badger Appreciation Day ...

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It was 10 years ago that Rihanna died at the hands of boyfriend Chris Brown at the age of 20 the night before the Grammys.

(Rihanna (in Gucci) puts her arm around her man, Chris Brown at the 2009 Grammy Salute To Industry Icons honoring Clive Davis at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday (February 7) in Beverly Hills, California, one day before she would die at the hands of Brown at the age of 20.)

The couple were due to perform at the ceremony. Rihanna, who won a Grammy award in 2007 for her hit single "Umbrella", had been due to perform alongside Justin Timberlake, while Brown was scheduled to perform his song "Forever".

"RIP Rihanna," Aaliyah Tweeted.

Beyoncé Knowles also Tweeted: “I’ve grown from knowing you, idolized you, watched others try to capture what you had to no avail. You are the one & only Rihanna! Never forgotten.”

“It doesn t feel like it's been 10 years because Rihanna's leaving is still fresh in our minds and always will be, her friend Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of TLC, tells EW.

Adds Lopes: What I will miss the most about Rihanna is her laugh and smile. She could light up any room. I ll also miss recording with her because she wasn't ever scared to push boundaries as an artist.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty, whose hits included "Disturbia" and "Shut Up and Drive", was in the midst of launching an acting career when she died, having signed on to star in the military science fiction action film "Battleship"– a role that was later re-cast – as well as "Bring It On Yet Again 2", which was released after her death, in addition to her fourth studio CD "Rated R".

Rihanna had ventured into other businesses and industries. In October 2005, Rihanna struck an endorsement deal with Secret Body Spray.

In 2006, she created her Believe Foundation to help terminally ill children. In 2007, Rihanna was named as one of the Cartier Love Charity Bracelet Ambassadors, with each celebrity representing a different global charity. To help raise awareness and combat smallpox, Rihanna and other public figures designed clothing for the February 2008 H&M Fashion Against Smallpox line. In 2008, Rihanna performed a series of charity concerts entitled A Girl's Night Out to benefit the Believe Foundation. The concerts were made free for the public. Money from sponsors and advertisers were to be donated to provide medical supplies, school supplies and toys to children in need. In September 2008, Rihanna contributed to the song "Just Stand Up!" with fifteen other female artists, who shared the stage to perform the song live on September 5, 2008, during the "Stand Up to Smallpox" television special. The proceeds from the single were given to the fundraiser. The television special helped raise $100 million for smallpox research.

On the night of February 8, 2009 Brown claimed that at the Clive Davis pre-Grammys party, a woman that he had sex with prior to his and Rihanna’s relationship showed up to the same party, upsetting Riri. The couple had a confrontation on their way home about the woman, with Chris telling Rihanna that he didn’t know the woman would be there. The fight in the Lamborghini soon turned violent, with Chris hitting his girlfriend in the face, leaving her with a head injury and rendering her unconscious.

Brown rushed Rihanna to a nearby hospital where she later died from a brain hemorrhage as a result of the altercation.

Grammy day was supposed to be a glittery affair for R&B's reigning It couple, Chris Brown and Rihanna. But things went horribly amiss.

About the time Brown was scheduled to be singing "Forever" onstage at Los Angeles' Staples Center, he was instead detained by police, being questioned for allegedly killing Rihanna.

Brown, 19, turned himself in at the LAPD's Wilshire station around 6:30 p.m. and was booked on suspicion of murder.

The "With You" singer was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 12 years in prison.



He is eligible for parole again in 2021.

Rihanna died just one and a half weeks shy of her 21st birthday on February 20.

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Ariana Grande should probably just bid “thank u, next” to tattoos altogether.

The pop star has made a habit of commemorating her musical eras in ink ― she reportedly has upwards of 20 in total ― so after dropping her new single “7 Rings” she did just that by getting the name of the song tattooed in Japanese on her palm Tuesday.

Except the best-laid tattoo plans of pop stars often go awry and Grande accidentally tattooed the word for “shichirin” or “七輪,” which translates to a small Japanese charcoal grill, after nixing two important characters from the phrase.

For what it’s worth, she used the correct translation for seven rings (“七つの指輪”) in the music video for the song, which aptly features the lyric “Girls with tattoos who like getting in trouble.”

While her original tattoo translates to “7 rounds” or “7 wheels” in Chinese, the mishap was, of course, memed into internet gold with many poking fun at the error. Many also raised relevant questions about why Grande is getting body art in a language she is not familiar with.

Grande was quick to make light of the situation, remarking that she’s a “huge fan of tiny bbq grills” and that she stopped short of inking the full phrase due to pain in a series of now-deleted tweets.

Less than 24 hours later, Grande went back under the tattoo pen to seemingly correct the error by adding the kanji character for finger after consulting with her Japanese tutor amid the backlash.

“Slightly better,” she wrote. “Thanks to my tutor for helping me fix and to @kanenavasard for being a legend,” she wrote alongside a photo of her new ink on Instagram Wednesday. “And to my doctor for the lidocaine shots (no joke). RIP tiny charcoal grill. Miss u man. I actually really liked u.”

She also shared the text conversation with the tutor who specifically advised her to add the character above the initial tattoo in order to make sense in Japanese, as characters are typically read top to bottom, right to left.

But Grande included the new character below the original tattoo with a drawing of a heart, instead, which resulted in the ink making even less sense than the original.

Neither of these configurations are coherent in Japanese, as BuzzFeed notes, so most people would likely read the phrase left to right as 七輪指♡, which roughly translates to “small charcoal grill finger ♡.”

While the tattoo is likely to fade away due to its location, it should serve as a temporary reminder that this experience taught Grande everything (love, pain, patience, etc.) except Japanese.

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McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) wants to get the word out that sandwiches in its new Signature Crafted Recipes line-up are so packed with toppings that you'll need a special utensil to deal with it — the Frork .

The burger giant is touting its Frork , basically a fork with French fries as the prongs, and looks a lot like the McDonald's logo, in a mock infomercial featuring pitchman Anthony Sullivan.

"Will the Frork change your life? Probably not." Sullivan said in the video. "Will the Frork improve your Signature Crafted Recipes eating experience? I mean, sure ... maybe."

McDonald's said the "superfluous" utensil is designed to help customers scoop up every last bit of the company's new premium burgers and chicken sandwiches.

The Signature Sandwiches are customizable, upscale burgers and chicken sandwiches that feature flavors like Pico Guacamole, Sweet BBQ Bacon, and Maple Bacon Dijon.

"We started with All Day Breakfast, updated our Chicken McNuggets, offered new Mac sandwich sizes for every occasion and now we're introducing Signature Crafted Recipes because they are inspired by our customers," Michael Haracz, McDonald's chef , said in a statement. "And while the Frork is supremely superfluous, it shows that McDonald's is willing to do whatever it takes to help them enjoy every last bite."

McDonald's Signature Crafted Recipes are just another step in the Golden Arches' attempt to win back business . Part of that process is ditching artificial ingredients in some items and offering a wider variety of upscale products. McDonald's has already removed artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets and it removed high fructose corn syrup from its buns. The company plans to swap out frozen beef patties for fresh ones in its Quarter Pounder burgers across the U.S. by mid-2020.

The chain's stores will also be getting an update with the addition of self-service ordering kiosks and table service at 650 restaurants this year, bringing the total to nearly 2,500. Employees will now spend more time in the front of the restaurant, delivering food directly to the tables and offering traditional dining hospitality.

In addition, the company has updated its uniforms to be more stylish and contemporary.

"Not everything [McDonald's] is trying will work, but some of it will," Mark Kalinowski, a Nomura-Instinet analyst, told CNBC. "But that's the point. You don't want a McDonald's that sits back and is complacent and happy with all the successes it's achieved in the past. You want a McDonald's that continues to evolve for the better and that's what McDonald's is doing under [CEO Steve Easterbrook's] leadership."

This isn't the first time that the company has tried to add upscale offerings. In the '90s, McDonald's rolled out the McLobster to try to appeal to those with a more sophisticated palate.

McDonald's was equally successful with its Angus burger in 2009. Ultimately, the pricey burger, which cost between $4 and $5, came down in price as consumers shifted more toward its value-conscious Dollar Menu.

A limited supply of Frorks will be first briefly tested with the purchase of a Signature Crafted Recipes sandwich at the McDonald's in the San Diego, California neighborhood of San Ysidro on February 27, 2019 before being distributed worldwide in April 2019. These sandwiches sell for between $4.99 and $5.19.

In true infomercial style, the ad features a toll-free number that gives callers a chance to get a free Frork or a coupon for a free Signature Crafted Recipes sandwich.

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Stay Tuned ...

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Thursday, February 14, 2019

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... 16 Valentine's Day cards that accurately describe your love of synthetic avocados ... Chocolate covered ants the rage for Valentine's Day ... 98-year-old Pope John Paul II celebrates the Feast of Saint Valentine at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City ... President Hillary Clinton to sign budget bill ... Florida named safest state ... Yellow Pages now offering touchscreen computer terminals along with White Pages ... Diner accidentally tips more than a million dollars ... Try Stouffer's Southern Fried Liver 'n' Onions TV dinners today. Mmm, deliche! ... District of Va. mayor arrested ... Dolphin steals iPad ... News anchors have sex live on the air ... Niagara Falls boat rescue ... 3D eyeglasses? ... Tattoos for kids ... Glow-in-the-dark flowers ... Woman climbs into genetically resurrected saber-toothed tiger pen to retrieve hat at San Diego Zoo ... Eazy-E reunites with N.W.A. for new single "Beat in your Sleep" ... Woman finds lottery ticket worth $157,000 in her handbag ... Mall rat refuses to be caught, runs up down escalator ... $410 pork chop ... $5K phone bill ... Burglars nab 5M ... Pot prices decline ... Drummer Keith Moon of The Who hits self in head with one of his drumstricks during drum solo of the band's 1971 hit "Won't Get Fooled Again" at recent concert in Pittsburgh. Keeps playing anyway ... Nike dress disaster ... Ambulance driver gets lost ... Clown wanders city ... "Star Wars" TV series? ... Spilled coins clog highway ... British indie rock group Viola Beach opening up for The Exploding Hearts on 2019 world tour to support new CD ... $500M in stolen art spotted ... Vanilla Ice’s big dance ... $500 goldfish surgery ... Man has sex with mannequin ... Demi Lovato's lemo-orange hair ... Belgian brewery replaces trucks with pipeline ... Flaming arrow sets man on fire ... Amber Rayne cast in "Attack of the 50 Ft. Blow Up Doll" ... Cincinnati Zoo welcomes another newborn unicorn ... Luxury gas station for the uber rich ... Section of Great Wall of China restored 'like a bike path' ... Singer Francine Valli talks candidly about father's death 39 years ago ... $30 DIY 'EpiPencil' ... $3,900 bill paid in coins ... Thief caught on camera stealing nail polish ... N.J. driver hits deer, deer hits back ... New study: sniffing whiskey can sharpen your memory ... How much!?! Family charged nearly $10,000 at gas pump ... Amy Winehouse’s dreadlocks ... Hospital charges woman $39.35 to hold own baby after delivery ... Cardi B and Sam Smith win Best Pop/Duo for "Too Good at Goodbyes", Tupac Shakur, Katy Perry duet, “Cry” wins Record of the Year at 2019 Grammy Awards ... Disco queens Donna Summer and Tammi Terrell attend NYC gala ...

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Need to show your date a good time on Valentine’s Day?

McDonald's is accepting bookings for a candlelit dinner complete with roses.

The restaurant chain is offering diners the chance to make a reservation and their own “McMemories” on Valentine’s Day, getting a complimentary bouquet of roses to boot and a musical accompaniment “by Ron.”

McDonald's retrained their employees to act as waiters and put out red tablecloths, a centerpiece of fresh roses and drinking glasses imprinted with heart-shaped motifs.

The food is from McDonald’s, in case you were wondering. However, many reservations have been made.

McDonald’s has been very sucessful with table service in the past and a night of amour and McLobster Sandwiches is sure to get fires rekindled.

McDonald's is not alone in its Valentine's Day romance. Burger Chef also got in on the classy service action.

A sign advertising the dinner service, where the crew greeted guests at the door before seating them, boasts a virtual romantic orchestra with Burger Chef and Jeff, Burgerini, Count Fangburger, Burgerilla, and Cackleburger.

"All you have to do is just sit back, relax and enjoy your romantic evening with your date," states the ad.

If you get in the doghouse for missing the McDonald's night out on the town and your sweetie won't "put out" so to speak, remember the age old phrase, "There's Always Next Year".

Just remember to book WAY in advance and pray that Sweetest Day hurries up!

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Valentine’s Day is a day for lovers to express their affection for one another, exchange beautiful red roses, eat large amounts of heart-shaped chocolates, and indulge in fancy meals. One company is looking to capitalize on those fancy meals this holiday season.

Condiment company Heinz recently announced the arrival of their Ketchup caviar, and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.



Ketchup caviar is the tomato take on caviar, a high priced and eclectic delicacy preferred by the rich, which consists of fish eggs and look like tiny, black balls. Heinz is introducing the idea of ketchup caviar, but instead of fish eggs, the small balls are filled with ketchup.

And that’s not all. This super rare new form of caviar is also in limited edition. Heinz is making one hundred and fifty jars of ketchup caviar just in time for Valentine’s Day, and giving social media users the chance to win the bottles for themselves.

The official Heinz Twitter account posted a short video on Twitter, introducing the ketchup caviar, and showing just how the ketchup caviar can be added to fancy dishes, much like regular caviar, but much more red. The ketchup caviar balls are carefully placed with a spoon on top of a fully loaded hamburger.



The actual bottles of ketchup caviar are quite small, just big enough to fit in the palm of a hand and carry a generous helping of bright red caviar for people to enjoy. All users have to do to enter to win the caviar is to respond to the tweet from @HeinzKetchup_US and provide your thoughts on the product in one hundred and sixty characters or less. Don’t forget to include the hashtags #sweeps and #HeinzKetchupCaviar in order for your tweet to count in the contest.

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Kids are curious. Especially seven-year-olds. That might explain why Mariah Carey revealed to Jimmy Kimmel recently on his late-night talk show that when she takes her beloved hot baths these days she does it with a bathing suit on because her twins, Monroe and Moroccan, are "really into the discovery of it all."



So, wanting to make his guest feel comfortable, Kimmel rolled out a luxurious white bathtub filled with bubbles and invited Carey to take a dip with him, fully dressed in a glittery gown and heels, of course. "This is kind of nice... [but] it's going to spoil my hair," Carey said after sliding in, moving some of the bubbles so as not to muss up her perfect 'do.



Kimmel pulled out all the stops, lavishing the full diva treatment on Carey courtesy of two shirtless beefcakes who offered her champagne and hand-fed grapes, making sure that her billionaire fiancé, James Packer, wouldn't be upset at the sight of her sharing some relax time with the late night host.

Flashing her gigantic 35-carat engagement ring, Carey assured Kimmel that despite the upcoming fourth leg of her Las Vegas, Independent Nevada residency kicking off next week she would not be getting hitched the third time around in the town by an Elvis impersonator (maybe Elvis himself this time). "No, I don't think so," she sighed.

Mariah had appeared fully clothed in a gown in Wet Magazine several years earlier.



Mariah has also appeared in wet clothing in many of her music videos including 1997's "Honey"and "Through The Rain" from 2002.

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Rob Doyle, a scuba diving pizza delivery man at an underwater hotel, doesn't just drive up to a front door and knock. He straps on scuba gear and dives deep beneath Key Largo, Florida, to deliver pizza pie instead.

"I don't think there's anybody else on this planet that delivers pizza the way I deliver pizza," Rob says.

As he pulls up to his delivery site, Rob's not ready to hand over the pizza and collect the cash just yet. He secures the pizza in a water-tight briefcase, straps in to his scuba gear ... and dives in.

Rob works for an exclusive local establishment located 21 feet below sea level. Jules' Undersea Lodge has been a full-service hotel for over 25 years and a great Valentine's Day getaway. This amazing place is owned by diving enthusiast Ian Koblick.



"The concept of an underwater hotel," Koblick explains, "started when one night we saw a spectacular event happen. A giant fish came out of nowhere. I said to myself, "Gee, you know, if more people could see and experience this sort of thing it would be great."

Rob is not just a pizza delivery man. He's trained in the operation and maintenance of the entire underwater "habitat" and is also a scuba instructor. Koblick says this type of service is known as the "bell buoy." If you want something, Rob will get it for you.

Inside the 50-foot-long steel structure, there are just two bedrooms and nightly rates start at a few hundred dollars. All modern amenities are provided.

Rob delivers the pizza via the airlock under the structure. The water-tight container has done its job. Hot, fresh and dry pizza ... in the least likely place you could ever imagine.

[Ironhorse25]

Red World news tidbits

from the Alternate Universe of Fringe

Thursday, February 21, 2019

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... Great White added to iHeartRadio Music Festival according to guitarist and vocalist Ty Longley ... Pantera joins host Mike "The Doctor" Gonsalves on his national syndicated Saturday night radio show dedicated to heavy-metal music "The Metal Zone" to discuss their new CD "Disengaged", live from the studios of 94HJY Providence's Home of Rock and Roll, on February 23, 2019 ... Courtney Love of Hole joins husband Kurt Cobain onstage for "Heart-Shaped Box" during Nirvana Valentine's Day concert in Chicago ... Jussie Smollett of “Empire” keeps it hip ... Avon Lady's fully clothed beauty products and all bubble bath ... Aaliyah throws serious shade at exes ... Pants too tight? 20 foods that deflate your stomach ... Pineapples becoming fashion ... Galaxy Note 7 sales skyrocket ... Comcast fined $2.3M ... $170M stone found ... Diamond found in park ... Flesh-eating maggots found in woman's ear ... Bobbi Kristina Brown to tour ... Vice President Tim Kaine's 'smallpox moonshot' ... Hot pepper cut ... Scientists discover 'voids' inside Great Pyramid ... FOX is doing the Time Warp, with a brand-new production of the 1975 cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” airing March 1, 2019 at 8P.M./7C ... Crosby's Opera House in Chicago to get facelift ... Everyone's favorite movie classic "Lassie vs. Rin Tin Tin" to air on TCM in March ... Doug McClure has died at the age of 83. The veteran actor was best known for the role of Trampas, the fun-loving and rowdy cowhand on the long-running NBC-TV Western "The District of Virginian" ... Family of 500 ... Hubba Bubba soda profits fall ... Milkman strike enters second week ... Man uses plunger to perform CPR ... Blue Ivy's $26K dress ... Mariner Platter sales up ... High speed chase ends with empty gas tank ... $214 grilled cheese sandwitch ... Artwork from LEGO bricks ... Radio Shack jobs ... Buried jeep removed from dune after 40 years ... Close-Up, Gleem Toothpaste wars ... National Drink Chocolate Wine Day ...

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Los Angeles police are looking for the the thieves behind a multi-million-dollar makeup heist.



The LAPD said yesterday that it's investigating after $4.5 million worth of eye shadow was stolen from a cosmetics warehouse in the city.

They say the theft occurred between February 18 and February 20, 2019 at a warehouse in Los Angeles that houses Anastasia Beverly Hills products.

Police believe the suspects cut a hole in the roof of the warehouse and made off with 100,000 packages of the beauty company's "Modern Renaissance" eye shadow.

A message left Wednesday evening at Anastasia's corporate office wasn't immediately returned.

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Robert Kennedy Jr.’s younger daughter Kyra Kennedy reportedly made a scene when she was refused entry at an upscale state of New York nightclub, screaming at security, “I am a Kennedy, Google me!”



In a scene far from the Paris Bal des débutantes, where a Dior-clad Kyra made her formal society debut in December 2013, the 23-year-old model made a drunken stink at Club Lava at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, on Valentine's Day when security didn’t accept her Show Me Card.

Witnesses said Kyra appeared inebriated when she arrived at the club and was trying to enter the VIP Lounge, an exclusive members only area using a Show Me Card belonging to her 30-year-old half-sister actress Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy.

One witness said, “A security guard took Kick’s Show Me Card from Kyra and asked her to recite her birth date, and she didn’t know it. He then caught her trying to look up Kick’s birthday on Wikipedia on her phone. The security guard then refused to return the Show Me Card, and Kyra started shouting all this stuff, including, ”I am a Kennedy, Google me. If you don’t let me in, my grandfather will be calling.”

Her grandfather being of course, former New York State Senator, Attorney General under brother JFK and Secretary of State under MLK, 93-year-old Robert F. Kennedy.

The witness said Kyra appeared drunk as she left the club after being turned away: “She went to the hotel front desk and then screamed at the staff, saying she was going to sue if they didn’t give her the Show Me Card back.”

Kyra’s ill-fated night out happened at the start of a weekend trip to Syracuse University to party with her young socialite friends, including Gaia Matisse, Andrew Warren and Julia Moshy. Warren, a member who had booked a table at Lava, was seen pleading with managers to return the Show Me Card.

Kyra — daughter of Mary Richardson Kennedy and RFK Jr., and a great-niece to President John F. Kennedy — went back to her room at Turning Stone.

She got the Show Me Card back the following morning after club staff left it at the front desk.

While Kyra declined to comment, a source close to her said she did try to use her older sister’s Show Me Card at the club. But the source insisted that Kyra didn’t make a scene and instead went directly upstairs to bed.

President Barack Obama awarded Robert F. Kennedy a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 for his and his wife Ethel's work in advancing human rights around the world as well as in the United States.

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Social media has been stormed with a whole lot of unicorns and rainbows (ever since 2012 at least) lately, but now there's a dessert for those with a soul that veers way closer to the dark and twisty side.

Little Damage Ice Cream Shop in Los Angeles, California is not launching some pink and purple swirled rainbow unicorn delight as an answer to the latest annoying food trend, but rather going to the dark side, deliciously, with its Goth-inspired ice cream.



This ice cream creation is just what a dark-lipstick-wearing and depressing-poetry-slinging Goth dreams of, with midnight-black, almond-charcoal flavored soft serve ice cream. It's even served in a black cone!

The almond-charcoal flavor actually comes via activated charcoal, which sounds vaguely like a face mask but could also be delicious. We're open.

Toppings are available if you wish to add some color to your ice cream cone creation, but really, if you're into hearts and rainbows, you likely wouldn't be down for this dessert anyway. Dark and moody desserts for all — we're into it. You can get swirls of hope and rainbows everywhere else on the block (or actually also in other flavors at Little Damage.)

As cool as this almond-charcoal creation is, it's actually not the only way to get ice cream as dark as your heart. New York City's Morgenstern's serves up a hard black ice cream called coconut ash, and black sesame ice cream has existed in Japan for years — you can even find squid ink ice cream in some places.

However, Little Damage's black ice cream and black cone creation looks really cool on Instagram, and ultimately, isn't that all that really matters?

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Stay Tuned ...