As I think I’ve mentioned a time or ten, my link-wrangling on a day-to-day basis goes like this: When I find something interesting, I toss it into a draft post, a process that goes on all day, between other things.
I think it was the third item when I found they had a common theme today:
Honestly, though, the kickoff item is almost joyful. And it so happens that one of my Facebook friends was there when it happened: Bassist Jane Little, who only recently became the longest-serving orchestra musician in the world, collapsed on stage during a performance of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Sunday. She never regained consciousness, and died later that night. At 87, after 71 years with the ensemble.
Which would merely be sad, but not when you consider what they were playing at the moment she went down: “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” Which was their encore, in fact. And as one of her fellow players scooped her up and carried her offstage, they kept playing, so she actually left the limelight as the song reached a climax: So let’s go on with the show! A WashPost account of the incident, and her life, here.
A friend once told me he despised the platitude we so often say after someone dies: “Well, at least he died doing something he loved,” because most people don’t want to die, much less screaming toward the earth at 32 feet per second when a parachute malfunctions. In this case, though, I think we can make an exception. You couldn’t have scripted a better death; in fact, if you had scripted this, the director would have thrown it back in your face and called you Mr. Obvious.
Then, mid afternoon, I checked Twitter and found this:
Seeing an owl hunt at night in this Israeli webcam is *chilling* https://t.co/9z1DdO0sxg The eyes. Those eyes… pic.twitter.com/N2Tol5cXsS
— Kyle Hill (@Sci_Phile) May 16, 2016
Once you find the eyes, it’s just mesmerizing.
And on an animal theme, there are these outdoorsmen:
The weather at Yellowstone National Park on May 9 was fairly temperate: The low was 39 degrees Fahrenheit; the high was 50.
Nevertheless, when two tourists saw a baby bison, they decided it looked cold and needed to be rescued. So they loaded it in the trunk of their car and drove it to a ranger station.
Over the weekend, their action was widely mocked online as evidence of extreme anthropomorphism, not to mention stupidity. On Monday, the park revealed that it was also deadly — for the bison. The newborn calf had to be euthanized, the park said in a statement, because its mother had rejected it as a result of the “interference by people.”
My eyeballs just sprained themselves, they rolled so hard.
Finally, an astounding long-form project from the NYT, on the city’s century-old potters field on Hart Island. It’s very long, and I haven’t gotten all the way through it, but what I’ve seen is remarkable: Deep history, a slow burn of anger over the policy that dumps so many people in mass graves there, impressive enterprise (when the city wouldn’t let the media observe or photograph an interment, they hired a drone). And great writing:
New York is unique among American cities in the way it disposes of the dead it considers unclaimed: interment on a lonely island, off-limits to the public, by a crew of inmates. Buried by the score in wide, deep pits, the Hart Island dead seem to vanish — and so does any explanation for how they came to be there.
To reclaim their stories from erasure is to confront the unnoticed heartbreak inherent in a great metropolis, in the striving and missed chances of so many lives gone by. Bad childhoods, bad choices or just bad luck — the chronic calamities of the human condition figure in many of these narratives. Here are the harshest consequences of mental illness, addiction or families scattered or distracted by their own misfortunes.
But if Hart Island hides individual tragedies, it also obscures systemic failings, ones that stack the odds against people too poor, too old or too isolated to defend themselves. In the face of an end-of-life industry that can drain the resources of the most prudent, these people are especially vulnerable.
Indeed, this graveyard of last resort hides wrongdoing by some of the very individuals and institutions charged with protecting New Yorkers, including court-appointed guardians and nursing homes. And at a time when many still fear a potter’s field as the ultimate indignity, the secrecy that shrouds Hart Island’s dead also veils the city’s haphazard treatment of their remains.
The best single detail is about the AIDS row: Buried 14 feet deep, instead of the usual three. Just 16 bodies, but it brings back an era in a way few other memories do.
Have I bummed you out enough yet? Just think of Jane Little. On with the show!
Brandon said on May 17, 2016 at 12:11 am
Usually being the first to post here is a delight.
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Dexter said on May 17, 2016 at 12:19 am
How deep do they bury the lawyers? (It’s a joke which won’t be funny after reading about Hart Island.)
12 feet cuz deep down they’re really good people. See? Told ya so.
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MichaelG said on May 17, 2016 at 12:31 am
Ralph Nader needs to crawl back under his rock and take his pal Bernie with him.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on May 17, 2016 at 12:54 am
In that Hart Island story, there’s something of Orpheus and Eurydice in those last two stories of communities coming together to bring someone back off of the island, and to a place closer to home. Overall, the piece evokes those eyes in the gif more than any points of light, but I’m gonna hold onto the points of light I can find, even if they’re swooping in to grab me.
I have to go with a lawyer tomorrow to tell an elderly woman and her adult developmentally disabled daughter that they have to give up their two dogs, almost certainly to a shelter, where they will be surely be euthanized. Why? Because the adult-child got upset and shook a dog, which got sick, they took to a vet, and it died. The vet’s office did what they had to do, called Animal Welfare, which filed a charge with the prosecutor’s office.
The prosecutor, to protect animals, now says she will file on mother and child (remember, the adult child is not competent, so the elderly COPD suffering woman gets charged for contributing), which would mean a trial, where they’ve admitted to shaking a small dog out of anger on the record, so if they go to trial, they pay $1000 fine, 30 days in county lock-up, and have to remove all companion animals from the home. OR, if they remove all companion animals from home, she won’t file. But she wants that to protect these animals, a husky mutt that’s 14, largeish, always been an indoor dog, and a small mongrel mophead bought down the street a month ago to replace the now dead dog, by way of requiring they be removed from home — which means they go to shelter, and being put to sleep.
I’m not angry at the prosecutor, and the lawyer is a church member working on this for me pro bono, giving it her all — but how do I get someone to see the irony that we’re killing two dogs to protect them from a large child who is generally kind and loving, and who made a mistake two months ago? (And it took me and the APS case worker a whole afternoon to get her to hand us the dead dog, who had passed the night before, but she wouldn’t let go of it.)
Too much death in my neighborhood lately. Glad Ms. O’Connor didn’t open that door.
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Jakash said on May 17, 2016 at 1:24 am
I’m shocked, SHOCKED! to see at the end of the previous thread that Ralph Nader is not a big fan of Hillary’s. The only role he should play in this election is to be an object lesson for the adage that the perfect is the enemy of the good, not that he or Bernie are perfect, by any means. Perhaps — please, please, please — his role in the 2000 election might indicate to some of the disgruntled Bernie supporters why a vote for Hillary in November, distasteful as it may be to them, will be the only valid option available if they wish to have any impact in pursuing their agenda.
“He didn’t reveal who he voted for in the Connecticut primary, but believes Sanders could beat Trump more easily than Clinton when it comes to the presidential vote.” Yes, of course, the Socialist would have a cakewalk to the general election in this nation where a fascist like Rump is considered a breath of fresh air. The R’s would treat him with kid gloves, no doubt. Nader’s political “beliefs” are totally irrelevant at this point, thank heaven. I used to be a big Ralph Nader fan. He lost me completely when he insisted that there was no compelling difference between Bush and Gore, and did his part to saddle us with 8 years of the former.
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Brandon said on May 17, 2016 at 2:37 am
@Jakash: A few years ago, Nader wrote a novel facetiously titled Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!.
http://onlythesuperrich.org/
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Sherri said on May 17, 2016 at 3:36 am
If you want to worry about Trump, forget the polls and just look at the baseball standings. The Cubs have the best record in baseball, and WP Kinsella tells us that Armageddon is due when the Cubs win the pennant. So, pick your favorite NL team, and root for them to knock off the Cubs sometime before the World Series, and save us from Trumpageddon! Me, I’m going with the SF Giants.
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Linda said on May 17, 2016 at 5:55 am
In my suspended blog (ran out of energy) the biggest entry was money for burial. Every state lays the responsibility for indigent burial at some level: the state (in Michigan, for instance, the county for some states, and for others the city and township (as is the case for Ohio). In Toledo, this is the job of the city’s parks department, because they run the cemetaries.
Some private organizations have sprung up to give the poor a little better burial options, especially children. In New York there is the Hebrew Burial Society, which gives poor New York area Jews religiously appropriate burials. Several of the girls who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire were buried by this organization.
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James said on May 17, 2016 at 6:55 am
Small world time.
We knew Jane. She was a firecracker. Jane was a family friend, and sister to my dad’s longtime girlfriend (from the 40s, originally) Nell Thurman, who also died recently.
We’ll miss her.
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Deggjr said on May 17, 2016 at 7:45 am
In the face of an end-of-life industry that can drain the resources of the most prudent …
Yikes.
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Deborah said on May 17, 2016 at 8:14 am
Jeff tmmo, wow, you have the best (worst) stories ever. How do you face that kind of despair on a daily basis. My hat’s off to you.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on May 17, 2016 at 8:26 am
There’s an answer out there somewhere (and it sure isn’t changing the prosecutor’s mind). If they weren’t indoor dogs I’d have this solved already — some kind of visitation for a year at a farm and a petition to review next May — but I’m still hopeful. It’s just the damnable irony of what the prosecutor is doing that frustrates me, and it’s not that she can’t get it, she just has one tool and keeps trying to drive nails with a screwdriver, or cut studs with a hammer.
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alex said on May 17, 2016 at 8:47 am
Or kill dogs with the stroke of a pen. Bitch.
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Peter said on May 17, 2016 at 9:49 am
Oh Dexter that was a good one.
What’s the difference between a dead lawyer and a dead animal in the middle of the road?
There are skid marks in front of the dead animal from the car trying to stop.
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LAMary said on May 17, 2016 at 10:30 am
There is a buffalo herd just outside of Denver and many times I drove past that herd when it was snowing or really cold and they did not appear to be uncomfortable. They are very well insulated animals. Those people rescuing the calf from the cold are idiots. It’s like the asshats who go to national parks and try to get close up pictures with huge animals and are shocked when the animal doesn’t just stand there and look cute for a selfie.
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basset said on May 17, 2016 at 10:34 am
Guy Clark has died:
http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/05/17/guy-clark-dead-74/80932338/
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Bitter Scribe said on May 17, 2016 at 10:47 am
The thing that strikes me most about that gif is how the other birds barely even seem disturbed at their neighbor being snatched. The one in the foreground just looks over its shoulder like, “Oh well, no biggie,” and presumably goes back to roosting.
As a long-suffering Cubs fan, may I say to Sherri @ #7: That’s just mean.
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jcburns said on May 17, 2016 at 10:48 am
Once Jane Little had one of her enormous bass violins refurbished (or repaired, or something) at a place in Cincinnati and my dad volunteered to pick it up and drive it back to Atlanta. In his Honda CRX. Still not quite sure how that worked topologically.
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brian stouder said on May 17, 2016 at 10:48 am
basset – it’s a sure thing that my mother-in-law and father-in-law will be shaken by that news
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Dorothy said on May 17, 2016 at 10:59 am
I work in the Dept. of Music here at UD as you probably know, so the story about Jane Little was very much appreciated by me! I sent the link to a student who plays bass here – Jackson has long hair, is extremely quiet and shy and only wears all black – he seems like a very sweet kid. Hope he doesn’t think I’m weird to send that to him.
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brian stouder said on May 17, 2016 at 11:08 am
It has been my experience that pleasant little things shared by beautiful women are always appreciated!
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Joe K said on May 17, 2016 at 11:21 am
Basset,
Damn, won’t know what will be worse missing Guy Clark, Love Texas 1947 and let him roll, and desperadoes wait ing for a train, or having to listen to the tight Jean muscle shirt cowboy hat bro country wannabes, talking about how cool he was when they couldn’t write a lyric to save ther ass.
Pilot Joe
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Mark P. said on May 17, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Jeff (tmmo), even the backward Georgia town (but I repeat myself) where we live has an animal rescue group that takes mostly dogs from the pound and usually sends them up to the Northeast or upper Midwest, where, apparently, dogs are not treated as disposable property. It’s unlikely that an old dog will be adopted from a pound, but if it were rescued it might stand a chance. Cats, on the other hand, are not nearly as lucky. Everyone wants a kitten (you’ve read the old saw about the good thing about a puppy is that it becomes a dog, and the bad thing about a kitten is that it becomes a cat?), and there are so many kittens around that an older cat has almost no chance of being adopted.
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MarkH said on May 17, 2016 at 12:35 pm
The problem with visitor interference with wildlife and other park rule violations out here is growing in a number of disturbing ways. And has the locals up in arms. That video of the woman at Old Faithful attempting to pet the bison is but one of three incidents so far this season where the bison did not respond in the predictable way to the close approach. A number of friends were up in Yellowstone over the weekend and posted photos of newbie visitors way to close to bison near the roadway. By all accounts there was little if any response from the animals. Word gets out about this and more and more will approach the bison with false confidence and dismiss any warnings. As for the bison calf story, word is getting back here in Jackson that the father and son were foreign visitors (clearly not from Scandanavia) with no situational awareness. The language barrier did not help. They were cited and left with acknowledged further education in such matters. As LAMary said, bison are the hardies of animals and survive winters wherever they are just fine. And calves are born in the spring when winter conditions are pretty much history.
Here is the real kicker story, however, makeing everyne here angry. Four asshats, a little inexplicably from Canada, decided to walk out onto Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring, a complete off-trail no-no. When others remined them they are violating park rules and federal law, they just smarted off in return. Then they posted and boasted about it on facebook to great backlash. The story below has photos of them in the act. Sheesh.
http://buckrail.com/181855971352510464/men-walk-on-grand-prismatic-spring-in-yellowstone-photos-and-video
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beb said on May 17, 2016 at 12:37 pm
Jeff, you have my sympathizes for having to do a hard thing. Up in Detroit when animals are injured or have to be surrendered there is often a long line of people volunteering to adopt the cat or dog. It’s a shame you don’t have the time to try that route.
The story of Jane Little is inspiring. Not so much for dying while performing “There’s no Business like show business.” but being able to do what she enjoyed doing for 71 years.
I get a little aggrieved when people say it’s time for Bernie to drop out of the race. Even while there aren’t enough delegates left to give him the nomination, I feel that the number of delegates he brings to the convention will give him some clout in setting the party’s platform and agenda. That I think is still something worth fighting for because I fear Hillary will always been a concession-giver.
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MarkH said on May 17, 2016 at 12:38 pm
“hardiest”, if not heartiest.
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Deborah said on May 17, 2016 at 12:56 pm
Ben,
The way it was explained to me is that Bernie is way down the list of power brokers in the Dem party that need to be appeased first when it comes to the party platform and agenda. So that means that he will have very little clout compared to people who have been in the party for eons. I have no idea if that’s true, but as I said that’s how it was explained to me by someone I respect and who I think knows what they’re talking about. But what do I know?
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Deborah said on May 17, 2016 at 12:56 pm
Beb, not Ben (damn auto correct).
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dull_old_man said on May 17, 2016 at 1:07 pm
Nancy, a body that leaves an airplane without a parachute hits the ground at about 120 mph (180 feet per second), which is terminal velocity. The acceleration of gravity is 32 feet per second per second until terminal velocity is reached. At least that’s how I remember high school physics.
Sherri, I think the opposite about the Cubs winning the pennant. Our rabbi taught that Jews traditionally believed that the Messiah will come. In preparation the world will get better and better, he said, so that the arrival of the Messiah will make it perfect. My 8-year-old said that the Cubs versus the White Sox in the World Series would mean the Messiah is around the corner. [In yet another view, Steve Goodman, a Cubs fan, tied the Cubs winning the pennant to the use of nuclear weapons.]
Bitter Scribe, you make it sound bad to be mean to Cubs fans. I thought that was included in the long suffering.
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Charlotte said on May 17, 2016 at 1:34 pm
ON a plane back to Bozeman — the two tourists from Tennessee sitting next to me have just pledged not to touch the wild animals, so there’s that. As for those asshats from Canada — they Forces of Internet Outrage are being unleashed upon them. Last post I saw from my Livingston folks is a campaign to contact their corporate sponsors … and jeez, it’s not even June yet.
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Sherri said on May 17, 2016 at 1:49 pm
Beb, the only reason I care about Bernie dropping out is because his supporters are becoming unhinged. Harassing people, like they’ve been dong to the superdelegates, and unleashing a mob on someone, like they did to the Nevada chairwoman, is unacceptable.
They want the Democratic Party to cater to them, even when they can’t be bothered to register as a Democrat. They don’t want to build relationships and change the party. They can’t even be bothered to learn the party rules and how to change them, they just shout to try to get their way, and claim disenfranchisement when they don’t. The longer Bernie has stayed in the race, the worse this has gotten. The campaign is still telling them that Bernie can win, so when he doesn’t, they are inevitably going to be convinced the nomination was stolen from him, that Hillary is corrupt, and that the Democratic Party is anti-democratic.
The energy of the Bernie campaign could have been directed in a positive direction, but Sanders was either unwilling or unable to do so. The more negative this gets.
Party platforms are just words. Had Sanders shown any ability to harness his followers and build relationships, he could have used that for a place in the administration, where things happen, or more influence in the Senate. As it is, he’s annoyed the people he’ll have to work with to change things, and looks like a weak, ego-driven leader who was overwhelmed by his own movement.
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Suzanne said on May 17, 2016 at 1:58 pm
David Brooks has another foot in his mouth column today in the NY Times. The commenters are not taking his ideas well http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/opinion/one-neighborhood-at-a-time.html
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Nancy P said on May 17, 2016 at 2:10 pm
I read in another article that “Little performed using a rare Carlo Giuseppi Testore bass built in 1705.” Just imagine–1705. I wonder who will play it now?
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MichaelG said on May 17, 2016 at 2:37 pm
beb, what Sherri said. Bernie is not a Democrat. He’s using the Democratic party as a convenient way to run for president. He has no entitlement to any consideration at the convention other than what he can force through his loudmouthed, boorish shouting and with his loudmouth, boorish fans. He brings nothing to the table, he helps the party and the American People in no fashion and is doing harm to Hillary. As I’ve said again and again he’s done nothing for down ticket candidates and has no right or reasonable expectation of help from super-delegates. At this point it’s all about Bernie and his colossal ego. It’s way past time for him to go. He and his jerk off buddy Nader.
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adrianne said on May 17, 2016 at 2:42 pm
What Sherri said, again. These unhinged Bernie followers are doing real damage to Hillary and the Democratic Party. They need to get off the stage, now. Let Bernie stay in the contest until the convention – that’s what Hillary did in 2008 – but he needs to rein in the idiots.
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Dexter said on May 17, 2016 at 2:50 pm
“Spread your arms, hold your breath, and always trust your cape.” If you never click music links, click this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6bZ37nexSY
It’s my favorite Guy Clark tune. This news is like losing two favorite uncles…one from the music world, a true giant Mr. Clark was, and the other a favorite old Tiger baseballer, 76 year old Richard “Dick” McAuliffe, a great fiery second baseman , a member of the great 1968 Tiger World Champions. 🙁 🙁
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Brandon said on May 17, 2016 at 2:50 pm
Bernie has used the Democratic Party as a platform. He’s advanced farther than he would have running as an independent.
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MichaelG said on May 17, 2016 at 2:51 pm
Interesting piece on Bernie and his wife:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2016/05/17/daily-202-failure-of-burlington-college-is-a-big-problem-for-bernie-and-jane-sanders/573a388c981b92a22d837b46/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_daily202
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Jakash said on May 17, 2016 at 3:32 pm
People have known for decades that, when it came to campaigning, Hillary was no Bill Clinton. Much of that may be sexism, but Elizabeth Warren doesn’t seem to generate the same level of negative response, so I don’t really believe it’s ALL that. (Of course, these days, Bill is no “Bill Clinton” when it comes to campaigning, either, alas.) Of course, she was vulnerable to an effective attack from the left, but she’s still managed to win millions more votes, despite her shortcomings as a campaigner.
At the same time, from objective observers, she gets pretty good marks for actually doing the jobs she’s done, both as Senator and Secretary of State. Bernie has certainly conducted an invigorating (ahem) campaign, but how much has one ever heard about him being an effective Senator? How many Senators are backing him?
The “platform” is largely inside-baseball, pie-in-the-sky nonsense, anyway, and I’ve never noticed it having a whole lot of effect on the outcome of an election. Fuck the platform. 3/4 of the electorate couldn’t name 5 Supreme Court justices if you put a gun to their head. You think they’ll be busily perusing the platform? My point (oh, there’s a point?) is that Hillary is certainly a worthy-enough Democrat to stand in opposition to a complete and utter fraud like Herr Rump. Months and months of having folks on her own side of most issues railing against her for not being liberal enough can only cost her votes in November, when the only electable alternative is not going to be Bernie, nor the Green Party candidate, nor even Mitt Romney, but Mr. Rump. Seems to me that it’s just about time to circle the wagons, try to corral the folks who aren’t batshit-crazy into the Big Tent and focus on defeating the clear and present danger. If Bernie cares about his constituents as much as he claims to, he has to realize that Hillary will do much more for them than the reality-show/beauty pageant King, and I sure hope he’s gonna go out of his way to back Hillary in a big way if and when he finally gets around to it, though I’ve always wondered how whole-heartedly he’ll be able to bring himself to do that.
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Judybusy said on May 17, 2016 at 3:34 pm
I read today that a nationl poll indicates Trump is trailing Clinton by 3 points. I really got sick to my stomach. I would not have guessed it was that close.
I was more open to a Sanders Presidency early on, but the misogynistic attacks and now death threats by hsi supporters towards the Nevada Dem chair has completely turned me off. The “Bernie or Bust” people really tick me off, too. And Bernie supporters who would vote for Trump instead of Clinton just show me how freaking stupid they are. Clinton is not the evil person they thing she is.
Jeff, what a terrible, ironic outcome with your clients and their poor pets. I can attest that we take a lot of outstate rescue dogs here in MN. Maybe that’s the best bet. OUr local Humae Society now has a no-kill policy for cats and sells the adults really cheaply. Someday, when our ancient kitty dies and we’ve had a break, we are adopting cats who are 8 and older.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on May 17, 2016 at 3:44 pm
Solution may have been found, but it’s complicated, and requires that the prosecutor budge just a leetle-teeny-tiny bit, i.e. make a HUGE concession (as they see it). Prayers welcome from any who engage in such disreputable activities! But we’re close . . . many tears, some laughter, and lots of phone calls (and voice mails).
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Sherri said on May 17, 2016 at 3:44 pm
The real sadness I see in Jeff(tmmo)’s story is that the two women probably benefit a great deal from having the dogs. Making sure animals are not abused is important, but taking care of people matters, too.
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Sherri said on May 17, 2016 at 4:22 pm
Sanders has finally made a statement on the Nevada convention, which is essentially “they made us do it.” Evidently, #FeeltheBern is becoming #BerningDowntheHouse, though I don’t know what Bernie thinks he’s accomplishing with this.
http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/pall-of-nevada-fracas-hangs-over-democratic-contest/
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Sherri said on May 17, 2016 at 4:25 pm
And the BernieBros have gone full Gamergate on Roberta Lange, the Nevada chairwoman, now targeting the business where she works: https://www.ralstonreports.com/blog/business-state-democratic-chairwoman-oversees-targeted-berners
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Sherri said on May 17, 2016 at 4:35 pm
Oh, and by the way, Obamacare is working. It will work even better as the red states like Oklahoma give up and accept the Medicaid expansion.
Remind me again why it was so terrible that Obama didn’t hold out for single payer and get nothing instead?
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/05/obamacare-continues-run-ahead-projections-2015
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Sherri said on May 17, 2016 at 4:47 pm
Remember, when the Sanders campaign talks about disenfranchisement, the Nevada ruckus they caused was because they were mad they couldn’t overturn the results of a caucus Clinton already won. More people voted for Hillary in the Nevada caucus than they did for Bernie, but the Bernie backers were trying to flip delegates by outnumbering Hillary supporters at the convention.
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Jolene said on May 17, 2016 at 6:29 pm
Chiming in late here, but add my name to the list of people who think it’s way past time for Bernie to get a clue.
Also, Hillary didn’t stay in the race until the convention in 2008. She suspended her campaign in early June, immediately after the California primary, and, on that very day, threw her support to Obama, encouraging her supporters to follow her example.
The convention wasn’t held until late August, so that was almost two months when Obama was acknowledged by one and all to be the candidate. Bernie is threatening to spend all that time stirring up trouble within the Democratic Party. Pretty sure that is not going to help Hillary in November.
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Jolene said on May 17, 2016 at 6:29 pm
Almost three months, I meant.
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Deborah said on May 17, 2016 at 6:35 pm
I went to an interesting place today in Chicago that I’ve walked past for months since it’s been finished but I didn’t really have a sense of what it was until today. So there’s a building that was renovated recently on N. Dearborn and Goethe called the Three Arts Club. At one point many, many years ago it was a residence for single women, I always thought it was an interesting building and figured someday it would be scooped up and renovated by a developer. Restoration Hardware bought it and turned it into a restaurant and retail showroom. I have no idea what the food is like there but the ambiance is spectacular, there’s a regular sit down restaurant, a bar, a cafe and I don’t know what all on the first floor, then there are four floors above with showrooms of the furniture and accessories they sell. The interiors of the building itself are pretty special, the furniture is massive if you like that kind of stuff. In almost every room there is a monumental light fixture, all very different and, I think very compelling. My husband was pretty turned off by the whole place, he thought it was very bourgeoisie, and that it is. But the historical context and the way they’ve dealt with the interior design is well worth a visit. If you can find out if the food is any good it might be a great place to eat too.
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Sherri said on May 17, 2016 at 9:47 pm
A superdelegate flips! To Clinton.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-05-17/sanders-quest-for-superdelegates-loses-one-after-virgin-island-official-flips-to-clinton
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Heather said on May 17, 2016 at 10:27 pm
Deborah, I just checked that place out last weekend. I actually did go to the Three Arts Club when it was a residence–the publisher I worked for hosted an author reading there. I’m glad it was not knocked down, and the roof is beautiful. Curious about how it will do as a store. Actually it is a prime example of the retail-as-community trend–lots of people just hanging out there, presumably with no intent to buy anything.
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