Wows
Here’s one for Ripley’s Believe It or Not, headline from nypost.com: “Passenger with ‘no idea how to fly airplane’ lands safely after pilot gets sick.” According to the accompanying article by Jesse O’Neill, the guy had no clue as to his location. He was 70 miles from the destination, Palm Beach International Airport. A dispatcher guided him. The plane is capable of a speed of 215 MPH. The landing was smooth. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard of one of these [Cessna Caravans] being landed by somebody that has no aeronautical experience,” said Aviation expert John Nance. Kudos to the new pilot. No names were released.
Here’s another for Ripley’s, from an NYP article by Erin Keller, edited by yours truly: This is 83-year old Mildred Wilson of Missouri, competing in the Tough Mudder endurance 5K. Obstacles include a giant ice bath, a 60-foot watery trench under a steel fence, a dash through 10,000 volts of electricity and a 12-foot wooden ladder. She competes beside her 48-year-old son. It was her third go. Mega kudos, madam. Photo from Google Images:
Here is the work of Ukrainian artist Dmytro Iv, titled Shoot Yourself. The inscription reads: “Putler, did you understand the hint?” It compares Vlad to Hitler. Photo from Google Images:
RIP NBA Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier, 73, who succumbed to an illness yet to be disclosed. A native of Buffalo, he was drafted by the Pistons with the #1 overall pick in 1970 out of St. Bonaventure. He spent the next decade in Detroit, where he helped lead the team to four playoff appearances while picking up seven All-Star nods. He was traded to Milwaukee during the 1979–80 season and finished his career there in 1984. He averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in 959 games. After basketball he owned and operated Bob Lanier Enterprises, Inc., a promotional marketing company. Married twice, he is a father of eight. Well done, sir. (Facts from Wiki)
Last night Movies!, channel 5–2 on OTA in NYC, ran a western I’d never heard of — Rawhide (1951), starring Hollywood legends Susan Hayward and Tyrone Power, nothing to do with the TV series of the same name. Shot in black and white, directed by Henry Hathaway, screenplay by Dudley Nichols, it’s a tense, solid story of four desperados taking over a remote stagecoach station in order to steal an incoming shipment of gold. It falters a bit late during the shootout, but so do a lot of flicks. The supporting cast is terrific: Hugh Marlowe as the mastermind and, as his henchmen: Dean Jagger, George Tobias and Jack Elam at his most depraved. Also in a pivotal role is the adorable Judy Dunn, who may not have reached her third birthday at the time of shooting. It was the second of her two credits. Here, in character, are master of sleaze Elam, and Hayward, whose worldly aura matched her beauty and talent:
From a foxnews.com article by Gabriel Hayes, a quote from pro-life South Carolina senator Tim Scott: “I’ll just simply say that as a guy raised by a Black woman in abject poverty, I am thankful to be here as a United States senator.” Kudos, sir.
FN sub-headline: “Czech Republic allowing civilians to be exempt from ban on serving in foreign armies.” Destination Ukraine.
Not much action at the floating book shop on this warmer but still windy day. My thanks to the lovely young tandem whose origin seems eastern, Indian, who bought One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese; and to the young man who purchased The Final Move Beyond Iraq: The Final Solution While the World Sleeps by Mike Evans, a title I thought passé, doubted would ever sell. O me of little faith.
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