Shots

Last night while trolling youtube for interesting time-fillers, I came upon a short video about the military service of James Doohan, the beloved Scotty of the original Star Trek. Not from Scotland, he joined the Royal Canadian Artillery during WWII. During D-day he took out two German snipers before being hit six times by what is believed to have been friendly fire. One shot severed the middle finger of his right hand, something I’d never noticed. He did not see further action, although he transferred to the Air Force. He passed away at 85 in 2005.

These celebrities, all deceased, also participated in the invasion:
Alec Guinness was an officer on a landing craft that transported British soldiers to the shores.
Henry Fonda served as a quartermaster on the destroyer USS Satterlee, which provided support.
J.D. Salinger stormed Utah Beach with his comrades in arms.
Legendary director John Ford led a team of Coast Guard cameramen in filming a documentary for the Navy.
Civil rights icon Medgar Evers was in a segregated unit that delivered supplies.
Yogi Berra was aboard a naval support craft that fired rockets at enemy positions on Omaha Beach.
David Niven commanded the Phantom Signals Unit, responsible for keeping rear commanders informed on enemy positions.

I also watched a live performance of a track I dismissed back in the day but has grown on me the past couple of years thanks to music streams — Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. Although certainly not a great song, it is a brilliantly produced pop piece and it was flawlessly recreated (at least to my faulty ear) by the band in the clip, which includes members of the original lineup. The female back up singer still has it. Here’s the vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUgF49Rtg7Q

RIP NFL Hall of Famer Irv Cross, 81, a class act all the way. The eighth of 15 children, a graduate of Northwestern, he was selected by the Eagles in the seventh round of the 1961 draft. He played nine seasons, three for the Rams. He was selected for the Pro Bowl twice. During his playing career he had 22 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries, eight forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns. In 1971 he became an analyst and commentator for CBS Sports. In 1975 he teamed with Brent Musburger, Phyllis George and Jimmy the Greek on The NFL Today. He left the show in 1989. He later worked as Athletic Director at Idaho St. and Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In 2009 he received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. Well done, sir. Thank you.

Headline from foxnews.com: “45 law enforcement officers shot, 11 fatally, in first two months of 2021.” There have been ten ambush attacks.

No luck selling books at the viaduct on Avenue Z. The weather is maddening.

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