Sunday Serendipity

thanks, Jack. here’s more scenic music for black history month from an african-american composer, Florence Price.
Florence Price – Wikipedia

Florence Beatrice Price (née Smith; April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) was an American classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher.^[2] Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Price was educated at the New England Conservatory of Music, and was active in Chicago from 1927 until her death in 1953. Price is noted as the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra.^[3] Price composed over 300 works: four symphonies, four concertos, as well as choral works, art songs, chamber music and music for solo instruments. In 2009, a substantial collection of her works and papers was found in her abandoned summer home.

Mississippi Suite, Florence Price, The Women’s Philharmonic

from the “DUH” files.

US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

An email obtained by NBC said the letters for some NNSA employees “are being rescinded, but we do not have a good way to get in touch with those personnel”.

hey guys, maybe look in the phone directory or the payroll files for home address?

one more bull

jaimie,
maybe remind them of this while they’re at it

Budapest Memorandum – Wikipedia

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances comprises three substantially identical political agreements signed at the OSCE conference in Budapest, Hungary, on 5 December 1994, to provide security assurances by its signatories relating to the accession of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The three memoranda were originally signed by three nuclear powers: Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom.^[1] China and France gave somewhat weaker individual assurances in separate documents.^[2]

The memoranda, signed in Patria Hall at the Budapest Convention Center with U.S. Ambassador Donald M. Blinken amongst others in attendance,^[3] prohibited Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom from threatening or using military force or economic coercion against Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, “except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.” As a result of other agreements and the memorandum, between 1993 and 1996, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine gave up their nuclear weapons.^[4][5]

[…]

According to the three memoranda,^[6] Russia, the US and the UK confirmed their recognition of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine becoming parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and effectively removing all Soviet nuclear weapons from their soil, and that they agreed to the following:

Respect the signatory’s independence and sovereignty in the existing borders (in accordance with the principles of the CSCE Final Act).^[7]

Refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of the signatories to the memorandum, and undertake that none of their weapons will ever be used against these countries, except in cases of self-defense or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

Refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine, the Republic of Belarus and Kazakhstan of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind.

Seek immediate Security Council action to provide assistance to the signatory if they “should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used”.

Not to use nuclear weapons against any non–nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, except in the case of an attack on themselves, their territories or dependent territories, their armed forces, or their allies, by such a state in association or alliance with a nuclear weapon state.^{[5]: 169–171 [8][9]}

Consult with one another if questions arise regarding those commitments.^[10][11]

yesterday’s episode in our soap opera “as the worm turns” in case you missed it:
Elon Musk’s Estranged Daughter Says She Learned About Her New Sibling, the CEO’s 13th Baby, Through Social Media

[…]

Musk, 53, has welcomed 13 children with four different women over a 20-year span: Nevada, Vivian, Griffin, Kai, Saxon, Damian, X Æ A-12, Exa, Strider, Azure and Techno, plus two others whose names have not been shared publicly.

He became a father in 2002, when his ex-wife, Justine Wilson, welcomed their son Nevada, who tragically died at 10 weeks old. The two went on to have five more children, twins Vivian and Griffin and triplets Kai, Saxon and Damian.

In 2020, two years after Musk and Grimes were first linked, the two announced they welcomed their first child, X Æ A-12, together, and the former couple also share two more children, a girl, Exa Dark Sideræl, and a boy, Techno Mechanicus.

A few weeks prior to the arrival of his second child with Grimes, 36, the tech CEO also secretly fathered twins, Strider and Azure, with Shivon Zilis, an executive at one of his companies, Neuralink, in November 2021, according to court documents published by Insider. The pair then welcomed a third child, whose name has not been revealed, in early 2024.

St. Clair said in a post on X on Friday, Feb. 14, that she and Musk have a child together.

“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father. I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause,” read her announcement.

“I intend to allow our child to grow in a normal and safe environment,” continued St. Clair, who has been an outspoken supporter of conservative ideologies. “For that reason, I ask that the media honor our child’s privacy, and refrain from invasive reporting.”

A day later, St. Clair publicly urged Musk in a now-deleted reply on X to “finish their agreement” when it comes to co-parenting.

Read the original article on People

“the bad seeder” alternate title for “as the worm turns”?

renee, just saw on local news this a.m. that the newly announced bottom least ed states are indiana, kentucky and west virginia. perhaps we should also change the name of the Ohio River to Rivulet of Brain Drain to go along with the renamed gulf.