Well, yes I am. Thanks for worrying. Here ya go, Huma, some Link-oh-Rama:
*** This is a fascinating story about the life and times of Little People in Hollywood. Someday I'll pass along a couple Little People stories of my own from South Dakota.
There were stories that the Munchkin actors, who mostly were put up at the Culver Hotel, got wasted every night and engaged in orgies. Those rumors, refuted by the Munchkins themselves, were seemingly started by the film's producer, Mervyn LeRoy, who pressed crewmembers each morning for gossip about their antics the night before. The stories also were spread by Dorothy herself: In a 1967 TV interview with Jack Paar, Judy Garland called them "little drunks" who "got smashed every night" and had to be rounded up "in butterfly nets."*** I do the FanDuel thing and have enjoyed moderate success and enjoy it quite a bit. Some of the stuff about how people have gamed the system bothers me though, mostly the realization that I'm not smart enough to game the system.
The implosion of the daily fantasy industry is a bro-classic tale of hubris, recklessness, political naïveté and a kill-or-be-killed culture.*** It may be a sad state of affairs when we need to celebrate a university announcing it will be open to ideas and thoughts, but that's where we are. Kudos to prestigious University of Chicago (for $50k a year it better be prestigious) for this letter it sent to students and faculty.
“Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called “trigger warnings,” we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual “safe spaces” where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own,” the letter states.Hopefully nearby DePaul University and a host of others will come around to this way of thinking.
*** Speaking of freedom of expression, here's another reason to hate soccer: Hope Solo Suspended for Six Months After Calling Swedish Women’s Soccer Team ‘Cowards’
*** From the files of When Men Were Men: MOH Recipient ‘Pappy’ Boyington Was A Brawler, Drinker, And Legendary Fighter Ace
In San Francisco, California, shortly after returning to the states, Boyington was reunited with his fellow pilots and celebrated only as those who survived hell together can.
“Ironically the party was covertly covered by Life magazine and the pictures were impressive,” said Boyington of the party. “I suppose it was a good thing that they were never around in the South Pacific when we had our parties then. The morality meter would have spun off the scale.”*** Hmmm. A new cut of beef. Worth a try.
Like a diamond in the rough, a small cut of beef that meat cutters throw in with ground meat is now being looked at as a high-end delicacy by researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno.*** Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a new book out: Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White
A huge fan of his, I also read his book 'Black Profiles in Courage' and enjoyed it, so I'll probably check out the new one as well.
He's a smart guy on a variety of subjects and he does a good job of helping a white dude like me better understand some African-American issues.
*** 'Til next time, listen to Whitey Morgan's "Waitin' 'Round to Die."
