samhexum

A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member with Queens roots will be posthumously honored for his contributions to the music industry during his lifetime. Walter Becker, a Forest Hills native and co-founder of the band Steely Dan, will have his memory honored by co-naming the corner of 112th Street and 72nd Avenue, the street where Becker grew up, as “Walter Becker Way.” It’s a block from my aunt’s old apt, where I lived for a couple of years, & a block (in the other direction) from the Yeshiva I attended until I was paroled in early Dec. during 5th grade. Fun Fact: If you take 112th St. north until it ends, you run into the athletic field for Forest Hills H.S., where Simon & Garfunkel attended. Coincidentally, I saw a listing for a house for sale that I liked on that same corner 7 weeks ago: https://qns.com/story/2018/05/22/see-forest-hills-home-modern-design-market-2-1m/ The unveiling will take place on Oct. 28. Becker and his partner, Donald Fagen, formed the jazz-rock band Steely Dan in 1971. He released many albums with Steely Dan and on his own, and performed with Steely Dan when the band reformed. Becker died of esophageal cancer on Sept. 3, 2017, at the age of 67. Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, who represents Forest Hills, co-sponsored the “Walter Becker Way” renaming as part of a bill that passed the City Council on June 28. WAXQ-FM radio will host the renaming ceremony, which will include special guests, remembrances from Becker’s friends and colleagues, and giveaways. Festivities will be planned by Becker’s fans. “Walter’s fans have decades of experience holding ‘Danfests’ throughout the country,” said Delia Becker, Becker’s widow. “And they always find innovative and eclectic ways of celebrating. It will undoubtedly be a fun and free gathering to honor and commemorate Walter as only they can!”

Geometry:

Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Marjama informed the team that he is retiring from baseball to take a position with the National Eating Disorders Association. Marjama, 28, was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on April 20 after making the team's Opening Day roster. He appeared in 10 games this season, batting .111 with three doubles, two walks and six strikeouts. Marjama told the Sacramento Bee last year that he battled an eating disorder when he competed as a wrestler at Granite Bay High School in northern California. He said he cut weight for wrestling and then kept dropping pounds, plummeting to as low as 130 pounds. He required inpatient treatment, recovered and has been outspoken about the disorder since. "When I had the eating disorder, I was stubborn. Now my eyes are open," Marjama, who is now 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, told the Bee. "A lot of high school students have a tremendous amount of pressure on them. We all want to see things out of reality, and we don't always see things fully clear. It was a hard time, what I went through, but it changed my perspective on life. It definitely helped me grow." http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/03/29/16/4AAB6B9B00000578-0-image-m-23_1522337635796.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/03/29/16/4AAB6BA300000578-0-image-a-9_1522337194630.jpg

Or do you prefer getting up at the crack of noon?

Oh, please... PLEASE let me differ...

I never stopped to think about the phrase 'you're out of your cotton pickin' mind' until a few recent news items made me realize why it would be offensive to African Americans.

Get into a lukewarm shower, then gradually increase the cold water so your system isn't shocked by a rush of cold water, and keep increasing it slowly until it gets as cold as you can take. After the shower, let yourself air-dry. You'll feel much cooler & it lasts a while.

Broadway musical “Chicago” has launched an investigation after friends of a cast member claimed he killed himself because he was “bullied” by the show’s directors. Pals of Jeff Loeffelholz — who had been a member of the cast for 22 years — started a campaign called Justice for Jeff after Loeffelholz committed suicide, claiming that the production’s director Walter Bobbie and musical director Leslie Stifelman wanted Loeffelholz out of the long-running production but that his contract wouldn’t allow them to fire him. The group claims that the pair put Loeffelholz, a standby member of the cast, through a tortuous rehearsal on June 22 in an attempt to get him to quit the show, forcing him to sing the same song over and over and telling him, “You always do it wrong.” The campaign’s blog, Justice For Jeffrey, claims that the account was based on notes that Loeffelholz made after the incident. Loeffelholz died a week later, on June 29. Now Page Six has learned that the producers of the show have hired attorney Judd Burstein to look into Loeffelholz’s situation. In a statement, Burstein told us, “The producers of ‘Chicago’ are devastated by Jeff Loeffelholz’s death. The producers are taking this matter very seriously, and are fully committed to finding out exactly what transpired. To that end, I have been retained to conduct an exhaustive investigation on an expedited basis.” Bobbie added: “I am saddened by Jeff’s tragic passing, for him and for his family.” Stifelman didn’t get back to us. A Broadway insider told us it’s behavior that is known too well on the Great White Way. “No one can directly blame anyone for something like suicide, but this treatment is kind of like an old-school Broadway scenario where there seems to be a disposable amount of talent that allows people to treat people like this,” said a source. “When you’re loyal to a show like that, it’s not celebrated. It can actually make you unhireable. It’s a strange thing.”

How could you omit 21 JUMP ST?

Yankee radio announcer John Sterling has called every game since 1989. He's very much a "love him or hate him" figure, best known for his (showy, overly planned, ego-driven) home run calls, which almost always include "It is high... It is far... It is gone!"*** even when it's a low line drive barely over the wall. His call for Giancarlo Stanton includes a line in Italian, even though Giancarlo ain't Italian. Annnnnyhoo... July 4th was his 80th birthday, and as a tribute, TV announcer Michael Kay (Sterling's former radio partner) called a Stanton home run Sterling-style: *** When it was announced during spring training in 2000 that his wife was preggers with triplets, the joke going around the press box was that he'd name them High, Far, & Gone.

Kim Kardashian isn’t the only celebrity whose hair has sparked accusations of cultural appropriation. While Kardashian has persisted in wearing Fulani braids in spite of criticism that she’s appropriating a hairstyle created by and for women of color, it remains to be seen how Zac Efron will respond to the backlash he’s getting over his new dreadlocks look. The actor, who typically wears his brown hair short, shared a photo on Instagram showing off his new dreadlocks. Efron’s caption read “just for fun,” though it’s possible the hair makeover is tied to a film role. It’s a dramatic new look for Efron — but many people don’t see it as “fun.” The 30-year-old star is being slammed by some fans for appropriating a black hairstyle. Another point of contention is that, when worn by black people, dreadlocks can be met with racially charged negativity. “This is so racially insensitive,” read one comment. “Cultural appropriation ain’t fun,” another commenter added. “We love you, just please don’t cultural appropriate — cut those off before they cancel you,” pleaded a disappointed fan. The uproar over Efron’s hair prompted many to defend the star and his hair, arguing that dreadlocks were up for grabs for any race. “It’s a hairstyle, who cares,” wrote one commenter. “People will bring race into anything these days. If you have to bring color into a conversation then maybe you should look in the mirror and question your own values.” “It’s just hair!” added another supporter. “He’s not doing it for a cultural or political reason, just like when Kim had her cornrows. It’s just a hairstyle — get over it and have fun with your life.” Efron isn’t the first white male celebrity to get flak for having dreadlocks. Justin Bieber received similar backlash when he dabbled with the ’do in 2016.

I didn't change the title of this thread. Was it offensive the way it was? Libelous?

Trump offers $1 million to Elizabeth Warren's charity of choice to prove Native American heritage with DNA test Trump dangled a $1 million donation to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s charity of choice if she takes a DNA test and it proves her purported Native American heritage. He also managed to throw in a cringeworthy #MeToo joke in the process. Trump mused that he would buy a DNA test and throw it at her should he face off with the Massachusetts lawmaker during a 2020 presidential debate — and she brings up the claim. “We have to do it gently. Because we’re in the #MeToo generation, so I have to be very gentle,” Trump said, mocking the wave of ousting male harassers in the entertainment industry. “We will slowly toss (the kit) hoping it doesn’t injure her arm.” Trump’s revitalized attack of Warren was met with mixed applause, groans and cheers during an energetic campaign-style rally in Great Falls, Mont., Thursday. “I will say, ‘We will give $1 million to your favorite charity — paid for by Trump — if you take the test and it shows you’re an Indian,’ ” Trump said, imagining himself in a debate with the rumored Democratic presidential contender. “Let’s see what she does. I have feeling she will say no, but I will hold that for the debates,” he said. Warren and her claim of Cherokee and Delaware Indian heritage during a 2012 Senate run has been a repeat target of Trump’s volatile attacks at rallies and on social media. She cited family stories, rather than DNA testing or documentation to prove her ancestry. Trump has often ridiculed Warren with the nickname “Pocahontas” since May 2016. He said he would apologize to the 17th century Native American woman for giving Warren the nickname, but not Warren herself. Warren fired back after Thursday’s rally. “While you obsess over my genes, your Admin is conducting DNA tests on little kids because you ripped them from their mamas & you are too incompetent to reunite them in time to meet a court order,” Warren tweeted. “Maybe you should focus on fixing the lives you’re destroying.”