I have a great affection for swimming pools. Jumping into refreshing, crystal clear waters in Southern California has always had a way to soothe my senses. I’ve noticed when my Pacific Northwest friends and families realized that I had a swimming pool in my backyard in Burbank, some were curious and wondered why someone like me, a former Seattleite with a fondness for rain, should actually have a pool. I would remind them that having a pool down here is not uncommon. In fact, due to the heat, our pools are often not heated.

Once, after an exhausting final lap in my pool, I remembered a story when a former U.S. president was asked what we would like to show Mikhail Gorbachev when he visited Southern California. He said that he would like to take him for a plane ride over the San Fernando Valley to show him that American workers live harmoniously and have the freedom to afford swimming pools. And the former Soviet President supposedly replied, though it was never confirmed, for the plane ride never really happened, In my nation, our workers have the freedom to live without poverty. Yet, they managed to forge a mutual respect between one another, that led to a friendship, a friendship which ultimately thawed the Cold War.

Later, when first lady Nancy Reagan led Madame Raisa Gorbachev on a tour of the White House grounds, she was unable to show her its swimming pool, for a former president had turned it into a pool for the press. Eventually, the former president would find himself drowning in his own pool of remorse.

Fortunately, he was able to swim to the edge of the pool, in realization of the harm he had done to his nation. And, as this is an American story, where past misdeeds generally transition into the good, our former president reinvented himself, and joined the human race. With thanks to John Lennon, for allowing me to mutilate his lyrics in the song, Instant Karma.

The birth of the world’s first Swimming Pool…

The Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro.

The Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro is considered the earliest public water tank of the ancient world. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Great Bath was built in the third millennium BCE, soon after the raising of the citadel mound on which it is located.

And the birth of my first swimming experience…

The Green Lake Children’s Wading Pool in Seattle.

In the early days of my Seattle youth, nothing signaled the beginning of summer quite like the Green Lake Wading Pool. With the mercury rising, this little aquatic sanctuary in the heart of Seattle was the premier venue for us kiddos to wade, splash and beat the heat. As an unsteady swimmer, I found its shallow waters to be particularly enjoyable, for my feet could always touch the bottom of the pool.

Through the years, I’ve noticed some pools have themes…

Jayne Mansfield’s heart-shaped pool of love in Beverly Hills, built and designed by Mickey Hargitay.

While others have themes of history…

The indoor Roman swimming pool at San Simeon.

And, with some, you can look up and look down…

The swimming pool on a sheet of glass, at Houston’s Market Square Tower.

But, if it was during lunch hour, you’d barely see a soul on the streets, for most Houstonites have taken a reprieve in a cool, underground city to avoid the blasting heat. Houston’s underground is a bit of a reverse, though, modeled after, Montreal’s own winter underground world, where a Montréaler can simply traverse throughout it without even wearing a cold storage coat.

And then look down again…

The swimming pool used in Steven Soderberg’s The Limey.

This time look down at the vegetation in the Hollywood Hills, but be warned, it’s the swimming pool used in Steven Soderberg’s The Limey, and you might find yourself falling head-first into the ground. That is, if British actor, Terence Stamp has crashed the party and is in the hunt for the murder of his estranged daughter, who he last saw when he was in a British prison very long ago.

You can use a lagoon as your own swimming pool…

At an alluring lagoon in Bora Bora.

The Pacific Ocean island of Bora Bora is a paradise with its breathtaking lagoons, crystal-clear streams, lush jungle vegetation and soaring mountains. Bora Bora provides a genuinely remarkable experience in natural splendor, along with a unique Polynesian culture.

Or at a bay…

Isola di Procida.

In the Bay of Isola di Procida, Naples’ smallest island, is where you’ll find that the people of this quintessential Mediterranean paradise are more than just proud of what they gave to the world: UNESCO certified Pizza Napoletana’s marinara, Margherita, and Margherita extra.

So friends, Romans and countrymen, please take note:  Pizza Napoletana is the first and only real pizza on the globe. Anything else is a mere imitation, despite your preference for its crust and flavor in your mouth. With thanks to Amirali Mirhashemia for the enlightenment and the photograph, via Unsplash, above.

And, if you desire a spa experience in the Land of Fire and Ice…

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon.

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon is the island nation’s number one tourist attraction. Sadly, the Blue Lagoon is currently closed after the volcanic eruption that began at Sundhnúkagígar on March 16, due to its close proximity to the eruption site.

The countdown begins for the selection of the FIVE (5) best swimming pool in the world, but let’s start with an Honorable Mention…

The natural salt water swimming pool at Vancouver’s Stanley Park Seawall.

The saltwater Kitsilano Pool is located at Vancouver’s Stanley Park Seawall, formerly known to the Coast Salish people as Skwa-yoos. The Kitsilano Pool opened in 1931, and was originally billed as North America’s Largest Swimming Pool, with the size of 660 by 200 feet and 2 by 8 feet deep, covering 2.3 acres, and containing 1.3 million liters of water. It was filled by tidal water from English Bay, where mud sharks, octopuses and other sea life were occasionally found. It was designed as a spot for bathers to swim during low tide, and had a sandy bottom until the 1960s, when it was filled with concrete. Over 5,000 swimmers arrived on opening day to experience the new oceanside swimming pool.

The Stanley Park Seawall is a popular running and biking route. On the beach you can watch people fishing, sitting on logs, laughing, chatting, playing music and waiting for the final glimpse of the sun in the late afternoon or early evening. My own senses have always been endowed with tantalizing aromas from Robsons Street’s cutting-edge restaurants, where many seafood entrees were caught that very day at the bay

And at Number Five (5), the graceful and culturally vibrant swimming pool at…

The Costa Baja Resort & Spa in La Paz, Mexico.

As the first 5-star resort in La Paz, Costa Baja Resort & Spa is just ten minutes from downtown La Paz, set on the Sea of Cortez, overlooking a 250-slip double-basin marina and a white sand beach. At the resort and spa, you’ll discover that Baja Lower California Peninsula is much more than the birthplace of fish tacos and hot dogueros, (the La Paz hot dog). You’ll also find margaritas, stronger cerveza, colorful homes, music and folkloric dance and citizens with a higher literacy level than the U.S. Sometimes it’s hard to take it all in with the sun setting on the glimmering Sea of Cortez, which Jacques Cousteau christened the world’s aquarium, with one of the planet’s most abundant ecosystems. But, remember to bring your bathing suit and scuba gear.

La Paz is dubbed The Peace, so not exactly sure why I was unable to notice any murders, rapists, drug cartels and some real mean hombres. Perhaps I was too busy reading that the national cuisine of Mexico was inscribed by UNESCO on their List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. I beg to wonder if any of the rapists, drug cartels and some of those real mean hombres, ever smuggled over the U.S border: corn, beans, tomatoes, avocados, squash, chili peppers, wild turkey hens for Thanksgiving, vanilla, or Cacao beans – you know, the bean which gave the world chocolate. Now, I’ve just stolen and revised a line from T-Boy restaurant critic, Audrey Hart, who recently wrote and revised from Adam Sandlers’ Chanukah Song: “And what do they all have in common? All Mexican!“

Yet, I struggle to understand why La Paz experiences only a fraction of the robbery, rape, assault and murder found in most US cities, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In fact, it’s so safe that the infamous drug cartel, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman made La Paz his hideout. And still I wonder, why is Mexico allowing reckless Americans into their country?

Number Four (4). The many swimming pools at…

The Westin Maui Resort & Spa at the Ka’anapali Beach Resort.

By taking a plunge at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa, you will be on your way to a journey through long channels of clear water, where you will swim under water falls, with the destination of a swim-up bar, or, should I say, a secret swim-down bar, hidden in a grotto.

The history of Ka’anapali Beach dates back nearly 250 years to the legend of the king of Maui – Kahekili II – who would demonstrate his bravery by diving 400 feet into the sea from a cliffside Black Rock. Kahekili would force his warriors to do the same; showing him that they were fearless, loyal and bold. The very same iconic Black Rock still stands at Ka’anapali Beach today. The feat is emulated once a day at five p.m., when a diver stands at the top of the rock, recites a Hawaiian chant, offers a torch and lei to the ocean, then leaps into the sea without making a splash. And, after a day of activities, there was no better way to enjoy a five p.m. cocktail hour while swimming and marveling at the man’s heroic dive. PR reps, take note of this brilliant marketing strategy.

Ka’anapali Beach Resort is the original master planned resort in the Hawaiian Islands, and has become the benchmark for all other self-contained resort destinations. Its diverse location can appeal to any kind of traveler when it comes to activities. Not only has it been rated as a top beach in the world, which lends itself to multiple water activities, but the mountains of Maui are behind the resort, also rich with things to do.

Hawaiian Regional Cuisine is available at all Ka’anapali Beach Resort restaurants, which continues to welcome global visitors and make them aware of the beauty of Polynesian culture through the amazing cuisine, which has changed the way the world prepares food, by mixing traditional and inclusive combinations of flavors from a variety of cultural influences.

I’ve always been impressed how Ka’anapali Beach Resorts embraced traditional Hawaiian history and culture; taught the world that it is possible to mix culture, recreation and community in a world-class setting. Ka’anapali Beach Resort, in Maui, is an exotic location with a unique eco-system and rich culture that you can experience without leaving the U.S.

Number Three (3) on the list is the swimming pool at Sun Valley Resort.

The swimming pool at Sun Valley Resort.

As I sat on the edge of the resort’s famous outdoor circular pool, it was so cold outside that I couldn’t see across the surface, due to the fog and steam. I began to contemplate if I would have noticed Ernst Hemingway if he was in the pool, before realizing he was probably pounding away on For Whom the Bell Tolls, in the Ernst Hemingway Suite at the Sun Valley Lodge.

In 1935, Austrian Count Felix Schaffgtosch was hired by Averell Harriman of Union Pacific Railroad to find the perfect location for a grand American resort. It should be noted that the U.S. diplomat Harriman helped seal the Lend-Lease deal between the U.S. and Great Britain in the early days of WWII. After fruitless months of searching the mountains of the west, the count became aware of Ketchum, a dying mining town in Central Idaho. He quickly made a sharp U-turn to Ketchum, and was overwhelmed by what he saw. He immediately wired Harriman with these words: This combines more delightful features than any place I have ever seen in Switzerland, Austria or the U.S. for a winter resort. Harriman rushed over to join him, and purchased 4,300 acres of what was to become Sun Valley Resort. Harriman was determined to build Sun Valley into a resort worthy of its majestic setting, which would include a timeless four-story mountain lodge, complete with a glass-enclosed pool, world-class cuisine, ice-skating rink, impeccable service and nightly orchestra performances. After seven months of construction, Sun Valley Resort opened in the winter of 1936. And the PR was nothing less than brilliant, where Harriman shrewdly marketed the resort to the Hollywood elite, in an effort to drum up publicity. Celebrities such as Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman and Clark Gable, were invited to enjoy the resort without spending a penny in their own pockets. The PR spread across the globe and Sun Valley became known as the place of the stars. Soon local wildlife was sharing the mountain with Hollywood royalty. And the resort wasn’t just for relaxation either, as world-class athletes used the mountain for Olympic training.

Ernst Hemingway, an avid hunter and fisherman, was overwhelmed by Sun Valley’s vast great outdoors, which he found both recreational and inspirational, and could also be enjoyed with solitude and anonymity; unlike the new breeds of celebrities today, where no form of anonymity is ever warranted.

And the selections continue with Number Two (2)…

The Engadin Scuol Health and in Bathing Center in Switzerland.

The Engadin Scuol Health and Bathing Center has developed into one of the world’s major health and wellness destinations.

As my eyes took in the spa’s holistic waters, surrounded by the Swiss Alps, it was easy to see that the quotation: A picture is worth a thousand words; an advertising slogan by Fred R. Barnard, was really true.

Scuol lies cradled between the peaks of the Silvretta range and the Engadin Dolomites. This holiday area has retained its native cultural values and natural surroundings.

But, before plunging into its holistic waters, stand warned: never jump into the pool’s spa waters before showering first. You’ll find that North Americans are considered to be somewhat dirty, and, if the staff notices you haven’t showered first, there’s a chance you’ll be issued a one-way ticket back to the Canadian provinces or U.S. states.

Plus, you might miss the historic 2½ hour-long Roman-Irish Bath, a blending of two ancient cultures. The Romans believed in the health benefits of steam baths of varying temperatures, while the ancient Celts enjoyed a combination of bathing in hot water, followed by dry air. This rejuvenating bathing tradition encompasses 10 different stations, beginning with an invigorating massage, and ending with a 30-minute nap with the Swiss Alps as a backdrop.

I’m not going out on a limb when I proclaim Switzerland to be one of the world’s most spectacular tourist destinations. Within an area roughly the size of the state of Maryland, there is such an abundance of awe-striking beauty, recreational activities and cultural attractions that the nation has become a Mecca for visitors of every age and nationality.

The varied Alpine world of the canton of Graubünden is brought within reach by a dense network of railways that offers journeys so scenic that many visitors can’t resist hanging their heads out train windows to bask in a world of lush valleys, sweeping mountain peaks, glacier-fed rivers and lakes. And it is in this spectacular Alpine valley region, where you can witness some of the wildest and most breathtaking landscapes on the globe.

And closes, with the Number One (1) favorite swimming pool in the world…

The Molino Stucky Hilton in Venice, Italy.

At first, it seemed strange that we would be staying at a Hilton property in Venice, but that was before my eyes set on the palatial Molino Stucky, a former flour mill that has been painstakingly refurbished into a swank hotel, but still very much in the Venetian character. While luxuriating by the roof top pool, with Venice’s unforgettable city skyline in the distance, it occurred to me that I was experiencing something that even a Doge in all his glory would find unimaginable.

Earlier, after charging through the congested streets of Venice, I somehow managed to reached the Bridge of Sighs, where the crowd had grown so thick that (ironically) I could barely look above the mandatory Venetian straw hats to get a glimpse of the famous window. Of course, this is the window which prisoners would pass and take their final view of Venice before their descent into the darkness of the dungeons. A petite woman, almost hidden in the crowd, asked me to take a photo of the window with her camera; for she could not see what it looked like outside. As I returned her camera, she politely smiled a thank you and disappeared before I could say goodbye. My own personal sigh illustrated that I needed a break from the sweltering hordes of tourists, and it was best to take a reprieve.

My cruise pass allowed me two days of lodging at the Molino Stucky Hilton, which not only included dips into Molino’s almost unimaginable terraced swimming pool, but trips to Stucky’s Rialto Bar & Lounge, which offered complimentary regional snacks, coffee and the Venetian mainstays of spritz, grappa and Prosecco. Both the rooftop pool and Stucky’s bar and lounge, proved to be a welcoming venue to relax and refresh. Plus, my batteries were soon recharged for a further exploration of Venice’s major attractions. This time, hopefully, with less heat and crowds.

Venice is built on an archipelago of 118 small islands, formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon, connected by 409 bridge and remains the only functioning city in Europe in the 21st century where every form of transport is entirely on water or foot. Also the main public transportation means – motorized waterbuses (vaporetto) – which serve regular routes along the Grand Canal and between the city’s islands.

As a city built on water, Venice offers a strong relationship with its citizens in their natural element. So, one of the main activities for a Venetian in their leisure time is to be close to water. Most local people own a boat, either a sailing one, rowing one or with a motor. When summer arrives, everybody seems to take out their boats. There are also many traditional rowing or sailing boats, which were created from the local environment, that can be considered as a piece of art for their design and construction. Besides the great deal of rowing boats in Venice, the most famous one is the gondola, which is conducted in a standing position, something very unique to this city. Even the sailing boats have special shapes in both the hull and the sail, to be able to cross shallow waters.

To keep the boating tradition alive, there are many local associations, along with the City of Venice, organizing various events in the lagoon such as regattas, races, parades, etc. Many of the most important traditional feats, still celebrated in the city – Festa del Redentore, Festa de la Sensa, the Historic Regatta – take place on the water, offering citizens and visitors both sports and culture at the same time. In recent years, there has been an important movement entitled, the Vogalonga, a non-competitive race which started as a local protest against motor wave movements. It has become a worldwide appointment for all sorts of rowing boats. Motor wave movement is still a great issue inside the Lagoon of Venice because more and more people enjoy outdoor weekends between the island of the lagoon and at the sea, using motor boats with speed engines that erode salt marshes and damage the edges of the city.

And, the Molino Stucky Hilton in Venice will always remain in my heart, as well as the most essential stay at my favorite swimming pool destination in the world.

The post The Swimming Pools in My Life appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Take a flying tour of ancient Rome, recreated digitally in spectacular detail

by J-P Mauro for Aleteia.org

There have been some beautiful digital recreations of ancient Roman sites, but the work being done by History in 3D goes above and beyond. At the tail end of 2021, they released this 8-minute aerial tour of their work so far. The project is far from complete, but it promises a unique and accurate view of ancient Rome. This is Rome as it would have looked during the time of Christ.

The majority of this ambitious digital recreation is the product of just two 3D modelers: Danila Loginov and Sergey Bardyshev. On their website, they note that Danila founded the project in 2011, for which he serves as team leader and modeler. The team’s goal is to create the most complete, accurate and detailed 3D reconstruction of ancient Rome.

France Joli – The Voice of Montreal

In 1979, sixteen-year-old France Joli burst onto the international music scene with the Disco-Era classic Come To Me. More hits followed: The Heart To Break The Heart, Gonna Get Over You, and, more recently, France’s cover of the Leonard Cohen favorite Hallelujah.

Ms. Joli is back with a new song. It’s a cover of the ballad Heart of Stone from the hit Broadway musical SIX (about the wives of Henry VIII). Joli puts her trademark disco spin on the track along with soaring vocals that rival the stage version.

In a revealing new interview with filmmaker/discophile Kelly Hughes, the celebrated chanteuse Québécoise talks about the making of Heart of Stone and shares behind-the-scenes stories about her most beloved songs.

Pandemics Do Eventually End

Even if Omicron is complicating the question of when this one will, it won’t be like flipping a light switch: The world will have to learn to coexist with a virus that’s not going away.

Pandemics do eventually end, even if omicron is complicating the question of when this one will. But it won’t be like flipping a light switch: The world will have to learn to coexist with a virus that’s not going away.

The ultra-contagious omicron mutant is pushing cases to all-time highs and causing chaos as an exhausted world struggles, again, to stem the spread. But this time, we’re not starting from scratch.

Vaccines offer strong protection from serious illness, even if they don’t always prevent a mild infection. Omicron doesn’t appear to be as deadly as some earlier variants. And those who survive it will have some refreshed protection against other forms of the virus that still are circulating — and maybe the next mutant to emerge, too.

The newest variant is a warning about what will continue to happen “unless we really get serious about the endgame,” said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health.

“Certainly COVID will be with us forever,” Ko added. “We’re never going to be able to eradicate or eliminate COVID, so we have to identify our goals.”

At some point, the World Health Organization will determine when enough countries have tamped down their COVID-19 cases sufficiently — or at least, hospitalizations and deaths — to declare the pandemic officially over. Exactly what that threshold will be isn’t clear.

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Where Does the Name January Come From?

January is named for the ancient Roman god of transitions, Janus, who is often depicted with two heads that face in opposite directions.

St Canute’s Day

St Canute’s Day is the feast day of the Danish king Canute the Holy, which was originally on January 7, the day after Epiphany.

National Park Fee-Free Days of 2022

By Elizabeth Preske of TripSavvy

Outdoor enthusiasts, get ready to start planning your 2022 adventures. For five days this year, the National Park Service will waive entrance fees for all 423 of its parks, monuments, and memorials.

Even though you can visit a majority of the national parks for free at any given time, 108 NPS sites—including Acadia, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Glacier national parks—charge admission fees ranging from $5 to $35 most days of the year. But if you plan accordingly, you can hit up America’s most popular parks without worrying about this key cost.

The National Park Service fee-free days for 2022 include:

• Jan. 17 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• April 16 – First day of National Park Week
• Aug. 4 – Great American Outdoors Act anniversary
• Sept. 24 – National Public Lands Day
• Nov. 11 – Veterans Day

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We Must Come Together on COVID

The new Netflix film Don’t Look Up is a star-studded allegory about climate change. The world faces a clear and imminent threat, and the question the movie poses is: Will we be able to overcome the narrow self-interests of politicians, the business community, and individual nations to defeat the threat we collectively face? Will too many people around the world be too gullible and passive to demand the right actions from their leaders?

In the case of the film, it does not give away too much to suggest that doing the right thing is a challenge. The film is not just a parable about our inertia when it comes to the ever worsening, nearly irreversible climate crisis—it is a reminder that the idea that the planet will effectively unite in the interest of self-preservation is itself a romantic myth.

The coronavirus pandemic has shown that bona fide global cooperation is more fanciful and out of reach than ever.

It was a very different sort of Hollywood product, President Ronald Reagan, who—with Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev—helped promote this fantasy of an enlightened global community. During a 1985 summit in Geneva, their conversation took an odd turn. As reported by Gorbachev himself, “President Reagan suddenly said to me, ‘What would you do if the United States were suddenly attacked by someone from outer space? Would you help us?’” Gorbachev responded, “No doubt about it.” Reagan replied, “We too.”

Our modern experience with shared existential threats tells another story.

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Ramen for Winter

The roots of ramen can be traced back to China, whose noodle-eating food culture was introduced in Japan during the 1860s. It was at this period when Japan ended its national isolation and reopened its ports to the outside world.

30 Best Ramen Recipes

Free Jabs and Sauna at Austria’s Fun Palast brothel

 

Forget free beers, lotteries and discount food, a brothel in Austria has come up with a sure-fire way to incentivise people to get the coronavirus vaccine. Not only is Fun Palast in Vienna administering jabs, it’s offering up a 30-minute session in the ‘sauna club’ with the ‘lady of your choice’ to anyone who gets the vaccine at the on-site clinic.

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Larry David on Larry David

Larry David to host ‘Saturday Night Live’ (blastingnews.com)

There are many things about me that I’m sure might be of interest to readers. Things I’ve never really told anyone. I’ve always been a private person, but I wanted to make sure I got a few things down in writing, just in case anything happens to me-or before I forget!

MORE about Larry DavidLESS about Larry David

Like, here’s something: People might be surprised to learn that I’m a speed reader. I took a course when I was a kid, and one would be hard pressed to name a book I haven’t read. Books are my constant companions. Like, last year, I went to Turks and Caicos over Christmas and read “The Count of Monte Cristo” on the way there and “Anna Karenina” on the way back. I’m glad I read them in that order. It might have ruined my vacation otherwise! So, you know, stuff like that.

Not sure how much time should be given to my standup years, but I’ve thought of a few stories that might be worth mentioning. There was one night at the Improv when I made a woman sitting in the front row laugh so hard that she went into convulsions and eventually lost consciousness. An ambulance had to be called, and she was taken to Roosevelt Hospital. It was touch and go there for a while, but thankfully she pulled through. I visited her the next day with the best bouquet of flowers that New York had to offer and humbly stood by while she told the nurse how “damn funny” I was. Pretty embarrassing, but what choice did I have?

From that point on, everyone started calling me Killer. People came to the club in droves, asking if Killer was going on. It wasn’t bad for my social life, either. No sooner would I finish a set than there would be half a dozen women at the bar, trying to talk to me. “Kill me! Kill me!” they would pant. I would choose two and off we’d go. One particular night, the husbands showed up. (I had no idea they were married-swear to God!) Fortunately, my father taught me how to box when I was a kid, and there’s no doubt I could’ve turned professional if comedy hadn’t called me. In any case, I was not to be trifled with. I calmly explained this to both husbands, but they were not impressed. Two minutes later, they were lying flat out on the sidewalk, whereupon their wives and I hopped into a cab and I did another set across town. When it was over, I bought a round of drinks for everyone, even though I didn’t have a penny to my name. (Interesting stuff, right? Hope it’s useful. Either way, I’m good-your call.)

There wasn’t much money to be made in standup back then, so I supported my fledgling comedy career by working as a tour guide at the Central Park Zoo during the day. I’ve always had a deep connection with animals and I thought that would be the perfect job for me.

And it was, until some kid was admiring the polar bear and decided to jump the railing to get a closer look. I was in the middle of giving a tour when I heard screams coming from the kid’s parents and raced over there. The boy was on the ground in a state of shock, as the polar bear hovered over him, about to attack. As luck would have it, a few months prior I’d attended a lecture at the New School by one of the world’s foremost Ursus authorities, Dr. Meyer Dusenberry, who explained that if we were ever face to face with a bear we should create a cacophony. Without a second to lose, I grabbed the lid of a hot-dog pot from a nearby Sabrett’s cart, leaped over the fence, and frantically rattled the lid against the bars until the bear retreated. Then I slung the kid over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry (learned from my years as a volunteer with the F.D.N.Y.) and returned the youngster to his grateful parents. They offered me a huge reward, but I declined, saying that my reward was seeing their happy faces. No amount of money in the world could top that!

I kept in touch with the boy throughout his youth, and, after his parents lost all their money in a Ponzi scheme, I put him through college and medical school. Today, he’s on the verge of a monumental cancer-research breakthrough and is slated to appear on an upcoming cover of Time. I told him I preferred to remain anonymous in the article. (You don’t have to include this in the book, but, if you want to, I guess there’s nothing I can do about it.)

People always ask me what I would’ve done had I not become a comedian. Besides the aforementioned stints at prizefighting and animal husbandry, I was also a child prodigy at the piano. By the time I was eight, I was playing Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major flawlessly. There’s no telling how far I could’ve gone, but my budding career as a virtuoso ended when my “friend” Frenchie dropped a bowling ball on my foot. It broke my third and fifth metatarsal bones. I lost all proficiency with the pedals, and my tone was never the same. As I look back on that incident, what’s most galling to me is that I was only two strikes away from a perfect game when the “accident” occurred. Many years later, I ran into Frenchie at Yankee Stadium and accidentally dropped a fist in his face.
But the universe works in mysterious ways, because the day after my bowling-lane encounter with Frenchie I attended a podiatry convention (by then I’d become obsessed with the intricate bone structure of the human foot), where I met a doctor who told me that the simple act of running might be the best thing for my injury. Soon I was pounding the pavement nearly thirty miles a week, and, before long, not only was I playing the piano again but I had signed up for the New York City Marathon. It was my first race, but clearly I had a gift for distance running, because, after eighteen miles, I found myself in fifth place, only an eighth of a mile behind the leader.

We were approaching the Queensboro Bridge when, for some reason, I turned to my right and, behind the crowd, I noticed a holdup of a jewelry store in progress. Even though I was in striking distance of the leader, I couldn’t ignore what was taking place. I made a sharp detour to my right and slithered through the crowd. When I arrived at the store, the robber was brandishing a gun at the terrified jeweller while emptying the contents of the case into a cloth sack. I proceeded to sneak up behind the thief, karate-chop his arm, and render him unconscious with a sleeper hold that I picked up from watching Chief Jay Strongbow in a wrestling match on TV. Then I handed the gun to the jeweller, told him to call the police, and added that, if the robber were to wake up, he should shoot him if he made a move. Mission accomplished, I made my way back to the race and still managed to finish twentieth. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that, had I not foiled the robbery, I would’ve easily placed in the top five, or maybe even won. (Life’s funny. Bought a new watch today and was reminded of that story for the first time in years. Can’t think of any reason that you wouldn’t use it, unless you don’t want people to know the truth. News flash! There’s more to me than just jokes!)
I entered the marathon again the following year and thought for sure that this time I’d sweep the chips, but two days before the race I was contacted by an adoption agency. There was a child available in Romania, and she was mine if I could get there in twenty-four hours. As badly as I wanted to win the marathon, I couldn’t pass up this amazing opportunity. For years, I’d longed to adopt a child. I had so much to give, so much knowledge to impart. That night, I was off to Romania. When I returned home, it was with a beautiful, sightless little girl named Natasha, whom I renamed Jill. She was six years old and didn’t speak a word of English, but, given my proficiency with languages, I was fluent in Romanian within five weeks. Tragically, after a few months, Jill’s birth mother showed up and begged to take her child back. How could I deprive a mother of her little girl? And so, as difficult as it was, I gave Jill up. I still write to her every day in Braille and make the trek to Bucharest annually. She’s the love of my life.

So, these are just a few memories-yours to use as you see fit. Just know that there’s certainly a lot more where they came from!

Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, director, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television series Seinfeld, on which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seven seasons. He gained further recognition for the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, which he created and stars in as a semi-fictionalized version of himself. He has written or co-written the stories of every episode of the improvisational comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm since its pilot episode in 1999.

 

It’s Winter, Wear a Hat

Story courtesy of bernardhats.com/all-about-hats/history-of-hats

The History of Hats begins with one of the first pictorial depictions of a hat appears in a Thebes tomb painting which shows a man wearing a conical straw hat.

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Other early hats were the Pileus, a simple skull cap; the Phrygian cap, worn by freed slaves in Greece and Rome; and the Greek petasos, the first known hat with a brim. Women wore veils, kerchiefs, hoods, caps and wimples. St. Clement, the patron saint of felt hatmakers, is said to have discovered wool felt when he filled his sandals with flax fibers to protect his feet.

In the Middle Ages, hats were a marker of social status and used to single out certain groups. The 1215 Fourth Council of the Lateran required that all Jews identify themselves by wearing the Judenhat (“Jewish hat”), marking them as targets for anti-Semitism. The hats were usually yellow, and were either pointed or square.

In the Middle Ages, hats for women ranged from simple scarves to elaborate hennin, and denoted social status. Structured hats for women similar to those of male courtiers began to be worn in the late 16th century. The term ‘milliner’ comes from the Italian city of Milan, where the best quality hats were made in the 18th century. Millinery was traditionally a woman’s occupation, with the milliner not only creating hats and bonnets but also choosing lace, trimmings and accessories to complete an outfit.

Men’s hat, 1600-1625

In the first half of the 19th century, women wore bonnets that gradually became larger, decorated with ribbons, flowers, feathers, and gauze trims. By the end of the century, many other styles were introduced, among them hats with wide brims and flat crowns, the flower pot and the toque. By the middle of the 1920s, when women began to cut their hair short, they chose hats that hugged the head like a helmet.

The tradition of wearing hats to horse racing events began at the Royal Ascot in Britain, which maintains a strict dress code. All guests in the Royal Enclosure must wear hats. This tradition was adopted at other horse racing events, such as the Kentucky Derby in the United States.

Extravagant hats were popular in the 1980s, and in the early 21st century, flamboyant hats made a comeback, with a new wave of competitive young milliners designing creations that include turban caps, trompe-l’oeil-effect felt hats and tall headpieces made of human hair. Some new hat collections have been described as “wearable sculpture.” Many pop stars, among them Lady Gaga, have commissioned hats as publicity stunts.

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Random Acts of Canine Kindness

Cedric the Dog takes a well-deserved break after dismantling a domestic terrorist bomb at Pike Place Market.

You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog. – Harry S. Truman

Dog Quotations

Together in Spirit – The Best Friends Animal Society

At the core of Best Friends Animal Society’s work is the dream that one day animals will no longer be killed in America’s shelters.

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Movie of the Week

Bringing Up Baby (1938). Directed by Howard Hawks.

While trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress and her pet leopard, Baby.

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Booster Reminder

If you want to be proactive, go and get your vaccine, go get your booster, try to work to get the population immunity up to a higher level as Omicron becomes a variant here in the U.S.

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How COVID-19 harms the heart

A colored chest x-ray of the enlarged heart of a 74-year-old female COVID-19 patient. Some patients continue to experience cardiovascular symptoms months after recovering from COVID-19-even though their chest scans and other tests come back normal.

Many patients are experiencing heart palpitations, chest pain, and shortness of breath even after recovering from COVID-19. But new studies offer reason for hope.

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Springsteen’s Relationship With His Father

Bruce Springsteen endured verbal abuse from his father as a child that later resulted in breakdowns and mental health issues, the singer revealed in an explosive tell-all interview.

Springsteen, 69, admitted that his father made him feel ashamed for being more like his mother, as opposed to tough like him.

“My mother was kind and compassionate and very considerate of others’ feelings,” he told Esquire. “She trod through the world with purpose, but softly, lightly. All those were the things that aligned with my own spirit. That was who I was. They came naturally to me. My father looked at all those things as weaknesses. He was very dismissive of primarily who I was. And that sends you off on a lifelong quest to sort through that.”

Today, Springsteen has dedicated his life to over 29 charitable foundations, often through his music and concerts.

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Ben Franklin Quote

In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the small-pox, taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him byinoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.
― Benjamin Franklin

What Are YOUR Holiday Cancellation Rights?

Courtesy of Matt Fernell, www.money.co.uk

If you need to cancel your holiday it is important to know where you stand before you speak to your travel agent or insurer. Here are your rights when you have to cancel your holiday.

No one wants to have to cancel their holiday but if this happens to you, you need to know what your rights are when it comes to getting your money back. Our guide explains it all.

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The T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s Top Five North-American-English Language Travel Novels

As can be expected the presence of Ernest Hemingway and Jack Kerouac dominated the lists. Regarded by many as the greatest and most influential writer in the 20th century, Hemingway’s writing style is minimalistic, direct, and unadorned, a result of his early newspaper training. While Kerouac termed his style of writing, “spontaneous prose,” which gushed with unedited sentences that captured the truth of the moment. Both writers’ work is based on personal experience. John Dos Passos, a Hemingway contemporary, and Mark Twain, whose novel, The Adventures of Huckeberry Finne, is considered by many as the Great American novel, are also well represented.

See Results of Top Five North-American-English Language Travel Novels

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945-1983) was a prolific German filmmaker, actor, playwright, theatre director, composer, editor, and essayist. Along with Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders (while some consider also Volker Schlöndorff), he is widely regarded as one of the prominent figures of the New German Cinema movement.

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Fassbinder died at age 37 from a lethal cocktail of cocaine and barbiturates. His career lasted less than two decades, but still completed over 40 feature films, two television series, three short films, four video productions, and 24 plays. The T-Boy Society of Film & Music rates The Merchant of Four Seasons (1972), The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972), Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), Fox and His Friends (1975) and Lola (1981) among his best films.

Running more than 13 hours, with a two-hour coda (released in the U.S. as a 15-hour feat ure), his landmark German TV Mini Series, Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980), an adaptation of Alfred Döblin’s 1929 novel Berlin Alexanderplatz, was the culmination of the director’s inter-related themes of love, life, and power. New York film critic, Vincent Canby hailed Fassbinder as “The most original talent since Jean-Luc Godard.”

FOCUS: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Produced at the peak of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s creative powers, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)) reworks the narrative and thematic framework of Douglas Sirk’s classic melodrama All That Heaven Allows (also the inspiration for Todd Haynes’ Far from Heaven) in telling the improbable love story of Ali (El Hedi ben Salem), a thirty-something Moroccan immigrant working as a mechanic, and Emmi (Fassbinder muse Brigitte Mira), a German widow who is old enough to be his mother. The unlikely pair gets married and quickly encounters prejudice and discrimination from neighbors, friends, and family (including Fassbinder himself as Emmi’s son-in-law). This tender romance-cum-social-commentary has endured as one of Fassbinder’s most accomplished masterpieces..

Covid-19 Variant Omicron Induces Wave of Travel Restrictions

By Elizabeth West / Business Travel News

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Effective today, United States has barred all foreign nationals arriving from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

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Urban air mobility may soon replace taxis, rideshares

By Gautham Nagesh

Within a few years, the most efficient way to get to the airport may not be a taxi or rideshare service, but an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that can quickly get you to your destination for about the same cost as a ride in an Uber Black. Urban air mobility flights may cost as little as $50 to $80 and would typically carry between two and 10 passengers on short distances up to 200 miles.

It is late afternoon in Manhattan and you have a flight to catch at Kennedy International Airport. Instead of sitting in rush-hour traffic for two hours, you take a short ride to a nearby parking garage where you board an electric aircraft that takes off vertically from the roof and deposits you at Kennedy 20 minutes later for roughly the same cost as a fancy ride-share. You make your flight in time.

While this scenario might sound far-fetched, several companies say they are on the verge of being able to offer safe, cheap, clean electric aircraft that can help passengers travel distances between two and 150 miles without the need for a conventional runway. Public and private experts believe the technology could grow into a massive market that helps ease congestion and changes the way people travel in major metropolitan areas.

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The Best Cities to Relocate to Around the World

The pandemic has heightened our appreciation for where we live, with many reconsidering their hometowns. Coupled with the flexibility of remote work and international borders slowly opening up, now might be the time to consider that relocation you’ve long dreamed of.

To determine the ideal places to call home, U.K. finance site money.co.uk studied the best cities to move around the world in its Relocation Report, released this week.

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Importance of Listening

Sounds are omnipresent in nature and many species’ lives depend on their acute hearing. What if as human beings we could learn this lesson from nature? In her latest blog, Dr. Kathy Allen offers 4 key reasons why we need to listen to what is happening around us.

Listen here: Kathleen Allen | The Sounds of Nature

World’s Worst Airlines in the World

Travel company AirHelp, which helps travelers get compensated for flight delays, wanted to find out how dozens of airlines around the world stacked up against each other, so they crunched some numbers to create a ranking. The final list accounts for the quality of amenities, on-time arrivals and how well the airlines resolve flight-delay compensation claims.

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Switzerland by train, bus and boat

Receive detailed information about travelling by train, bus and boat –
all on mystsnet.com, Swiss Travel System’s Media and Trade platform. Keep
abreast of current information around the news world thanks to press releases
and download inspiring texts, pictures and videos from the Download Centre.

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The post France Joli, Wear a Hat, World’s Airlines Ranked appeared first on Traveling Archive.