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Weekend Butler: The Optimism Issue: His brain does the walking. Maurice Sendak. Paul Newman. J.S. Bach. Kanye West’s shoes. Chilled squash soup.

Published: Jun 01, 2023
Category: Weekend

The government won’t shut down. My daughter adopted a cat. I’m walking more each day. Feeling deep gratitude for close friends. Yes, the sun may extinguish life as we know it, but not today. Despite opposition and ignorance, the good-hearted and smart are getting things done. I woke up with this song in my head. This is the optimism issue.

HIS BRAIN DOES THE WALKING

A paralyzed man [photo above] has regained the ability to walk for the first time using only his thoughts, thanks to two implants that restored communication between brain and spinal cord. The advance is the result of more than a decade of work by a team of researchers in France and Switzerland. For the NYTimes article, click here. For the video, click here.

MAURICE SENDAK AND TERRY GROSS: “LIVE YOUR LIFE”

Maurice Sendak cherished his visit’s with NPR’S Terry Gross. This was the last. An illustrator gave it imagery. It’s magic. Watch/listen.

PAUL NEWMAN IN “OUR TOWN”

Paul Newman lived in Westport. He starred in this moving production of the Thortnon Wilder classic.. Stunning. Watch. [Thanks, ML.]

OPHELIA DAHL ON REFUSING TO ACCEPT “PATIENCE”

“If you’re too patient … then it’s a disaster for many people. But there’s something about change that lasts and that often takes longer to cement. And that means partnerships have to be forged, and people have to be trained.” Click here.

IN A GERMAN PRISONER OF WAR CAMP: “WE ARE ALL JEWS HERE”

Roddie Edmonds was a Master Sergeant in the United States Army. In late 1944, Edmonds was captured in the Battle of the Bulge and held at a German POW camp. In January 1945, the Nazis ordered all Jewish-American POWs to step forward. Edmonds, the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer at the camp, ordered all 1,000 US soldiers to step forward, regardless of their religion. A German commander demanded that Edmonds identify the Jewish soldiers. Edmonds replied, “We are all Jews here.” The commander threatened to shoot him if he did not comply. Edmonds refused, saying, “If you shoot, you’ll have to shoot us all.” The commander backed down. Edmonds’ actions are credited with saving the lives of 200 Jewish soldiers. In 2015, he was posthumously named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem and was the first American soldier to receive the honor.

WEEKEND MUSIC: J.S. BACH

Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565, played by organist Hans-André Stamm on the Trost-Organ of the Stadtkirche in Waltershausen, Germany. Click here.

KANYE WEST INADVERTANTLY DOES A GOOD THING

I wondered what Adidas was going to do with its Kanye West merchandise after it cut ties to him because of his stream of antisemitic remarks. Now we know. NY Times headline: Adidas Starts Unloading Its Yeezy Gear, to Benefit Anti-Hate Groups. From the article:

Adidas is going to start selling the first pairs of its leftover Yeezy sneakers, a step toward resolving a $1.3 billion inventory headache that has plagued the sportswear company since it severed ties with Kanye West, the rapper known as Ye, over a string of antisemitic remarks by the musician. Adidas said a “significant amount” of the proceeds would go to groups and organizations representing people who had been hurt by Ye’s remarks. [Later in the piece, Adidas acknowledged that West would collect royalties from these sales.]

WEEKEND POEM

“Missed Time,” by Ha Jin

My notebook has remained blank for months

thanks to the light you shower

around me. I have no use

for my pen, which lies

languorously without grief.

Nothing is better than to live

a storyless life that needs

no writing for meaning—

when I am gone, let others say

they lost a happy man,

though no one can tell how happy I was.

WEEKEND RECIPE

Yellow or Green Squash Soup
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Serves 8

1 1/2 pounds yellow summer squash or zucchini
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 to 4 grinds of fresh nutmeg or dash of ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream

Wash, trim, and sliced squash.
In a large saucepan, melt butter; gently saute onion.
Add chicken broth gradually, then sliced squash, salt and pepper.
Simmer for 45 minutes.
Puree soup in blender or food processor. Add nutmeg.
To heat, stir in cream with a wire whisk and cook over low heat. Do not allow to boil.

It can be served warm. But it’s summer. Chill.