WPLJ - White Port and Lemon Juice by the Bel-Aires - Oldie of the Day

There is plenty of radio news and speculation about the sale of WPLJ and WNSH by Cumulus Broadcasting.  There are plenty of amateur radio executives making their predictions including myself.  What will be will be?

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Larry Brand of Forest Hills High School Class of 1967 Passes Away

It is always sad to hear about a classmate's passing even though I haven't seen him in many years.  We last saw each other at a High School reunion in 2002.  I knew Larry in Forest Hills High School as we were both enrolled in a "Special Science" program.  I remember sitting with him in the cafeteria singing Bob Dylan's Rainy Day Women #12 and #35.  In October 1966 he and fellow classmate Mike Bandler were suspended for having long hair.  This situation was written up in the New York Times.

According to an obituary, he attended City College of New York at the same time as me, but I don't remember seeing him there.  He was a very successful filmmaker, writer, and director in Hollywood.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Jackie Robinson Exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York

Although I last visited the Museum of the City of New York in November, I had to visit again to see the Jackie Robinson exhibit which is there for the 100th anniversary of his birth.  This exhibit was placed in the corridor on the third floor.  It displayed many photos of Jackie with the Dodgers from 1947-56.  There were also several magazine articles from that era that discussed his coming to the Dodgers.

What was there was quite good, but I was disappointed that the exhibit was small as it took me only 30 minutes to view.  I am looking forward to the opening of the Jackie Robinson Museum in lower Manhattan later this year.

Islanders 4 Avalanche 3 in OT at Barclays Center

We hadn't been to a hockey game this season, so since this was a day game, I thought it would be time to take the subway to Brooklyn to see the Islanders play.  They have not won the Stanley Cup since 1983 when they won it for the fourth consecutive year.  Presently, they lead the Metropolitan Division and would get a high seed if they held on.

The fell behind 2-0 but rallied to take a 3-2 lead.  J.T. Compher tied it 3-3 with 2:45 remaining in the 3rd period when his shot deflected in off the skate of Islanders defenseman Devon Toews.  But Ryan Pulock scored his second goal 2:23 in the overtime to give the Islanders the victory.

Game Summary

Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show - 55 Years Ago

It is hard to believe that 55 years have passed since the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Who thought that more than half a century later we would still be listening to their music.

It is Disappointing When People Don't Respond To My Friendly Email

This week I experienced a disappointment in trying to keep in touch with people from my former employer.  I am arranging a SABR meeting in early March and thought to invite former colleagues interested in baseball.  Only 1 out of 7 invitees answered the email.  At least he said that it was nice to hear from me.  I am disillusioned that the others did not have the courtesy to at responding to the email even if they are not interested in coming to the meeting.  I knew these for many years and now realize that I must put them in the past.  Likewise, I sent an email to a SABR member asking if he was interested in holding a baseball trivia meeting at a restaurant.  He didn’t respond.  I think that out of courtesy he should have responded saying that he just wasn’t interested.

There is nothing I can do but move on and let go of these people.

Trip to the Guggenheim Museum Inspired by an Announcement on WFUV

When I woke up this morning, I didn't know what I wanted to do.  The weather thankfully warmed up, and I just didn't want to sit in the local public library and read again.  I heard an announcement on WFUV that the Guggenheim Museum was featuring an exhibit on the photographer Robert Mapplethrope.

Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) was a gay photographer who sadly died of complications of AIDS.  Many of his subjects were of the bodies anatomically correct gay men.  There were also many self-portraits.

Photo of Andy Warhol by Mapplethorpe

Most of the museum was devoted to an exhibit: Hilma af Klint: Paints for the Future.  She was a Swedish abstract artist (1862-1944).  She rarely exhibited her works and, convinced the world was not yet ready to understand her art, stipulated that it not be shown for twenty years following her death. Ultimately, her work was all but unseen until 1986.

My favorite painting of Hilma af Klint