The Writer's Life 2/24 - Mensches & More

From foxnews.com, edited by yours truly: In 2008 Taylor Wilson, then 14, garnered international recognition as the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion in a reactor he'd built himself in his parents’ garage in Texarkana, Arkansas. Jackson Oswalt, 12, wanted to beat that record. He converted an old playroom in his Memphis home into a functioning lab. With the financial support of his parents, $8000 to $10,000 was spent on parts during the course of a year. Since there's no manual on building such a device, he relied on trial and error. On 1/19/'18, just before his 13th birthday, he achieved fusion, verified by a researcher. Scientists have yet to figure out how to use fusion in the creation of energy. Who knows - maybe Wilson and Oswalt will. Awesome, guys. Here's the new champ and his creation:

RIP Hollywood stalwart Stanley Donen, 94. IMDb lists 17 credits under his name as producer, 32 as director. He was a master of the musical, at the helm of one of tinsel town's greatest achievements - Singin' in the Rain (1952), which was overlooked at first and is now revered. He also brought Broadway to the silver screen: On the Town (1949), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Damn Yankees (1958), and others. And he was not so snobbish as to resist working on an early music video, Lionel Richie's Dancing on the Ceiling. He also directed the classic thriller Charade (1963), starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Somehow he was never nominated for an Oscar. In 1998 the Academy atoned for the slight by bestowing a lifetime achievement award on him. Here's a quote attributed to him: "For me directing is like having sex: when it's good, it's very good; but when it's bad, it's still good." He married and divorced five times. The lovely Yvette Mimieux was one of his wives. Well done, sir. Thank you.

And in case you've forgotten or are unfamiliar with her, here is Mimieux:

In an article in today's NY Post, Larry Getlen introduces a new book: Worried?: Science investigates some of life's common concerns by Lise A. Johnson and Eric Chudler. The authors cite the dangers of alcohol, supplements, medical errors, flame retardants, antibiotics and the germs prevalent on mass transit. One stat leaped from the page: dog bites send 800,000 people to the doctor each year. 

Although the rain ceased after ten AM, the forecast said there might be a possible shower until the system moved away. That led me to my usual nook under the scaffold on Avenue Z, where I enjoyed good luck. The woman I hoped would come along did, and she bought ten books in Russian. Spasibo, madam. My thanks also to the woman who purchased a book on make-up, and to the one who chose two puzzles for kids; and to Vitaly, who selected two "Who Dunnits?" He reads English much better than he speaks it, but that is one phrase he never forgets.

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