Welcome to CaturSaturday, April 6, 2024, and shabbos for all Jewish cats, who are required to eat cold cat food, study the Talmud, and nap. It’s also National Caramel Popcorn Day, and the world’s best version of that is of course found in Chicago, at Garrett’s Popcorn Shop (there are now several stores), founded the year I was born. As the video below shows, many (like me) mix it with Cheese Corn, (made with real cheddar cheese) to form the legendary “Chicago Mix”. A video is below. If you’re in Chicago, don’t miss this!:
It’s also Army Day, Fresh Tomato Day (wrong season), National Açaí Bowl Day, National Twinkie Day, National Siamese Cat Day, World Table Tennis Day, National Carbonara Day, International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, New Beer’s Eve, celebrating the day in 1933 that Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the bill that began repealing Prohibition, Tartan Day in the United States & Canada, celebrating those of Scottish Heritage, and, in Australia, Waltzing Matilda Day in Australia, marking the day it was supposed to have been first performed in 1895.
In honor of Siamese Cat Day, here are two of them howling like banshees as their staff takes a shower. You’ll want to listen to only about five seconds of this; if you get through the whole thing, you’re a hero:
Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this day by consulting the April 6 Wikipedia page.
Da Nooz:
*Israel has done more more apologizing and explaining about the attack that killed seven humanitarian aid workers and, as I predicted, fired the IDF soldiers responsible, and there were also reprimands:
A series of Israeli failures, including a breakdown in communication and violations of the military’s own rules of engagement, led to the deadly airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza this week, senior Israeli military officials said on Friday.
The military officials said that the officers who ordered the strikes on the aid convoy had violated the army’s protocols, in part by opening fire on the basis of insufficient and erroneous evidence that a passenger in one of the cars was armed.
The attack prompted a wave of international outrage and renewed questions about whether Israeli forces on the ground in Gaza properly vet targets before unleashing deadly force. Israel has come under increasing pressure over the high civilian death toll in its six-month war in Gaza. The strikes on the aid workers prompted President Biden for the first time to say he would leverage U.S. aid to influence the conduct of the war against Hamas.
On Friday, the Israeli military announced that two officers — a reserve colonel and a major — would be dismissed from their positions. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, had also decided to formally reprimand the head of Israel’s southern command, as well as two other senior officers, the military said in a statement.
The military said the “grave mistake” had stemmed from “a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures.”
“It’s a tragedy,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, told reporters in a briefing on Thursday night. “It’s a serious event that we’re responsible for, and it shouldn’t have happened.”
Yes, it’s a tragedy, one that’s not infrequent in war, with both the U.S. and U.K. having done similar things many times (“friendly fire”) incidents. That doesn’t make what happened right, but it’s still amazing how vehemently Israel is attached by these things, while Hamas killing its own people with misfired rockets (or deliberately) is ignored by the Western press. Can somebody explain this double standard to me again?
*At any rate, the negotiations between Israel and Hamas seem to have broken down again, as Hamas has rejected Israel’s latest proposal concerning hostages and Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Hamas rejected Israel’s latest proposal to cease fighting and release hostages, according to a Friday CNN report.
According to an unnamed diplomat cited by CNN, “They refused and asserted it doesn’t include any reply to their asks.”
According to the diplomat, Hamas believed the “Israeli proposal includes nothing new, so they see no need to change their proposal,” the official added.
Negotiations were supposed to lead to a lasting ceasefire, per the UN Security Council resolution passed last month, and mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the US have worked to try and broach a deal since the conflict broke out in October.
Negotiators were hoping to achieve a six-week ceasefire and a three-phase framework to secure the release of sick, elderly, and wounded hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and increased humanitarian aid.
This round had looked more promising but ultimately came to naught, with Hamas refusing to keep negotiating unless Israel agreed to two major demands.
Hamas demanded that there be unrestricted return of Gazans to the north and that IDF troops would withdraw.
Hamas, in other words, is demanding that Israel stop fighting and go back home. That’s ludicrous; they know that Israel is out to eliminate them. Further, I understand why Israelis want the hostages home, but why aren’t they—indeed, the entire world—demanding that ALL the hostages be released, not just the sick, elderly, and wounded ones? They won’t even tell Israel how many hostages are still alive. I don’t mind the demands for increased humanitarian aid, so long as there is some assurance that it doesn’t go to Hamas.
*According to the Wall Street Journal, immigration is now Issue Number One for American voters. Don’t say I didn’t warn the Democrats about this!
While illegal border crossings have repeatedly set records over the past few years, polls show a more recent sharp increase in the number of voters, like [Garfield] Cousins, who rank immigration as their top concern—even above the economy and inflation. Voters say they worry the migrant influx is affecting other aspects of life—from crime and fentanyl to national security and government spending—as Washington has been unable to resolve the problem. ‘
. . . . “Although the economy is important, I see this also has an impact on the economy,” Cousins said, adding that taxpayers’ financial outlook is affected when cities make budget cuts to deal with the housing, food and healthcare costs associated with the influx of migrants.
A Wall Street Journal national poll conducted in late February found that 20% of voters now rank immigration as their top issue, up from 13% in December. In the same poll, 65% of voters said they disapproved of President Biden’s handling of border security, and 71% said developments in immigration and border security are headed in the wrong direction.
Another Journal survey conducted March 17-24 of registered voters in seven swing states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—found immigration to be among the top two issues in every state, with at least 72% of respondents in each of the states saying the country’s immigration policy and border security were headed in the wrong direction.
. . .Most migrants who enter the U.S. illegally are arrested by the Border Patrol—either because they are caught or turn themselves in to ask for asylum. Although many are swiftly released and allowed to move anywhere in the U.S., pending an immigration-court proceeding, the Border Patrol first runs their names and biographical information through government systems to ensure they have no ties to terrorism or other crime.
The Biden administration has also sought to ensure that most adults who are released from custody are either tracked with an ankle bracelet or cellphone app, with consequences if the migrants being monitored don’t check in with the government as scheduled.
That solution is bogus. First of all, what if an immigrant doesn’t have a cellphone? And given that it often takes years to get a case before an immigration judge, you’ll have a new cellphone after that. Will it still have the app? The problem is that people are let in willy-nilly when they should be vetted ASAP. It doesn’t help that Mexico or other countries on the “route” have decided not to help the U.S., which I guess is fair enough since they are just passing through on the way to the U.S. But one thing you mus ask yourself, though, is why, if the U.S. is as bad as the progressives say it is, so many people are striving to get into this country.
*The WaPo reports that “Hundreds of people bypassed parts of airport security in last year.” Hundreds? Yep, and some on purpose:
Also in February, a woman at the Nashville International Airport bypassed TSA officers who check IDs and sneaked into the bag-screening line. After her belongings passed through the X-ray, she boarded an American Airlines flight without a ticket. She flew to Los Angeles International, where she was detained by the FBI. She has not been charged; the FBI said it could not comment on a pending investigation.
“It is a larger number than we realized,” said TSA spokesperson R. Carter Langston.
Since March 2023, there have been at least 300 instances of people bypassing parts of airport security, Langston said. He described security lapses as a “trend” that has caught TSA’s attention — and an issue the agency is attempting to mitigate.Security experts say airports and airplanes remain some of the safest public spaces in the United States. But a rise in passengers bypassing security increases the chances, no matter how small, of someone dangerous sneaking through.
. . .Since March 2023, TSA reported more than 200 people bypassed “exit lanes” that direct passengers to leave“sterile,”post-security terminals so they can get to pre-security areas like baggage claim and passenger pickup zones.These areas are often marked with “no reentry” signs.
Another 80 people evaded the travel document checker, or TDC podium, where TSA agents review travelers’ IDs and boarding passes. Langston said that amounts to about one person in 10 million. Of that 80, Langston said about 85 percent were stopped in the checkpoint area; all people who were caught skipping TDC podiums were still screened by metal detector or body scanner, he said. TSA said there were 29 lapses in 2019, the last full year of air travel before the pandemic. In 2022, there were 72.
From the incidents TSA reviewed, the agency offered different motives for passengers who bypassed security. Langston said the “vast majority do not seem to have evil intent.” Some travelers bypass checkpoints on accident. Some, like the woman in Nashville, want to sneak onto flights. Others may be tired of waiting.
This is why we have to take our shoes off, and why I frequently get groped at the scanner. I’d say that sneaking onto flights and evading the rules because they’re “tired of waiting” involve “evil intent.” Lock ’em up!
*If you’re planning on watching Monday’s solar eclipse and you’re near enough to totality to make it palpably darker than normal (fingers crossed that it will be clear!), pay attention to what any animals in your vicinity do. I remember the birds going nuts at the last one I saw, chirping away as if it were twilight. Click below to see a short video from the AP about how scientists are going to be studying how animals react to the “darkness at noon” on Monday:
Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili and Andrzej discuss weighty matters:
Hili: Should a state be ruled by a philosopher or a lawyer?A: The best is a government consisting of competent and honest people.Hili: A dreamer.
Hili: Czy państwem powinien rządzić filozof, czy prawnik?Ja: Najlepiej rząd złożony z ludzi kompetentnych i uczciwych.Hili: Marzyciel.
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From Jesus of the Day :
From Not Another Science Cat Page. I’ll bite!
From The Dodo Pet:
From Masih; presumably these people are calling for her execution. How proud she must be!
On Islamic Republic of Iran’s State TV:
Masih Alinejad must be executed!
Why?
Because I echo the voice of millions of Iranians, who celebrate the killings of
Qasem Soleimni & other senior Revolutionary Guards generals.— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) April 2, 2024
Hamas lovers at a Columbia University event. “Stu” has posted a thread of speakers at this event; here’s just the first one:
Resistance 101 🧵
This event was hosted by Columbia University Apartheid Divest. It was originally going to be at the Barnard Center for Research on Women but was moved last minute to Columbia.
This event featured the following speakers
Nerdeen Kiswani the Chair of Within Our… pic.twitter.com/5oBQvy5oKP
— Stu (@thestustustudio) March 26, 2024
Why is this panda so angry?
Mood 🐼
pic.twitter.com/Vt3tnYnFiy— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) April 5, 2024
From Bryan. Penguins do something like this when climbing up or down rocky slopes.
close your eyes. imagine how you think a penguin walks down stairs. wrong. it’s better than that pic.twitter.com/gOQUUODQik
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) April 4, 2024
From Jez: X-ray of an Egyptian cat mummy:
An X-ray image of an Ancient Egyptian cat Sarcophagus, with the cat mummy inside
Incredible pic.twitter.com/mAe8Sdt1jc
— Claire Bear👁☘️🇮🇪 💜🤍💚 🫀 (@claire88424030) April 4, 2024
From the Auschwitz Memorial, one I retweeted
Gassed to death upon arrival, age 14. https://t.co/2fbCzkm1fS
— Jerry Coyne (@Evolutionistrue) April 6, 2024
Two tweets from Professor Cobb: First, a wonderful woman rescues two baby sheep. How did they get in there?
Sheep farmer Marian Porter with one of the greatest rescues we’ve ever seen! 🤩
🎥 Gary Thornborrow pic.twitter.com/wOrgvqIEYO
— Farmers Weekly (@FarmersWeekly) April 5, 2024
This should have been published two days later!
A busy day at all British henge sites, as staff work to move the stones forward an hour. Twice a year the stones at Avebury are moved for Daylight Saving Time.
Photograph: National Trust https://t.co/PraLN1HXtA #archaeology pic.twitter.com/UWffcSD2K9
— Ticia Verveer (@ticiaverveer) March 30, 2024
Yes, Jerry, why isn’t there a worldwide demand that the hostages be released? Or is there one and it just does not make it into the media? What is the considered thinking by readers on this please?
Jim, I think it’s because the hostages’ invisibility is partly the reason. They are now a concept compared to the perceived reality on the television news of bombed buildings, shot-up aid vehicles, body bags, weeping women, etcetera day after day, night after night. It seemed to me that, in first weeks after October 7th, fairness demanded split screen news showing the malevolent butcheries of Hamas next to the Israeli “horrors” inflicted on Gaza. But then Israeli decency toward the feelings of its citizens went against that. Civilisation vs barbarity yet again. And Hamas is certainly never going to let reporters or TV crews anywhere near the hostages unless there would be a definite propaganda value to them doing that. So the Outraged and the Offended have only bombed buildings and body bags to trigger their finer feelings – hard to have that done by a concept, no?
Thanks Ross…very helpful analysis.
>Why aren’t we hearing more about releasing the hostages?
Because everyone knows hostages are being tortured in every possible way (physically and emotionally), and Hamas will make some excuse as to how they died, but will never release the bodies.
Post Oct 7, It took pro-Hamas supporters several months to admit that maybe Hamas did rape women, murder children, and target civilians. It would be inconvenient for the pro-Hamas crowd to have to then grudgingly admit that the atrocities never stopped.
The Democrats seem determined to lose the election over their policies on immigration, and meanwhile the Republicans seem determined to lose the election over their policies on abortion. I mean, if they (respectively) were actively trying to alienate the center ground, this is how they would do it.
PS:
It’s worth pointing out that the sun’s disk is so bright that even 10% remaining is not that different from normal (it’s akin to the brightness on a cloudy day). All of the weird effects of an eclipse are really only seen in totality, so if you’re anywhere near it’s worth making the effort to get into the zone of totality.
We are on the east coast U.S. where it is predicted to be 83% totality mid-afternoon (high sun). I seem to recall from past partial eclipses that even 50-60% gives a bit of an eery effect…darker but felt different than clouds. More like the summer many years ago that volcanic dust high in the upper atmosphere blocked some sunlight for about a month. But maybe it has been my imagination and confirmation bias…no real data, but I certainly hope for clear weather Monday for another look-see!
Well, if it were me, and I was as near as 83%, I would definitely be hopping in the car to get into the zone of totality.
I saw the total 1970 eclipse at virginia beach. To riff on ronald reagon’s redwoods comment: you see one eclipse, you’ve seem ‘em all. Thanks but will enjoy what is apportioned to us here.
I am in a 97+% zone, but it didn’t dawn on me until too late that if I had simply moved up my upcoming visit to Mom, then I could have been in a 100%–without having to navigate traffic and find somewhere to park!
When the 2017 eclipse came around, I recall sitting on my porch, sipping coffee in the middle of the day, just enjoying the mood, and then all the street lights came on. Not sure why that moment stood out.
The Democrats aren’t allowed to pass policies on immigration because the GOP, led by Trump, won’t let them “have a win.” Trump wants/needs the border chaos to continue as it’s really the only issue he has to run on. The MSM is too inept to frame the issue properly. Most Americans realize that the bipartisan deal to strengthen border security was dashed by MAGA, and the Democrats will continue to point this out while the media continues to distort and stir the pot.
Apportionment is the allocation of electoral votes according to number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The number of electoral votes is not fixed and can be found to have gone up or down over the years. The U.S. Census is the instrument to determine the number of representatives in a state. The U.S. Census does not discriminate U.S. citizen from non-U.S. citizen – reasonable and important as I see it – but it also does not discriminate in determination of representatives. Was that common knowledge until recently?
This forms a direct chain from census counts to number of electoral votes – independent of citizenship. I was certainly unaware of that ’til recently.
Relatedly, ssa.gov reports number of applications to a certain voting program by week. It reads :
“Social Security Administration (SSA) Weekly Data for
Help America Vote Verification (HAVV) Transactions by State
Week Ending January 27, 2024”
ssa.gov/open/havv/havv-weekly-2024-01-27.html
… readers can make of those counts what they will – e.g. with regard to role each state usually plays in elections.
It was suggested to me that the largest state of Texas made abortion illegal, and might account for the e.g. count of >100,000 in the week above – compared to 75 for Alaska, 0 for New Hampshire, Maine, Hawaii, etc.
Somebody, somewhere, is going to believe that Avebury and Stonehenge are moved for DST!
I saw the 2017 eclipse in a field full of horses and the horses did nothing. The entire eclipse they just kept eating grass.
Thank you Governor Abbott. No one gave a damn about illegal immigration until he bussed the problem to the doorstep of non-border states.
My wife and I experienced a partial eclipse in 2017. During the eclipse, light filtered through the thick Douglas Fir trees on our property. The needles were oriented such that tiny pinholes of light shone between them, projecting tiny spots onto our slate deck. Each of those tiny pinholes behaved as a pinhole camera, each projecting an image of the partially occluded sun onto the deck. Thousands upon thousands of tiny images of the eclipse on our deck made for an amazing display.
Revisiting a topic from earlier in the week. We now have another university leader who has joined with Vanderbilt to enforce university rules against unruly protestors. This time at Pomona. The below Twitter feed shows President Gabi Starr addressing the protestors directly; the feed also includes her written statement.
It appears that arrests and suspensions were in order—and were ordered.
https://twitter.com/sfmcguire79/status/1776605559858356612
OK, since it is Caturday: The Siamese cats in that video are the show-bred (or as I refer to them, space alien) version of Siamese. These cats have very triangular heads, are typically very lean and in some cases can seem almost emaciated, and are prone to that sort of yowling.
I prefer the Traditional, or “Applehead”, Siamese. This type of Siamese has a body shape that is much more “typical” of cats generally. Their heads are the more classic rounded feline shape and they are plumper, much less thin and wiry. Also, they don’t tend to yowl like that. Most of my cats have been Applehead Siamese and they have been some of the sweetest (and quietest) cats you’ll ever meet.
The only question is how did the first sheep get in there. We all know how the second one got there. Animal logic. Coincidentally, Animal Logic is also a great album by Stanley Clarke.
I watched the 2017 eclipse at a ski resort in central Idaho. The squirrels that had been very garrulous the entire morning fell silent in the last few minutes before totality.
About the study of animal behavior during an eclipse:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/30054070
Regarding that group at Columbia: If they were in a society under Hamas authority, I’m pretty sure these twerps would be the first ones tossed off the rooftop.
Yep… They leave me wondering WTF?
Siamese cats are wonderful, affectionate beasts. Had a couple when I was a child. One would meet me and walk me home from the bus stop every school day. Then he’d sit on my bed and we’d chat while I changed into my play clothes.
They are very vocal, but polite. They won’t dominate conversations. They’ll pause while you speak, then speak in turn.
Oops, a whole day late (I was away overnight in Stratford-upon-Avon with my wife):
On this day:
1320 – The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
1453 – Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople. The city falls on May 29, and is renamed Istanbul.
1580 – One of the largest earthquakes recorded in the history of England, Flanders, or Northern France, takes place.
1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town.
1712 – The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 begins near Broadway.
1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, that would eventually make him America’s first millionaire.
1896 – In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games are banned by Roman emperor Theodosius I.
1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first people to reach the North Pole; Peary’s claim has been disputed because of failings in his navigational ability.
1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Germany.
1929 – Huey P. Long, Governor of Louisiana, is impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives.
1930 – At the end of the Salt March, Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt and declares, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire”.
1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievement.
1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit.
1968 – Pierre Elliott Trudeau wins the Liberal Party leadership election, and becomes Prime Minister of Canada soon afterward.
1974 – In Brighton, United Kingdom, ABBA wins the 1974 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo”, the first of a joint-record seven Swedish wins.
1992 – The Bosnian War begins.
1994 – The Rwandan genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down.
2009 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L’Aquila, Italy, killing 307.
2011 – In San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, over 193 victims of Los Zetas were exhumed from several mass graves.
Births:
1135 – Maimonides, Jewish philosopher, Torah scholar, physician and astronomer (March 30 also proposed, d. 1204).
1671 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet and playwright (d. 1741).
1810 – Philip Henry Gosse, English biologist and academic (d. 1888). [His son Edward’s memoir about their relationship inspired the opening section of Peter Carey’s 1988 Booker Prize-winning novel Oscar and Lucinda.]
1890 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch engineer and businessman, founded Fokker Aircraft Manufacturer (d. 1939).
1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American businessman, founded the Douglas Aircraft Company (d. 1981).
1892 – Lowell Thomas, American journalist and author (d. 1981). [Best remembered for publicising T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). He was also involved in promoting the Cinerama widescreen system.]
1898 – Jeanne Hébuterne, French painter and author (d. 1920). [Best known as the frequent subject and common-law wife of the artist Amedeo Modigliani. She took her own life two days after Modigliani died, and is now buried beside him.]
1910 – Barys Kit, Belarusian-American rocket scientist (d. 2018).
1917 – Leonora Carrington, English-Mexican painter and author (d. 2011).
1926 – Ian Paisley, Northern Irish evangelical minister and politician, 2nd First Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 2014).
1928 – James Watson, American biologist, geneticist, and zoologist, Nobel Prize laureate.
1929 – André Previn, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2019).
1931 – Ram Dass, American author and educator (d. 2019).
1937 – Merle Haggard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016). [He also died on this day.]
1938 – Paul Daniels, English magician and television host (d. 2016).
1942 – Anita Pallenberg, Italian-English model, actress, and fashion designer (d. 2017).
1943 – Roger Cook, New Zealand-English journalist and academic.
1947 – Mike Worboys, English mathematician and computer scientist.
1961 – Rory Bremner, Scottish impressionist and comedian.
1965 – Black Francis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
1969 – Spencer Wells, American geneticist and anthropologist.
2009 – Shaylee Mansfield, deaf American actress and YouTuber.
Nobody owns life, but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death. (William S. Burroughs):
1520 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (b. 1483).
1528 – Albrecht Dürer, German painter, engraver, and mathematician (b. 1471).
1670 – Leonora Baroni, Italian composer (b. 1611). [Today’s Woman of the Day, see next post below.]
1927 – Florence Earle Coates, American poet (b. 1850).
1944 – Rose O’Neill, American cartoonist, illustrator, artist, and writer (b. 1874).
1961 – Jules Bordet, Belgian microbiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870).
1971 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian-American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1882).
1974 – Hudson Fysh, Australian pilot and businessman, co-founded Qantas Airways Limited (b. 1895).
1992 – Isaac Asimov, American science fiction writer (b. 1920).
1996 – Greer Garson, English-American actress (b. 1904).
1998 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942).
2003 – Anita Borg, American computer scientist and educator; founded Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (b. 1949).
2003 – Dino Yannopoulos, Greek stage director of the Metropolitan Opera (b. 1919).
2010 – Wilma Mankiller, American tribal leader (b. 1945). [The surname “Mankiller”, Asgaya-dihi (Cherokee syllabary: ᎠᏍᎦᏯᏗᎯ) in the Cherokee language, refers to a traditional Cherokee military rank, similar to a captain or major, or a shaman with the ability to avenge wrongs through spiritual methods.]
2010 – Corin Redgrave, English actor (b. 1939).
2014 – Mickey Rooney, American soldier, actor, and dancer (b. 1920).
2014 – Chuck Stone, American soldier, journalist, and academic (b. 1924). [Another great name! He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II and was the first president of the National Association of Black Journalists, serving from 1975 to 1977. Passionate about racial issues and supportive of many liberal causes, he refused to follow any party line, “but called the issues as he saw them.”]
2015 – Ray Charles, American singer-songwriter and conductor (b. 1918).
2017 – Don Rickles, American actor and comedian (b. 1926).
Woman of the Day:
[Text from Wikipedia]
Leonora Baroni (born in December 1611, died on this day in 1670) was an Italian singer, theorbist, lutenist, viol player, and composer.
She was the daughter of Adriana Basile, a virtuosa singer, and Mutio Baroni. Leonora Baroni was born at the Gonzaga court in Mantua. She sang alongside her mother and sister Caterina at court and across Italy, including cities such as Naples, Genoa, and Florence. She was admired not only for her skill as a musician, in which she almost overshadowed her mother, but also for her learning and refined manners. Baroni was honored by poets such as Fulvio Testi and Francesco Bracciolini, who addressed poems to her, as did some nobles, such as Annibale Bentivoglio and then-cardinal Pope Clement IX. These poems were collected and published as Applausi poetici alle glorie della Signora Leonora Baroni in 1639 and reprinted in 1641. John Milton later wrote a series of epigrams to her, entitled Ad Leonoram Romae canentem.
In 1633, Baroni moved with her mother to Rome, where she sang at many salons in the Palazzo Barberini. On 27 May 1640 Baroni married Giulio Cesare Castellani, Cardinal Francesco Barberini’s personal secretary.
In February 1644, Baroni moved to the French court of Anne of Austria briefly, but by April 1645 she was back in Rome, where she was a chamber singer. Apparently she was not admired in Paris, perhaps because her Italian style of ornamented singing was too foreign to the court there.
None of Baroni’s compositions survive, but the French traveller and viol player André Maugars mentioned her compositions while praising the musical understanding of her singing.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonora_Baroni