You begin to interest me…vaguely
For its 125th anniversary, Pepsi will open up a pop-up diner somewhere in midtown Manhattan that “will artfully mirror the sets of some of the most memorable Pepsi commercials and feature real, one-of-a-kind memorabilia from the Pepsi archives”
See more (and get on the waitlist!) at PepsiDiner.com.
After the Kakhovka dam was blown up in June, the reservoir above it quickly drained, revealing a bonanza of artifacts that has electrified Ukrainian archaeologists.
‘It’s Crazy’: The Scramble for Ancient Treasures After Ukraine’s Dam Disaster
The New York Times
Featured image: The New York Times
This 2013 commercial introduced the Chevy Spark to the U.S. market by hyping its global (OK, mostly pushing European vibes here) credentials and pastel colors.
Built in South Korea, over the years, versions of the Spark were marketed as the Chevy Beat, Holden Spark, Opel Karl, Vauxhall Viva, and Vinfast Fadil. The Spark was discontinued by Chevrolet in 2022.
John Jaso, former catcher/first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, and other teams, walked away from baseball and now sails a boat for about six months a year: No More Spring Trainings.
During his MLB career, Jaso had to deal with multiple concussions:
My initial reaction is that my life, as far as my career, is falling apart and kind of like ending,” Jaso said. “That this is how it ends.”
Tampa Bay Times 2015
In 2017 he bought a sailboat (he was a professional balllplayer, so it’s a nice boat) and retired from baseball:
there’s another level of peace and happiness for him when he’s on the boat. Even when there are issues — and something is always going wrong — he liked dealing with it.
New York Times 2023
There is Birdismowthe, Stalkere and Holdefaste – referring to the desirable qualities of a hunting dog; Charlemayne, Ercules and Arture, referring to historical or mythological figures, and Cherefull, Plesaunce and Harmeles, which may have been ironic.
https://www.medievalists.net/2023/04/pet-names-medieval/
More at Medievalists.net
Jim Steinman, the composer of anthemic, operatic hits including Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Bat out of Hell, and Total Eclipse of the Heart, died in 2021 at the age of 73. In 2022, his Connecticut estate was put up for sale for $5.5 million; it’s now asking $4.5 million.
That price includes the house, which the New York Times called “a majestic museum of the self,” and everything in it.
From the time Jim acquired the quaint country cottage originally located on the property, it became his personal sanctuary where he envisioned and built his masterful home and studio that served to inspire artistic creation and joyful entertaining. It was from this home that Jim collaborated with world acclaimed musicians and artists, composing on the very piano that is included in this once in a lifetime sale of Jim’s home and curated collections … To honor Jim’s legacy, it is the estate’s intention to find the next custodian who will be enthralled by the transformative power of Jim’s home and art.
Zillow/William Pitt Sotheby’s International
Read the NYT’s tour of the house last year: A Gothic Rock Cottage Fit for a Bat Out of Hell
Floor plans, video tour, and at: See the Property
And we must have a music video. Not Meat Loaf or Air Supply, but a woman in a white dress, men in belly shirts, and Jim Steinman himself throwing a guitar through a stained glass window. It’s 1981, and it’s Bad for Good:
Obsidian Cliff (The New York Times)
Not anymore, though – it’s a National Historic Landmark and it’s in Yellowstone, so no collecting allowed. But for thousands of years it was the go-to source for the raw material that makes the sharpest stone tools.
In 1918, the U.S. Army created Camp Holabird in Baltimore, Maryland and in 1940, it was the site where a prototype four wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle – what later became the Jeep – was tested. The facility was shut down in 1973 and later turned into an industrial park.
As Legend magazine shows, Remnants of the part Camp Holabird played in the development of the famous Jeep still survive today. An earlier visit to Holabird in 2009 is at On the Trail of Jeep History, Part 3.
The New York Times: Dancing with the Stairs
From Fundatia Conservation CARPATHIA in Romania, a year of wild animals captured on a trail cam in the Făgăraș Mountains. Spoiler: there are bison. Also, the raccoon-like animal with a striped tail is probably a European wildcat.
