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GNR Wednesday, 4/16...The 1st day of the 2nd half of April [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-04-16
Good Wednesday Morning to all you seekers of respite and a deep breath. This is the Good News RoundUp here at DailyKos, one of the daily Internet places for nurturing and watering the Things that Make for Peace. The Gnuville (where the Good Newsers….as in “Gnusies” or even just “Gnus”, reside or visit) Breakfast Brunch features hot morning beverages like you can get in any great kitchen (like yours) and even mid-week mimosas (which are also assembl-able in your house bar with an assist from the kitchen refrigerator orange juice.)
Call up something from the Breakfast Food Steam Table, from fresh cut fruit to “You Name It” that needs a turn on the griddle, the oven, the toaster or the microwave. And then…..you are ready to amble in to the We’re Gonna Make It Lounge, plop down on a recliner, sofa, wingback or rocker (that has an amazing resemblance to those furniture pieces in your house) and warm up your WiFi. Here at the GNR you will find stories, news bits, and links worth the read and the click. And, to make it EVEN BETTER, there is space and time for you to rec, comment, digress, go off topic or even off thread, ask something, answer someone, have a chuckle or post a snicker.
My screen name is WineRev and this is my monthly turn on the bridge, so as is my custom, you’ll also come across April 16th moments from years, even decades ago, that had something Good or something Goofy land on this day that you may find worth a read. Thank you each and all for coming by and stopping in!
Good News in Science and Engineering
Those brainy, clever people of the left-brain, concrete, sequential persuasion who often end up in the sciences, or figure out how to APPLY those sciences to the stuff of modern life, have been around for centuries. And, despite the current Mal-Administration’s assault and sneering dismissal of intelligence and endorsement of STUPID, the scientists and engineers are still at it.
>>>>>>>» You have likely heard the name Frank Lloyd Wright, a 20th century American architect that took building design in fresh, even stunning, directions. A good number of these were commercial places but here and there he designed private homes. THIS CHARMING STORY (complete with photos) tells of one of the last of these that was drawn up but never built has now been built. Neat stuff from the thinkers…..
>>>>>>». Bonjour! Guten Tag! Buongiorno! Tere Hommikus! Sabah Alkhayr! Yes, it is a good morning in all sorts of places around the world…..at least once every 24 hours. But did you catch all those? French…..German….Italian….Estonian (of course!)…..Arabic. Do you know a bit of these? Recall them from your high school days? Try rattling and bouncing along with some phrases and effort when you are traveling? Good for you…...yea verily it may well be MEDICALLY good for you. This INTRIGUING SCIENTIFIC STUDY suggests that being verbally fluent and knowing other languages is good for your Longevity. Yep…..those AARP Swedish Classes may well extend you physical life….by years! Hmmmmmmm!
>>>>>>>» One of the more annoying parts of modern life is the tempo…..especially seen in hi-tech but in lots of other angles as well. In particular, the “throw away society” chucks all sorts of gadgets and gizmos because a) YOU need the newest, latest and greatest that is “Feature rich” (with stuff and apps you don’t even know are there and will never use.) But also B) they can’t be FIXED. Repair shops are getting rarer, the people with the expertise are scarcer and, most important, these places and people can’t get spare parts . The Original Manufacturers won’t sell/license these except to in-house outlets, so a shop can’t fix something for you even if they wanted and could.
To stop this, European nations have had “right to repair” laws on the books for several years. These mean, “If you sell a gizmo, you have to sell spare parts to anyone.” The US has followed this, but not at the federal level (and because of the lobbying of places like Apple, Dell, et. al.). NOW COMES EXCELLENT WORD all 50 states have or have introduced bills of “right to repair.” YAY!
Of course, human beings, despite various historic periods that were Pro-Stupid, have been piecing together things about the natural world and bringing them to good use for all of us for a long time. Here’s some of those moments from April 16ths of yesteryear.
Queen Anne, sword in hand, dubs scientist Isaac Newton as a
Knight of the Realm...and he deserved it
1705 Cambridge, UK Trinity College. Queen Anne of England rides over to this prestigious university to thank one of the scholars there. She uses the flat of a sword in dubbing position and knights him SIR Isaac Newton, showing contributions to the realm can be in matters of the mind as well as military or explorations.
1907 Valcourt, Quebec, Canada Birth of Joseph-Armand Bombardier, mechanic and inventor. In 1934 a blizzard prevented him from reaching the hospital in time to be present at the death of his 2-year-old son. Working through his grief and frustration, in 1935 he invented a “coach that floats on snow,” with tracks and an enclosed cabin for 8 passengers. Rural Canadian schools adopted his machine as a “winter school bus”. Other versions were developed for use by the Army and also by the Canadian Post Office.
In 1957, Bombardier invented a smaller model, open, carrying a driver and room for a passenger riding behind, motorcycle style. This version had front skis for steering and a continuous molded rubber track for traction in snow.
Winter school bus, as designed by Mr. Bombardier...
He called it the “Ski Dog” to sell it as a replacement for dog sleds , but the company graphics department mis-read the order and painted the first models as “Ski-doo”, the first modern snowmobile. Bombardier Company still makes these, and have also gotten into other transport fields: they build subway cars , railroad cars and regional jets for international customers. The US versions of these last are typically for 50-75 passengers.
Dr. Marie Daly, chemist….and someone who may have changed (or saved!) your life regarding cholesterol, high BP and heart attacks…..YAY
1921 Queens, New York Birth of Marie Maynard Daly, biochemist. A bright student, she won awards and scholarships to pursue advanced education during World War II. In an odd way, the War helped her by reducing the competition with so many in the military. She drove herself and became the first US African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry (Columbia, 1947). In her teaching career she enjoyed chemistry majors but also was the first to publish the links she discovered between hypertension, cholesterol, and heart attacks. All those foods and supplements to keep your arteries clean of cholesterol and a raft of blood pressure meds stem from her seminal work.
1947 New York City At a trade show Dr. Frank Back’s invention drew big crowds from among a certain class of photographers (including plenty who worked for newspapers and magazines, law enforcement, the CIA, etc.) Dr. Back demonstrated his “Zoomar lens” the first lens to exhibit zooming effects. Now photographers could get up close and personal from across the street.
You just can’t find magazine ads like this anymore…….
Good News in Society and Politics
Yes, this category has a shadow over it these days. The Post World War II “Pax Americana” has been upended by the current crop of crap spreaders and there are shadows out there that some of us never expected, while others are upset those shadows have re-appeared in our lifetimes.
>>>>>>>>>>But this is the Good News Round Up, and by gum, there are STILL Good News Moments! You have likely heard of Jim Henson. He graduated the University of Maryland in 1960. Well IT SAYS HERE that the late Jim Henson’s son Kermit the Frog has agreed to deliver the May 21st Commencement Address next month! Who could complain about that?!
>>>>>>» If you’re clever and have a nose for things, there are people that can always come up with a business idea. It’s what makes capitalism a dynamic force, right? Well the other day on Democratic Underground (AT THIS LINK) was a short posting for just such a plan, and some of the replies from readers are up to the humor standards here at DailyKos. The posting read:
Three of us walk on the beach at sunrise every morning. One is 81 and had knee replacement last summer. He made the comment that he wanted to outlive Trump, to once again, live in an America without Trump. The conversation devolved from that idea to first, wanting to live to pee on Trump’s grave and then to organizing tours to do so. We’re working on the brochure now.
Think of it as a pilgrimage, like Santiago de Compestela, the chance to pee on Trump’s grave. Add it to your bucket list. Just the thought of it will help get you through these dark times.
(The city of Santiago de Compestela, in NW Spain, is the culmination of a pilgrim walk. It figures prominently in my forthcoming (mere weeks!) romance novel for the 65+ crowd.)
Some of the comments and replies were gems: (more at link)
HMMM…..Santiago de COMPOSTela….There’s a germ of an idea there….. _____________ They’re gonna line up around the block…...You’re gonna have to a waiting list.
Please, sign me up. _____________ You could also set up a stand or a truck to sell beer and other beverages…..to the multitudes waiting in line, to make sure they are sufficiently hydrated when it's their turn. _____________ You could also make and sell T-shirts and bumper stickers…...”I peed on the Traitor’s grave.”…...”I p’d on DT.” (Original poster reply: “We’ve already thought of that. Trump would appreciate the merchandising idea.”) ____________ I'd recommend adding asparagus spears to the menu!
It'd only be fair, after he has stunk up the nation for so long! (Poster reply: “We’ll add that idea to our Prospectus.”
1818 Washington, DC Acting Secretary of State Richard Rush, and British Ambassador Charles Bagot have been working on some of the fallout from the War of 1812. On behalf of their respective countries, they agree to a mutual disarmament of the Great Lakes , with neither side stationing naval warships there. They go on from there to the land border issues . On this day the U.S. Senate ratified the Rush-Bagot amendment to form an unarmed U.S.-Canada border along its entire length. (207 years of an unarmed border---Good News and great neighbors to the North….except for the ninth cold wave of February……It may be an unarmed border, but for a mutual infrastructure project could we weatherstrip the line? What about 3000 miles of 2-inch beveled copper and some felt to stop those cold fronts……)
The longest international border between 2 countries on the planet
1905 Pittsburgh, PA Andrew Carnegie has made a pile of money in the steel industry but he was a good guy in a couple ways. He recalled how important reading at the library had been for him and he funded hundreds of small-town libraries across the country. On another front, on this day Carnegie donated $10,000,000 of his personal fortune (in 2020, $260 million) to set up the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Supporting books and teachers; that is generous and worthy Good News.
1942 Valletta, Malta This ancient island sits between Sicily and Tunisia. For the past centuries it has been part of the British Empire, and so now is part of the war effort against the Axis. In North Africa the Italian Army and the German Desert Corps (Rommel) are battling the British along the endless strip where the Sahara meets the Mediterranean. The British have to send ships 4000 miles around Africa to supply their forces in Egypt. The Axis can run in supplies across 300 miles of the Mediterranean BUT the RAF is here in good numbers, raiding Axis convoys and inflicting heavy losses.
Malta was so proud, they put this image on their pennies for decades
The Axis knew they had to take out Malta to win in Africa, but they did not have the troops or naval assets for an invasion, so they did their best to bomb it into surrender. There was immense suffering starting in January and the citizens lived most of their lives under ground, many by the thousands in the capital of Valletta in rock tunnels chipped out centuries before by the Knights Templar. The Royal Navy took long chances to keep running in food, munitions and spare parts and the RAF kept raiding the Axis convoys. The enemy hammering would go on for another year , but Malta never wavered and thereby doomed the Axis in Egypt. Recognizing the effort and admiring the tenacity, (and at the suggestion of the Prime Minister) the Crown today took a very unusual step: the King of England awarded the George Cross to the entire island for heroism under constant German air attack. The medal is on display in Valletta and every Maltese is proud to show it to you. (Hope to see it myself someday; on my personal bucket list.)
First Lady Profile
A year ago I posted a couple profiles on two of the US First Ladies that were well-received by readers of this once-a-month turn of the Round Up. So, to keep this going, and thanks to the excellent folks at the National First Ladies Museum in Canton, Ohio, I have assembled another profile you might enjoy. Abigail Powers was born in 1798 in Stillwater, New York, the youngest of 7 children (5 boys, followed by two girls.) Her father (Lemuel) was a Baptist minister (unusual in upstate New York and New England) so that he and 3 other ministers shared a circuit of riding to several small congregations spread almost to New Hampshire. He was well-regarded and founded a congregation near Saratoga in 1780 with 86 members which by 1800 had grown it into a substantial congregation of 400. His wife (also named Abigail) fit right in as she was the daughter and grand-daughter of 2 Baptist ministers. She had several brothers, one who stepped away from the family line of work and became a successful merchant. This brother/uncle proved a lifeline. Lemuel died in 1800 (when little Abigail was only 2) and there were serious stories of his infidelities in circulation, which led a swift decline in the congregation. The widowed mother Abigail was left almost penniless with 7 children, and her brother could afford to take them all in for a couple years. The one asset left to the Widow Powers was her late husband’s substantial private library, which went with her and the children as they moved to further west in New York state to Sempronius (now Kellogville) to lodge with another brother, Cyrus. This move proved life-changing for 5-year-old Abigail. Uncle Cyrus was the teacher in a one-room school house and Abigail began attending….. for the next 10 years (unusual for a poverty-ridden girl in those times.) Cyrus passed the teaching task to another brother, David, and after him, their brother Gresham , all who had their niece in their classes. With this encouragement and the family library Abigail did well in her studies, enjoying math, history, geography, government and philosophy, and she became a voracious reader. At age 16 Abigail changed places in her classroom, now becoming a teacher herself, earning first a part-time and (in 2 years) a full-time salary in the same building she had learned in. When she was 19 she was hired to ALSO teach part-time at a nearby private school (where she got to teach 3 of her cousins.) The private school accepted boarding students and one of these (2 years her junior) was a young man from Buffalo. He had worked as farm hand, a weaver and a woodchopper but finally got a chance to spend 2 solid years as a student. He too was a voracious reader and Abigail hit it off on a personal level with Millard Fillmore. Abigail Powers Fillmore, in the chic and oh-so-stylish
vertical curls of the mid-1800s Fillmore moved back to Buffalo, where he apprenticed to a practicing lawyer. Between his talent, what he had learned, and his natural ability he was admitted to the bar. As he took a job teaching while starting his own law practice there were many letters between him and Abigail in these years (one or 2 each week; since he was still too poor to visit) and they married in 1825 (when Abigail was 27.) Abigail moved in to a new house Millard had built in Buffalo but she continued teaching for another year & half, becoming the first future First Lady to be economically independent after marriage. (She was easily from the poorest background of any First Lady to date….) They had two children, and while they were still toddlers Fillmore turned to politics and won election to the New York legislature, so he was in Albany for months at a time, leaving Abigail to raise their son (Millard) and daughter (Mary Abigail.) Millard was elected to several terms in the New York legislature. In between sessions and on recesses he and Abigail, along with raising their children, also established a lending library in Buffalo. Despite raising a toddler and an infant, in these years Abigail also made time to learn French . She took up the piano . Millard added a home conservatory to their house so she could practice scientific horticulture with flowers. In 1836 Fillmore was elected to Congress for the first of several terms. They arranged for relatives to care for their (elementary age) children so Abigail could move to Washington with him when Congress was in session. (On breaks they both went to Buffalo to spend time with their children.) In the Capital she enjoyed attending debates in Congress. She toured art museums and took in art galleries and the theater. Her favorite pastime was attending public lectures on any subject. In summers (usually with the family along the Jersey shore) she enjoyed “sea bathing”(!) but bemoaned the endless amount of time lost changing into and out of ladies clothing into “bathing clothes. ” In 1842 in Washington she broke her ankle but she was too impatient to get back on her feet and the leg did not heal properly. She used crutches for 2 years until she could graduate to limping, but she was in pain the rest of her life. In 1848 Millard was nominated for Vice President on a ticket with Mexican war hero Zachary Taylor , a matter of indifference to Abigail. (She wrote her daughter that election day would come in November, but on that coming Friday in October they would send her some peaches from Washington.) She and the children were at the Jersey Shore in July of 1850 when President Taylor died and Millard became President. The three of them (Millard Jr. now 22 and Mary 18) took the train to move in to the White House. Abigail enjoyed being First Lady. In the White House she oversaw the construction upstairs of a Presidential Library. She kept a full calendar: Tuesdays she and the President “received callers” at the White House. Thursdays there were formal dinners. Fridays featured public receptions, and Saturday nights were small, private dinners. These small dinners saw a string of celebrities from time to time: Washington Irving dined there, as did on-American-tour Englishman Charles Dickens. Abigail was delighted to repeat several such dinners with William Thackery . Many times, when the Fillmores attended a concert the First Lady would invite some of the performers to such a dinner. One of these was the international singing sensation Jenny Lind of Sweden, along with her professional manager, P.T. Barnum. First Lady Abigail Fillmore, photographed as First Lady, and in a modern, machine-sewn gown….. She was frequently seen and cheered around town, and often pointed out by visitors to the Capital. This was due to cutting edge technology: Abigail Fillmore was the first First Lady photographed while residing in the White House . Photography was just advanced enough that the studio could produce a “carte de viste” in quantity for sale. (About the size of a baseball card, and on stiff cardboard. Her image was one of the first to “go big” in popularity, both in DC and all sorts of other cities and towns across the country.) Her dress for the pose was the another first, sewn together by using a sewing machine (rather than by hand by a seamstress.) The Whig Party was unhappy with Fillmore as their President and he was not nominated for a 2nd term in 1852. After the Inauguration of Franklin Pierce March 4, 1853, the couple moved out of the White House, but Abigail was too ill to travel. Her condition worsened and in another week she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She lingered another 2 weeks and died (at age 54) less than a month after ending her life in the White House.
Good News in Arts, Literature, Music and Fun
>>>>>>>>>>>>>Beginning at the beginning, the Egyptians have been carrying out civilization for a LONG time, and the talents that come with civilization have been (fortunately) preserved: writing, theology, the arts. OK, so a lot has been lost, and after 20 or 30 centuries, not everything that has survived is in the best shape. But in our day there are archeologists and scholars who have done painstaking restoration work on the ART for decades so that each of us can marvel. THIS DELIGHTFUL STORY has some superb photography, so while there is plenty of history to be gleaned, this is a wonderful look at some newly cleaned art. Whew!
>>>>>>>» Speaking of Things Ancient, I refer you to the brief yet famous Old Testament book, Jonah. Jonah was chosen by God to be a prophet to Israel’s enemy nation, Ninevah, and ordered to go there to call on Ninevah to repent of their wicked ways. Jonah didn’t want the job and
Tough landing….
fled on a ship. A storm came up and the crew, afraid of the fury, asked around and found Jonah was fleeing from his God, so they heaved him overboard as a sacrifice. Then, famously, Jonah was swallowed by a giant fish, who 3 days later vomited him up on shore. Suitably chastised, Jonah went and told off Ninevah…..who repented, (and which thus left Jonah miffed. He wanted to see Ninevah fried.)
Well that’s the story. Skeptics for centuries have derided the whole thing. Scholars have found parallel myths and tales and generally added to the skepticism.
But NOW, in our 21st century day, the scoffers may well have a Moment of Pause. THIS DRAMATIC LINK shows a Chilean kayaker off the coastal Pacific double-paddling along…..until he is ….taken into the mouth of a Humpback whale…...and soon spit out. And, to make it “real”, its ON VIDEO, so dazzle your friends and mystify your foes with THAT!
>>>>>>» Get your motor runnin’…...Head out on the HIGH-way! Here in the US, starting in 1903, Mr. Harley and Mr. Davidson started attaching a motor to a bicycle and creating an iconic brand. Over the last century the riders have developed their own sub-culture, leather dress (to protect from road rash spills…..but also has a sturdy, even menacing, look in certain places and certain bars.)
And yet, there is a sense of honor there too, and pride, that goes right back in gratitude to those very earliest days. You see, Sandy Davidson and his wife Margaret, left Scotland in 1857 to strike out to America and seek his fortune. They left behind a stony house and stony prospects among the moors, and it worked out for them. The old house has had better days over the last 150 years and was crumbling. But the Davidson bikers of Great Britain said, “Not if we can help out.” NOW COMES THIS REPORT of the bikers saving the Davidson Cottage and the history with it. Very satisfying, and a gloved, gauntleted, “thumbs up” to the Two-Wheelers and their heritage.
1871 Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Belgium Birth of Martin Lunssens, conductor, composer. Was marked early on for a musical career and was admitted to the Brussels Conservatory. Graduated with the top prize (Prix d’ Rome) for best composition which got him a year in Rome and a stipend to compose a second work. Was director of music at several Belgian academies, including Conservatories in Louvain and Ghent. Directed the Opera House in Antwerp for years. Composed 4 symphonies, several symphonic poems on themes like Romeo & Juliet, El Cid; also a good deal of chamber music and concertos for the violin, viola and the cello.
Split Screen singing for just over 3 minutes, but you’ll get a taste of Lunssens….
x YouTube Video
Only 10 cents! Your program for the Braves! Find your seat and have a read …….oh…..wait….
1946 Boston OK, yesterday we read about 19 47 and opening day in Brooklyn, Jackie Robinson, etc. The visiting team that day were the Boston Braves. They were returning an Opening Day visit by the Dodgers the year before, here in Boston. While in 1947 the big deal was down on the field, here the year before in ’46 the action was in the stands. Management had spruced up the stadium BUT…. the newly painted seats had not yet dried when the Boston fans seated themselves. (Just-in-Time logistics NOT in time.) The Braves management did the right thing: they picked up the dry cleaning tab for every one who brought in their ticket stub for opening day and the receipt from their local cleaners. (We bring you the Goofy!)
1962 Across America The evening news on national networks runs 15 minutes. On CBS this evening, newscaster Douglas Edwards gives way to avuncular (!) and mustached Walter Cronkite. This coming September the CBS Evening News goes to a 30-minute format with the new anchorman. After 29 minutes and 50 seconds airtime, Cronkite will close the program by telling us, “…...And that’s the way it is. This is Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News, good night.”
____________
Cheers!
And now, friends and neighbors, here comes the Best Part of the Good News Round Up: YOU! Yes, you! It is your thoughts, comments, reactions, recs, ideas, thoughts and chuckles, as well as other news you find and post, that makes this, the Good News Round Up, worth stopping by at Every Single Day. So thanks for coming by! See you in the comments!
May all your News be Good, comforting and inspiring.
Shalom.
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