By the miracle of time travel, we are going to visit the Valentine brown bag concert sponsored by the Lakeway Arts Committee. We are catered by La Barbecue of Austin. Our entertainment after the concert will be Sly and the Family Stone
Menu
La Frito Loco – Pulled pork, chopped brisket, chipotle slaw, black beans, Fritos, cheese, and jalapenos.
Chi-Town Pinata – Chicago-style hot dog with la barbecue traditional hotgut topped with dill relish, sport peppers, pickle spears, onion, and yellow mustard
Bobby Dawg – Housemade jalapeno sausage with your choice of brisket or pulled pork, topped with black beans, cheese, onions, jalapenos, and yellow mustard
Frito Pie – Chopped brisket, pulled pork, or la Barbecue chili, housemade pickled jalapenos, cheddar cheese, black beans, diced white onion
Chili Cheese Dawg – Housemade sausage, la Barbecue chili, cheddar cheese, diced onion, mustard, and jalapenos
Sloppy Ho – Chopped brisket, la Barbecue chili
Let’s go
Here’s the poster. Grammy winner Red Young and Silvie Rider Young.
Yup, we are in the right place.
Sound check and getting ready.
Valentine’s table centerpiece.
Red and Silvie are talking to audience members before the concert.
The stage is ready.
The chairperson of the Arts Committee with a few comments and introductions.
Red and Silvie take the stage.
Red begins the set with solo piano work.
Looks like folks are enjoying the music.
Looks like it’s time for food and more music. I hope you have a great week.
Staggering to the machine with the hope of relief that a hot cup of aromatic, steaming elixir will bring to quell the flashing neon sign behind my eyes that says in bright red, “Low Caffeine warning.” Red is also the color of Valentine’s Day, and that wish of love is certainly part of this post as soon as the coffee is ready.
Finally, the cup is filled, and the first sip begins the process of serenity. An interruption occurs in the form of the Westminster chime cacophony courtesy of some dope not reading the “Do Not Ring The Bell” sign. A couple of heart-shaped treats thrown into the soundproof room preserves the integrity of the windows and crystal, which would otherwise be in jeopardy from the bark to St Louis response of Igor’s Hounds. Slamming the door brings peace back to the valley.
A check of the monitor reveals a baby in diapers carrying an envelope and a bow. It must be Cupid or a very deranged delivery person. No need to go through the discussion about leaving the envelope, since the pattern is clear. With a sigh, the security shut-down process began.
The SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. Also, the flight of A-10 Warthogs must be diverted. Another call to the commander puts that worry to rest. The SEAL team needs to be called off, and a call to the leader makes that possible. The MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter hovering over the house is diverted. A call to the tow truck driver stops the deployment of an M1A1 Abrams Tank. The control panel simplifies the shutdown process of the security system. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the turret mortars disengaged, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gatling guns on safety, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, and the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The Proton torpedoes switched off. The gamma ray beams covered. The high-powered maser guns switched to standby, and the nanorobots were chained in the basement. The Klingons are called back, and the Targ is caged. Robbie’s Bot is sent to the basement. The Tasmanian Devil is directed to the food in his cage, and the door drops. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.
The first thing Cupid does is hand me the envelope and a clipboard, which is signed and returned. The second thing he does is shoot me with an arrow to the heart. Love blooms on the porch. Cupid got a ten-dollar tip (clever boy). Inside the envelope is a note from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “love.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun, and happy Valentine’s Day!
In January, India recorded a mini-outbreak of the Nipah virus, an often lethal disease spread by contact between humans and animals.
There was little that could be done for the victims, as no specialized treatment for Nipah virus exists other than normal supportive care procedures such as the treatment of the resulting symptoms, rest, and hydration.
Some well-studied antiviral medications like ribavirin, remdesivir, acyclovir, favipiravir, have seen use on a speculative basis during certain outbreaks, but real efficacy is unclear.
Now though, the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology has developed a potential Nipah virus vaccine by inserting some of the virus’ genetic material into the modified measles vaccine. Early trials in hamsters have shown it to be safe and effective.
Nipah virus fatality rates are 40% to 75%. It’s typically spread by contact between humans and bats, often through people consuming tree fruit contaminated with bat saliva. Once thusly contracted, it can spread quickly through humans via any form of fluid exchange.
The virus is present in the tropics and often in rural areas where access to medical care may be limited.
Tokyo University’s vaccine candidate is now on its way to Belgium for a Phase 1 testing in humans, where with the help of a nonprofit called the European Vaccine Initiative, it will be examined for safety across 60 test candidates.
The trials are set to begin in April.
The good news in this story is that this emerging virus of which little is known has a high priority in finding a preventative. Today’s JohnKu talks about being proactive. I hope you have a super weekend.
Twiggy celebrated her Eighth birthday on Tuesday. Here she is with her present. Looks like she might have been expecting a treat instead but it was a good day.
Let’s join Twiggy and Tempeste outside.
“So twiggy. How’s that sun?”
“It’s delightful.”
“I have trouble just lying around like that.”
“Yeah, but you and I are different.”
“Well, that’s for sure.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to look for a toy so we can play.”
“What makes you think I want to play?”
“Well, it is a beautiful day and thought we could play.”
“I agree it is a beautiful day. I want to lie in the sun.”
“While you are lying there, what am I going to do?”
“You know, sometimes you just have to be alone and entertain yourself.”
“Entertain myself? What fun is that?”
“It may not sound like fun now, but think of something you would enjoy.”
“I do enjoy chasing a ball by myself. Maybe I’ll do that.”
Today, I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 115. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page. My finger landed right between “handsome” and “guy.” Our prompt today is “handsome guy.”
With so little going on around town, I thought we would take a moment to check out the deer. We are catered by Le Calamar of Austin. Our entertainment is Steve Martin, Jackson Browne, and Alison Brown
Menu
Steak Tartare pain de mie, comte
Roasted sunchokes escarole, pecan, goat cheese
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Yelloweye snapper – almond, guajillo, brown butter
Pan roasted Chicken – sauce vin jaune, chestnut mushroom
Wagyu flat iron steak – cafe d’austin butter, poivrons
Wagyu hanger Steak – au poivre
Roasted Lion’s Mane Mushroom – bearnaise sauce
Let’s get going.
There they are approaching the carrot handout spot at my house.
Gotta be careful when the miser is getting on his bike.
“Okay, Bud. There is nothing to see here. You can take that bike and underlay burro.”
“Now that he’s gone, we can eat in peace. Come on, ladies. It’s safe.”
The first brave doe.
The rest of the ladies enjoy their carrots.
A different group in the sun.
This year’s fawn.
Looks like he wants me to move on, too.
The deer seem happy and healthy, so it is time for food and music. I hope you have a delightful week.
The machine delivers a nerve-saving cup of steaming elixir. The first sip signals the low caffeine warning horn inside my head that a new chapter of addiction satisfaction has begun. The second sip is accompanied by the ever-present Westminster chimes of the front doorbell, indicating another idiot ignoring the “do not ring the doorbell” sign that covers the doorbell.
The barking of Twiggy and Tempeste threatens to crack windows and plaster, so a bone is tossed into the soundproof room, and when the two hounds of Baskerville go inside, the door is slammed. The silence almost caused the eardrums to implode. A check of the security monitor predictably shows the image of someone who looks like Daffy Duck. The usual conversation takes place about a signature for an. envelope, so, with a sigh, the security shutdown process begins.
The SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. Also, the flight of A-10 Warthogs must be diverted. Another call to the commander puts that worry to rest. The SEAL team needs to be called off, and a call to the leader makes that possible. The MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter hovering over the house is diverted. A call to the tow truck driver stops the deployment of an M1A1 Abrams Tank. The control panel simplifies the shutdown process of the security system. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the turret mortars disengaged, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gatling guns on safety, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, and the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The Proton torpedoes switched off. The gamma ray beams covered. The high-powered maser guns switched to standby, and the nanorobots were chained in the basement. The Klingons are called back, and the Targ is caged. Robbie’s Bot is sent to the basement. The Tasmanian Devil is directed to the food in his cage, and the door drops. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.
The duck points to a line on the clipboard for my signature. After signing, he gives me an envelope. Before his little web food gives the classic tip gesture, he gets the tip of the day. “Remember the Chinese proverb: ‘Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.'” Before the duck can react, the front door is locked and the security system reactivated.
The envelope is from Linda Hill. Inside is a message. It says, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “chapter.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Yesterday, Sotheby’s oversaw the record $18 million sale of a drawing by Rembrandt: one of 6 drafts he made of lions, and the only one to have resided in private hands.
Those hands belong to Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan and his wife, who, along with standing foremost among the world’s private Rembrandt collectors, ride in the vanguard of global wildlife conservation on behalf of the very cat the drawing so vividly depicts.
Founder of both the Leiden Collection of Dutch and Flemish master works and Panthera, the world’s leading conservation organization dedicated exclusively to wild cats big and small, Dr. Kaplan has been able to synergistically marry these two passions, leveraging one to fund the other, as all proceeds from the record-setting, $17.9 million sale will help ensure the lion survives long beyond both Rembrandt’s time, and our own.
Called Young Lions Resting, Rembrandt depicts with superb draftsmanship the languid, fearless pose of the lion through loose, confident strokes, particularly in the modeling of the lion’s paws, and a controlled shading that brings its gaze to life.
Dr. Kaplan, who’s spoken to GNN before about his work at Panthera, explained how it was the most he and his wife had ever paid for an object after they embarked upon their anonymous journey of collecting Rembrandt and other Dutch/Flemish masters pieces in 2003.
“We recognized immediately the synergy, as my wife told me when I asked her opinion of it when I took her to see it before buying it: she responded, ‘it’s a Rembrandt, it’s a lion, and it’s beautiful; if it’s not for you, then who’s it for?” Kaplan told GNN.
Only 6 drawings of lions by Rembrandt are currently known. Young Lion Resting is the first drawing by the master to come to the market in a century, and the $17.9 million sale price sets a new record for a drawing by Rembrandt by almost $15 million.
Kaplan founded Panthera along with renowned and late conservationist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz just one year after he bought the painting in 2005. Highlighting the plight of the lion across its entire native range, the sale of Young Lion Resting at Sotheby’s was paired with a faithful reproduction entitled Young Lion Vanished, wherein the animal Rembrandt so skillfully brought to life on the paper is replaced by a void—a reality on our Earth across 95% of the lion’s former range.
“Is it savable? Yes, it is, and with much larger landscapes than with the tiger in India. But, in 26 out of the 48 countries through which it roamed, it’s now extinct,” says Dr. Kaplan, whose involvement in Panthera goes far beyond his role as its billionaire philanthropist founder, and stretches well into the scientific.
Young Lion Resting (top) Young Lion Vanished (bottom) – credit, supplied by Panthera
While Panthera has achieved incredible results protecting leopards and jaguars, Dr. Kaplan says that, regarding lions, its programs are still about “playing defense.”
“The lion is not there, but it could be. I don’t believe it will ever be extinct in the wild, but it might come to exist only in fortresses, and we want to see more connectivity.”
Young Lion Resting was co-owned with the chair of Panthera’s board of directors, Jon Ayer, who has spoken with GNN multiple times, and who provided a statement to mark the sale.
“The pulse of life that Rembrandt captured in this lion’s gaze continues to beat today through our conservation field programs,” said Ayers. “This sale provides Panthera with critical resources to combat poaching and habitat loss globally, ensuring that the majesty Rembrandt admired in the 17th century survives well into the 21st and beyond.”
Those resources come as the organization he chairs, and Kaplan founded, will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. The auction proceeds will support science-directed initiatives fostering human-wild cat coexistence and critical landscape protection in some 40 countries across four continents.
“We probably spend 80% of our time working with people to ensure that we’ve protected them from the human-animal conflict that usually precedes the slaughter of the animals. If people don’t have to kill lions, usually they don’t, but if all of your material wellbeing is wrapped up in a cow or a goat, you’re not going to take that loss stoically,” Dr. Kaplan remarked empathetically.
“You’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen again. On the other hand, if you create good fences, generally speaking, people do not want to kill the cat.”
Kaplan told GNN that among those whose job it is to know within the federal government, there is a belief that if Panthera can’t save a wildcat, no one can. If that’s true, then this record Rembrandt auction suggests the lion is in a safe pair of paws.
The good news in this story is that a billionaire is using his wealth to benefit creatures on Earth. Today’s JohnKu Talks about billionaires. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Today, I randomly opened The Power of Three by Teri Polen to page 67. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger is “trash.” That is our prompt today.
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