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Egressing Black History Month, I thought I’d publish my intersection with famous Blacks in the Riverdale section of the Bronx (yes, it is in the Bronx). 

First, and foremost, I met the great Jackie Robinson at PS 81 on a campaign stop for Hubert H. Humphrey (the “Happy Warrior” who lost to Nixon).  This was less than a year before Jackie’s death (at my current age!).  There was something so very majestic about him – a much larger man than I expected, with white hair, and nearly blind. 

Apparently, Willie Mays lived in Riverdale for a time.

I met Stokeley Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture), the father of “Black Power,” in an English class at the Bronx High School of Science.  He had graduated Science 10 years earlier, so what he was doing sitting in class I’ll never know – he didn’t talk to anyone.

Graduating Science in 1976, Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and distinguished Director of the American Museum of Natural History‘s Hayden Planetarium.

 

1. Alan points out this important date in history, February 26, 1616, when the Spanish Inquisition delivers an injunction to Galileo.
2. Lia dons her Inquisitor garments, complete with instruments.
3. The streets are crowded with traffic.
4. Last call at the bar.

This cartoon, printed in a Russian newspaper, says “We never taught them to do that…” .  The paper was closed down.  You can find the original politically incorrect cartoons on Michelle Malkin’s blog. Not so incidentally, Michelle’s site has recently been subjected to a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.  Here is where to find the “Buy Danish” Corner Banner Code.

Best known for his books popularizing science, including the fun “Mr. Tompkins” series and the terrific One, Two, Three…Infinity (I have them all – I am a Gamow book collector!), George Gamow, in 1928 explained radioactive decay, in the 30s, after defecting from the Soviet Union (successfully after 2 failed attempts by kayak!), created what became known as the  “Gamow factor” which explains how fusion is possible, in 1948 published the famous science joke (its history can be found here) quantifying the processes that formed the Big Bang, and later predicting the Cosmological Background Radiation 17 years before it was discovered, and, for grins, in 1954 formed the RNA Tie Club and proposed how to crack the genetic code by using triplets of nucleotides.  Obviously an overachiever.

His son, Igor, an iconoclastic inventor, was fired from a University position  under strange circumstances, and has a movie about it on his website.

Rowing is a sport that exercises lots of muscles.  The World Indoor Rowing Championships, also known as the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints (to be held this Saturday, 25-Feb), exorcises technique and fortitude.  Shown is the proper technique from Catch to Finish of applying power in 3 phases – Legs, Body, Arms.  I know, I know, the pictured rower is Rushing the Recovery.

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Allison rows in my rowing club (CRI - usually in bow with me in the 2 seat) and is a terrific photographer.  She just closed a month-long exhibition at the New England School of Photography Center for Photographic Exhibitions on Beacon Street.

“The moon is tangible, but also mythic, which is a compelling dichotomy. It waxes and wanes, directs tides, and waltzes into poetry.”

She is available for weddings – see her website.