Letters from Jerry Garcia to Kim Alexis, 1982
In the summer of 1982 Grateful Dead vocalist Jerry Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) wrote a letter to Vogue cover model Kim Alexis who he’d met in New York. The letter is in two parts.
PART 1-
TRANSCRIPTION:
Thank you really for sending that postcard, I feel like it’s sort of our first ‘official’ communication somehow. I’ve been hoping we could get together ever since we first met at Al’s that winter nite so long ago (sigh)…However it seems as tho…(Hey! My pen stopped writing) I’ve been ninety degrees off or out of phase or something whenever it might have been possible to get to know you a little better.
I hope it doesn’t seem like I’ve been avoiding you, although I admit I’ve kind of been waiting for the opportunity (that is, the ‘right’ opportunity) for us to meet in some kind of neutral context that would be comfortable and relaxed and free of any pressure. Of course it could be years before any such opportunity arises, so…this is just a long winded way of saying thank you for writing.
Oh! also in spite of never having been alone with you, I somehow feel close to you and I’ve looked forward to and enjoyed those times, however brief, that we have been in the same general vicinity and spoken slightly (New York, Germany, Calif etc.) you know—so…
The Grateful Dead just played our first outdoor show of the year at a place called the Greek Theatre (a nice amphitheatre in back of The University of Calif. in Berekley [sic] kind of like this).”
A really nice site, we played for three days and the weather was really delicious although the last day (Sunday) was the beginning of a short hot spell and was a trifle uncomfortable but it was nice to play outdoors. I’m going to be playing in and around New York in June (while you’re in London naturally) and I’m sorry I’ll be missing you again: write me more, if you like that is, and thank you again for the card…
P.S., Pardon my handwriting, this is the first letter I’ve written in years.
PART 2-
TRANSCRIPTION:
Now, weeks later I’m in N.Y.C. Received your 2nd postcard (gasp) and I’m just getting (that is) around to mailing my first letter. Partly, it’s a sort of mail fright, like stage fright and partly editorial misgivings (Let’s see, is it legible? Spelled correctly? Am I constructing these sentences properly? God I hope she doesn’t think I’m an idiot for running off at the pen like this) Oh well—I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland. Hope you enjoyed it & I hope this letter finds you well. The whole Falkland thing here became really creepy (for me) when Begin explained & excused Israel’s invasion of Lebanon by comparing the situation to the British position in Falklands. The whole business scared the hell out of me. Latest news from England is of course the Royal birth. I’ll bet the locals are enjoying it immensly [sic].
I’m on the road again. This time with my own band & also doing some more of those two piece shows (me and John Kahn) (bass). I’ve done a few more of them since I last saw you and am starting to adjust to and become aware of the musical possibillitys [sic] of that acoustical format. It’s exciting tho still scary. I wish you were here now that I’ve got a little time here (for once) but… bye for now.
Thank you for writing 2nd card
Stay well–Love Jerry
yes
Doug and Sally Beitz from Australia were owners of a tropical island in the middle of the sea near Papua New Guinea. After 20 years of running Kosrae Nautilus Resort, they decided to sell it.
But they didn’t want just to sell it to some millionaire. They wanted a regular man to own it. So they decided to hold an online raffle. All people had to do is to buy a AU$65.00 ticket to participate. The lucky winner is known as Joshua, no more info about him for now.
Well, congratulations Joshua, enjoy your win!
And here’s a gallery of wet mammals (and a few fish) to enjoy:
Another great serious Cracked article. 
This one describes 5 things that should be obvious but rarely are.
It includes this line:
“I’m not the biggest fan of the word “mansplaining” being used to describe women being talked down to by men, because when people get used to using trendy short words, they stop thinking about what those words mean.”
The use of these words (like Hillbots, Bernie Bros, feminazis, libtards, etc.) has really been bugging me. (I think they can largely be traced to Rush Limbaugh and the like) And even though they’re a pretty effective litmus test of someone’s lack of imagination, I really hate them. But I was unable to pin down exactly what it was that so annoyed me.
With the above, the author Christina H summed it up beautifully.
Source: 5 Things Women Want Most (You Won’t Believe They Don’t Have) | Cracked.com
Attention beer lovers: the National Museum of American History may have your dream job — traveling the country drinking brews, all expenses paid.
The job, which pays $64,650 a year, is no joke.
The Washington, DC-based museum, part of the prestigious Smithsonian Institution, wants to hire a beer specialist for three years to taste beer in breweries across the country.
“Brewing and beer have been an important part of the American experience since before the nation’s founding, and continue to shape industry and community life into the present day,” said Susan Evans, the Smithsonian’s director of Food History Programs.
The lucky historian would write articles, gather archive material and conduct research into the history of food and drink for use in exhibits.
Overwhelmed by a deluge of applicants, the museum’s online job site crashed after news about the position got out.
“Hundreds of thousands of people have been looking at the offer,” Evans said.
The job “has made a lot of noise because people are very excited that we are interested in something that concerns them (so) much,” she added.
Candidates have until August 10 to apply. Warning: competition is expected to be fierce.
The Smithsonian Food History project at the National Museum of American History, in Washington, DC, is seeking a professional historian / scholar to conduct archival and field research for a new initiative on American brewing history, with special emphasis on the craft industry. The position is located in the Division of Work and Industry and will be a three-year appointment. The successful candidate will have proven experience in scholarly research, organizing and conducting oral history interviews, writing for both scholarly and general audiences, and knowledge of material culture and archival materials. The candidate will work with members of the curatorial staff on collections work and develop content for a wide variety of programs and applications, including digital formats. Candidates with an advanced degree in American business, brewing, food, cultural, or similar specialization within history are encouraged to apply. Must be able to travel, work independently as well as within a team environment, to meet deadlines, and to communicate effectively with co-workers and the public.
To apply, send a CV, a cover letter, and names of three references to: NMAHApplications@si.edu.
Funded by the Brewer’s Association, a national trade group, the position will also be responsible for documenting the history of beer brewing in the United States.
And while you’re waiting for your acceptance letter, here’s a gallery of intoxicating images:
Scientists have come up with a solution that will reduce the number of lions being shot by farmers in Africa – painting eyes on the butts of cows.
In much the same way that farmers and woodcutters in India were shown in 1989 that wearing a mask facing backwards would reduce attacks by Bengal tigers (it is now de rigueur), it is hoped that this simple trick will do the same with African lions who are also largely ambush predators.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1305104.html
The new technique is being tested by scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, after they noticed that lions tended to back off when their prey, such as impala, looked at them.
“Lions are ambush hunters, so they creep up on their prey, get close and jump on them unseen,” said Neil Jordan, a conservation biologist from UNSW, describing the first time he noticed the behaviour.
“But in this case, the impala noticed the lion. And when the lion realised it had been spotted, it gave up on the hunt.”
The use of fake eyes is found throughout nature as a way to repel predators – just think of butterflies and other animals, who can often have patterns that look like eyes to ward off predators.
But it’s not something that’s been done with larger predators before – and alternatives are definitely needed. There are now estimated to be between 23,000 and 39,000 African lions left in the wild, and they’re listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
But despite their conservation status, SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund cites farmers killing lions in retaliation as one of the biggest threats to the species.
“As protected conservation areas become smaller, lions are increasingly coming into contact with human populations, which are expanding to the boundaries of these protected areas,” said Jordan.
If we could find a way to prevent lions from killing livestock in the first place, we will hopefully make farmers more accepting of the predators, and more open to living alongside them peacefully.
So could this simple solution work? Jordan and his team have already had positive results in a small trial in Botswana last year.
When the researchers stamped painted eyes onto a third of a herd of 62 cattle, and counted the returning cows over a 10-week period, no painted cows were killed by lions, while three unpainted cows were.
Jordan admits that the sample size is too small to rule out chance in this experiment, but his team will be returning to Botswana in July for a further three-month test.
Using the science crowdfunding platform, experiment.com, Jordan has been able to purchase 10 cattle GPS loggers, and a GPS lion radio collar. The GPS devices will give more indication of the movements of both cattle and lions, and hopefully determine where they meet, and how the painted eyes change their behaviour.
“This will give us information about the exposure of painted and unpainted cows to predation risks, and where the conflict hotspots are,” said Jordan.
So, if you’re going to be sunbathing in India or Africa you may want to get your tramp stamp modified first:
Source: Scientists are painting eyes on cows’ butts to stop lions getting shot – ScienceAlert
Last week during the Republican National Convention, CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert brought back his arch-conservative former alter ego — also named Stephen Colbert — from Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report to comment on the goings-on in Cleveland. The brief stunt apparently didn’t go over well with the lawyers at Comedy Central, forcing Colbert to a new intellectual property work-around: introducing a completely new character who just happens to look and sound exactly like him.
They also claim to own the Colbert Report segments like his “Word” routine.
Lawyers should know better than to pick a fight with comedians. Even if they win they look like idiots.
Another vast gallery of amusing and often ironic wordage:
A new study may explain why people who do not have celiac disease or wheat allergy nevertheless experience a variety of gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms after ingesting wheat and related cereals.
“Our study shows that the symptoms reported by individuals with this condition are not imagined, as some people have suggested,” said study co-author Peter H. Green, MD director of the Celiac Disease Center. “It demonstrates that there is a biological basis for these symptoms in a significant number of these patients.”
One of the world’s greatest collection of WW2 armor and support vehicles is to be broken up and sold this September 18th.
French tank specialist and enthusiast, Patrick Nerrant started building his collection of armored vehicles from the Second World War in the 1980s. He was the first collector to exhibit and present his collections during official war commemorations. He passed on his passion to his two sons and together they built an incredible collection, most of which has been restored to authentic and operational condition.
The family created the Normandy Tank Museum on the D-Day landing beaches near Utah Beach on the historic site of the first Allied Advance Landing Ground – the A10 Airfield. This temporary aerodrome opened on June 19, 1944.
Following a chronological path from 1942 to 1945, the museum layout presents the greatest battles from the Second World War conflict. The scenography is magnificent and is animated by life-sized models in realistic settings. The original uniforms, helmets and armour help to bring these scenes to life.
The entire collection of vehicles in the Normandy Tank Museum displays an attention to detail, presentation and quality. Certain items have been completely restored and are in original and working order. The restoration process has involved sourcing original spare parts from around the world.
Patrick Nerrant now plans to retire and has decided with his sons to sell the collection at auction.
While I respect the right of this family to sell their quite valuable* collection, as a historian it pains me to see it broken up and dispersed.
The D-Day Sale will take place in Catz in Normandy and represents the collection gathered by Patrick Nerrant and his two sons, Olivier and Stéphane over the past 35 years.
Over 120 lots (tanks, armored machines, automobile, trucks, bikes and planes from the US military army and Axis forces) will be offered at no reserve. Each piece traces key moments in the Second World War, from North Africa to the D-Day landings and the battle of Normandy, the Cobra operation to the liberation of Paris and the battle of the Ardennes.
Highlights include a BMW R75 sidecar, Caterpillar D8, Citroën traction 38, M4 Sherman, M3A1 « Stuart », M5 Stuart, Dodge WC51/52, Dodge WC Command Car, Dodge WC-54 Ambulance, Flak 36 88mm, Ford M8 “Greyhound”, GMC DUKW, Cushman 53 “Para bike”, GMC CCKW-352/353, Half-Track M1/M5, Jeep Willys, Kübelwagen, LVT-4 (Landing Vehicle Tracked), M24 Chaffee, M7 Priest, M26 Dragon Wagon, Norton WD16H, Piper L-4 “Grasshopper”, a M15 tailor, Scout Car M3A1
*M4 SHERMAN – 105 mm Howitzer
Estimate: €200,000 – €400,000 / $220,000 – $440,000
No reserve
Made by Chrysler in Detroit, this Arsenal tank is in the colours of the 501 regiment. It was one of the vehicles that liberated Paris on 25 August 1944. It is presented in well-maintained working order and will appeal to all enthusiasts.
Cadillac M24 Chaffee
Estimate: €150,000 – €250,000/ $156,000 – $275,000
No reserve
This tank was designed and built by Cadillac. Boasting the most advanced technical engineering, it rivals the quality of the top American Saloons. This armoured vehicle took part in the infamous Ardennes Offensive, led by Général de Patton.
Jeep Willys
Estimate: €15,000 – €25,000 / $16,500 – $27,500
No reserve
The legendary Willys Jeep celebrates its 75th anniversary this year! The production, simplicity and ease of use ensured that this vehicle, a symbol of the Second World War, would be highly successful. The radiator grill has become an international symbol of freedom. It is highly sought-after and collectible item.
Harley-Davidson WLA
Estimation: €15,000 – €25,000 / $16,500 – $27,500
No reserve
The Harley-Davidson WLA is a motorbike built during the Second World War to US army specification. It was based on an existing civilian model, the WL, a bike associated with the American Dream and of great appeal to French enthusiasts.
Photo Source: Normandy Tank Museum (Picture Heavy) – Derek’s Wee Toys
The Truthiness Shall Set You Freak
Stannous Flouride's Book of Truthiness 