It’s a rainy Caturday in Chicago: we had tremendous thunderstorms last night and my phone blurted out three loud flash flood warning. It’s settled down now to a gray drizzle, but the rain should stop by Monday, Departure Day. In this day in 1959, Nikita Khrushchev was barred from visiting Disneyland because of security issues, and became livid with anger. As the History Channel notes:
Khrushchev’s anger increased when he learned that he would not be allowed to visit Disneyland. Government authorities feared that the crowds would pose a safety hazard for the premier. Khrushchev, still fuming about the debate with Skouras [Spyrous Skouros, head of Twentieth Century Fox, who had criticized Krushcheve to his face], exploded. “And I say, I would very much like to go and see Disneyland. But then, we cannot guarantee your security, they say. Then what must I do? Commit suicide? What is it? Is there an epidemic of cholera there or something? Or have gangsters taken hold of the place that can destroy me?” Khrushchev left Los Angeles the next morning.
Meanwhile in Dobryzyn, Hili is also upset, but because of noms:
Hili: Did you buy salmon pate?
A: There wasn’t any.
Hili: You could go to another shop.
In Polish:
Hili: Kupiłeś tę pastę z łososiem?
Ja: Nie było.
Hili: Mogłeś pójść do innego sklepu.
It’s funny to imagine Khrushcheve getting angry over not being allowed to visit The Magic Kingdom.
The mind-picture of which caused me to look up this incident, which turns out not to have been as sure a thing as I remembered:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe-banging_incident
The shoe banging I get and that’s what I think of with Nikita. I’ve done similar in meetings that have gotten out of control by banging on my chair arms and making a sound like “heeeeeeey!” It shocks people into quiting their quibbling.
If I ever find myself in the position of being the chair of anything, I’ll be sure to get a shoe-shaped gavel. Or maybe just appropriate a shoe, possibly even one of the ones I’m wearing.
…which might give you an idea as to the likelihood that I’ll ever chair anything….
b&
If I was stuck in a meeting, banging on the desk with a shoe would be the mildest reaction I would contemplate…
cr
Aha! The eighth habit of highly effective people!
If no salmon pate, I bet Hili would accept lox as an acceptable substitute. Baihu would….
b&
Hili, to our absolute astonishment, spurned a real Scottish smoked salmon which we were willing to share with her. For her, salmon comes in form of a pate from a can of catfood. Cyrus ate gratefully what she left untouched. But eating Polish sausage in her presence is risky – she is immediately on the table, fighting for her share.
Surprising about the lox! But not about the kielbasa…when I get some from the family-owned Deli up in north Scottsdale, Baihu must always get his share, too. I think he might prefer the skinny kabanos to the thick garlic old-style, but he won’t turn his nose up at either.
b&