News of the Week: 1918 vs. 2020, Rosie the Riveter, and Five Ways to Eat Cereal (Besides in a Bowl)

In the news for the week ending March 13, 2020, are books to read, recipes to try, and jokes to laugh at while you stay home to avoid the coronavirus.

Weekly Newsletter

The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox!

SUPPORT THE POST

COVID-19

I’m not posting this CBS Sunday Morning video on the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic to freak you out. The coronavirus doesn’t compare to what happened 102 years ago, even if sporting events, concerts, parades, and other events are being affected. I just think it’s really interesting from a historical point of view, to look back and see how the government, doctors, and the public handled that health crisis.

Uploaded to YouTube by CBS Sunday Morning

You can keep track of all updates and get all the information you need about the coronavirus — which causes COVID-19 — at the site the Centers for Disease Control has set up. And watch out for scams.

Read This

You can see the latest picks from Amazon’s book editor Al Woodworth in the latest issue of the Post. Here are six more books you might want to pick up.

The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria, by Greg King and Penny Wilson. The authors examine how the media covered and the public observed the “first disaster of the modern age,” the 1956 sinking of the Italian luxury liner off the coast of Nantucket.

You Never Forget Your First, by Alexis Coe. Get your mind out of the gutter; this is a biography of George Washington.

The Power Notebooks, by Katie Roiphe. The controversial culture writer opines on various subjects via personal journal entries: divorce, single motherhood, as well as the #MeToo movement and feminism.

Deacon King Kong, by James McBride. The new novel from the writer and musician examines what happens to people who witness a church deacon shoot a drug dealer in 1969 Brooklyn.

Temporary, by Hilary Leichter. This debut novel explores the many temporary jobs a young woman has, including swabbing the deck of a pirate ship, shining a large shoe collection, and assisting an assassin.

Journey of the Pharaohs, by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. Cussler — who died last month — and Brown have written this latest epic adventure in which NUMA investigates the connection between the 1074 B.C. disappearance of treasures from an Egyptian tomb, the vanishing of a famous aviator in 1927, and the present-day sinking of a fishing trawler near Scotland.

Rosalind P. Walter

Many women had the title “Rosie the Riveter,” but Rosalind P. Walter was the first. She even inspired a song. After World War II she went on to become a philanthropist and benefactor. You can see her name on many PBS shows she helped fund through the Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, including PBS NewsHour, Great Performances, American Masters, and several Ken Burns documentaries. She died last week at the age of 95.

Of course, Norman Rockwell made all of the Rosies famous with his 1943 cover for the Post. His model was a 19-year-old telephone operator named Mary Doyle.

RIP Max Von Sydow, McCoy Tyner, Earl Pomerantz, Mart Crowley, Henri Richard, and Roscoe Born

It’s hard to list all of the movies Max Von Sydow was in, but here are a few: The Exorcist, The Seventh Seal, Three Days of the Condor, Minority Report, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Pelle the Conquerer, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He also received an Emmy nomination for his role on Game of Thrones. He died Sunday at the age of 90.

McCoy Tyner was an influential jazz pianist who played with the John Coltrane Quartet for many years. He died last week at the age of 81.

Earl Pomerantz was a veteran writer and producer who worked on many shows, including Cheers, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Cosby Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Taxi, and The Larry Sanders Show. He also created Major Dad and the short-lived but very funny sitcom Best of the West. He died last weekend at the age of 75.

Mart Crowley wrote the groundbreaking play The Boys in the Band. He died Saturday at the age of 84.

Henri Richard was a Hall of Fame center for the Montreal Canadiens for 20 years, helping the team win 11 Stanley Cups. He died last week at the age of 84.

Roscoe Born had roles on several soap operas over the years, including One Life to Live, Ryan’s Hope, The Young and the Restless, and Santa Barbara, along with appearances on The Rockford Files, Paper Dolls, and Murder, She Wrote. He died last week at the age of 69.

Headline of the Week

Is Bernie Sanders Too Old to Be the Next James Bond?

This Week in History

John Harvey Kellogg Serves Corn Flakes for the First Time (March 7, 1897)

Kellogg’s name is synonymous with breakfast cereal, but … let’s just say he and his brother Will were much more interesting men than that.

Great Blizzard of 1888 (March 11, 1888)

The East Coast storm — also called The Great White Hurricane — lasted for three days and killed 400 people.

Cereal Recipes!

I know, I know, you’re thinking, cereal recipes? How exciting can that possibly be, even if you use an exclamation point? What, are you going to tell me how to mix two cereals together to make a new flavor combination? You could do that (I certainly have), but cereal is a lot more versatile than you might think.

How about making Grandma’s Special Hash Brown Casserole from Valerie’s Kitchen, which incorporates some of Mr. Kellogg’s corn flakes? Or maybe these Nutella Cocoa Krispie Treats from Country Cleaver? These Chocolate Marshmallow Peanut Butter Squares from Taste of Home include Rice Krispies, while Ree Drummond’s Crunchy Cereal Chicken Fingers are coated with Cap’n Crunch.

And if you really want to think out of the bowl, try some Cereal Milk Tea, which you can make with Froot Loops and tea bags.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

The Ides of March (March 15)

This is one of those days that everyone hears about, but do you know what it actually refers to?

St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)

You can eat cereal on this day too. It should probably be this one.

Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. Subscribe now

Comments

  1. Oops –
    Just sent a suggestion that the Rosie the Riveter poster be updated, and of course my computer auto-corrected face mask to face mark. Oh, the joys of spell-correct (and of not proof-reading) – computer programs meet human error.

  2. Hey, SEPS friends –

    How about updating the Rosie the Riveter Poster for the Covid-19 pandemic effort. We need a Rosie that wears a facemark and says “We can do it together!”

  3. Thanks for the CBS Sunday Morning report on the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Knowing the facts, what to do (and not) combined with medical science advances will make all the difference today, despite what’s still unknown. Hand washing IS crucial, along with keeping your immune system in top condition. Getting plenty of sleep which many Americans foolishly scoff at as “a waste of time” is extremely important. Lack of sleep has been made worse by the asinine situation of ‘spring forward’ (in the winter no less) that stupidly still persists.

    A sense of humor about the whole thing combined with caution of course, helps keep it from being as overwhelming. Earlier this week online, the Post ran a great feature by Maya Sinha entitled “Wit’s End: 6 Coronavirus Life Hacks” that I certainly suggest checking out.

Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *