Good evening, 919 Gang.
DICK BARNES writes:
Beverly
Beyette died Dec. 20. There's a paid obit in Sunday's Times.
“Beverly
Beyette Graber, age 91, passed away on December 20, 2024. Beverly is survived
by her son, Brett Bennett, stepson David Graber, and David's two children Emma
and Nicolas Graber. In addition to being a loving and supportive member of her
family, Beverly was also a distinguished journalist and author who, over many
decades, interviewed luminaries such as Rosa Parks, the Beatles, Ronald and
Nancy Reagan, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, and many others. Beverly Graber began
her long journalistic career with The San Diego Union and then became a staff
writer for over 30 years at The Los Angeles Times. Beverly wrote a column
called "Around Town" and journeyed all around the world while writing
for the Times' travel section. She co-wrote the best-selling book "Brain
Lock" with Dr. Jeffrey M. Schwartz for people who suffer from obsessive
compulsive disorder. The book, first published in 1996 and updated in 2016, is
still in print and has helped thousands.
"Beverly
loved to help others and contribute to her community. After retiring from the
Times, she worked as a volunteer at the Getty Center, St. John's Hospital, The
Skirball Center, Los Angeles International Airport, and the Annenberg Community
Beach House. Her family and friends will remember Beverly fondly as a classy,
intelligent, and warm individual who touched the lives of many."
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LOGAN MCKECHNIE writes:
I
really would like to wish everyone a very nice New Year. I really shouldn’t be
able to do that has I am supposed to be dead and I am dying.
Perhaps
an explanation.
In
June I was diagnosed with stage four, non-operable prostate cancer, which had
spread to my bones and glands. I was expected to live about three to four
months.
After
a thousand tests, I began my chemotherapy and during the first session, I flat
lined with a toxic reaction to the infusions. My doctor regrouped with Internet
capabilities with cancer specialists at Stanford University, University of
California at San Francisco, Davis and Merced.
The
group put me on Zytiga, a relatively new drug that costs $6,000 a month or
$1,500 with really good insurance.
ZYTIGA®
(abiraterone acetate) is a prescription medicine that is used along with
prednisone. ZYTIGA® is used to treat men with prostate cancer that
has spread to other parts of the body. ZYTIGA® is not for use in
women. It is not known if ZYTIGA® is safe or effective in children.
I
received my first 30-day supply along with some steroids and gathered up my
four-wheeled chair—I had been using a walker off and on since September
2023—and flew with my wife and several members of my service club to attend the
United States and Canada International Convention in Louisville, and then take
a side trip to Monticello, Ken., to spend a few days in the town where I was
born. The convention went fine; difficult to get around in a wheelchair and
into public restrooms as the medicine had me making a visit every 20 minutes or
so.
We
left Louisville and went to Monticello. My planned three-day stay turned into
three hours as the house where I was born is now a baseball field, my
grandparents’ home—where I grew up—is now the State Farm agency and the church
I attended four times a week with my grandmother is now the police station.
Everyone I knew is gone, and the landmarks are too. The rest of the time was
spent in Nashville, being wheeled into bars to listen to country music or into
distilleries to find out how whiskey is made. All interesting even if I haven’t
had a drink in more than 50 years.
I
returned to California and more tests. The medicine is working, and I have put on
nearly 30 of the 50 pounds I lost, and the doctors tell me that, like everyone
else, I am going to die—just not from cancer.
In
November my wife and I took a trip to the Lions of Africa Convention in
Marrakech. It was a line on my bucket list, a list I no longer need.
Happy
New Year to those of the 919. You just never know how many times you are going
to get to say that.
See
you next year.
REBER: Logan, we’re happy to
have you with us.
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BILL
CALLAHAN writes:
Maybe
I can help, Jack. Yesterday’s Zilch was apropos newswise for this time
of the year and on some other major holidays in the newsroom. There was a
constant scramble for weekender and local news since most of the newsmakers and
government agencies took to the sidelines in the holiday season. There was
always a small fire, minor crime or tragic family event to mix in with the
end-of-the-year wrap-ups required from all beat reporters but that was not
enough. Most of our top editors were absent, also. One benefit of this news drought
that I enjoyed was the freedom to dig up off-the-wall stories and run with
ideas and styles not ordinarily encouraged.
Anything
to fill a huge newshole created by fat advertising ads was welcome. So … In my
days of distance running I frequently ran around Mission Bay, including the
Visitors Information Center. So, I pitched a story about just what information
visitors wanted. Surprisingly, there were a lot of off-the-wall questions,
including this one:
An
elderly lady came in one day and asked if lions were allowed on the beach. The
hostess was momentarily speechless. The woman explained that she had just
walked past Vacation Village near the ski boat launch where she discovered a
lion sitting in a parking lot where the animal was tethered to a trailer.
“The
hostess immediately called the aquatics division of the city Parks and
Recreation Department. The reply? “Sorry, we can’t do anything about it unless
the lion goes in the water.” The hostess next tried the police, who promised to
send someone if they could find an officer with experience handling wild
beasts. She was finally put in touch with the county animal control folks who
said they could help. Relieved, the hostess thanked the lion tipster and
provided her with directions to the zoo, where lions are supposed to be found.
About
two hours later an animal control officer called and told the hostess the lion
had been taken into custody. It seems a tourist brought his 200-pound pet lion
cub along on his visit here and decided to let the beast get a little air while
he took a swim. The animal was kept in custody until the tourist departed and
there were no more inquiries about lions on the beach. “There’s no place you
can work where the day goes any faster,” said the hostess.”
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BRIAN
CLARK writes:
You
seem to be a bit low on offerings lately, so I thought I'd send you a photo of
my homemade muesli breakfast, with a dash of dried crocus leaf from my
summer/fall garden on top, By the by, saffron is derived from the crocus
flower. But back to my muesli. I make it from uncooked oatmeal, raisins,
walnuts, applesauce, chopped apples, cinnamon, whatever other fruits and nuts I
have handy and milk. A wonderful and rather lazy way to start the day because
you don't have to cook the oatmeal. I learned to like it while living in Europe
and quite enjoy it. I've never really been a bacon-and-eggs man. Much more a
gorp-eating granola head.
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CARL
LARSEN forwards:
Former
Tribune and Reader cartoonist JD Crowe presents a tribute to Jimmy Carter, whom
he calls “our greatest former president.”
https://www.al.com/news/2024/12/jd-crowe-tribute-to-jimmy-carter-our-greatest-former-president.html
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CARL
LARSEN forwards from the NYT:
A hare-raising
true tale. The day a “killer bunny” goes “bugs” and attacks Jimmy Carter.
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free
without a subscription.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/29/us/politics/jimmy-carter-killer-rabbit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.lU4.pNtq.Hqmh8wzo3gIZ&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&tgrp=sty
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REBER: I don’t know how I misread my
calendar, but last night I forgot to wish a Happy Birthday on Dec. 29 to Jim Box and Merrie Monteagudo. I offer bushels of
apologies.
