News of the Week: Winter Begins, George Washington Goes to Space, and Malcolm Is in a Mid-Life Crisis

Snow, Finally

We haven’t had much snow in New England this winter, which is an odd thing to say when in reality winter is only three weeks old. But we should have had more cold, snowy days and nights than we’ve had so far. We’ve had a lot of rain, and December was much warmer than it should have been.

But those days were forgotten earlier this week when we were hit by a major storm. We got around 3 to 5 inches where I am, on the coast of Massachusetts, enough for me to have to shovel a few times, but areas a little inland got up to 18 inches. You could tell the storm was serious because the regular Monday-through-Friday TV meteorologists came in on the weekend to lead the storm coverage. And they were wearing sweaters! That’s when you know it’s going to be a big storm.

Of course, later in the week we had a massive overnight rainstorm, with 50 m.p.h. winds and warm temps that washed most of the snow away. But still, for a couple of days, we were walking in a winter wonderland. 

The Final Frontier

The cast of Star Trek is now in space. No, I mean literally in space. And not the ones still living.

On Monday, the partial remains/DNA of DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), James Doohan (Scotty), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel and the Enterprise computer voice), and creator Gene Roddenberry (Barrett’s husband) were among the 330, well, passengers on a ship sent into space by a company called Celestis, Inc. (the rocket was a Vulcan Centaur, appropriately).

Also on board: George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and JFK, as well as ordinary citizens. The original plan was to have sixty-two of the capsules, including many of the above famous folks, land on the moon, but that plan may run into some complications (one of many problems the launch is having). The remaining capsules will be sent into space to orbit the sun forever.

A Post Writer You Should Read

It’s funny how some writers can be household names at one time, and then decades later hardly anyone you ask on the street would have heard of them. Go on, go out on the street and ask 100 people if they’ve heard of Clarence Budington Kelland.

He wrote an astonishing number of very popular novels and short stories over a six-decade career. He’s known for the Scattergood Baines series, the juvenile Mark Tidd and Catty Atkins stories, the serial Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (which later became a movie and TV show), and many other works for both adults and kids. He wrote regularly for the Post from the 1930s until the 1960s.

Something I Saw on TV That Makes Me Feel Old

Frankie Muniz from Malcolm in the Middle is now doing Hair Club for Men commercials.

Headline of the Week

“Try Not to Let The Moose Lick Your Car, Warns Parks Canada”

RIP Glynis Johns, David Soul, Françoise Delbart, Joseph Lelyveld, Jack O’Connell, Joan Acocella, Adan Canto, Christian Oliver, Cindy Morgan, and Anthony Dias Blue

Glynis Johns appeared in such movies as Mary Poppins, The Sundowners, The Ref, and The Chapman Report, as well as TV shows like Cheers, Coming of Age, The Love Boat, and Naked City. She won a Tony for A Little Night Music. She died last week at the age of 100.

David Soul was best known for playing Hutch on ABC’s Starsky & Hutch. He also appeared on Here Come the Brides, Unsub, The Yellow Rose, Casablanca, and the mini-series Salem’s Lot, and had a number one hit with “Don’t Give Up on Us.” He died last week at the age of 80.

Françoise Delbart was an actress and model who appeared in one of the most famous photographs of all-time, Robert Doisneau’s “The Kiss.” She died last week at the age of 93.

Joseph Lelyveld was former editor of the New York Times. He died last week at the age of 86.

Jack O’Connell was the author of such suspense novels as Box Nine, Word Made Flesh, and Wireless. He died last week at the age of 64.

Joan Acocella was dance critic for the New Yorker for 40 years. She died Sunday at the age of 78.

Adan Canto starred on Designated Survivor, The Cleaning Lady, and The Following, and appeared in several other TV shows. He died Tuesday at the age of 42.

Christian Oliver appeared on Saved by the Bell: The New Class and Sense8 and in movies like Speed Racer, The Good German, and Valkyrie. He died last week at the age of 51.

Harry Johnson appeared on dozens of TV shows over the years, including the original Battlestar Galactica, M*A*S*H, Law and Order, Judging Amy, and The A-Team, but you also heard his voice in thousands of commercials and video games. He was also the “Harry” in the “Harry & Louise” commercials funded by the health insurance industry to oppose the Clinton health care plan of 1993. He died last week at the age of 81.

Cindy Morgan appeared in such movies as Caddyshack and Tron, as well as the TV shows Bring ‘Em Back Alive and Falcon Crest. She died last week at the age of 69.

Anthony Dias Blue was a renowned wine expert and editor. He died last week at the age of 82.

This Week in History

First Typewriter Patent (January 7, 1714)

The first patent for a machine similar to a typewriter was awarded to British inventor Henry Mill.

Surgeon General Declares Smoking Hazardous (January 11, 1964)

It was officially titled Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Camel Cigarettes (January 12, 1952)

Then again, O’Hara did live to the age of 95.

January is National Hot Tea Month

Of course January is Hot Tea Month. Did you expect it to be in August? Though that logic doesn’t always hold, because for some reason National Strawberry Ice Cream Day is this Monday, smack dab in the middle of winter.

But back to tea. The Spruce Eats has several hot tea recipes for you to try, including Sage Herbal Tea, Matcha Latte, and Roasted Corn (yes!). If you’re looking for a vanilla chai recipe, I would just buy a container of Big Train Vanilla Chai. It’s fantastic. More sweet than spicy. And if you just want to know the proper British way to make a cup of tea, Christina’s Cucina has the method for both loose leaf tea and everyday tea bags.

I was drinking tea when I wrote this. Twinings Irish Breakfast.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

NFL Playoffs (January 13)

It starts with the Wild Card games. Here’s the full schedule.

Australian Open (January 14)

ESPN and ESPN2 will have coverage at night and overnight, and Tennis Channel will have highlights and analysis during the day. Rafael Nadal has pulled out with an injury.

Iowa Caucuses (January 15)

Here’s how a caucus differs from a primary and what changes we can expect this election year.

Emmy Awards (January 15)

The 75th ceremony airs on Fox starting at 8 p.m. ET. Here are the nominees.