News of the Week: Winter Weariness, James Bond, and Paper Road Maps Are Making a Comeback

I’m Ready for Spring

It turned out to be a big dud.

I mean the snowstorm we were supposed to get here in Massachusetts this week. I suppose I could have been talking about Milk Duds, because I’ve gotten big ones from a box of those before, because two of them will stick together, but if I was talking about the candy I would have capitalized Duds. I like Milk Duds, though they sometimes get stuck in my teeth and they’re really sweet so I find that I can only eat a few of them at a time. They’re really good though. Pieces of caramel covered in chocolate.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the snowstorm. First we were supposed to get 4 to 8 inches, then it went down to 1 to 3. What we got was a day of mostly rain and maybe a little messy sleet. They got more inland but I don’t live inland.

But it’s okay! Longtime readers of this column know I’d much rather have cold weather than warm, sleigh rides more than sandy beaches, but even I have my limits. Around the end of February/beginning of March I start to think that enough is enough. It’s cold yet again, I’m slipping on ice, and any snow that’s left is black or speckled with trash. So I’m ready for spring.

Also, I’m sick of tripping over the shovel every time I walk to the front door.

The Name’s Bond. Politically Correct James Bond.

First it was Roald Dahl, now it’s 007.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, and Ian Fleming Publications has hired “sensitivity readers” to go through the books to get rid of or at least tone down some of the offensive language for the anniversary releases of the books.

I already said what I had to say about this topic last week, but I’m hoping that the publisher will do what the publisher of the Dahl books has decided to do: keep the originals available as “classic” editions and publish them alongside the new “edited” versions.

Have they taken out the cocaine and morphine from the Sherlock Holmes stories yet and replaced them with caffeine?

Paper Maps Are Making a Comeback

I can understand people going back to paper planners, instant cameras, even vinyl records, but paper maps? Don’t get me wrong, I applaud and encourage this, I’m just surprised. What’s next, print phone books?

I just hope people don’t get discouraged because they can’t fold them back up again.

What Is Bare Minimum Monday?

If you participate in “quiet quitting” and also celebrate Bare Minimum Monday, Take Off Tuesday, Work Less Wednesday, and Theraflu Thursday, don’t be surprised if at the end of the week you find yourself on Fired Friday.

Headline of the Week

“Should the Moon Have Its Own Time Zone?”

RIP Wayne Shorter, Walter Mirisch, Ricou Browning, Bob Richards, Rick Newman, Burny Mattinson, Gordon Pinsent, Gabrielle Upton, and Ron Altbach

Wayne Shorter was an influential, Grammy-winning jazz saxophonist and composer. Besides playing with and composing songs for such bands as the Miles Davis Quintet, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and Weather Report, he released over 25 albums under the Wayne Shorter Quartet name, and played with such people as Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell, and Steely Dan. His classic jazz standards include “Footprints,” “Speak No Evil,” “Juju,” “Nefertiti,” “Birdland,” and “Night Dreamer.” He died Thursday at the age of 89.

Walter Mirisch produced many classic films throughout his career, including West Side Story, In the Heat of the Night (for which he won an Oscar), The Apartment, Some Like It Hot, The Pink Panther, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and Fiddler on the Roof. He was also the president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences in the 1970s. He died last week at the age of 101.

Ricou Browning was the man in the monster suit in the Creature from the Black Lagoon movies. He also co-created the movie and TV show Flipper, did stunts on Sea Hunt, and directed action scenes for movies like Thunderball, Caddyshack, and Never Say Never Again. He died Monday at the age of 93.

Bob Richards was a minister, an Olympic pole-vaulting champion, and the first athlete to appear on a box of Wheaties. He died Sunday at the age of 97.

Rick Newman opened the Catch a Rising Star comedy club in New York City in 1972, which provided a stage to many comics, including Robin Williams, Jay Leno, Billy Crystal, David Brenner, Richard Belzer, and Freddie Prinze. He died last week at the age of 81.

Burny Mattinson was an animator, director, and producer at The Walt Disney Company for 70 years, the longest-serving employee of the company. He worked on such films as The Lion King, Lady and the Tramp, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and many others. He died Monday at the age of 87.

Gordon Pinsent was a character actor known for his role in the acclaimed film Away from Her and as playing the Frasers’ father on the TV show Due South. He also had roles on the classic Canadian series The Red Green Show, the movies The Shipping News, Blacula, and the original Thomas Crown Affair, and he was the voice of Babar the Elephant. He died Saturday at the age of 92.

Gabrielle Upton wrote the screenplay for the classic teen movie Gidget. She also wrote for several soap operas and episodes of Ben Casey, The Loretta Young Show, and The Best of the Post, a 1960 anthology series with stories based on stories in The Saturday Evening Post. She died back in September at the age of 101.

Ron Altbach played keyboards for King Harvest. That’s him playing the intro on their hit “Dancing in the Moonlight.” He died last week at the age of 76.

Uploaded to YouTube by KingHarvestMusic

This Week in History

Dark Side of the Moon Released (March 1, 1973)

Will Roger Waters and Pink Floyd get together and tour again to celebrate the album’s 50th anniversary? Don’t count on it.

First Issue of Time (March 3, 1923)

 A century ago it was only 32 pages long and the person on the cover was Joseph Cannon (the former Speaker of the House).

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Nut Tootsie Rolls Ad (March 3, 1917)

I had no idea that Tootsie Rolls used to have peanuts in them.

March Is National Peanut Month

And what can we make with peanuts? More than just desserts and snacks, starting with this Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts from Once Upon a Chef. How about this Stir-Fried Chicken and Peanuts from Martha Stewart, or an old Saginaw, Michigan, favorite, the Kozy Korner Chopped Peanut Sandwich?

And if you are indeed looking for a snack or a dessert, try this Monster Trail Mix from Mom’s Dinner or this Classic Peanut Brittle from Dinner Then Dessert.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Alamo Day (March 6)

This commemorates the day in 1883 that the San Antonio mission fell to General Santa Anna’s Mexican Army.

The BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) Tennis Tournament (March 6-19)

This is one of the biggest tennis tournaments outside of the four Grand Slams. Tennis Channel will have complete coverage every day.