Iceland has long been one of the more right-leaning Nordic countries… [In 2013], the right-leaning Independence and Progressive parties regained power in a landslide.
So it comes as a massive shock that the last few months of polling has shown the incumbent coalition hemorrhaging support not to the center-left Social Democrats or to the left-wing Left-Green Movement, but to the nascent Pirate Party, which has surged into the lead in public opinion polls due to dissatisfaction with the mainstream parties…
Even though Iceland is a tiny country, if just one nation changes its copyright laws and tries to fight the international copyright regime, it could have significant consequences given the ways that the Internet has worn down national borders. This election isn’t until April of 2017 at the latest… *** Muppet dramatic reading of A Pirate’s Life for Me.
I’ve come to the conclusion that people dis blogging, even when they don’t read blogs, because they believe it’s just a bunch of personal entries, as though it were some sort of public diary. While, I’ve usually attempted to give you a much more diverse and eclectic record, every once in a while, I need a journal entry, if only for ME to keep track of my activities six or sixteen months from now.
July 23: After work, I met The Wife and The Daughter at Albany’s Washington Park at for a free Park Playhouse presentation of the musical Singin’ in the Rain. The family didn’t get there until close to 6 p.m. for a 7:30 performance, and that’s too late. We found probably the last seats in the amphitheater, in the last row, far to the right, with some obstruction from one of the light poles. This was the antepenultimate performance, and it had reviewed well.
That said, the performance of the musical was quite fine. Great singing and dancing, even though only the guy playing Donald (the Gene Kelly role in the movie) was an Equity union actor. And, as advertised, there was actual singing, in the controlled “rain.” BTW, in case of real rain, the show might be postponed or even canceled. My friend Susan, who plays the oboe in the orchestra, and who the Daughter and I happened across at intermission, said only one show was canceled, though a couple were delayed over the four-week run.
The problem is that, because the stage gets wet, and has to get mopped up during the break, there’s not much story left afterward; a small complaint.
July 24: I took a day off from work, and we headed for the Albany Institute of History and Art. The baseball exhibit was also on its antepenultimate day on display. While the info on the major league teams was interesting, I was most intrigued by the local history. It showed the Capital District from our now-defunct minor league Yankees showcasing future stars such as Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams to the Albany Senators playing an exhibition game against Babe Ruth to the 1880s team in Troy that was a precursor to the San Francisco Giants.
After lunch, we went to the New York State Museum. There was an exhibit of art from students from the 64 education campuses comprising the State University of New York. There was also a fine display of photos and tools of the Shaker communities, several of which were around the area back in the religious organization’s heyday.
July 25: The folks putting on Park Playhouse had also produced a two-day run of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, with child and teen actors, at Albany’s Palace Theatre. This is the iteration in which Cinderella was played at various times by Julie Andrews, Lesley Ann Warren, and Brandy. I love this show, and this version was quite good, especially the title actress and the girl playing the herald.
However, because it was for free, and was presumably kid-friendly, parents brought their infants and toddlers, who couldn’t be still, or QUIET, for a 55-minute presentation, so it was occasionally difficult to hear. Outdoors, the noise may have been more diffused. Indoors, in the 2800-seat theater, at least 2/3s full, it was amplified.
July 26: I’ve previously touted the amazing work that happens on the very small stage of the Mac-Haydn Theatre, in Chatham, 45 minutes from Albany, where the entrances and exits become part of the set. My love for West Side Story is even more well established. This combination did not disappoint, from the very athletic mixing between the Sharks and the Jets, to the fine use of space to show Maria’s balcony.
The Wife thought the guy playing Tony was too pretty, though I disagreed. The problem with theater in the round, though, is that it may take a few seconds to find the highlighted action, such as when Maria and Tony first meet, and Tony is, for us, briefly obscured by the crowd at the dance.
What particularly worked for me was the Somewhere dance. Often a ballet that stops the action, it was quite effective with, e.g., “Anybodies”, the “tomboy” Jet dancing with Bernardo, the now slain Shark leader. Hey, maybe there IS “a place for us.”
And to nail that down, as we found our way to our car, we saw the actors playing Tony and Bernardo get in their vehicle and drive away together.
Hank Aaron is still the career leader in total bases, extra base hits, and runs batted in.
Henry Louis Aaron, “Hammering Hank,” born February 5, 1934, in Mobile, AL, was, for decades – from 1974 to 2007 – the leading home run hitter in Major League Baseball, with a total of 755. He led the league in homers for four seasons.
His journey to break Babe Ruth’s career home run record he conducted with quiet dignity, despite severe obstacles. He had hit 40 home runs in 1973, ending the season one home run short of the record.
“He was the recipient of death threats during the 1973-1974 offseason and a large assortment of hate mail from people who did not want to see Aaron break Ruth’s nearly sacrosanct home run record.”
Aaron is still the career leader in total bases, extra-base hits, and runs batted in. He is also in the top five for career hits and runs.
He played in the All-Star Game every year from 1955 to 1975, won the Golden Glove as best fielder in 1958 to 1960, and was the National League MVP in 1957.
After a brief stint in the Negro Leagues and a short stint in the minor leagues, Hank broke in with the Milwaukee Braves in 1954, played with them as they moved to Atlanta in 1966, then spent the last two years of his career back in Milwaukee, with the Brewers.
After the 1976 season, when his days on the field were over, Aaron rejoined the Braves as an executive, in various capacities over the years. In 1982, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, with 97.8% of the vote.
Hank had a brother, the late Tommie Aaron, who hit 13 home runs in a much less distinguished career, also with the Braves, making them the all-time brothers’ leader in homers.
Henry Aaron isn’t my favorite baseball player of all time – that will always be Willie Mays – but he’s in the Top 5.
Dustbury’s blog turns 19. I love that Steely Dan song. Speaking of which, he masterfully blends Meghan Trainor, Maya Angelou and Steely Dan in a piece about selfies.
Jack Rollins celebrates his 100th birthday. He has managed Harry Belafonte, Woody Allen, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Joan Rivers, Nichols and May, Tony Bennett, Jim Carrey, Dick Cavett, Diane Keaton, David Letterman, and a bunch more.
Apparently, Dancing with the Stars and The Voice are using the arrangements of Postmodern Jukebox without acknowledging the group. Here are their versions of Wiggle (Jason Derulo/Snoop Dogg cover) and Creep (Radiohead cover).
When the Mets had an 11-game winning streak, I had to root for them.
I finally found a use for Pinterest. I’ve had an account for a while. People follow my Pinterest page, but I don’t know why, because there was literally nothing there, since I didn’t know what to do with it.
I’ve seen other people put what seemed to me to be random photos, irrespective of things such as copyright or context.
Then I realized that I can never find pictures my sister posts on Facebook, that my eldest niece, Rebecca Jade, gets lots of pictures taken of her, and that the Daughter is starting to experiment with the camera (it’s her piece on this page).
Maybe I should have put them on Instagram, which I don’t have, and don’t have the inclination to learn at this time; or some other platform, such as the “cloud”, which has burned me before with music I had, but lost.
I’m not going to make a great retrospective effort, but I’ll use Pinterest as time and inspiration allow.
Also
Someone asked what to do to help the folks in Nepal after the massive earthquake: this article has some suggestions. There are now eight music videos posted on YouTube from First Presbyterian Church in Albany, seven from various First Friday performances, and one from a recent worship service.
I was a Yankees fan from way back, but when the Bronx Bombers were going to play the New York Mets in the Subway Series, and the Mets had an 11-game winning streak, I had to root for them. They lost but rebounded the next day. Flipping through the channels, I caught part of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Here’s President Obama and Cecily Strong, from Saturday Night Live.
I saw the end of an episode of the ABC-TV show Grey’s Anatomy, and I figured McDreamy would buy the farm the next episode. Then he did. The fan base is all upset, but the show has done such egregious crap before (the shootings in the hospital, the plane crash)… whatever. This coming Sunday, MeTV is airing the MASH finale, along with new interviews with members of the cast and production team. Like half the US, I watched it. I found it lugubrious and overlong, and I haven’t seen it since. I’m thinking about watching it again for the first time in over 30 years.
I probably need to do a lot more short posts like this, for time reasons. I’ve had posts I want to write, but have not had the opportunity.
A heart condition hasn’t gotten in the way of Sean Campbell’s love of baseball. “He gets a day full of surprises from his favorite player, Andrew McCutchen.” The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder “has worked with Make-A-Wish previously, having teamed up with them to give 12-year-old Matthew Beichner a tour of the team’s home field last year, after he signed a one-day contract with the team.”
