Readers and writers: Books to reflect on and celebrate aging

Arts & Culture, Books

As our population ages, writers are offering books that look at what aging means and ways to live full lives even with the physical limitations that even the healthiest seniors experience. Today we have a memoir from a woman who discovered her need to write when she was 75, a short story collection in which most of the characters are in their 70s, a blog that spans 15 years and, just for fun, poems about pickleball. All the authors are Minnesotans.(Courtesy of the University of Minnesota Press)“Radical Endurance: Growing Old In an Age of Longevity”: by Andrea Gilats (University of Minnesota Press, $19.95)Having entered old age relatively recently, I continue to imagine myself at the beginning of a journey, not approaching the end of my one and only earthly voyage. If I extract the ageism from old age, as I might suck out the venom from a rattlesnake bite, this new stage of life becomes a compelling last chance. My leading act of resistance is to (try to) take thorough advantage of my stable physical, intellectual, and psychological health, and my following act is to (try to) refuse to spend my time brooding about how long each of them might last. — from “Radical Endurance”It’s a pleasure to spend time with Andrea Gilats as she tussles with growing older in her memoir, which she was inspired to write on a May morning shortly before her 75th birthday when she woke to the realization that she was about to leap from older to old.Gilats is a writer, educator artist who retired from teaching yoga when her body told her it was time. She created and directed two University of Minnesota lifelong learning programs for older adults and was co-founder and longtime director of the university’s Split Rock Arts Program. Her previous books include “After Effects: A Memoir of Complicated Grief.”Andrea Gilats (Courtesy of the author)In “Radical Endurance” Gilats writes as a realist who walks the fine line between accepting some of the physical limitations of aging and refusing to give in to the ageism that treats older people as invisible, sick, or demented and useless. She vows to fight these stereotypes, living the best life possible in the years ahead of her.Gilats recalls her midlife moments, including the death of her husband, and a medical diagnosis that made her realize old age comes quicker and lasts longer than we might imagine. Her publisher describes her book as “a personal guide to the transformations, hard truths, profound pleasures, and infinite possibilities of aging.”Whether you are Gilats’ age or older, or you are caring for aging parents, “Radical Endurance” is a balanced look at senior years. Her message, although she doesn’t put it this way, is that age is what you make itGilats will launch her book with a reading at 6 p.m. Thursday at Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.(Boyle & Dalton)“The Night Owl Sings and Other Stories of Old Age”: by Judy McConnell (Boyle & Dalton; hardcover $28.99, paperback $16.99)In the twelve months since she’d moved into Serene Harbor, she had learned to navigate a slower system, among the canes and walkers and ubiquitous side railings. Everything in the place seemed old, including her… But she had vigor. She could drive in daylight. She could tend to an apartment, her own apartment where she belonged. She still challenged fate; she still grew new cells each day. She was rechargeable. –– from “The Night Owl Sings and Other Stories of Old Age”What a treat to read stories focusing on characters in their 70s and older. In too much fiction seniors are relegated to bit parts or used for comedy. Not so in “The Night Owl Sings,” which is populated mostly by women living the fictional life Andrea Gilats writes about in her memoir.These nine stories are longer than usual, giving the author room to stretch in terms of character development and rich plotting.Judy McConnell (Minnesota Writers Directory)In the intriguing title story, a woman makes a decision about a lover who re-entered her life and “talks” to a wise fox about her future. The final story weaves together a woman’s wish that her big, comfortable male friend could be more emotionally present as she mourns the death of her best friend and plans a birthday party that includes an airplane and parachute. Two women who are old friends cruise down the Illinois River when an outspoken man tells one of them she is fat. And she is. Her friend, who is slim, doesn’t reveal that she battles daily with her need for sweets. And in another story a magical encounter with a young man deep in a cave turns a woman’s lackluster life in new directions.McConnell has a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. She’s written two previous memoirs and a novel after a career as a secondary-school teacher.“Life is Short and So Am I”: by Lucy Rose Fisher (Temuna Press, $15)I bought my granddaughter, who had just turned age three, quite a few dresses. I just couldn’t resist — little girl dresses are so sweet! A few weeks ago, she asked: “Who gave me this dress?” Her mother said: “Your Grandma Lucy gave it to you.” Then my granddaughter asked: “Was it too small for her?”Lucy Fisher is an award-winning author, artist and gerontologist who began writing a blog about aging when she was in her mid-60s that continued for 14 years during which she reflected on time, mortality, love, loss, creativity, home, travel, a favorite dog and twists and turns of a long life. Enlivening the text are her sketches. Among her award-winning previous books are: “The Journalist: Life and Loss in America’s Secret War,” “Grow Old With Me,” and “I’m New at Being Old.”“Pickles and Paradise”: by Kristin F Johnson (KFJ Books, $12.99)Pickleball isn’t just for older people, but it’s certainly a sport many folks over 65 enjoy. Kristin Johnson dedicates this slim book of poems to all pickleballers in verse that celebrates the game’s inclusiveness, sense of community and rules that emphasize fun and court courtesy. For the author, the best pickleball games are played outdoors and her hope for an early spring runs through the poetry. Here’s “In My Experience,” a poem that sums up all that’s good about the game:Everyone is welcome on the courtwhether you are good or bad at the sport.Whether your serve lands in the kitchenor you return the ball, and your shot isn’t in,as long as you don’t act like a spoilsportyou will have much pickled support.

Business Tech News: OpenAI Is Now Building Robots

Business News

Here are five things in business tech news that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?

This Week in Business Tech News

Business Tech News #1 – OpenAI’s secret robot plans revealed.
OpenAI is in the process of refocusing its efforts to develop robotics technology. The company has revealed its renewed interest in creating humanoid robots designed to perform automated tasks in warehouses and assisting with household chores among other “versatile” functions. According to the company, their new robotics team will focus on “unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings.” OpenAI’s previous robotics department was suspended in 2021, but they’ve maintained an active interest through investing in companies like Figure AI Inc. and 1X, which are already developing humanoid robots. Further details about the team can be found here. (Source: The AI REPORT)

Why this is important for your business:
Does this come as a surprise? Not to me. OpenAI isn’t going to stop at just generative AI chatbots. It’s technology can be applied for many use cases from office automation to autonomous vehicles and yes…to robots. My prediction is that within the next decade, many products will be powered by OpenAI’s technology without us even knowing about it – or caring, as long as they work.

Business Tech News #2 – The 10 best laptops of CES 2025
Tech journalist Matthew Smith reported on the laptops that were showcased at this year’s CES 2025 – the premier event where the latest gadgets and innovations are on display from tech companies around the globe. A few of the laptops on PCWorld’s 10 best list include – Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable which features a rollable OLED display that extends from 14 inches to 16.7 inches. Razer Blade 16 – a powerful gaming notebook with bold design changes. Asus Zenbook A14 – the world’s lightest Copilot+ PC, weighing just under 2.2 pounds and Smith’s “overall pick.” Visit the link to see the rest. (Source: PC World)

Why this is important for your business:
I bookmarked this article as I’m continuing the search for a new laptop. But bear in mind these are the latest and greatest technologies. Which means that that most are pricey and some aren’t even available yet. But they’re all a good indication of what’s to come. The “rollable” functionality from Lenovo received the most attention both from the crowd and the critics and any opportunity to cut down on hardware cost (less monitors needed) should be of interest to businesses.

Business Tech News #3 – Why a tech journalists uses both ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity Pro.
Danny Maiorca of MakeUseOf makes the case for using both ChatGPT Plus and Perplexity Pro as users typically choose one or the other. His general assessment is ChatGPT has a broader range of capabilities whereas Perplexity Pro shines in “niche areas.” Maiorca uses ChatGPT Plus for things like organizing abstract ideas, project planning and conversations. Perplexity Pro is used for his in-depth research as the tool is very efficient with finding resources based on extensive queries. It also leverages large datasets and offers citation support, making it ideal for academic research. “I think the best approach is to use both… My subscriptions pay for themselves each month,” Maiorca concludes. (Source: MakeUseOf)

Why this is important for your business:
I do the same! Perplexity is my research tool when writing articles. ChatGPT is my everyday tool for answering questions and helping me with business and personal decisions. I have subscriptions for both, as both have become important tools to help me run my business and my life. I’m starting to think that no one chatbot tool can do it all and that there will be a number of them that specialize in certain topics or functions.

Business Tech News #4 – An AI search expert predicts what the future of search is going to look like.
AJ Ghergich – AI search expert and Global VP at Botify – shared in an interview the evolving trends he anticipates with search tools in 2025. Search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity are changing how we look for information, making it more conversational rather than keyword-based. Ghergich predicts that ads will soon be integrated into AI search engines as they are a primary revenue source for free services. AI systems will become highly personalized, making ads feel less intrusive and more relevant to users. AI agents will increasingly interact with each other on the web, reducing the need for human intervention in searches. “In the future, the majority of searchers will be AI, not human. We’ll cross this threshold, and the way we communicate will have to change,” Gherich said. (Source: TechRadar)
Why this is important for your business:
I agree with Ghergich’s predictions. SEO will be – and already is – significantly disrupted in the next few years. For a long time Google had the monopoly on ads. But new AI chatbot platforms are delivering answers – not just links to answers – and will be using the best content available so that their responses are as accurate as possible. How will they incorporate ads into this new and better delivery of content? Ghergich’s ideas seem to make sense.
Business Tech News #5 – Microsoft Teams wants to use Copilot to keep your meetings going, whether you like it or not.
Copilot is taking a more autonomous role in Microsoft Teams meetings. The AI will soon be suggesting follow-up questions in meetings. When users respond to a prompt, Copilot will also suggest team members to “keep the conversation going” whether that’s the intended choice or not. This feature was discovered in a post titled “Copilot in Meetings will suggest follow up questions to ask it.” According to reports, Microsoft plans to roll out this feature in March. (Source: TechRadar)
Why this is important for your business:
This feature seems like it would be annoying and mostly ignored. Don’t people want to keep meetings and conversations shorter, not longer? Hey, what do I know? Regardless, I’ll check it out once it’s available and report back.
Every Sunday I round up five business tech news stories and offer thoughts on to why they would impact your company.

Longevity Breakthrough: Scientists Restore “Youthful” Enzyme Activity To Combat Aging

Science and Health

CCM Biosciences has developed groundbreaking compounds that activate the enzyme SIRT3, potentially reversing age-related cellular decline. These first-in-class drugs outperform existing treatments and will enter clinical trials in 2025 to target Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other age-related diseases.
Innovative therapies revive a once-undruggable mitochondrial aging regulator through a revolutionary enzyme activation mechanism.
Researchers at CCM Biosciences, Inc. have leveraged a novel biophysical mechanism of enzyme activation to discover and characterize groundbreaking enzyme activators for a previously untargetable master regulator of cellular energy production.
These first-in-class compounds restore the enzyme’s activity to levels comparable to those of youthful cells, offering substantial potential for clinical applications in treating age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic conditions.
Enhancing healthy lifespan by even one year is estimated to hold a global economic value exceeding $10 trillion. In line with this potential, the largest XPRIZE in history has recently launched a seven-year initiative focused on cellular rejuvenation.
Many chronic age-associated diseases may be addressed by boosting the activity of enzymes responsible for regulating critical biochemical signaling pathways. Despite the global focus on this area, identifying enzyme activators remains challenging due to their reliance on allosteric modulation—a mechanism that is viable in fewer than 10% of proteins.
Expanding Beyond Traditional Enzyme Activation
Recently, a team of scientists at CCM Biosciences and its affiliated R&D center Chakrabarti Advanced Technology expanded the scope of enzyme activation beyond allosteric modulation by introducing new physical principles for enzyme activation and successfully applied computational and experimental design methods based on these principles to identify new compounds that dramatically enhance the activity of previously undruggable enzyme Sirtuin-3 (SIRT3), which is centrally involved in regulating human aging. This study was published in Physical Review X, the flagship journal of the American Physical Society (APS), on October 22, 2024.
Billions of dollars have been invested over the past two decades in efforts to upregulate sirtuin enzymes due to their role in regulating healthspan and lifespan. The biotechnology company Sirtris Pharma, founded based on the work of longevity researchers from Harvard and MIT, was bought by GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million, but the development of its drug candidates, which were allosteric activators, was subsequently terminated due to the observation that they only functioned with a limited number of substrates for one of the seven sirtuin enzymes.
Due to the difficulty of identifying activators that upregulate more sirtuin enzymes under more physiologically relevant conditions, companies such as Elysium Health (MIT) had largely abandoned the efforts to develop targeted sirtuin activators and instead turned to marketing nutraceuticals to increase sirtuin activity.
Unlocking the Potential of SIRT3 Activation
Notably, SIRT3, the major mitochondrial sirtuin enzyme, plays a critical role in determining human health span and lifespan through the regulation of mitochondria—the energy production powerhouses of cells that decline with age—but was considered undruggable due to lack of a known allosteric site. The lead compounds recently discovered by CCM scientists greatly increase the sensitivity of SIRT3 to the essential metabolic cofactor NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), whose levels decrease with age and play a major role in the onset of many age-related diseases. While researchers had identified protein mutations in sirtuins that could increase the sensitivity of a related enzyme SIRT1 to NAD+, they were not successful in designing drug-like compounds that could achieve this effect.
CCM compounds fully recovered the activity of SIRT3 in the face of NAD+ levels decreasing by a factor of two, as observed in old age. The scientists have also shown that their compounds increase SIRT3 activity in the face of declining NAD+ for multiple cell lines employed in aging studies. The proposed compounds are also undergoing animal testing in mice for age-related disorders, including infertility, where they have outperformed both NAD+ supplements and other sirtuin activators.
In recent years, investment in therapeutic interventions for age-related disorders has surged, with invested capital in 2024 exceeding $5 billion. Notable examples include Calico (an Alphabet company) and Altos Labs, each of which has received over $3 billion in funding.However, very few proprietary first-in-class drug candidates have been advanced to clinical trials for efficacy in against age-related disorders. By contrast, the drug programs of CCM Biosciences for age-related disorders are entering clinical trials for efficacy in 2025.
Dr. Michael Pollak, Professor of Medicine, Oncology, and Pharmacology at McGill University and an expert on clinical trials for age-related disorders and the biochemistry of sirtuin-regulated signaling pathways, says that “Efforts have been underway for decades to activate signaling pathways regulated by sirtuins to combat age-related disorders, but prior efforts have encountered significant hurdles. The discoveries by CCM Biosciences pertaining to the design of drug candidates that can activate the major mitochondrial pathways regulated by sirtuins, along with the clinical development plan for evaluation of efficacy as well as safety of these drug candidates, revitalize this area of drug development.”
Reference: “Computationally Driven Discovery and Characterization of SIRT3-Activating Compounds that Fully Recover Catalytic Activity under NAD+ Depletion” by Xiangying Guan, Rama Krishna Dumpati, Sudipto Munshi, Santu Chall, Rahul Bose, Ali Rahnamoun, Celina Reverdy, Gauthier Errasti, Thomas Delacroix, Anisha Ghosh and Raj Chakrabarti, 22 October 2024, Physical Review X.DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.14.041019

Travel to Manang becoming easier

Travel

Manang, Jan 19: With the recent expansion of the road network in Manang, which is considered an attractive tourism destination in the country, travel is becoming easier. About 20 years after the opening of the track, the journey has become easier after the Dumre-Besisahar-Chame road has geared up for expansion. Suman Adhikari, a sub-engineer at the road expansion project, informed that eight kilometres of the Dumre-Besisahar-Chame road has been black-topped in the last fiscal year.     According to him, 8 Kilometers of the road from Besisahar to Khudi has been blacktopped. Adhikari said, “The Manang-Masryangdi hydropower project has also helped in the construction of the road towards Manang. The project has already worked in places that are physically uncomfortable. Since the hydro projects have to operate vehicles for carrying out various construction materials, the development here has also been helped.”     He informed that a budget of Rs 510 million has been allocated for the construction of roads and bridges under the Besisahar-Chame section. Assistant Manager of Butwal Hydropower Company Limited, Pratikmansingh Pradhan, informed that works such as road widening, infrastructure and road construction in the tourist area are being carried out in order to facilitate the bringing of necessary materials to the project site. According to him, work is being done on the basis of mutual coordination with the road project. Manager Pradhan said, “Development of the district is not possible with energy production alone.Since Manang is also a tourist area, if the road network can be expanded here to facilitate travel, tourism will be boosted and the economic status of the locals will be improved. Along with energy production, the development of the road network is helping the daily life of the local people and the movement of tourists. (RSS)

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Michigan movie theaters offer deals, freebies for National Popcorn Day

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Theater chains across the country are celebrating National Popcorn Day on Sunday with a variety of specials for moviegoers.According to the National Day Calendar, Americans consume 13 billion quarts of popcorn per year. The love for popcorn is historic in U.S. agriculture, and of course, being a staple snack for a baseball game or a movie.Movie theaters are one of the places Americans are most likely to enjoy popcorn. Here’s a look at some of the deals you can find in Michigan.Cinemark offers $5 bucketsFor $5, all Cinemark theaters in Michigan will be celebrating National Popcorn Day on Jan. 19.”Literally anything can be a bucket!,” Cinemark says on its website. “Get creative and bring in any container, tote, or bag. We’ll load it up with the good stuff for just $5 — up to ounces (equivalent of 2 XL popcorns).”Cinemark is also giving 10% off all gift card purchases made online, and offering a National Popcorn Day contest to top it off.Cinemark is allowing any container up to 400 ounces or less to be filled up per person. All buckets must be clean and sanitized before use, and there are are no refills. “Cinemark reserves the right to refuse any bucket deemed unsanitary or a potential health risk,” the website notes. Of note, a 3-gallon bucket is 384 ounces.All-you-can-eat popcorn at AMC, plus a 50% off popcorn handbagAMC Theatres announced that this year, the movie theater chain is offering a deal on its AMC Perfectly Popcorn.When customers buy any size popcorn on Sunday, they can get as much popcorn as they want, the chain said in a news release. AMC is also working with DoorDash and Uber Eats to deliver popcorn to customers’ homes. Customers can get $5 off a purchase of $20 or more.Customers can buy AMC ready-to-eat popcorn at Walmart, Kroger and Publix locations, as well as select regional grocery stores, AMC said. Customers who buy the company’s popcorn at one of the stores will get a $3 discount on their next movie ticket. Also included in the $3 movie ticket discount is the AMC Cinnamon Butter popcorn.Other deals AMC is offering include the year-long AMC Stubs deals. Customers who join AMC Stubs can get free refills on large popcorn purchases all year long. Depending on the AMC Stubs tier customers are part of, they can also get a free large drink and popcorn combo on their birthday, free size upgrades and earn rewards points for every $1 spent. AMC Theatres said in its announcement that the company is offering its Loungefly Crossbody Popcorn Bag 50% off when customers buy any size popcorn during National Popcorn Day. Originally $79.99 plus tax, the bag will be on sale for $40 plus tax Sunday.The bag is available at most AMC locations nationwide. 40% off Jolly Time popcornCustomers who are fans of Jolly Time popcorn, the company is offering 40% off on Sunday only. Customers must order through the Jolly Time website at www.jollytime.com/popcorn-products and enter the promo code POPPIN.Small popcorn for Free 99 at Regal CinemasThe folks at Regal are offering a free small popcorn for Regal Crown Club members in honor of National Popcorn Day. The free Regal Crown Club program allows members to earn credits at the box office and concession stand. Once they save up enough points, they can redeem them for rewards such as free popcorn, soft drinks, movie tickets and merch. Also, Regal Crown Club members who buy tickets for showtimes on National Popcorn Day will be entered for a chance to win a year’s worth of premium collectible containers – that’s 12 total containers for films such as “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “Superman.”What should I know about popcorn?NationalToday.com says 70% of popcorn is eaten at home. Here are a few other facts:90% — the percentage of unpopped popcorn sales.13.5% — the percentage of moisture content in popcorn. 31 — the number of calories in a cup of popcorn. 5,000 — the number of years popcorn has been in existence. 1885 — the year when the first commercial popcorn machine was invented by Charles Cretors.250 million — the number of pounds of popcorn produced in Nebraska every year. 3 — the number of feet that a single popped corn can fly when popping. 400 degrees Fahrenheit — the ideal temperature for popping popcorn.

Aqaba Aspires to Become One of the World’s Top Tourist Destinations

Travel

Aqaba– The city of Aqaba is striving to become one of the world’s top tourist destinations by adhering to several sustainability standards under the programs of the Green Destinations Organization, aiming to position itself among the global green destinations.اضافة اعلانThe Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) stated in a press release today, Sunday, that Aqaba is participating for the second consecutive year in the Best Success Story Award for destination management.This year’s entry is titled “Strategic Planning for Wreck Sinking to Promote Sustainable Tourism in Aqaba,” following last year’s success when the “Aqaba Bird Observatory” story secured second place at the ITB Berlin Travel Trade Show 2024.The authority highlighted that this story has qualified Aqaba to be listed among the top 100 destinations globally that meet sustainable tourism standards in the destination management category.The results will be announced on March 5, with the winner determined based on public voting.

Known by one name, Alabama legend starred in her last film 60 years ago

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

It was a name meant for a star: Tallulah.Tallulah Bankhead, born in Huntsville, Ala., Jan. 31, 1902, was often referred to simply as “Tallulah” in news accounts during her heyday, becoming one of the first one-name celebrities.Tallulah was named for her grandmother, who was in turn named for Tallulah Falls, Ga. She was a well-known figure of stage and screen and the subject of numerous rumors about her promiscuity and mischievous behavior. She was also known for calling everyone, “dahling,” which became her catchphrase.Her famous politician father, Speaker of the House William Bankhead, attended a showing of her first talking film, “The Tarnished Lady,” in Birmingham in 1931. “Tallulah has been a mimic, a pantomimist ever since she was a little girl,” he told the Birmingham News after the showing. “She would go to stores in jasper and come home and mimic the people she saw there – the drug clerks, doctors and customers. It was part of her nature to act.” Tallulah’s last filmTallulah had a long, successful career starring in such plays as “The Little Foxes,” written by fellow Alabamian Lillian Hellman, and “A Streetcar Named Desire,” as well as films including Alfred Hitchcock’s “Lifeboat.”Tallulah Bankhead backstage at a production of “Little Foxes” in the 1940s.Birmingham News File PhotoSee the gallery at the top of the story for more photos.In 1965, when she was 63, roles for aging actresses were scarce. Tallulah joined such legends as Bette Davis and Joan Crawford who resorted to making B-horror films. The genre became known, unflatteringly, as “hag horror” and its stars as “psycho biddies.” Tallulah starred as the crazed Mrs. Trefoile in the British camp horror film “Fanatic,” known in the U.S. as “Die! Die! My Darling!” an exclamation-filled title that seemed a fitting vehicle for Tallulah. According to an article on Edge, Tallulah disliked the US title because she felt it “capitalized on her famous catchphrase.” It’s streaming free as “Die! Die! My Darling!” as of January 2025.The film, which had mixed reviews with some praise for her performance, also starred the up-and-coming actors Stefanie Powers and Donald Sutherland. When the film debuted, the New York Times wrote that although Bankhead “towers above the cast and story, her present effort adds little to her record.”Following the film, Tallulah had one last television role as the Black Widow on the campy 1960s show “Batman.”LegacyTallulah Bankhead died in 1968 of pneumonia. Her obituary in the Birmingham News called her a “life force that inundated everything in her path.”“Her credo of life and best be summed up in the following quote: ‘I’ve lived to the hilt. I must carry on or perish. I have a tiger by the tail,’” the obituary said.Although her sexuality and off-screen exploits were frequent topics of discussion – she jokingly referred to herself as “ambisextrous” – many people don’t realize she was an advocate for racial equality and that she was known for supporting fellow Alabamians such as baseball greats Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, boxer Joe Louis and jazz legend W.C. Handy, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama.“In the 1950s she began a radio show, hosted a television show, published her autobiography, appeared on shows like The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, had a Las Vegas nightclub act, and occasionally returned to the stage,” according to the Legacy Project. A historical marker in front of the 1845 Schiffman building in Huntsville, Ala., notes that Tallulah was born in an apartment kept there by her father. The marker says, “Alabama’s Best-Known Actress. Tallulah Bankhead was the toast of the London theatre in the 1920’s … A ravishing beauty in her youth, Tallulah was known for her uninhibited exuberance, deep sultry voice, and for calling everyone ‘Dahling.’ She appeared in 56 plays, 19 movies, and scores of radio and television productions during her 50-year career.”

Bangalore: Tourist asked to speak Kannada in emergency call during burglary; Bengaluru Police reacts to allegation

Travel

Bangalore: Tourist asked to speak Kannada in emergency call during burglary; Bengaluru Police reacts to allegation | Today Newsvar _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1:”2″, c2:”6035286″, options: {enableFirstPartyCookie: true, bypassUserConsentRequirementFor1PCookie:true }});( function() {var s = document.createElement(“script”), el = document.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0]; s.async = true; s.src = “https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/cs/6035286/beacon.js”; el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();SubscribeSign in

That Time David Lynch Made A G-Rated Movie For Disney

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

The late David Lynch was always best known for his fascination with the grotesque. Although Lynch never considered himself a surrealist, his films often stretched into the surreal, presenting a dark, bent version of reality where only dream logic applies. His debut feature, “Eraserhead,” he once described as “a dream of dark and troubling things.” Many celebrated his controversial 1986 neo-noir “Blue Velvet,” a film that is full of murder, kink, and aggressive sexuality. He deconstructed soap opera dynamics with his somnambulistic TV series (and subsequent feature film version of) “Twin Peaks,” went on a lusty crime spree with “Wild at Heart,” and made a shadowy contemplation of shifting identities with his porn-inflected 1997 flick “Lost Highway.” 

Then, in 1999, Lynch did the strangest thing he could have possibly done. He made a G-rated biographical movie for the Disney company.
For “The Straight Story,” Lynch eschewed his usual obsessions with sex, death, and violence, and instead made a quiet, slow-moving, incredibly gentle film about an elderly man longing to reconnect with his estranged brother. The film told the true story of Alvin Straight, a 73-year-old Iowa man with a fascinating story to tell. It seems that, in 1994, Alvin’s brother Henry suffered a stroke and barely survived. Alvin wanted to go see his brother, but a string of health maladies, as well as bad vision, had taken away his driver’s license and prevented him from driving a car. Alvin, undeterred, knew that he could still legally pilot his 1966 John Deere riding lawnmower, a vehicle with a top speed of five miles per hour. He drove his riding mower all the way from Iowa to Blue River, Wisconsin, where Henry lived. The 261-mile trip took Alvin six weeks. 

Lynch cast retired actor Richard Farnsworth as Alvin and told a bright, casual, slow-moving story about family, travel, and the American heartland. Despite the material, it’s still very much a David Lynch movie.