samhexum

BTW, the strangest thing has been happening for months: HULU is the only place that seems to have GOC without commercials... I try to play it, only to get a PSA about the evils of cigarette smoking, followed by an Indian film. Nary a sheep in sight!

The Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM) in Corona announced it will officially open its new state-of-the-art building, preserving and expanding the legacy and ideals of America’s first Black popular music icon, on Thursday, July 6, as the new permanent home for the 60,000-piece Louis Armstrong Archive, the world’s largest for a jazz musician, and a 75-seat venue offering performances, lectures, films and other educational experiences. “This is a landmark moment for the Louis Armstrong House Museum,” said LAHM Executive Director Regina Bain. “Standing on the shoulders of the jazz and community greats who have come before us, the new Louis Armstrong Center invites today’s musicians, neighbors, and global fans to discover Louis and Lucille Armstrong’s story from a new perspective. We will bring the Armstrongs’ unique archives alive through new interactive events. And we will ensure that music once again rings out on 107th Street through groundbreaking programs in collaboration with emerging artists and contemporary icons.” The 14,000-square-foot center establishes the final piece of the campus that now comprises the museum as whole; it now includes the home itself that reflects the personal values of Louis Armstrong, the garden that serves as a place for gathering and a place for live performances, the donated home of next-door neighbor Selma Heraldo, reflecting the deep roots within the community, and the new center, designed as an interpretation of Armstrong’s music, where the public can learn even more about the icon who is Louis Armstrong. Armstrong’s classic “What a Wonderful World” was inspired by the neighborhood around his home at 34-56 107th St., where he and his wife Lucille Wilson lived from 1943 to 1971. The new Louis Armstrong Center in Corona will officially open to the public on July 6.

Clean-shaven Alec Secareanu is in SPY/MASTER, a six part series on HBO that ain't bad. 'Spy/Master' review: An enthralling Cold War thriller So. Much. Suspense. https://mashable.com/article/spy-master-review-hbo-max

The Rowdy Girls Directed by: David Trainer Written by: Linda Bloodworth-Thomason Taped: October 3, 1989 Airdate: October 30, 1989 For the annual Design Arts Center Talent Show, Sugarbaker's decides to lip-synch a Supremes song. Suzanne is called away to judge a beauty contest but promises to be back in time for the show. Before she leaves, she announces that she and Anthony are also doing a Motown routine together. Suzanne suggests doing her routines in black makeup, an idea the other women find racist. MARY JO: Suzanne, we can't go around in black face, that's racist! SUZANNE: Why? If Dustin Hoffman was gonna play Martin Luther King, you don't think he'd wear black makeup? JULIA: Suzanne, Dustin Hoffman would never play Martin Luther King -- that part would go to a black actor. SUZANNE: Well I think that's racist! I mean, I think it should go to whoever the best person is --- and that could be Dustin Hoffman. I can quote Designing Women for many situations in life. 😎

Fishing crew denied $3.5M in prize money after 600-pound marlin DQ’d in tournament A shark took a bite out of one crew’s dream of winning a high-stakes fishing competition when the massive marlin they reeled in was disqualified by tournament officials for being mutilated. The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina ended in controversy after the crew dubbed Sensation boasted a whopping 619-pound marlin Saturday that would have clinched the team members more than $3 million in prize money, but was disallowed because it appeared to be bitten by sharks. “It was determined that Sensation’s 619.4 lb. Blue Marlin is disqualified due to mutilation caused by a shark or other marine animal,” the tourney officials wrote in a statement Sunday. “It was deemed that the fish was mutilated before it was landed or boated and therefore it was disqualified.” The decision came after “careful deliberation and discussions” with tournament officials and experts. Sensation’s captain, Greg McCoy, told the Washington Post his crew believed they were winners after battling to hook the huge marlin for hours. “It’s the final hour, the final day and we fought with him for six hours,” McCoy told the newspaper. “It’s a tough pill to swallow.” He said he was shocked when the mutilation rule came up. A livestream of the event shows the crowd going wild as the crew proudly revealed their humongous catch of the day. But the mood quickly dampened. “It would appear that this fish has been bitten by a shark,” the announcer said over a loudspeaker. Sensation would have won about $3.5 million in prize money. The crew would have earned $2.77 million for coming in first place and another $739,500 for the first catch of the year that is more than 500 pounds, the Washington Post reported. The tournament, in its statement, said the decision to disqualify Sensation’s catch was consistent with past rulings and in line with the International Game Fish Association rulebook. A crew named Sushi ended up winning the tournament, in its 65th year, by landing a 484.5-pound blue marlin, tournament officials said. Tournament officials noted 271 boats competed in this year’s competition. https://nypost.com/2023/06/19/massive-marlin-dqd-in-big-rock-blue-marlin-tournament-over-mutilation/#:~:text=Sensation would have won about,pounds%2C the Washington Post reported.

Woman who knocked on coffin at her funeral dies after week in hospital

Every time a drug commercial comes on where somebody says "I have..." I reply "Good for you!" since they seem so proud of whatever's wrong with them.

Real-life 'Rain Man' who was first person diagnosed with autism dead at 89 Shockingly, he WASN'T a basketball player.

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott break up after 17 years of marriage

THAT'S a euphemism I haven't heard before!

another day, another closure... AT&T shutting flagship store in San Francisco, deepening city's pain

Y'all can decide which critter is the cute one. Bark of success I made $1.3 million last year grooming dogs — here's how “I came to the US with two scissors and a clipper, and now I have a place where I feel like an artist and show the world that this career is possible.”

NBA forward Tony Snell can thank his son for helping him learn something important about himself. Appearing on NBC's "Today" on Friday, Snell revealed that he was able to discover as an adult that he has autism spectrum disorder after his 2-year-old son Karter was diagnosed at 18 months. "I'm like, 'You know what, if he's diagnosed [with autism], then I think I am [on the autism spectrum] too.' So that gave me the courage to go get checked up," Snell told "Today." As a kid in California, Snell said he was "always independent growing up. Always being alone. I just couldn't connect with people on the personal side of things." Despite not being diagnosed until he was 31, Snell said the news made sense to him. "I was not surprised, because I always felt different," Snell said. "I was just relieved, like 'Ahh, this is why I am the way I am.' It just made my whole life, everything about my life, make so much sense. It was like a clarity, like putting some 3-D glasses on." After being picked by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2013 draft, Snell has since played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers and finished the 2021-22 season with the New Orleans Pelicans. He played in 19 games this season for the Boston Celtics' G League affiliate. But Snell said he thinks that not being diagnosed earlier in his life actually helped him reach the NBA. "I think I'd have probably been limited with the stuff I could probably do," Snell said. "I don't think I'd have been in the NBA if I was diagnosed with autism [at his son's age]. Because back then, like, what is autism? They'd have probably put a limit or a cap on my abilities." Ultimately Snell said he just wants to support his son. "I want to make sure my son knows that I have his back," Snell said. "When I was a kid, I felt different, but I can show him that I'm right here with you and we're going to ride this thing together, we're going to grow together and we're going to accomplish a lot of things together." https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37864547/ex-nbaer-tony-snell-learns-autistic-son-diagnosed

I just read a story about NBA player Tony Snell, who was inspired by his 2 year old's autism diagnosis to get himself tested and find out at age 31 that he is on the spectrum.

Maybe you can kiss it and make it all better. The Angels announced they’ve placed infielder Gio Urshela on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left pelvis. Urshela was forced out of yesterday’s win over the Rangers in the first inning. He was on crutches postgame and imaging has evidently revealed a fracture. The team hasn’t provided any kind of timetable but it seems likely he’ll be out past the minimal ten days.

10 weeks of pizza heaven: New York Pizza Festival to take place in Long Island City The New York Pizza Festival, hosted by TF Cornerstone, Caputo’s Market & Deli and Lavazza Coffee Company, is set to take place from June 24 to Sept. 3 at The Piazza at Hunter’s Point South Park, located at 52-03 Center Blvd. in Long Island City. The 10-week event will feature a curated selection of the most recognized Pizzaioli in the world, who will take turns every week to propose their unique pizza creation. All profits from the festival will be donated to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. This festival represents an assortment of artisanal-new generation pizzas and styles of cooking that come from all different regions and cultures. Every week, guests can try a different type of pizza made by a different Pizzaiolo, coming from the most famous pizzerias around the world. All the Pizzaioli will pay tribute to the city that most of all has made pizza its most famous and widespread dish; New York City has helped pizza become an international dish. In addition to the pizza, the festival will also feature a variety of other food and drink vendors, as well as live music and entertainment. There will also be a number of educational events throughout the festival, including pizza making classes and demonstrations. The New York Pizza Festival is free and open to the public and will be open from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday to Sunday each week.

'GMA' warns reporter to avoid 'dangerous' downtown San Fran during segment on closing mall Matt Gutman told viewers that his crew was instructed to film their 4 a.m. GMT “Good Morning America” segment in a separate part of the city while reporting on the shocking closure of the Westfield Mall. Though the shopping center — the latest in a swath of Bay Area staples to shutter their doors — cited decreasing foot traffic for its shutdown, Gutman suggested that the city’s rising crime could be to blame. “The mayor noting that several metrics of crime are actually flat or down. But it is worth mentioning that we are not at Union Square or the Westfield Mall this morning because we have been advised it is simply too dangerous to be there at this hour,” Gutman said. A sexy man like him should not be out at that hour. He should be safely snuggling with me.

NYC gunman in foot cast shoots guy in leg, then hobbles off Ah, New York! There's no other city quite like it!

Now that I bought them at $2.99, the BASTARDS have them on sale for $2.49 this week.

How come we never hear about 83 year old actresses expecting a child with their boyfriend?

Man busted having passionate 'sex' with tree in busy UK park Blimey! That bugger's got wood!

Representatives from city agencies gathered together in Rockaway Park on Tuesday, June 13, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the completion of the $16.6 million infrastructure project dedicated to rebuilding the peninsula’s Beach 108th Street. Among the block’s newest features is 11,000 square feet of new permeable concrete slabs, also referred to as “porous pavement,” designed for better drainage into the ground below. The ceremony included a demonstration of the porous pavement’s draining abilities, as workers from the Department of Environmental Protection poured water onto the concrete from a nearby hydrant. Beach 108th Street was one of many blocks on the Rockaway peninsula that suffered damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, contributing to the large size of the rebuilding project. As a result, the Department of Environmental Protection’s Unified Stormwater Rule, which took effect in 2022, required the use of Green Infrastructure in the project. The department will also require this for other similar projects citywide. “We’re going to be doing this everywhere, not just here in Rockaway so it’s an important step forward,” said Department of Environmental Protection Chief Operating Officer Vincent Sapienza. “We really need to make our surfaces more permeable so that they soak up that rainfall.” The city estimates that the addition of porous pavement to Beach 108th Street will allow the block to absorb and drain approximately 1.3 million gallons of stormwater into the ground annually. The repairing of approximately 1,100 feet of existing storm sewers and 22 catch basins, as well as the addition of 140 feet of new storm sewers and three new catch basins, will help support the excess water drainage. The project also replaced about 6,000 feet of old water mains and added two new fire hydrants. https://qns.com/2023/06/porous-pavement-reconstruction-project/

Pennsylvania will truck in 2,000 tons of lightweight glass nuggets to help quickly rebuild a collapsed section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and crews will work 24 hours a day until they can reopen the critical commercial artery, officials said Wednesday. Instead of rebuilding the overpass right away, crews will use the recycled glass to fill in the collapsed area to avoid supply-chain delays for other materials, Gov. Josh Shapiro said. But Shapiro repeatedly declined to estimate how long it will take to get traffic flowing again on the busy East Coast highway. “We’re going to get this job done as quickly as possible,” Shapiro said at a news conference near the site, over the sounds of heavy machinery working to clear wreckage. He said the work would be done with union labor. Investigators continued to look into why a truck hauling gasoline went out of control on an off-ramp and flipped on its side, igniting a fire early Sunday that caused the collapse of the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 and severely damaged the southbound lanes. Workers will fill the gap — which is roughly 100 feet (30 meters) long and 150 feet wide — by piling recycled foam glass aggregate into the underpass area, bringing it up to surface level and then paving it over so that three lanes of traffic can reopen each way, Shapiro said. “This approach will allow us to avoid delays due to shipping and supply chain issues and pursue a simple, quicker path,” Shapiro said. After that, a replacement bridge will be built next to it to reroute traffic while crews excavate the fill to restore the exit ramp, officials said. The Biden administration is pledging its aid as the collapse snarls traffic in Philadelphia while the summer travel season starts. It has upended hundreds of thousands of morning commutes, disrupted countless businesses and forced trucking companies to find different routes. Demolition of both the northbound and southbound lanes in the overpass was expected to finish Thursday. Trucks hauling glass aggregate could start arriving the same day and will have a state police escort, officials said. The company supplying the glass aggregate, AeroAggregates of North America, has a production site just south of Philadelphia along the Delaware River. There, it mills glass bottles and jars diverted from landfills into a powder and heats it into a foam to produce small, lightweight nuggets that are gray and look like rocks — but are as light as Styrofoam, said CEO Archie Filshill. Each one is about an inch or inch-and-a-half wide. Filshill estimated that it will take about 100 box-truck loads to haul about 10,000 cubic yards (7,600 cubic meters) of the glass nuggets required for the I-95 project. The total weight is around 2,000 tons, a fraction of the weight of regular sand or dirt, meaning that it will take many fewer trucks to bring it to the site, Filshill said. PennDOT was the first to use his company's product after he began making it in 2017, and it is now approved for use by 23 state transportation departments around the country, Filshill said. AeroAggregates will divert material bound for other, less urgent projects to the I-95 project, he said. The disruption is likely raise the cost of consumer goods because truckers must now travel longer routes, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. Of the 160,000 vehicles a day that travel that section, 8% are trucks, Buttigieg said. Police say the driver died in the accident. The Philadelphia medical examiner identified him as Nathan Moody, 53. Authorities say Moody was headed northbound on his way to deliver fuel to a convenience store when the truck lost control on a curving off-ramp, landing on its side and rupturing the tank. https://www.aol.com/news/pennsylvania-plans-fix-collapsed-section-144416983.html to continue pounding the pavement theme... Representatives from city agencies gathered together in Rockaway Park on Tuesday, June 13, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the completion of the $16.6 million infrastructure project dedicated to rebuilding the peninsula’s Beach 108th Street. Among the block’s newest features is 11,000 square feet of new permeable concrete slabs, also referred to as “porous pavement,” designed for better drainage into the ground below. The ceremony included a demonstration of the porous pavement’s draining abilities, as workers from the Department of Environmental Protection poured water onto the concrete from a nearby hydrant. Beach 108th Street was one of many blocks on the Rockaway peninsula that suffered damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, contributing to the large size of the rebuilding project. As a result, the Department of Environmental Protection’s Unified Stormwater Rule, which took effect in 2022, required the use of Green Infrastructure in the project. The department will also require this for other similar projects citywide. “We’re going to be doing this everywhere, not just here in Rockaway so it’s an important step forward,” said Department of Environmental Protection Chief Operating Officer Vincent Sapienza. “We really need to make our surfaces more permeable so that they soak up that rainfall.” The city estimates that the addition of porous pavement to Beach 108th Street will allow the block to absorb and drain approximately 1.3 million gallons of stormwater into the ground annually. The repairing of approximately 1,100 feet of existing storm sewers and 22 catch basins, as well as the addition of 140 feet of new storm sewers and three new catch basins, will help support the excess water drainage. The project also replaced about 6,000 feet of old water mains and added two new fire hydrants. https://qns.com/2023/06/porous-pavement-reconstruction-project/