I'm pretty sure I posted this a few years ago but it recently turned up again and I find it as impressive and encouraging as before. According to the Youtube page,
”When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable 'trophic cascade' occurred. What is a trophic cascade and how exactly do wolves change rivers? George Monbiot explains in this movie remix."
HOW TO READ YOUR CAT'S FEELINGS
Cats being as enigmatic as they are, I'm not sure there is much satisfactory explanation here but it's worth a few minutes of your time.
CATS FOR BIDEN
More cat vids showed up this week so here are two political ones. This from Tony Sarmiento:
We’ve got to come together to defeat Donald Trump –– Democrats, Independents, Republicans, and yes, even Demo-cats. pic.twitter.com/LtsTWy7MmI
TGB reader Mary Evans Young sent this lovely video.
PERSONAL SERENDIPITY
Yesterday, Friday, was a really rough day for me. Not pain as sometimes happens. Without tempting fate by saying too much out loud, that has been increasingly controllable.
But tiredness, dejection, weakness so deep I can barely walk across the room or write even a few words on the computer screen - so much so that I almost skipped preparing this blog post for today. Then, as a distraction, I checked email and found a note from friend Edie Birken.
It doesn't change the circumstance or what I'm feeling about it but it makes it go easier. This is what she sent:
* * *
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
The #NobelPrize committee couldn't reach Paul Milgrom to share the news that he won, so his fellow winner and neighbor Robert Wilson knocked on his door in the middle of the night. pic.twitter.com/MvhxZcgutZ
Last week, the Social Security Administration announced there will be a 1.3 percent cost-of-living (COLA) increase for Social Security beneficiaries beginning in January 2021.
In addition, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $142,800 from $137,700. But wait, there's more.
”For Social Security beneficiaries receiving Medicare, Social Security will not be able to compute their new benefit amount until after the Medicare premium amounts for 2021 are announced in December.”
That is, the new Part B premium amount is not available until then. You can read more here.
According to CNBC, some House lawmakers are proposing an emergency three percent Social Security COLA (in place of the 1.3 percent announced). This is just me talking, but I wouldn't count on it.
MAN SHELTERS 300 ANIMALS IN HOME DURING HURRICANE DELTA
”Hurricane Delta put everyone on high alert, including Ricardo Pimentel. He works in an animal sanctuary called Tierra de Animales in Mexico. He knew that he needed to protect the animals living there, so Ricardo did everything he could to ensure their safety during the hurricane.
“However, Ricardo knew that all the animals wouldn’t fit in the shelter and that the building wasn’t hurricane-proof, so he took the dogs, the cats, and other animals and brought them into his own home. There were about 300 animals in his house during the hurricane. Ricardo had a lot of food and other necessities prepared for the animals, so everything went smoothly.”
There are a lot more photos of the doggos, kitties, chickens and more at Bored Panda.
BULL REDUCED TO BEING GLORIFIED GOAT CLIMBING FRAME
Friend and TGB reader John Gear sent this sad outcome. Or, maybe the bull is enjoying himself.
Previously an imposing, feared and respected leader of the farm, all of this hard-won status tragically evaporated, once he was demoted to what amounts to a glorified goats climbing frame... pic.twitter.com/4Sc9NiAOJW
TGB reader Joared of Along the Way sent us this gem which, she says, she stole from WiseWomanWeb.
FOOD STORAGE HACKS
I don't know if any of these actually help food last longer but some of them seem worth a try.
Freeze And Preserve Fresh Herbs In Olive Oil
The herbs will infuse the oil while freezing, and the ice cubes are very handy for cooking: just pop one out and use as the base of a dish. Works best with rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano. Dill, basil, and mint should always be used fresh
Wrap The Crown Of A Bunch Of Bananas With Plastic Wrap
They'll keep for 3-5 days longer than usual, which is especially helpful if you eat organic bananas. Bananas also produce more ethelyne gas than any other fruit, so keep them isolated on the counter
Store Potatoes With Apples To Keep Them From Sprouting
The are a whole lot more food preserving hacks at Bored Panda.
BEARS FALLING OFF BROOKS FALLS
This time of year I usually publish live video of the bears at these falls catching salmon before their winter hibernation.
This time someone recorded a few of the difficulties they bears run into:
”While some bears make fishing on the lip of Brooks Falls look easy, others find holding their balance a bit more difficult. From Lefty's belly flop to Grazer chasing after her clumsy cubs, we've had many laughs watching over the years.”
My friend Jim Stone sent this video.
LOTSA LOTSA ANIMAL LOVE
From TGB reader Judy Carrino/
* * *
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
On Monday 12 October at 8PM U.S. eastern time, there will be an online, exclusive event to honor the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Among the participants are Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Stacy Abrams, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren and many more.
Anyone may attend but you must register. You can do that now here.
ONTARIO, CANADA, PROVINCIAL POLICE RESCUE
This video is short and less than dramatic in the search for a young, special needs boy lost in the forest at night. I'm impressed with the calm manner of the police in a frightening situation.
DON'T TELL CANCER PATIENTS HOW TO CURE THEMSELVES
My New York City friend Annie Gottlieb sent a story about why people should not offer quack cancer cures to friends who are sick.
I've written about this here and here and probably elsewhere. But there is a line in The Guardian story, written by Steven W Thrasher, that hit home, particularly recently as my energy wanes:
”...if you want to do something to help someone in distress, as George Carlin famously riffed, unplug their clogged toilet or paint the garage. Don’t tell a sick or injured person what they should do, because it’s a sneaky and harmful way of dealing with your own fear of death.”
These days, I am most grateful for help taking with things like taking out trash and breaking down delivery boxes for recycling and other seemingly simple tasks that can now be so difficult for me.
You should read the entire article. It is definitely worth your time.
NATIONAL ZOO ANNOUNCES THE SEX OF THEIR BABY PANDA
I know, I've been showing you baby panda pictures every week for at least a month and today is no different because – TA-DAH! Now we know it's a boy. Here's the Washington Post video of is vet exam this week:
COLORIZED AND SPEED-ADJUSTED 1886 SNOWBALL FIGHT
You know how old film footage always looks jerky and out of time? This one, a snowball fight from 134 years ago, has been colorized and speed-adjusted and now it looks almost so modern that it could have been shot yesterday. Take a look:
TGB's Sunday music columnist Peter Tibbles, who lives in Melbourne, sent this video of a baby wombat and kangaroo friends.
NOW WHO'S THE SCAREDY CAT
Also from Peter Tibbles. The video is old, seven years, and fuzzy but you're going to be happy to see it.
BEAR FIGHT IN FINLAND
Youtube bills this as the best bear fight ever. I don't think I buy that – it looks to me like a couple of buddies just rough housing around one day in the woods.
WHEN A BUTTERFLY PHOTO BOMBS A LITTLE KOALA
It's the cutest thing.
* * *
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
EDITORIAL NOTE:Interesting Stuff if shorter than usual today. The week just got away from me but I hope you'll enjoy these.
72 WONDERFUL YEARS OF MARRIAGE
This is just lovely. Photographer Sujata Setia tells us on the Bored Panda page:
”Vera was only 18 when she first laid eyes on Mel at a hospital, and he himself had only recently returned from serving in World War II as a Royal Engineer...
“When I got the opportunity to run a photography masterclass in Wales, I had to visit Mel and Vera to gift them images that would showcase their eternal love.”
Here is their wedding photograph:
And here they are today:
There are 16 more photos of Vera and Mel at Bored Panda and it's worth your while to take the time to look at them.
YET ANOTHER HORRIBLE DANGER
Wild fires continue in Washington, Oregon and California. What I didn't know before now is the danger of underground fires. As the Youtube page explains:
'Dangerous fires are still burning underground. Don Tesdal, a volunteer firefighter with the Idanha-Detroit (Oregon) Fire District, was in Detroit over the weekend doing fire mop up when he came across a serious problem many might miss.”
“From above the mound it looked like a little smoke. But below it was an active fire just waiting for the chance to get out.”
WHY DOES AUTUMN HAVE TWO NAMES?
According to Atlas Obscura, all our seasonal names have complicated origins but there is only one with two names – fall and autumn.
”Autumn shows up in English first around the late 14th and early 15th centuries, though it coexisted with 'harvest' as a loose description of the season for another 200 years.
“Fall is different. It first shows up in the mid-16th century in England, primarily at first as 'the fall of the leaf,' which was shortened to just 'fall.'”
Of course there is more to it than that. If you like words, their origins and etymology, check out the story of the seasons' names at Atlas Obscura.
THE WEIRDNESS OF WATER
Good old ordinary water, right? Pollution notwithstanding, it's all over the place, the entire planet. Actually, it's all over the universe and it does not follow the known laws of chemistry. Take a look at this:
SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO'S BABY PANDA
The Smithsonian National Zoo is keeping us up to date with new baby panda video nearly every day. Not long ago, we showed you one of the first and here is another of the baby getting its first medical checkup.
I keep running across contests for funny pet and animal photos. Here's one that turned up at Bored Panda this week - The Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2020. Three examples:
EDITORIAL NOTE: It feels to me that this has been a momentous past week filled with terrible portents, especially from the president who refuses to say he will leave his post if he is defeated in November. I don't have words.
So a few of today's entries fall to heavier side of the scale.
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IN HONOR OF JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG
You remember Founders Sing, don't you. The Youtube group who debuted in February with their tune, The Day Democracy Died.
They have been releasing these original political songs ever since and this week they gave us I AM RUTH – By Founders Sing, In Honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
YOUNG PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE VIRUS MISINFORMATION
The number of new virus infections is not getting better. In fact, it is skyrocketing. This week, The New York Times reported,
”In a survey of 21,196 people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, researchers identified a clear generational divide.
“Respondents 18 to 24 had an 18 percent probability of believing a false claim, compared with 9 percent for those over 65, according to the study [pdf], conducted by researchers from Harvard University, Rutgers University, Northeastern University and Northwestern University.”
People were asked to gauge their acceptance of 11 false claims:
”Those included false claims that the virus originated in people who ate bats, that taking antibiotics protects against the disease and that only people 60 or older are at risk of being infected.”
Read more at The Times. Talk to the young people in your life about staying safe.
AOC'S MESSAGE TO THE FUTURE
The Guardian reports that young people yesterday led strikes around the world calling for urgent action on climate change.
”Greta Thunberg led a strike in Sweden, which was limited to 50 people by the country’s lockdown laws – 'so we adapt', she tweeted, with a picture showing strikers more than 2 metres apart. The day of action also marked the 110th week of her own school strike, which began in August 2018.
“'Fridays For Future and the youth climate movement are striking again around the world, in a safe way and following Covid-19 guidelines, to demand those in power treat this like the urgent crisis it is,' she said.”
Relatedly, TGB reader Mary Evans Young, sent this pertinent 18-month-old video from U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez titled A Message from the Future.
In the U.S., we are in the final weeks of fighting for the existence of our country, even for democracy itself. Untold environmental damage has been done by our president and his minions in just the year and a half since OAC's video debuted. So don't let up. Register to vote. Help others to register. Plan your vote.
Read more about the worldwide children's crusade at The Guardian.
OBVIOUSLY THIS DOGGEREL FROM HENRY LOWENSTERN...
...cannot be ignored at this blog. Titled Down and Out.
When you are feeling down and out,
give Ronni Bennett a shout.
She's a long-time blogger
and memories cataloger
who writes about her ills
and the long-remembered thrills
that bring smiles to her face
and maybe will help erase
some of the despair
that afflicts your debonair.
IMPOSSIBLY YOUNG WILLIE NELSON
I've been listening to a lot of Willie Nelson lately – the old stuff and the newest too. He's 87 years old now. But in truth, he's ageless.
This is a medley he sang at Grand Ole Opry in 1965. Did you know Willie wrote Patsy Cline's huge hit, Crazy? I didn't until now.
NEW YORK'S RUBBER STAMP SHOP
Do people even use rubber stamps anymore? I guess so. According to the Youtube page,
”John Casey is the owner of East Village mainstay Casey Rubber Stamps, a local landmark that has endured for almost two decades.
“The iconic stamp and ink shop, located on East 11th Street in downtown New York, is beloved by locals. For years, residents and tourists alike have swung by to buy and make their own novelty rubber stamps.”
This short film is from Eric Maierson and Leandro Badalotti for Atlas Obscura.
THE BELUGA AND THE SEAGULL
This whale could have the gull for lunch in one bite but he (she?) didn't. Instead, they played.
* * *
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
It's amazing skill but also speed – really, really fast.
FAMED RETAILERS THAT HAVE FALLEN INTO BANKRUPTCY
More than 20 iconic retailers that have filed for Chapter 11 perotection this year of the pandemic. It's also a list of stores that have defined the lifetimes of most of the people who read this blog. In no particular order, some of them are:
Lord & Taylor
Brooks Brothers
J.C. Penney
Neiman Marcus
Pier 1
Gold's Gym
Hertz
Dean & Deluca
”Eclipse, a black Labrador retriever, loves going to the dog park with her human, Jeff. They usually take the city bus together, but one day Eclipse got impatient and decided to hop on by herself..."
Watch the full story:
FLU SHOT REMINDER
It has never been more important than in this year of pandemic to get a flu shot. They have been available for about a month and I got mine – the version that is specifically for old people – a couple of weeks ago.
If your health care provider is Medicare, the shot is free. Well, except for me and others like me. For some reason, the physician or pharmacy or other health care provider who administers the shot is not reimbursed if the patient is in hospice. So it cost me $82.69.
It wasn't until a work trip to Spain in 1988 that I had the slightest idea where cork comes from. A local explained it to me as we drove through a cork farm.
This video, about cork growing in Portugal not only explains it, but shows how it is done.
HOW TO VOTE BY MAIL IN EVERY U.S. STATE
Presidential voting season is almost upon us and many more states than in the past are allowing a form of vote-by-mail. Links are here for deadlines and other information in every U.S. State.
WATCHING HOW BEN AND JERRY'S ICE CREAM IS MADE
Me? I'm a Haagan Dazs person but that doesn't make other brands less good and the manufacturing process is probably similar. This video was made at a Ben and Jerry's factory in Vermont.
”Birds are attracted to running water so I can imagine that this might not be as difficult as it seems but it’s still pretty spectacular to watch.
“If you love to watch birds in your yard get rid of the traditional bird bath and get one that has flowing water. You’ll be amazed at how many more birds the running water will attract.”
But the running water isn't the real surprise. It's at the end when the camera shows us the big, burly guy who's helping out the teeny-tiny bird.
* * *
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
UPDATE ON OREGON WILD FIRES: So far there has been no order to evacuate but I was busy Friday packing so today's Interesting Stuff seems a bit short.
* * *
SURPRISE OPERA IN A SCHOOL LUNCH ROOM
TGB reader Ali in Seattle sent this great surprise at a Buckinghamshire primary school where an impromptu Opera was staged in the canteen one lunch time.
“Four secret opera singers, disguised as canteen staff, broke into song bringing the room to a standstill with a rousing medley of the Italian classics by Verdi, Puccini and Rossini.
“From soaring soprano to booming baritone, the singers’ stunning performance thrilled the unsuspecting school children whose shocked and surprised reactions were captured on camera by a six strong film crew behind the scenes.”
RIDING A 115-FOOT WAVE
I never even tried to learn how to surf and I am undoubtedly too old to start now but this sure looks exciting. TGB reader Mary Evans Young sent it.
This is so much fun – windows of places from all around the world. Each video is about 10 minutes long. If you're tired of the view from you own window, it is an interesting respite.
Take a look here. Just click on the image for a new window. The location is in the upper right corner of each frame.
Read more about the website at The Verge and maybe record your own video out your window and upload it.
ONLY A HARMONICA
I promise you never heard a harmonica player like Buddy Greene. Joan McMullin sent this video and the location appears to me to be Carnegie Hall.
That headline is what an Oregon Public Broadcasting email called the link to this video of eight or 10 of the most gorgeous insects flying in slow motion while a scientist explains. And it certainly is a lovely few moments of Zen.
ANONYMOUSE
Some years ago I featured Anonymouse here and it's worth doing again. Huffpost published a recent story about the creators, explaining that they are
”A secret group of creatives from Malmö in southern Sweden [who sneak] stunning miniature installations for mice into public spaces in the dead of night.
“The clandestine collective ― called Anonymouse ― incorporates everyday objects into its painstaking recreations, using matchboxes for desks and postage stamps for paintings.
“The group has installed 25 pieces, mostly in cellar windows, in its home city, across Sweden, in France and on the Isle of Man.”
Take a look at this video:
Read more at HuffPost where there are still shots of the interiors of several of the installations.
* * *
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
There are people who dislike this song from 49 years ago. Others love it. I'm agnostic but I wish I could figure out why I know the complete lyric by heart.
We were talking about what Don McLean's most famous song means back in the day and some people still do. Here's one explanation from a few years ago found on YouTube.
IS WEATHER REALLY BECOMING MORE EXTREME?
Most of us know the difference between weather and climate but this video goes further than that to show us what is changing.
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN IS 175 YEARS OLD
Scientific American is 175 years old this year, the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.
Poynter reporter, Rick Edmonds, took a look at the magazine then and now as shown in its anniversary issue:
“One piece considers whether a hundred years of successes of drugs and vaccines bred complacency about controlling infectious diseases.
“Among the greatest-hits offerings was a tale of the 19th-century Scientific American editor who designed and built a demo of an air-driven subway — only to have it scuttled for political reasons by New York City’s Boss Tweed.”
Given the limits of life in a pandemic world, pretty much all of us are looking for ways to entertain ourselves. Here is what the grandchildren of TGB reader Ruth Johnson have been up to.
WHAT THE HECK IS MARIKO AOKI PHENOMENON
Leave it to the Mental Floss website to once again come up with something stranger than I could ever think of:
”In the mid-1980s, a woman named Mariko Aoki sent a letter to Japan’s Hon no Zasshi, or Book Magazine, explaining a puzzling condition: whenever Aoki entered a bookstore, her bowels suddenly seemed to leap to life.
“The magazine printed the letter in its February 1985 issue, and it soon became clear that Aoki wasn’t alone. Other readers mailed in letters detailing similar experiences...”
No one knows what causes this but there are many theories. There is even a lengthy Wikipedia page about the “Mariko Aoki phenomenon”.
”This is the dramatic moment a genius otter being chased by a killer whale hops onto a boat for safety with just seconds to spare. In the incredible footage, captured in Halibut Cove, Alaska, on Sunday July 26, [2020] the otter is first seen roughly 200 yds away from John Dornellas’ boat, swimming frantically as the orca follows.”
TGB reader Mary Evans Young sent this story about Senegalese artist BouBou Niang. Here is a short overview of his work.
As Deepak Mehla explains at awesomebyte.com,
”What tools does an artist use? Brushes and palettes, you’d say. But, do you know that Boubou Niang, who uses the sobriquet of Boubou Design, can paint with whatever he can lay his hands on & Not only this, but he can also draw with his eyes closed or standing behind the canvas!”
You can read more about BouBou at awesomebyte where there are half a dozen more short videos of him at work, and additional examples of his paintings on his Instagram page.
TAGGING BEARS IN CANADIAN WINTER
TGB reader Joan McMullen sent this video of Canadian comedian and satirist Rick Mercer tagging along on a winter bear-tagging trip.
This is a load of fun.
* * *
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
Here is what the Youtube page tells us about this 2016 video:
”We asked three unique and lovely centenarians what their most valuable life lessons were, and also their regrets.”
BABY BARN OWL HEARS THUNDER FOR THE FIRST TIME
This is the cutest thing. The YouTube page tells us:
”This barn owl chick has never heard thunder before. At just two-and-a-half months old, the young owl is only just learning about the world when a deafening thunderstorm passes overhead. This owl only took its first flight two weeks before this moment and is still using the nest for shelter.”
DANBURY CT. TO NAME SEWER PLANT AFTER COMEDIAN JOHN OLIVER
The Guardian reports that the government of Danbury, Connecticut is going to rename a sewer plant after the host of the HBO program, Last Week Tonight, John Oliver. The brouhaha came about when the
“...British-born comic explored racial disparities in the jury selection process, citing problems in Hartford and New Britain.
“'If you’re going to forget a town in Connecticut,' he said, 'why not forget Danbury? Because, and this is true, fuck Danbury!'”
Soon thereafter, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton announced the renaming:
“'We are going to rename it the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant,' the Republican mayor said. 'Why? Because it’s full of crap just like you, John.'”
TGB reader Joan McMullen sent this video of a monkey giving a young tiger a hard time. I wish the video quality were better but it's still fun to watch.
ARE GROWN PEOPLE REALLY THIS STUPID?
I thought there was only one person in the United States who is this stupid but apparently not.
”Public health officials are warning Texans not to drink bleach after the North Texas Poison Center fielded 46 calls within the last month related to people drinking bleach,” reports Insider and other news outlets...
“The Texas Poison Center Network also said in a statement it's seen a 71% uptick in calls involving bleach products, and a 63% uptick in calls involving other household cleaners.”
Most of the cases did not result in serious injury and several of the 46 calls referred to the coronavirus. To be clear, bleach does not and cannot prevent, treat or cure COVID-19.
GEORGE CONWAY IN NEW TRUMP DOCUMENTARY
We learned this week that Lincoln Project co-founder is leaving that post at the same time his wife, Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, is leaving her White House job.
Simultaneously, or close enough, on Tuesday 1 September, a new documentary titled, Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump will be released on all digital/streaming and cable video-on-demand platforms. Here is a clip from the film with George Conway:
Beginning 1 September, you can rent the film for $5.99. If you watch on cable or satellite, you will not incur a charge now; it will be added to your next bill.
The Smithsonian National Zoo announced on their webpage,
”Giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) gave birth to a cub at Smithsonian’s National Zoo today, Aug. 21. Animal care staff witnessed the birth at 6:35 p.m.
“Mei Xiang picked the cub up immediately and began cradling and caring for it. The panda team heard the cub vocalize and glimpsed the cub for the first time briefly immediately after the birth.”
Here is a video of the amazingly tiny panda when Mei Xiang went out for a moment for a drink of water.
Almost always I leave the music chores at this blog to the inimitable Peter Tibbles who publishes here on Sundays. But this turned up, Cheryl Crow and Willie Nelson with a song that seems perfect for our time.
“'I wrote the song, “Lonely Alone,” with Willie in mind...It’s was written as kind of a barside cowboy noir with romantic Spanish inflections, but the song has taken on new meaning during these times. I hope people find the same comfort in this song that I have always found in Willie.'”
This recording is from Crow's most recent album, “Threads” released last year and posted to YouTube last week.
* * *
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
”The Pantanal: the largest tropical wetland on earth. Located mainly in Brazil, it’s home to a number of iconic species – like the giant otter, an enormous member of the weasel family.”
WORLD WAR II PLANES FLY LOW OVER A CANAL
Here's a video of World War II fighter airplanes making a low – very low – pass over a canal. Youtube says further,
”These four fighter planes are part of the Breitling Fighters and are flown by some of the most experienced pilots in the world. The first plane is a P-40 flown by Ray Hanna, the second is a Mustang piloted by Nigel Lamb, the third plane is a Corsair flown by Cliff Spink, and the last plane is a Spitfire MH434 piloted by Lee Proudfoot.
“The canal is next to an airstrip in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland so they had a safe place to land if they lost power.”
SPORTS STADIUMS AS VOTING CENTERS?
The testimony from U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Friday did nothing to clear up the mess of the postal delivery slowdown and its threat to the November election.
Now, Axios is reporting that sports teams are investigating using their arenas and stadiums (stadia?) as voting centers. The idea seems to have sprung from More Than A Vote, a voting rights organization launched by LeBron James and other Black athletes:
”The goal is to connect teams with local elections officials and convert arenas into voting sites,” reports Axios, “leveraging their size (good for social distancing) and location (easy to access/find on a map)...
“The Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets are among the NBA teams that have already established such partnerships...
“NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell encouraged teams to "consider allowing their stadiums or indoor practice facilities to be used as election centers on Election Day."
In case you had forgotten the Texas official who called for old people to sacrifice themselves to COVID-19. Sent by TGB reader Nana Royer:
MEDIEVAL ICELANDIC HYMN SUNG IN MODERN TRAIN STATION
There weren't any recording devices in the 13th century so it's always interesting to me when I get to hear what something sounded like that long ago. Here's what this YouTube page tells us:
”They’re the Icelandic folk group Árstíðir. On this particular night, they had just finished a concert in Wuppertal, Germany, and were making their way back to their lodgings when they were struck by the station’s perfect acoustics. Its arched, stone ceiling created a cathedral-like environment.
“Despite the fact that this song, Heyr himna smiður, dates to around 1208 and the Wuppertal Hauptbahnhof station was built in the mid-19th century, the sound and the space seem perfectly suited to one another.
“At one point a public announcement is piped over an intercom. Instead of ruining the music it magically weaves a new voice into the harmonic tapestry.”
”...because 22 August 2020 is the centennial of Bradbury's birth. A reading of his classic, Fahrenheit 451, begins streaming at 4:30PM eastern daylight time. The readers include writers, actors, librarians and young people such as William Shatner, Neil Gaiman, Susan Orlean, Carla Hayden, Marjorie Liu and many more. Here is a taste:
The read-a-thon will be streamed through 5 September 2020 on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and elsewhere around the web.
I have come to believe that even though there are people who consider cat videos the dregs of the internet, for me – and I think many others – they are a solace in the face of despair - or just a good laugh.
I've posted videos about cat thieves before but this one – well, if you live in Altoona, watch out for Jordan, the feline cat burglar who has a very specific fetish:
When mainstream media continues to report on the president of the United States in normalizing language, political blogger Digby tells it like it is. For too long I have thought I was the only person not afraid to say this.
THE BEARS AT BROOKS FALLS, ALASKA – LIVE STREAM
I take back what I said above about cat videos being a solace. So are pretty much all wild animal videos. This is a live stream brought to us by explore.org.
”Brooks Falls in Alaska's Katmai National Park is the best place in the world to watch brown bears feasting on salmon as they swim upstream to spawn,” reports the Youtube page.
Find out the best time to watch live and learn more about Katmai and its brown bears (and choose from many other wild animal cams) on Explore.org.
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Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
...when Carl tied a bunch of helium balloons to his house and sailed away?
”Jonathan Trappe does that in real life,” the YouTube page tells us. "He attaches helium balloons to office chairs, gondolas, boats, even little houses, and he goes flying. Trappe has crossed the English Channel and soared over the Alps. He’s witnessed spectacular sunsets and glorious moonrises.
“Here’s how a guy who is an IT consultant by day made his wildest childhood dream a reality.”
A TGB READER'S UKELELE BAND
Last Monday, we talked about pandemic loneliness and how we try to mitigate it. TGB reader Rosemary Woodel explained in a comment what she does:
”I started a ukulele band. We have zoom lessons weekly. We also meet once/wk with folks who sing or play weird instruments (kazoo, washboard, washtub bass). We record funny songs (or inspirational songs) using Acapella so we can maintain 6 ft distances apart but apparently be together.”
She posted this one to YouTube:
AFTER 600 YEAR ABSENCE WHITE STORKS RETURN TO THE U.K.
You read that right - 600 years. Take a look:
Since the video was made, three chicks have been born. You can read more at The Guardian and see a still photo of them.
WHAT THE HECK IS A DERECHO?
Have you ever heard of this weather phenomenon? I hadn't. But it happened in the midwest of the U.S. last Monday. According to Wikipedia, a derecho is
”...a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm that is associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms known as a mesoscale convective system.
“Derechos can cause hurricane-force winds, tornadoes, heavy rains, and flash floods...the wind remains sustained for a greater period of time (often increasing in strength after onset), and may exceed hurricane-force. A derecho-producing convective system may remain active for many hours and, occasionally, over multiple days.”
In addition to toppled trees, damaged homes, power outages, flooding and even an overturned semi-trailer on a highway, there is major crop damage:
A CLEVER HUMPBACK'S $13 MILLION DOLLAR MEAL
The headline is all you need to know. Take a look.
69-INCH TALL ANIMATRONIC DRAGON FOR HALLOWEEN
Home Depot is selling a 69-inch-high (that seven inches taller than I am) dragon suitable to leave out on the lawn to scare the kiddoes on Halloween. It sells for $399 and if you spring for an extra $70, you can get a fog machine so that it spits smoke.
Here's the best (not very good) video I could find:
This still photo is much better:
Wow. I love it. If I had one, I'd plunk it down right in my living room. Maybe it would scare away the grim reaper.
FROM THE RIDICULOUS ABOVE TO THE SUBLIME
Take a look at this cute little guy. Hardly dramatic – just a hamster eating carrot sticks from its purse. Betcha can't watch it only once.
A lovely story of connection and understanding between a man and herd of elephants.
The Youtube page tells us,
“The Elephant Whisperer, wrote a book about them, a book that appealed to animal lovers worldwide. The original herd of 7 Elephants has now increased to 29 Elephants, the maximum sustainable capacity of Thula Thula...”
A tale for our time. Meir Kay writes on the YouTube page,
”What We Can Learn About Life From A Potato, Eggs, And Coffee is a story I read a couple months back and thought how good it would be bring this story to the 'big' screen. I had the pleasure to team up with my good friend, Jay Shetty to bring this powerful lesson to life.”
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Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
This was written by British-born, Pakistani singer-songwriter, Harood Rashid and has been making the internet rounds for about three or four months. There are now dozens of video interpretations (just search “we fell asleep in the one world” at Youtube for more of them).
TGB reader Joan McMullen sent it and I like this version of the video.
MASSAGE PARLORS ARE OPEN
Animals, lots of animals, giving and receiving massages. Also from Joan McMullen.
PLACING BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS
People who have lost love ones to COVID-19 are more frequently placing blame in the obituaries they write. TGB reader and political blogger extraordinaire, Jan Adams, sent this one which I believe may be the first.
The number of obituaries with political messages has been increasing as the pandemic continues. The Washington Post has covered the phenomenon.
YO SEMITES AND THIGHLAND
We have always known the president is only semi-literate but his errors and gaffes have been increasing in number and they get funnier. Here are two he delivered this week when he tried to read the words Yosemite and Thailand.
AMERICAN'S SATISFACTION AT 9-YEAR LOW
Fairly regularly the polling firm Gallup asks the broad question, “How are things going?” Here's what they have to say about the results of the latest survey:
”Americans have rarely been less satisfied with the state of the nation than they are now. Although the public does not have to be highly satisfied for incumbents to be reelected, the current level of satisfaction sits well below the low-water mark (33%) at which an incumbent has won reelection in the past.
“An even more troubling sign for the current president is that satisfaction is significantly lower now than it was in 1992 (22%) when George H.W. Bush lost his bid for a second term.”
That sounds bad enough but I found it shocking when I looked at the graph:
”Tom Turcich of New Jersey and his adorable pooch Savannah have walked over 18,000 miles through the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Italy, Turkey and dozens of other countries over the past five years.
“It’s been a life-changing adventure. They’ve survived hardship, and they’ve experienced the kindness of strangers along the way. And they’ve still got miles to go.”
CAT MASK
My friend Tony Sarmiento sent this photo. He is a cat person (of course he is):
The photograph, by John Hryniuk, is from a collection of faces of Toronto citizens during the pandemic published at the Washington Post.
PENGUINS AND A BUBBLE MACHINE
I have read a bunch of stories lately about how bored zoo animals get without visitors to entertain them. Here is another. The Youtube page reports,
”Penguins who couldn't be entertained properly at a zoo during lockdown have been cheered up - with a bubble machine...Staff at Newquay Zoo in Cornwall were trying to find a way to keep them entertained, and then someone kindly donated a bubble machine.”
BUILDING A MUD DOG HOUSE FOR ABANDONED PUPPIES
TGB reader Joan McMullen is back again, this time with video of an extraordinary young man who builds an astonishingly elaborate dog house for four abandoned puppies.
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Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
This is a short parody of some over-dramatized wildlife films and documentaries that often don't live up to their hype.
Yes, that's Sir David Attenborough's voice, clipped from several of his animal TV programs. Enjoy.
INSIDE A HOSTESS TWINKIES FACTORY
And Cup Cakes. And Donettes.
It has probably been half a century since I last ate a Twinkie and longer for the other two. In fact, I may never have eaten a Donette. Here is what the YouTube page says:
“Created in 1930, Twinkies are America's guiltiest pleasure. Using an elaborate and incredibly efficient system of Auto Bake robots, Hostess produces roughly 500,000,000 Twinkies a year, or roughly 1,000 a minute.”
This video from Popular Mechanics shows how they are made. It didn't need to be this lengthy but I think I know how that happened: after awhile it beccomes almost mesmerizing. If you stick around long enough, you'll see there are actual humans involved at least at the end of production.
ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?
About a week ago, Washington Post columnist, Dana Milbank, published a column about how to make sure you are registered to vote, how to do that if you are not, how to get an absentee ballot and what to do about voting if you are overseas or a member of the military.
The astonishingly well done and easy-to-use website is from vote.org. Here are some direct links:
If you want just a yes or no answer to whether you are registered to vote in your state, go here.
If you want more information when you check to see if you are registered, go here. If you are properly registered, you will find links to your elected officials and to the location ballot dropboxes (well, the latter will be added soon).
You can register to vote here. If you want to go directly to your state's voter registration, scroll down the page for a link to each state.
If you did not or could not watch it live, here is former President Barack Obama's eulogy Thursday for John Robert Lewis. It is stunning call to all of us to continue the Georgia representative's lifelong work.
Yes, it is long – about 40 minutes – but you won't notice and I suspect it will become, if it hasn't already, one of those speeches we must never forget.
ACCIDENTAL SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
If you wonder what an old woman with cancer and COPD who is in hospice does with some her time...
Ahem - here are three accidental science experiments no one asked for:
There are 37 more photos of unexpected results at Bored Panda.
IMPOSSIBLE VIDEOS TO DELIGHT US
TGB reader Joan McMullin sent this video of some impossible scenarios created by Kevin Lustgarten who says he shoots these with his phone and then edits.
MARCH TO MAY 2020 QUIETEST PERIOD IN RECORDED HISTORY
Seismologists usually deal with earthquakes, atmospheric pressure and the movements of oceans. But during the pandemic lockdown, they got to listen to those noises without much human interference:
”Humans are the third-biggest source of seismic noise,” reports MIT Technology Review of a study done during the lockdown. “Everyday urban activities like commutes, or stadiums full of fans simultaneously going wild in 'football quakes,' are strong enough to register on seismometers.
“'It’s transport, like cars, trains, traffic, buses,' says coauthor Paula Koelemeijer of the Royal Holloway University of London. 'It’s retail and recreation—not just people going shopping, but also going to parks. It’s workplaces and residences.'”
This isn't just idle curiosity. The quiet period is resulting in new scientific knowledge and help in understanding future earth changes.
”The fall-off in human noise also gave scientists a chance to listen to the earth’s inner workings more closely than ever before—without humans drowning them out. This might add to our knowledge of earthquakes, particularly small ones in urban centers that are often masked by human seismic noise.”
There have been several charming and heart-warming commercials from the Kiatnakin Bank in Thailand. This one was released in 2015. Never mind that it is not in English. You will have no difficulty understanding and, of course, that is part of the point.
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Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
GRETA THUNBERG WINS 1 MILLION EURO GULBENKIAN PRIZE
Climate change has gotten lost in the pandemic news but some are paying attention. A few days ago the Swedish teenage activist, Greta Thunberg, won the one million Euro (1.15 million U.S. dollars) Gulbenkian Prize for humanity.
”...for the way she 'has been able to mobilise younger generations for the cause of climate change and her tenacious struggle to alter a status quo that persists', Jorge Sampaio, chair of the prize jury, said earlier,” reported The Guardian.
As Thunberg says in the video, all the prize money will be donated, through her foundation, to different organisations and projects who are working to help people on the front line, affected by the climate crisis and ecological crisis.
If you read The New Yorker magazine, you probably recognize Susan Orlean's name. As the Washington Post describes her, she is
”...an award-winning author of several books, including The Library Book and The Orchid Thief, and has received both Nieman and Guggenheim fellowships. Meryl Streep was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying Orlean in the movie Adaptation.”
A week ago, she – oh, never mind. Let WaPo reporter Travis M. Andrews explain:
”...the work that had her name trending on Twitter this weekend was a little different. See, Orlean got drunk Friday night, met a newborn foal and fired up the social media platform. And the ensuing thread — in which she bemoaned the state of the world, threw shade at her cat for not snuggling and recounted an epic quest for candy only to wind up with sugarcoated fennel seeds — proved utterly delightful.”
Here is a piece of it:
You can read her entire drunken thread here. And, it's worth following the WaPo link above to an interview with Orlean about her drunken tweet night.
This is such an excellent respite from our global troubles.
PETER TIBBLES' MUSIC COLUMN
In last Monday's post I mentioned that Peter Tibbles, who writes Sunday's TGB Elder Music column is thinking over whether he will continue it in some form after I die.
In case you missed it, here is the response he left in the comments:
”I don’t think I’ll continue with the music column. I have seen with my own eyes the amount of work Ronni puts into producing each day’s column. I retired from the computer industry after 50 years and it and it seems to me that I’d be just going back to work, and I certainly don’t want to do that.
“Having done this for more than 10 years and about 600 columns I wonder if I have anything to add that won’t bore you all. However, you never know. I might become inspired and find some easy software and start again.”
THE ALEX AND RONNI SHOW
As we do every two weeks, last Wednesday my former husband, Alex Bennett, and I record a short chat I have dubbed The Alex and Ronni Show.
Usually, I post it on Friday but got carried away yesterday with a long discussion of the Gestapo tactics being unleashed by the federal government on cities across the U.S. Actually, Alex and I got carried away on that subject too. Here is the video.
CROWD CATCHES CHILDREN JUMPING FROM BURNING BUILDING
Last Tuesday, two young boys in Grenoble, France, brothers age 10 and three, exhibited extraordinary bravery and trust in their fellow human beings by jumping from high floors of a burning building to be caught by people waiting on the ground:
Neither boy was harmed but at least one of the “catchers” was checked at the hospital for injuries. You can read more at Huffington Post and The Guardian.
This week they came up with a remarkably similar idea for their latest videos:
NAKED ATHENA
In the law-and-order surge from the president in Portland, Oregon, there has been one small bright spot to give us a smile. She has been given the name, Naked Athena. Here is the story according to Snopes:
“Police officers in Portland, Oregon were caught off guard after being approached by a nude female demonstrator, who lay down in the street and began performing yoga. The cops were then filmed ‘withdrawing.’
“A woman wearing nothing except a mask and a beanie approached a group of officers clearing out the downtown area in the early hours of Saturday. A line of police and federal agents were standing at an intersection when the naked woman seemingly appeared out of nowhere.”
Here is some video from The Sun including some commentary on the protests from Trump:
Among all the turmoil and fear being generated, Naked Athena makes me feel happy for a little while.
CAT DISCOVERING IT HAS EARS
Priceless.
This cat discovering that it has ears is absolutely the best thing I will see today. pic.twitter.com/SDx80QOnAI
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING REMINDER:As announced last Monday, beginning tomorrow (20 July 2020), Time Goes By will no longer be published on Facebook. If you want to continue to read TGB, you can subscribe in the right sidebar of the website for email delivery.
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GEORGE WASHINGTON'S TEETH
Maybe like me, you've heard all your life that George Washington's false teeth were made of wood. Well, that would be wrong, according to this Atlas Obscura video.
The story is more complicated than that and I'll leave it to this curator from the New York Academy of Medicine to explain.
UPDATE ON ALEX TREBEK'S CANCER TREATMENT
You will recall that Jeopardy! host, Alex Trebek has been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer for more than a year.
I've come to feel a kinship with anyone who lives with pancreatic cancer and anyway, who doesn't like Alex Trebek. Here's the update:
The book he mentions, a memoir, is titled The Answer Is...Reflections on My Life and will be published next Tuesday.
TEENS HEARING DOLLY PARTON FOR THE FIRST TIME
The reaction of these two kids listening to Dolly Parton singing Jolene for the first time apparently is a surprise – enough of one to get more than 1,700,000 views in just a month.
NEW ONLINE COLLECTION OF HISTORIC NEW YORK CITY MAPS
The Brooklyn Historical Society just published nearly 1500 maps of New York City – all its boroughs and Long Island - going back to the 17th century. The New York Times reports,
”The collection, which is sourced from the historical society’s archives, includes maps from 1562 to 2015 — including transit maps, topographical maps, cultural maps and nautical charts, as well as plans for Central Park and Prospect Park.
“The project, which required that damaged and fragile maps be repaired, took two and a half years. More maps will be added in the coming months, said Maggie Schreiner, the manager of archives and special collections at the historical society.”
Heads up, folks. According to CNBC and others, President Donald Trump has told Senate Republicans that he will not sign a new virus stimulus package unless it includes a payroll tax cut. That means, of course, cuts to the Social Security and Medicare deductions.
"However, his past calls for going this route to help people during the continuing economic crisis have been met with opposition from both Republicans and Democrats...
"While it’s uncertain whether a payroll tax cut or suspension will make it into the next stimulus package out of Congress, or exactly how it would look, Trump has suggested in the past that the entire payroll tax should be suspended for the rest of the year."
Both programs already face shortfalls in the next few years and some experts say those shortfalls may happen even sooner due to the poor economy caused by the coronavirus.
You might want to let your senators and representative know how you feel about this potential cut. You can contact Senate members here. And you can contact your House member here.
And offered without comment – sent by TGB reader John Starbuck.
“A JABBA THE HUTT OF PRIVILEGE”
Can you guess who that headline is talking about. I lost track of how many people sent this item but even after a dozen readings, I keep going back – for its craft and its truth.
The writer is Nate White, described an “articulate and witty writer from England.” The story, titled British Writer Pens The Best Description Of Trump I’ve Read, is published on the blog, journal of a grumpy old man. Here is an excerpt:
”Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.
“There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t.”
TGB reader, Mary Evans Young sent this video that is more than pertinent in our new era of Black Lives Matter. As Phil Vischer of Holy Post website explains on the YouTube page:
”Three years ago my brother Rob and I co-taught a class that discussed issues of racial injustice. That class turned into a popular podcast episode, which we've now turned into this video. Why are people still angry? Let's take a look at race in America...”
HOW CATS TOOK OVER THE INTERNET, OUR HOMES, OUR LIVES
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
There are several very old videos in today's post. They qualify as Interesting Stuff to me but aside from cute kittycats which never get old, it feels like fewer items I come across are as clever or creative or interesting as some in the past. Maybe we have reached peak YouTube. Or maybe it's just a lull.
TEACHING A KID HOW TO TELL TIME
This is one of those old videos – I may have posted it in the distant past and if not, I've certainly seen it before and I had just as good a time watching it again this week as the first time.
The Irish comedian is David Allen, who died in 2005. If you enjoy this, there is a lot more of his comedy on YouTube. Thank TGB reader Mary Evans Young for sending this.
ACTION MOVIE KID
Another TGB reader, Joan McMullen sent this one. Apparently, this kid's father creates special effects for movies and he put together this video of his kid.
There is a whole series of Action Movie Kid videos at YouTube. Just search the name, “action movie kid” for more.
WEAR A MASK
The U.S. federal government has bungled the information on wearing masks so badly for so many months that there are now millions of people who refuse to wear them because hoax, according to the president, endangering every person they come into contact with.
The only tools we have against the coronavirus are masks, distancing and hand washing. If we can't do those three things, I believe we are doomed to millions of deaths.
Through a convoluted trail I cannot now retrace, I found this on the Facebook page of Janet Batchler. I'm pretty sure TGB readers don't need to be reminded to wear masks but I think you'll find this article interesting anyway. Do click over to read the whole thing - it's worth your time.
FARSIDE CARTOONIST GARY LARSON RETURNS
I'm pretty sure Gary Larson's weird and wonderful The Far Side was my all-time favorite cartoon and I have missed it ever since Larson retired in 1995.
But wait. After 25 years, it's back. In a personal essay about his return, Larson explains that it took a good while to make the transition from hand-drawn cartoons to digital. He writes,
“Believe me, this has been a bit of a learning curve for me. I hail from a world of pen and ink, and suddenly I was feeling like I was sitting at the controls of a 747. (True, I don’t get out much.)
“But as overwhelmed as I was, there was still something familiar there—a sense of adventure. That had always been at the core of what I enjoyed most when I was drawing The Far Side, that sense of exploring, reaching for something, taking some risks, sometimes hitting a home run and sometimes coming up with 'Cow tools.'
“So here goes. I’ve got my coffee, I’ve got this cool gizmo, and I’ve got no deadlines. And—to borrow from Sherlock Holmes—the game is afoot.”
You can read some interviews with Larson about his return here and here and elsewhere around the web.
PIGEON IMPOSSIBLE
Here's another oldie video – an animation from 11 years ago when I may have posted it. It's still a goody.
About the story, the YouTube page tells us that a rookie secret agent is faced with a problem seldom covered in basic training: what to do when a curious pigeon gets trapped inside your multi-million dollar, government-issued nuclear briefcase. It was directed by Lucas Martell of Mighty Coconut.
JUST WHAT WE NEED - NOT
A case of bubonic plague turned up in China this week. CNN reports,
”Authorities in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have closed several tourist spots after a case of bubonic plague was confirmed this week.
“The case was discovered in Bayannur, located northwest of the capital Beijing. Five nearby grassland scenic points have now been closed, with visitors "strictly prohibited from entering the affected area and visiting the surrounding region," according to state-run Xinhua news agency...
Doctors officially diagnosed the case as bubonic plague on Tuesday. The patient is being isolated and treated in hospital, and is in stable condition, Xinhua reported.”
More than once and probably more than twice, I have posted videos of local macaques basking in a Japanese warm spring pond in the middle of winter.
Now there is a new video from Zfrank (ncluding his um, colorful, jokes) with a whole lot of new-to-me good information about these interesting monkeys.
YOUR FEEL GOOD MOMENT FOR THE DAY
Like I said up front, there are a lot of repeats today, this one from my friend, John Brandt. As he put it in an email, “A gorgeous wedding gift from Russian lovers of American music.” And so it is – a wedding celebration in the middle of winter.
I'm pretty sure I posted this video a long, long time ago. Maybe in 2012 when it was first published at YouTube, and it feels even better now. Just forget all our troubles in the world for a few minutes and enjoy.
* * *
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
In at least this one Paris cafe, giant Teddy bears help, in a fun way, to enforce social distancing.
TGB reader Mary Evans Young sent this photo for us. I've seen this same technique in a couple of other photos around the web.
NYC LIBRARY LIONS GET FACE MASKS
It has always charmed me that the two lions who sit in front the the main branch of the New York City Library are named Patience and Fortitude.
Last week, as part of the library's re-opening, they were given face masks. Take a look:
A MIND SANG
As the accompanying Vimeo story explains:
”Seeing a shape in the clouds, a face on Mars, or Jesus in your toast is called 'pareidolia.' Our tendency to perceive objects, patterns, and meanings incorrectly is a psychological phenomenon filmmaker Vier Nev turned into hypnotizing art in his transfixing animated film, A Mind Sang.
“Leading the audience through themes of transformation, perspective, and rebirth, this work of art kept us visually engaged through each second of the film with stunning optical illusions and a haunting and rich musical score.”
At the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festiva. the Vimeo team presented the artist with the Staff Pick Award.
You can read more here including an interview with the film maker, Vier Nev.
THE RETURN OF EIGHT “CURED” DISEASES
Diseases that had been all but eradicated are making a comeback. Among them, gout:
Actually, I'm pretty sure I am publishing this item mostly because the image amuses me. But as long as I've done that, according to Mental Floss,
”The first documented case of gout was in Egypt in 2600 BCE. Though anyone could get it, gout was known as 'the king’s disease' because symptoms most often presented themselves in royalty and the wealthy—Henry VIII and George IV both suffered from it.
“There was no cure, and once someone had one attack of gout, they were likely to get it again. The main symptom was unbelievably excruciating pain in a joint, usually the big toe.”
The incidence of gout has doubled in the United States in the past 50 years.
Measles, mumps and rubella, for which there is a vaccine, have also been making a comeback thanks to the anti-vaccine movement in the U.S.
”Outbreaks of all three diseases are increasing. In 2019, the U.S. had more than 1200 measles cases - the highest number since the CDC declared it eliminated in the country in 2000. England had more than 5000 cases of mumps in 2019 - the country’s highest number in a decade.”
You can read more about the return of these disease plus scarlet fever, rickets, syphilis and polio at Mental Floss.
NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIAN SLANG
Sunday's maestro of the TGB Elder Music column, Peter Tibbles, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, sent this video in which actor Russell Crowe explains down-under slang to us.
You might know some of them but I think most would be a mystery to us northern hemisphere folks.
SARAH COOPER LIPSYNCS TRUMP
Sarah Cooper is an American comedian and writer whose most recent work has gone. Her name has popped up all over the news and internet in response to her hilarious lip-syncs of unedited voice clips of Donald Trump.
I had read a couple of stories about her but had neglected to check out the videos until a TGB reader, who wants to remain anonymous, sent a link. Enjoy.
PERTINENT POETRY
Another TGB reader, John Brayton, gave us this poem on last Monday's blog post about my new hospice status. It is titled The Merciful Hours. The poet is Paula Meehan who gave it to the Irish Hospice Foundation to commemorate the organization's 30th anniversary.
There were a lot of comments on Monday's post and you may have missed this so I am reprinting it today. And if you did see it, it is so much worth an extra reading.
THE MERCIFUL HOURS
Because we have known Death come the hard way —
knock at the door in the dark of the night,
all of us breaking with the shock of day —
this precious time to sit with our living
while they enter their peace, is pure gift.
It falls like healing light on our waiting
for heaven, or nothing, or another lifetime,
be we lovers or father or mother
or child to each other. Our mortal dream
is to step out together the long road home,
hand fast in hand whatever the weather,
whatever the twists and turnings to come.
So: to the vigil bring candles, bring flowers,
heart’s gratitude for the merciful hours.
SON SAILS THE ATLANTIC ALONE TO REACH HIS FATHER
The bare bones of the story is this from YouTube:
”When flights to his native Argentina were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, sailor Juan Manuel Ballestero hatched an ambitious plan: to single-handedly sail 12,000 kilometres across the Atlantic to see his parents.”
It took 85 days and he missed his father's 90th birthday but he arrived in time for Father's Day.
”A family were fishing on a lake in Wisconsin when they spotted a bear with a plastic jar stuck on its head. After several attempts at moving their boat next to the bear and removing the jar, they were finally able to free the animal.
“'Never dreamt we would ever do this in our life time,' Tricia Hurt wrote on Facebook. 'Out on Marshmiller Lake yesterday with Brian Hurt and Brady Hurt when we spotted this poor bear. He made it to shore after all that'”.
Hurray. Take a look:
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Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
”In this moving interview, anti-racism pioneer Roy Hackett - who is now in his 90s - reveals the extraordinary level of racism he faced when he first arrived in the UK in the 1950s.
“Following the Black Lives Matter protests and the removal of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, some have called for a statue of Roy Hackett to be erected in its place. This interview was recorded in 2019.”
TGB reader, Mary Evans Young, who emailed this video for us, noted in her message that “this happens to be about Britain but it could be many countries: US, Australia, France...Black Lives Matter.”
BARCELONA OPERA HOUSE PLANT PERFORMANCE
Remember in last week's Interesting Stuff, when I told you that the Barcelona's Liceu opera house, after being closed for several months, would re-open on Monday with a special string quartet performance for plants in the audience?
Well, they did it. Take a look:
SAME SUBJECT, DIFFERENT STORY
Same in that they share music and vegetables together.
Have you ever heard of the Vegetable Orchestra of Vienna? Neither had I. Here's what the YouTube page says:
”The members of Vienna’s Vegetable Orchestra have been playing with their food for more than 20 years. But when they do, it becomes a work of art. These musicians literally play freshly cut vegetables sourced from local markets.
“And who knew carrots, eggplants, red peppers and other veggies could sound so good? This unique ensemble play a piece they composed just for us, all from their own homes. It’s called Green Days.
OREGON'S EXPLODING WHALE
I remember this event when it happened and had not thought about it since then until it popped onto my screen while I was looking for something else a few days ago.
It was November 1970. A huge, dead sperm whale landed on a beach in Florence, Oregon. It was smelly and...well, let's hear the story from the local KATU Channel 2 news reporter, Paul Linnman. The video looks like this because it's 50 years old.
Last week I posted a flower video here and now, TGB reader Jane Seskin has sent another beauty.
ORANGUTAN DOING ALL HE CAN TO GET A FRIEND'S ATTENTION
This is from the Save the Orangutan organization which “supports the world's largest orangutan rehabilitation centre where more than 500 orangutans are given a second chance,” the YouTube page tells us.
At the centre - Nyaru Menteng - the orangutans are learning all the skills necessary to one day return to Borneo's rainforest. You can help the orangutans by adopting one here.
LOST – AND FOUND - ARETHA FRANKLIN TRACK
It arrived just in time for Juneteenth.
The world knows the recording of “Never Gonna Break My Faith, a duet by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige. It won best gospel performance at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008.
But wait, there was another version of the song, a solo by Aretha backed by the Boys Choir of Harlem. As AP reports,
”'This solo version has been sitting on my computer for years, and when I heard Clive [Davis of Sony Music] was making a film on Aretha’s life, I sent this version to him. The world hasn’t heard her full performance and it really needed to be heard,' Grammy-winning singer Bryan Adams, who co-wrote the song, said in a statement. 'I’m so glad it’s being released, the world needs this right now.'”
The newly-produced video that goes with it includes images of protest marches from the 1960s and from the current Black Lives Matter movement. I'm pretty sure you're not going to forget this. I know I won't.
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Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
SPANISH OPERA HOUSE REOPENS WITH A CONCERT FOR PLANTS
Next Monday, Barcelona’s Liceu opera house will reopen. A string quartet will play Puccini's Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums) for a special audience.
As The Guardian reports,
”Well aware of the need to return with a spectacle as grabby as a venus flytrap, the Catalan venue has announced a concert for 2,292 plants when it reopens next Monday...
“Eugenio Ampudia, the conceptual artist behind the concert, said it aimed to reflect what has happened across Spain and around the world as the Covid-19 pandemic has forced people to retreat from shared public areas.”
The concert will be live-streamed for humans at home.
“When the strings fall silent and palms have been duly pressed together in appreciation, the plants will be donated to 2,292 health workers as thanks for their efforts over recent months.”
NEW YORK CITY'S BEST ART CURATOR MAY BE A GARBAGE MAN
TGB reader Jennifer sent this video. The YouTube page explains,
”The top floor of one of the city's active sanitation garages houses a very large and highly curated collection, assembled by ex-garbage man Nelson Molina.”
Definitely worth your time.
THE PROBLEM OF VIRUS EXPERTS' LIES
Quoting Daily Kos, long-time political blogger, Digby, passed on Dr. Anthony's Fauci's explanation of the government's lies about the public wearing masks:
"Well, the reason for that is that we were concerned [that masks]...were in very short supply. And we wanted to make sure that the people, namely the health care workers who were brave enough to put themselves in harm’s way, to take care of people who you know were infected with the coronavirus and the danger of them getting infected."
Bad enough all by itself, but Digby elegantly points out how awful those lies are:
”Everything I have read about standard pandemic response is that it is vital for public health officials to tell the truth. If they don’t, they lose credibility and nobody will believe them when they give the public health guidance.
“Can you see the problem here? By lying to the pubic instead of saying 'we don’t have enough medical masks to go around so please just make a cloth mask or use a scarf or bandana' from the very beginning we might not be dealing with this nonsense where people think masks are some kind of political plot.
“Instead, they very adamantly insisted that masks were bad and would actually cause you to get the virus, even though they knew that wasn’t so. It was a major error.”
She is exactly right. I stopped listening to anything Dr. Deborah Birx says after she told us how Trump is “attentive to the scientific literature and the details.” A laughable assertion to any sentient being who has watched him speak.
A baby cow was spotted in a flooded field after Hurricane Harvey. She was very sick, but she fought hard get better. This is the story of Harveigh the cow.
THE LIFE OF DEATH
As you might imagine, these days death and all that it might mean is a topic not far from my mind. Recently, I rediscovered this short film, The Life of Death. From the Youtube page:
”...as Death goes about his daily job of taking the lives of animals in the forest, he comes across a lovely doe. He falls in love with her and can't bring himself to take her life and so they slowly become close friends.”
But in the end, the doe will teach Death that dying is also part of Life. The film maker is Marsha Onderstijn.
FLOWERS BLOOMING 2
A New York City TGB reader, Ann Burack-Weiss, sent this video which has won a whole bunch of awards. The film maker, Majo Chudy tells us:
”It took nine months to capture a total of more than 40,000 shots. The video is composed of 24,626 shots...Just over three minutes of video shows incredible 929 hours of real time.”
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Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.
In the past week, President Donald Trump suggested that 75-year-old Martin Gugino, the man who was seriously injured at the hands of the Buffalo, New York, police for no reason, was an Antifa provocateur. And he has accused others whose politics he doesn't like of being members of Antifa.
Antifa stands for Anti-fascist, is not an organization but a diverse group of unaffiliated people who oppose fascism. There is no main Antifa group.
Last week, Washington Post columnist, Alexandra Petri, published a list of ways to figure out if people's grandparents had become Antifa agents. That would be people like you and me. Here are a few of her suggestions:
“Is always talking on the phone with an “aunt” you have never actually met in person. Aunt TIFA????”
“Always walking into rooms and claiming not to know why he walked into the room. Likely.”
“Suddenly, for no reason, will appear or pretend to be asleep.”
“Carries peppermints (chemical irritant?) in purse at all times.”
See more of Ms. Petri's suspicions of what behaviors might indicate an old person is an Antifa agent at the Washington Post.
SAY CHEESE – WHY WE SMILE FOR PHOTOGRAPHS
It wasn't always that way. Smiles in the earliest photographs are rare and even in paintings, people rarely smiled until the 18th century. We are so accustomed to somber-looking people in early photos that this one of a 19th century, young girl, O-o-dee. of the Kiowa people in the Oklahoma Territory is almost shocking.
TGB reader Nana Royer sent this video of Colin Jones discussing the “smile revolution” in 18th century Paris, which broke with centuries-old conventions to introduce the white-toothed smile we know today.
What prompted this change? Jones attributes it to the emergence of dental science and changing technologies of mouth care, and the development of a cult of sensibility, subjectivity and politeness. Listen to him explaining:
The increase in the number of new coronavirus infections and deaths this week in the United States has skyrocketed. Some other countries have done an amazing job in fighting back and New Zealand, as of last Monday, is the first to be down to zero cases. Here is Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern:
You can read more about how they did it here and here. Shouldn't the U.S. government be studying how New Zealand accomplished this?
PUZZLE BOXES, ILLUSIONS AND AMAZING PLAYING CARDS
There is a store in San Diego called the Art of Play shop. It is full of puzzle boxes, illusion, amazing playing cards and all sorts of other puzzle toys.
In the video below from Atlas Obscura's Show and Tell series, co-owner of the store, Dan Buck, gives a tour of the secret room and some of the most interesting puzzles. It's longer than I usually post – 13 minutes – but I sure enjoyed it.
What can you do but weep. I cannot imagine what evil lives in the heart of the man who is our president. The Washington Post and other publications reported last week:
”Hunters will soon be allowed to venture into national preserves in Alaska and engage in practices that conservation groups say are reprehensible: baiting hibernating bears from their dens with doughnuts to kill them and using artificial light such as headlamps to scurry into wolf dens to slaughter mothers and their pups.
“With a final rule published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the Trump administration is ending a five-year-old ban on the practices, which also include shooting swimming caribou from a boat and targeting animals from airplanes and snowmobiles. It will take effect in 30 days.”
How is it that this not a crime?
WHEN CITIES WERE CESSPOOLS
In last Wednesday's blog post, I listed a few of the modern conveniences that make me grateful to live now rather than in the 19th century or before. It was worse that I realized back then.
Maybe with the coronavirus, we are getting the smallest idea of what life was like in 19th century cities. From National Geographic.
SOME COOL KITCHEN HACKS
In my cancer/COPD predicament these days, I don't have the energy to do much cooking anymore. But if I still did, I would like these kitchen hacks.
”Since January 1, people across the U.S. have made 91,808 COVID-19-related reports to the FTC. Most of these reports involve online shopping, with travel and vacations coming in second,” reports the FTC.
“The online shopping reports are mostly about people ordering products that never arrive, while most of the travel and vacation reports relate to refunds and cancellations. So far, people have reported losing $59.27 million on these and other COVID-related fraud reports.”
What is the matter with people who do such things as these? You can check out statistics for your state here.
THE CAT AND THE TREADMILL
A cat investigates the arrival of a treadmill in his home. When I started watching this video, I thought four-plus minutes would be a bit much. Not so. I enjoyed it clear to the end.
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Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” at the top of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do
include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog.