Monday, March 17, 2025

Beatles Rarity I'm Down

 


I reported on my Facebook page yesterday I saw a DVD of the Beatles movie Help.  It has not been shown on TV in many years.  I remember seeing it with some friends at the Midway Theater in the Summer of 1965.  One of them remarked that I'm Down which was the B Side of the 45 RPM release of Help was not in the film.

I'm Down was not on any Beatles album until it was released on a compilation album/CD called Past Masters.



Saturday, March 15, 2025

Saturday Afternoon at the Whitney Museum

 


Since it was a cloudy and dreary day, I thought it would be a good day to visit a museum.  I have documented several visits to the Whitney in Bruce's Journal.

Every museum has permanent and temporary exhibits. From February to July, the featured exhibit was Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night. She is a contemporary deaf artist. Kim draws directly on the spatial dynamism of American Sign Language, translating it into graphic form.  Below is one of her works


Another exhibit was titled Shifting  Landscapes. The exhibit considers a more expansive interpretation of the category, exploring how evolving political, ecological, and social issues motivate artists as they attempt to represent the world around them.

It was an enjoyable afternoon,



Friday, March 14, 2025

Radio Comments of the Day - March 14, 2025

 


I have been a radio enthusiast since the early 1960s when I first listened to Top 40 radio on WABC and WMCA.  Over the years the technology and business of radio has changed dramatically.  Let me make some personal comments about today's realities.
  • I listen to AM/FM radio much less today than I did years ago.  I regularly listen to WFUV and WBGO which are not for profit stations.  Years ago I would listen to WCBS-FM for hours a day, but their music mix today is just not for me as they are trying to reach younger listeners.  At times I'll listen to 1010 WINS, WFAN, and ESPN 880.  I feel bad for the people at News 880 who lost their jobs.  I only listen to WABC for Cousin Bruce as I detest conservative talk radio.
  • I still have a GE Super Radio as seen above.  The sound quality is excellent, but it was discontinued.  I think used ones are available on Ebay.
  • I have a Sangean HD radio that I bought in 2017.  The HD radio technology did not catch on.  I observe that the Sangean radio I have is the only table HD radio on the market, but many car radios have HD capability.
  • In my car I only listen to SiriusXM.
  • By following various radio message boards I learned that in smaller markets AM stations are going dark.  I just read that two AM stations on the Jersey Shore just went dark.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Harvey Silikovitz - Jeopardy Superstar for One Game

 


Over the years there have been thousands of contestants on Jeopardy from various backgrounds and circumstances.  I fondly remember Eddie Timmanus who was blind.  Alex Trebek gave him a braille readout card for both rounds and is given a keyboard to type out his response and wager for Final Jeopardy!

On Monday March 10 Harvey Silikovitz identified as an attorney and a karaoke singer first appeared on the show.  Harvey was coping with Parkinson's Disease that was diagnosed in 2019. He first auditioned for the classic game show in 2001 — and went on to miss an additional opportunity since then. Finally, on Monday his quest to become a contestant was realized.  There is a good article about him in the New York Post.

He was absolutely fantastic on Monday as he got 35 questions correct with only one miss and defeated 8-time champion Laura Faddah with a total of $23,600  I thought he would be a winner of several games, but his performance on Tuesday's show was not as good as he only got 13 correct and finished in third place with a total of $13,600.

I read a few discussions on Jeopardy boards on Facebook.  Some posters felt that Harvey was fatigued in the second game as a result of his condition.

I admire Harvey for his persistence in becoming a contestant's and his fight against Parkinson's Disease.  Hopefully in the future he will be invited to a Second Chance Tournament.


Monday, March 10, 2025

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Time is Tight as We Grow Older


At 2 AM tomorrow we turn the clocks ahead to start Daylight Savings Time.  That topic including its controversies was discussed several times in Bruce's Journal.  When I think about time it seems to fly by faster as we get older.  The days turn into weeks and then into months and then years.  I just thought I would post Time is Tight an instrumental by Booker T & The M.G.'s to reflect my thoughts.

 

Thursday, March 6, 2025

The Casey Stengel Chapter of SABR will Meet in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday March 29, 2025


Here is the announcement:

Our SABR Casey Stengel Chapter NYC in-person meeting will be on Saturday, March 29, 2025, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm at Scandinavia House 58 Park Ave. between 37th and 38th Streets — a short walk from Grand Central Terminal — Spread the Word!

Pre-registering by contacting David Lippman (kiwiwriter47@gmail.com) is encouraged (credit card or check, exactly worded-payable to “New York City SABR Chapter”); or pay in person on the day of the event (cash or check only, exactly worded-payable to “New York City SABR Chapter”) -- Admission is $30, and $10 for students.

The Pulse of New York Baseball: Present and Past with panelists Laura Albanese, Billy Altman and Anthony McCarron. We heard your many 'Bring Them Back' requests, so the dynamic trio will wow you again on the Scandinavia House stage. Their all-new 2025 presentation is guaranteed to elicit rave reviews.

“Mets Stories I Only Tell My Friends” and Other First-Hand Baseball Stories with Art Shamsky, Matthew Silverman, and moderator Marty Appel -- Art Shamsky is riding high with his new book! Shamsky a passionate baseball man, will be joined by equally passionate co- author Matt Silverman and Marty Appel, moderator, all well known to New Yorkers and beyond. Their lively conversation will bring forth secrets and insights you can share with family and friends. An hour like no other!

Both presentations will be followed by a Q & A and participant's bios are in the meeting link below.

And of course Eric Weiss, baseball trivia master, will test your baseball knowledge.


Damian Begley, Evelyn Begley, Kevin Carter, David Lippman and Ernestine Miller


 

 
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