Muhammad Ali’s interfaith funeral was held today, and it was an event worthy of the boxer known as The Greatest. Highlights included comedian Billy Crystal’s funny and touching remembrance … … Rabbi Michael Lerner’s impassioned call for social change … … and the first eulogy, given by Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali. If you missed the…
In the News
Recommended: New York Magazine’s Fashion History Issue
Love history? Love fashion? Love fashion history? Then I hope you can still grab New York Magazine’s “What We Wore” special issue (May 16-29, 2016) from the newsstand. At least some of it is online starting here, but this is one of those editorials that works fantastically in print. The cover line’s subtitle is “Centuries…
Recommended Reading: Painkillers and Prince
The Los Angeles Times has published a must-read story about how the promotion of OxyContin helped set off the prescription opioid epidemic in the U.S. The investigation by Harriet Ryan, Lisa Girion and Scott Glover found that even before OxyContin went on the market in 1996, clinical trials showed that the effects of OxyContin showed…
RIP, Prince
Devastating! Another icon gone too soon. Prince June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016 Embed from Getty Images Just yesterday, I’d been reassured about Prince’s health after reading that he’d appeared before fans on Saturday to show them that he was okay after being hospitalized for the flu. I was checking up on him because…
Congrats to ProPublica on Its Third Pulitzer Prize!
A big congratulations to MrB’s nonprofit investigative reporting organization, ProPublica, on its third Pulitzer Prize! The article was a collaboration with another nonprofit, The Marshall Project, which specializes in covering criminal justice. T. Christian Miller, a senior reporter for ProPublica, and Ken Armstrong, a writer for The Marshall Project, won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for…
Recommended Reading: “Last Men Standing”
George Michael’s quote in yesterday’s post about “the years when HIV was a killer” reminded me that I’ve been meaning to share the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Last Men Standing” project. The Chronicle described its package of print and digital stories and film this way: “They outlived an epidemic, but San Francisco’s AIDS survivors are still…
RIP, George Martin
George Martin, the music producer who most famously worked with the Beatles, died at age 90 yesterday. Embed from Getty Images Ringo Starr first announced the news on Twitter. Paul McCartney made his statement here. To learn more about George’s interactions with the Beatles, you can read his memoir, All You Need Is Ears. But…
Throwback Thursday: Daisies and Dave Stewart
Erica M. Blumenthal, writing for the New York Times Thursday Styles section, has declared that this is the year of the daisy: “Expect a floral explosion as spring fashion starts to arrive in stores, and no flower is getting more love this season than the daisy. The relentlessly cheerful print, iconic in a grungy way…
Valentine’s Day/Anti-Valentine’s Day Countdown: #14 of 14
Happy Valentine’s Day! If you don’t have a Valentine, maybe you can be mine. I’m not shy about saying it: I’m your No. 1 fan! The final entry for my Valentine’s Day/anti-Valentine’s Day countdown is my brand-new emoji-inspired earring. I decided to improve upon the standard pointing finger emoji … … and turn it…
Valentine’s Day/Anti-Valentine’s Day Countdown: #7 of 14
How’s THIS for a Super Bowl 50 ring? Today’s Valentine’s Day selection is the redesigned engagement/50th anniversary ring I made for my mother last year, using her original center diamond and baguettes. Obviously you can’t buy this particular ring but I can use this style of platinum setting for any custom engagement ring. If you’re…