Of mice and medicine men

[Billboard, November 6, 1948.]

Unretouched, and found while looking for something else. Did a layout person at Billboard have a sense of humor? Was this juxtaposition a matter of chance? Here, drink this tonic and it’ll help you find the answers to all your questions.

“One pair multiplies to about 20,000 in a year”: the stuff dreams are made on. I’m quoting Sam Spade.

Nick Cave on the point in life

Nick Cave answers a reader’s question: “What is the point in life?”

“He could not help observing this”

Aleksey Alexandrovich Karnenin is consulting a lawyer. But there’s always time to notice stationery supplies:

Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, translated by Constance Garnett, revised by Leonard J. Kent and Nina Berberova (New York: Modern Library, 2000).

The Garnett translation (1901) has cross for order. The revised translation explains order in a note: “decoration for service to the State.” Garnett has appurtenances for materials. So yes, stationery supplies, and not, say, the woods of which the tables are made.

Also from this novel
“The turning point of summer” : Theory of dairy farming : Toothache : Anna meta : “Brainless beef!”

HCR’s latest

Heather Cox Richardson’s latest installment of Letters from an American pulls together many kinds of news: about Hurricane Ian, the role of the federal government in responding to disaster, income disparity, culture wars, authoritarianism, the Russian war against Ukraine, Roger Stone’s machinations, the defeated former president’s document cache, and food insecurity and hunger.

Reading HCR is so much better than watching television-news people standing in a hurricane or its aftermath.

[I counted three on NBC Nightly News last night: two reporters in the storm, Lester Holt in its aftermath.)

Joe Bussard (1936–2022)

Record collector extraordinaire. Here, from Dust-to-Digital, is an appreciation.

*

September 30: The New York Times has an obituary.

A related post
Desperate Man Blues

Over and out

Managing things for my mom, I’ve gotten good at ending telephone calls. How I do it:

“You’ve been really helpful. Thank you. Bye.”

Or:

“I really appreciate your help. Thank you. Take care.”

And I’m out. Which eliminates something along these lines:

“Thanks for your help.”

“Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

“No, that’s everything.”

“Thank you for choosing _______, and have a good day.”

“You too. Thank you.”

“Goodbye now.”

“Bye.”

Those seconds add up. Yes, they do. Goodbye now.

Masonic [need + past participle]

“His hair needed cut”: so says a witness in the Perry Mason episode “The Case of the Wrathful Wraith” (November 7, 1965).

[Need + past participle] is an Illinoism. The witness, Rosemary Welch, was played by Jeanne Bal, a Chicago native. Was [need + past participle] in the script? Did this verb form just slip out?

Paul, have one of your operatives out at the studios look into it.

Related reading
Other needs, other past participles

Shame on you, Maggie Haberman

The biggest NYT scandal of our lifetime - far worse than Judith Miller and Jayson Blair. Their reporter knew a year ago, and covered it up for a payday. Blame the paper. It's the publisher's disgraceful policy to allow this perfidy. pic.twitter.com/wYhpsq2py5

— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) September 27, 2022

For the first time in a long time, I’m thinking about unsubscribing from the Times.

Mystery actor

[Click for a larger view.]

Leave your guess in the comments. I’ll drop a hint if one is needed.

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That was fast. The answer is now in the comments.

More mystery actors
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Carrot and stick

I’ve been meaning to post something about this expression for weeks now. But Sunday’s installment of That’s What They Say (Michigan Radio) no longer makes that necessary: “Sometimes all it takes is a carrot, except when it also takes a stick.”

[Stefan, this post is for you.]