Potpourri VIII

Big Ben, the iconic clock in London, will go silent for several months next year as part of refurbishing it and its tower. It has been said that a stopped clock is correct twice a day but if you had intended to check your Rolex with Big Ben next summer you may have to refer to the sun dial in the garden.

Thomas E. Dewey was a two time loser when he ran for President in 1944 & 1948. He wasn't well liked universally and as he prepared to run the second time it was reported that Teddy Roosevelt's daughter was heard to say "A souffle doesn't rise twice."
tjs

Your Cheatin' Heart

When Hank Williams sang his song about cheatin' in 1952 it really could choke you up. Fast forward and we have political candidates accusing others of "lying" and being "crooked". Now in the real world yesterday's paper had the following two items on the same page:
-Volkswagen has set aside $18 Billion to cover the fallout of their cheating on exhaust emissions.
-And Mitsubishi says it cheated on fuel tests for decades. I would think someone might fall on their sword for this
one. I can still hear old Senator Charlie Tobey yelling at mobster Frank Costello "Be ye clean!" But, then again, they say that politics ain't beanbag!.
tjs

Primarily Political XIII

A NYTimes opinion writer has never seen a political season like this one that strained relationships and long standing friendships. It is basically the Trump/No Trump forces at work. A good friend of mine for many years indicated he probably would vote for Trump and thought having Christie and Carson would be a plus. I gently replied - Try this scenario - with Trump at the top of the ticket - the party regulars will sit on their hands - the down ballot folks will run for their lives - the Senate will go "D" - we'll get that ninth jurist - and Bill Clinton will sleep in the Lincoln bedroom. Christie will be pre-occupied with the Bridgegate trials and Carson should have stayed in the O.R. I haven't heard from him since but I think our friendship will endure.
tjs

The Real Deal

Upon opening yesterday's NY Times I was startled to see a 8x6 photo of the late Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo circa 1977.  His brash style was being compared to that of a current Presidential candidate. He was a former police commissioner and served two terms as mayor. He jousted with TV reporters and preached "law & order" and at social occasions you might find him with a night stick tucked inside the cummerbund of his tuxedo. They called him the Cisco Kid! A historian noted "The difference between Rizzo and Trump is that Rizzo was the real deal. Rizzo had the authenticity but Trump is really good at playing that role."
tjs

Potpourri VII

The film Elvis & Nixon was reviewed in the NYTimes last Friday - they gave it an "R" rating for...."suspicious and dirty minds." I kid you not. And their meeting was several years before Watergate. Prescient?

Quote of the week: "You need a majority. 'Almost' only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." -Reince Priebus.
Quote II - "What makes me faster now is that everyone else slowed down." - Ida Keeling - Age 100 as she trains for the Penn Relays event - 100 meters. Despite her exceptional discipline her only indulgence is downing a tall shot of Hennessy Cognac. She describes it as "putting gas in the car". Quite a gal!
tjs

Potpourri VI

From the global news feed:

Dateline - Xingtang County, China- Two competing construction companies were after the same project and instead of flipping a coin like gentlemen they decided to duke it out on the street using front-end loaders "with their buckets held high like the horns of battling beetles the two machines repeatedly slam into each other." Another joins the fray. A few knives and pellet guns appeared - a veritable Caterpillar vs. Komatsu. Our union strife is tame by comparison.

Dateline - Dubai, U.A.E - The first calf to come from a cloned camel was born at a research center here in November. They didn't say whether it was one hump or two.
tjs

A Golden Throne

Donald J. Trump's taste for gold-plated bathroom fixtures is being surpassed as the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan will be installing a solid gold toilet in a rest room in May. This unique item is officially a "sculpture" by a prominent Italian artist. Guggenheim officials said that they anticipated lines for the bathroom and added that a guard or attendant might be placed near the door to ensure orderly waiting - and also to prevent anyone from "absconding" with a piece of the facility. They added that 18-karat gold was chosen for its "solidity" (no pun intended). Anyway, don't get trampled in the rush - and you won't have to tip the attendant.
tjs
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/arts/design/duchamp-eat-your-heart-out-the-guggenheim-is-installing-a-gold-toilet.html

Baseball Trivia

Last week I spent four plus hours watching Ken Burns' special on Number 42 - Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers, a superb athlete and four letter man at U.C.L.A. Of all the interviewees contributing was a name that caught my eye - Clyde Sukeforth - who was the baseball scout sent by Branch Rickey to evaluate Robinson's talent circa 1946. Five years later "Sukey" was the bullpen coach for the Dodgers as they battled the N.Y. Giants for the National League Pennant during a playoff game. In the bottom of the ninth inning at the Polo Grounds with two men on base and Bobby Thomson at bat, the Dodger manager, Charley Dressen, called to the bullpen for their star pitcher Ralph Branca to enter the game to pitch to Thomson who proceeded to hit the "Shot heard around the world" and win the pennant for the Giants. Dressen was in shock and he was quoted as saying "Sukey told me he (Branca) was ready." Dressen's boss was Walter O'Malley who believed in giving only one year contracts much to the irritation of Dressen's wife who nagged her husband about the situation. Charley only stayed another two years and was gone.
tjs

About Face!

Many of you are aware of the plans by the Treasury Department to replace the image of Alexander Hamilton with that of a deceased woman on the ten dollar bill. But that was before he was the subject of a hit Broadway musical which is the hottest ticket in town. Hold on folks! It now appears that Alex will retain his prominent position front and center and the T-Men will instead look to removal of Andrew Jackson from the twenty which will take a few years to complete to the dismay of several Women's groups. Suffice it to say that I doubt they will do a musical about old Jackson. Anyway, no need to hoard your ten spots as they are only worth whatever gold we have in Fort Knox.
tjs

March Madness

Bloomberg Media News reported that CBS and Turner Broadcasting have agreed with the NCAA to carry the March hoops playoffs into the year 2032. What will the game look like then? All the players will be seven feet tall and they will have to raise the baskets two feet. Perhaps adjust the size of the rims. Some years ago the coach at Rhode Island State at practice placed an inner rim inside the regular rim to improve the accuracy of his shooters. Not a bad idea. Hopefully the NCAA will use some of the money for scholarship assistance and just maybe keep these student athletes in school for the full four years. But for now let's lace up the Adidas, play some three on three, shirts versus skins - and losers buy!
tjs

Where's the Proof?

Brown Forman,  a prominent distiller in Kentucky, has announced it is introducing its first new bourbon brand in twenty years, Coopers' Craft premium whiskey. It will have a slighter lower alcohol content than the Old Forester brand. The lower proof makes it a prime entry level whiskey for people unfamiliar with bourbon. Now when you visit the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May don't let them dilute your Mint Julep with this weak sissy stuff! Bottoms up! Riders up! And they're off!
As Stephen Foster wrote "Got my money on the bobtail nag, somebody bet on the bay!
tjs

The New Yorker

Many of the readers of the New Yorker Magazine gravitate to the cartoons before anything else. But we just read of the untimely death of one of their illustrators, William Hamilton, who could be counted on for a chuckle or a knowing smile. The NY Times obit mentioned several of his offerings:
- Two women sipping wine - the caption reads "He's perfectly nice, but sort of boring, like good cholesterol or something."
-Two other gals sipping straws "I just want to get too big to fail."
His wit and topical humor will be missed.
tjs

Words of Wisdom III

The Dalai Lama spoke to a group of children at the American Embassy School  in New Delhi. Some of his observations:
-Japanese food sometimes looks like decoration.......after finishing a meal you might feel inclined to go out and find a restaurant.
-He allows mosquitoes to feed on his blood then complains they have no gratitude.
-Chinese hardliners are missing that part of the brain that controls common sense.
-The next Dalai Lama could be a woman.
The reporter wrote that he was "sharp as a tack" and had never encountered an 81 year old man so much in control of his mind. Thanks a lot!
tjs

For the Birds!

Dateline: Teaneck, N.J. (I used to work in that town but that was after suffering through Chapter 11 bankruptcy in another Jersey town) - but I digress. It seems Teaneck is being plagued by marauding wild turkeys who are very aggressive in the Spring. They have been attacking pedestrians and vehicles and a male Tom can have a wingspread up to fifty-seven inches. You are not permitted to kill them so the city fathers have provided the citizenry with 20 air horns to scare them away. Please don't chase them down to Cape May! With Thanksgiving still months away it could be a long, hot summer in Jersey. (I wish the President would stop pardoning them)
tjs

Oops!

When my friend Jim C. lived in Bergen County , N.J. his children were very young. When he and the Missus went out they usually engaged the services of a local teenager as babysitter. Each night after returning late he always drove the young lady to her home. One evening the teenager was not available so they used the services of a mature woman known to them. At the end of a late night Jim volunteered to drive the woman home but as a force of habit he drove her to the teenagers home and parked in the driveway. The woman looked at him quizzically and coming to his senses he said "OOPS" the exclamation made famous by Gov. Perry of Texas. Truth is stranger than fiction.
tjs

Hail the Champions

Like many in Philadelphia it has taken me 72 hours to savor and process VILLANOVA'S Championship in the NCAA Tournament. They had to win six "road" games and the "road" was long and winding. Miami U. was sent home via the Tamiami Trail - that game was a clinic! Beating Kansas was a bumpy ride down the Yellow Brick Road. And the final nailbiter with Carolina was a triumphant trip through Tobacco Road. So hail to Villanova U. an institution run by the Augustinian Fathers that graduates their athletes. Philadelphia and its suburbs were starving for a champion and these fellows delivered.
Don't miss the victory parade tomorrow Friday - GO WILDCATS!
tjs

Unconventional Conventions IV

Some of the most explosive political debates do not occur between the candidates. 1968 was a very volatile time and in August of that year there was a debate between William F. Buckley the conservative founder of National review and Gore Vidal a liberal intellectual. Howard K. Smith of ABC news was trying to moderate. The discourse was anything but "moderate". As things heated up Buckley called Vidal a "queer" and Vidal responded calling Buckley a "crypto Nazi".
The moderator was looking for a foxhole and this on live TV. You will find it on YouTube approx. 13 minutes
tjs

Say Cheese!

Today, Tuesday, is the day those cheeseheads in Wisconsin lower a block of cheddar on the head of the man with the cheddar colored hair. From the burghers in Milwaukee to the millennials in Madison, these solid mid-westerners will reject this fellow who is the worst political candidate in my lifetime - and that includes Richard Milhous Nixon and George Wallace. So another page is turned and it's on to New York.  When it is your turn don't forget to exercise your franchise. As they used to say in the 49th Ward "Don't forget to pull that lever!"
tjs

Robotics

Last week the NYTimes wrote about a Science Center in New Jersey that has a "Robotic Suit" that "simulates the sight and mobility of an 85 year old".........."with the stooped shuffle, the halting speech, the dimming senses." The intent is to feel empathy for older people. Now, I am 86 years old and somehow I missed out on all those attributes - certainly with no need for a "robotic suit". But I will still accept your offer of a seat on the subway. Anyway, I must get with my crossword puzzle after which my blog. Time is fleeting!
tjs

No Fooling

Today, April 1st, is known to some as "All Fools Day" but to my late friend Jim C. he knew it to be the opening day of trout fishing season. He loved fresh water fishing and used to frequent the Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York where they had a casting pond on the roof and many prominent fishing addicts practiced their form there. When Ted Williams was in town with the Boston Red Sox he also was seen there as fishing was his first love. The store supplied sports equipment for the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Dwight Eisenhower. But all that was from another time.
tjs