samhexum

Phil was 88.

The enigmatic life and complex legacy of Pinky Deras, America’s greatest Little Leaguer At his funeral in 2022, the family made a display with photos from his Little League days, and mourners recounted his legendary statistics: 108 innings pitched and an astonishing 298 strikeouts, an 18-0 record with 16 shutouts and 10 no-hitters for a 1959 team that won the Little League World Series. On two occasions, he threw six-inning perfect games in which he struck out all 18 batters. They clocked him at 71 mph off the Little League mound, the equivalent of a 100 mph fastball from the major-league distance. At the plate, he hit .641 and smashed 33 home runs. He hit a grand slam in the Little League World Series semifinal, then threw a three-hitter in a 12-0 championship win against a team from West Auburn, Calif. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5703670/2024/08/16/little-league-world-series-pinky-deras/

Did they wind up closing your local store?

I am, too, but I don't live near any of them, so until they spark a nationwide price war, it doesn't affect me one way or the other.

I read an article the other day about a widow who got a $100,000 assessment from her condo not that long after buying who is now living with her son in Arizona (where she'd moved from). She has gone back to teaching young kids with autism full-time. She says she's constantly exhausted and figures it'll take 2 more years to pay off the assessment and move back. She can't sell, so she's stuck.

Wall Street skeptical as Kroger promises to slash grocery prices by $1B after Albertsons merger

I'll have a wing and a thigh, please. And some napkins, of course.

You could've just said Big Whoop! 😇😁😊

Socrates Sculpture Park has announced the Socrates Annual 2024, a new exhibition embracing invasive species and exploring the legacy of species migration. The new exhibition, which will be on display from Sept. 14 through April 6, 2024, features nine site-specific projects that consider the politics of settlement and the complex legacy of species migration. The “living” installations engage the park’s past, present, and future, making use of dozens of native and introduced plant species that allow the art pieces to evolve and change with each season. The art pieces explore diaspora, displacement, containment, and assimilation, linking human adaptability with that of other living species. The new exhibit’s opening celebration will take place between 3 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14. The event is free and open to the public. Katie Dixon, Executive Director of Socrates Sculpture Park, said the new exhibition challenges the negativity attached to invasive species and instead studies the vital role they can play in regenerating ecosystems. “Instead of automatically assuming certain plants and other naturally occurring species are invaders, we embrace the possibility and potential of integration, highlighting the vital role these species play in regenerating our ecosystems,” Dixon said in a statement. “This year’s Annual is a living testament to the power of adaptability and resilience, turning what is often disregarded into a cornerstone of our community’s ecological health.” The new exhibition is the culmination of the park’s fellowship program, awarded to nine up-and-coming artists through an open call. The park unveiled projects by fellowship recipients Kimberly Chou Tsun An, Landon Newton, Mamoun Nukumanu, and Vick Quezada in June, with each artist making use of the spring and summer growing seasons to create living installations. Jill Cohen-Nuñez, Utsa Hazarika, Juan Manuel-Pinzon, Petra Szilagyi, and Nala C. Turner – the other five fellowship recipients – have been working at the park throughout the summer, fabricating site-specific sculptures in the park’s open-air studio. TILT (what if these plants get out) by Langdon Newton. The five artists have used a wide range of materials for their respective projects, including mud, clamshells, metal, clay, stone, and found wood. The nine artists selected for the fellowship program were chosen from a list of more than 250 applicants following a lengthy review process. Each artist fellow received a $8,000 production grant and a $2,000 honorarium. Each artist was also granted three months of seven days-a-week access to the resources and fabrication facilities at the park’s outdoor artist studio to help complete their projects. The program, which has operated since 2001, supports early-career artists by offering financial and technical support that allows them to complete ambitious public artworks for inclusion in a park-wide exhibition. Socrates Sculpture Park is free and open to the public every day of the year, from 9 a.m. to sunset. Located at 32-01 Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, the park is managed and programmed by Socrates Sculpture Park, a not-for-profit organization licensed by NYC Parks.

I just read this in an article on the stock market today… A combination Covid-flu vaccination developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE missed on one of its goals in a final-stage trial, a setback for the companies as they search for lucrative new uses of a technology that succeeded in the pandemic.

DEAR ABBY: My mother, who is 69, recently moved close to where my wife and I live to be near us as she ages. On the whole, this has been great for all of us. Mom is in good health and still very active. She walks every day and takes care of her house and garden. We see her often. The problem is, she is very resistant to meeting new people or going out without us. She says she will never find friends as good as the ones she left behind, so it’s not worth trying. We encouraged her to join the senior center, which she did, but she quit after a month, saying the people there are “too old.” I took her to church, but after the second Sunday, she announced she’s not going back. My wife tried to get her to join a club or volunteer at our kids’ school, but Mom said she doesn’t like to be on a schedule. Several neighbors invited her over, but she always makes excuses to decline. I think they have stopped asking. Because she’s independent, this isn’t a big deal now. But I’m worried that if she doesn’t get to know people while she’s still active, we’ll be her only source of support as she ages. You often ask if older parents are experiencing a change of personality caused by old age or dementia, and I don’t think this is the case here. Mom’s always been shy. Now she’s shy and stubborn. What are my options? — LOOKING OUT FOR MOM IN CHICAGO DEAR LOOKING OUT: Among my first thoughts is that your mother isn’t the independent person you described, and she’s setting herself up to be completely dependent upon you and your wife for social interaction. It isn’t healthy for ANY of you. Before she isolates herself further than she already has, sit her down and tell her directly that you do not want this to happen and that she MUST make more of an effort to interact with others. While relationships are not interchangeable, she once had a social life, and she will again IF she makes an effort. If her shyness prevents her from easily conversing with strangers, suggest that she volunteer at an animal shelter. That way she will be out of the house, interacting with others and not solely dependent on you. MAKE SURE YOU’RE IN THE WILL AND KILL HER. DEAR ABBY: My friend “Sally” has been dating this guy for 10 years. Their relationship has been rocky from the beginning, and he doesn’t seem to want to commit. He acts like he doesn’t want to even BE with her, spending time only when it’s convenient for him. He has put Sally through a lot. He was involved with this other woman. He said it was because she knew some things about him and was holding it against him and he couldn’t tell my friend. I think he’s a narcissist. What advice can you give her? — ASKING FOR A FRIEND DEAR ASKING: Knowing that the most unwanted advice is that which is unasked for, I would wait until the next time Sally complains about the treatment this man has given her for the last 10 years. Then I would suggest that she talk with a licensed mental health professional about how to rebuild her self-esteem. KILL THE BUTT-IN-SKI ‘FRIEND’ WHO WANTS TO RUIN A RELATIONSHIP SHE’S OBVIOUSLY SATISFIED WITH.

His younger son died of COVID complications in 2021.

A's catcher Shea Langeliers is 3-3 with a double and a walk today. Tuesday he was 4-4, 2 doubles, a HR, & a HBP. The game before he was also 4-4. He had a game in May where he was 3-5, single, triple, HR, then two games later was 3-4, double, triple, HR (it drives me nuts the couple of times a year they miss a cycle by a single). He had a 3HR game in April. How is he only batting .230/.296/.469?

He used to host a TV show called HOLLYWOOD SQUARES.

Boo Math!

Former major leaguer Pete LaCock's dad died. He used to host a TV show called HOLLYWOOD SQUARES.

A Florida doctor without his hearing aid couldn’t hear his colonoscopy patient scream can you imagine if this had happened in space? https://www.aol.com/news/florida-doctor-without-hearing-aid-190440480.html

Inside a $22B plan to transform an airport — runway and 11 hangars included — into a city for 55,000 residents Toronto’s former Downsview Airport is getting a $22 billion facelift that will turn the historic airfield into a bustling, new community for 55,000 residents. But this isn’t your typical suburban development — this one comes with airplane hangars, a mile-long runway and enough retro charm to make it a must-see. Forget bulldozing the past, too. Northcrest Developments, the masterminds behind the colossal project, is betting that preserving the airport’s original infrastructure will give the neighborhood an irresistible edge. “It’s hard to make a planned community seem authentic when everything is brand new,” Derek Goring, Northcrest’s CEO told the Wall Street Journal. “So we really decided to lean into the aerospace legacy.” The result? The project’s first neighborhood, a 50-acre hub packed with 2,850 homes, will be anchored by those massive hangars. These structures, relics from another era, are expected to become a magnet for residents and visitors alike. Meanwhile, the old runway will morph into a lively pedestrian promenade, complete with trendy shops, eateries, patios, schools and even a library. In total, the massive redevelopment will create more than 28 million square feet of residential space, 7 million square feet of commercial property and 74 acres of parks, The Journal reported. Spanning seven distinct neighborhoods, this ambitious build-out will unfold in phases over the next 30 years, making it one of the largest real-estate ventures in Canadian history. Northcrest is taking inspiration from high-profile projects like New York’s High Line, where an old rail line was reborn as a bustling park. Goring is confident that Downsview’s unique features will set it apart. The hangars and runway “will make this place unlike anything else, and from a developer’s perspective, that’s like marketing 101,” Goring explained. “This is something no one else can really offer.” But not everyone’s convinced. Turning a derelict airport into a thriving community isn’t cheap. David Dixon, an Urban Places Fellow at Stantec, warned that repurposing old infrastructure can rack up costs quickly. Dixon pointed out that it only works if the result justifies the price tag. With all the hype around self-driving cars, people have even talked about converting parking garages into housing. “These conversions will be more expensive and less competitive in the marketplace than purpose-built housing,” he told The Journal. The airport, which opened in 1929, has a storied history. It served as an air base during World War II and later as a testing site for Bombardier before being sold in 2018 for a whopping $635 million. While Northcrest initially considered demolishing everything, they realized that keeping the site’s history intact could be the key to its success. “We quickly came to the conclusion that that was not a good idea,” Goring said. Local residents were also adamant about preserving the site’s role as a hub for jobs and economic activity. The hangars, constructed between the 1950s and 1990s, are more than just relics — they’re ready for a new lease on life. With their massive dimensions and soaring ceilings, the spaces are tailor-made for film shoots, light manufacturing and the clean-tech industry, Goring said. “There’s an opportunity to attract companies that actually want to be here but can’t because they can’t find these types of locations,” he noted. The redevelopment of midcentury industrial sites is becoming increasingly popular as once-overlooked structures are now being celebrated as pieces of history. Downsview is part of that wave, joining other projects like Berlin’s Tegel Airport, where a 5,000-home community will repurpose the existing terminal buildings for startups and university labs. Northcrest isn’t waiting for construction to finish before putting Downsview on the map. They’ve already hosted “Play on the Runway,” a public event that turned the tarmac into a giant playground for skating and dancing. And more is on the way, with plans to roll out temporary sports fields and performance venues as the development progresses. Looking at the grand plans for Downsview, Dixon mused, “It makes me wonder what we’re going to save 30 to 40 years from now. Don’t knock down all the big box stores!”

I get Paramount+ free with the "added to my sister's subscriptions" plan. She texted me yesterday that she read you get $20/yr off the Walmart+ price w/ an AARP membership, which I have.

You made it just before me because I had to take the time to change the color of my answer to match the numbers in the problem. The price of being an empath, I guess...

I posted just as you did.

96

Judge dismisses lawsuit that sought to end concerts at Forest Hills Stadium

The same logic behind originally posting it in the "in Memory of" forum?