Good Wednesday morning.
This post is going to be a bit of a repeat from last year, but it’s also something about which I feel fairly strongly – from a nostalgic point of view, anyway – and so I think bears repeating.
Bears repeating…see what I did there? Oh, sorry, putting the cart before the horse, or the donkey, if you will.
It’s National Winnie-the-Pooh Day, because on this day in 1882, the bear’s creator, British author A.A. Milne, was born.
Winnie-the-Pooh and all his fictional friends in the Hundred Acre Wood were a big part of my early childhood.
I distinctly remember being read to from “When We Were Very Young” and “Now We Are Six,” which are both books of Pooh-related poetry by Milne (full name: Alan Alexander Milne), though he also wrote four storybooks about the lovable bear and his human pal, Christopher Robin. I’m sure I read those, too, (or someone read them to me), though I don’t recall them as clearly.
As an only child who traveled to and/or lived in a handful of foreign countries before the age of 8, I had a very intimate and imaginative relationship with my stuffed animal friends. (Later, it was Barbies, but early on, mostly bears).
I talked to them, made up stories about them, took them everywhere, and refused to sleep unless they were safely tucked in alongside me for the night.
So, the idea of a whole series of stuffed animals who had distinct personalities, were living their own independent lives, making friends, and experiencing challenges, and forming opinions, really appealed to me.
Sadly, the Pooh story – not HIS story, specifically, the the story of how his story impacted the Milne family – isn’t nearly so happy.
Milne actually was a prolific writer, not just of children’s books and poetry. He wrote seven novels, five nonfiction books and 34 plays, along with numerous stories and articles. He also held editorial positions at Granta and Punch – two well-known publications of the day that targeted an adult reading audience.
But in the end, it was Pooh that defined him. And Pooh that brought him significant success. And that wore on Milne over time, who felt that the bear and his fame overshadowed all his other work. His illustrator, EH Shepard, echoed that sentiment, and even called Pooh “that silly old bear” and said he was sorry he ever got involved in the whole enterprise.
The character of Christopher Robin was based on Milne’s son, also named Christopher, who, the story goes, visited the London Zoo and became fond of a bear living there named Winnipeg, or Winnie for short. Apparently, Christopher had a love-hate relationship with Pooh, too. And he didn’t get along with his father so well, either.
For the record, the real Winnie was actually a girl, and a black bear.
I always got the impression that Winnie-the-Pooh (that last part was added because the young Christopher apparently called all animals “pooh”), was a boy. Then again, he didn’t wear anything other than a red shirt – perhaps couldn’t fit pants over his honey-fattened nether regions? So, who knows?
It strikes me that the addition of the red crop top might have been part of the Disneyfication of Pooh, because the original illustrations (mostly line drawings) by Shepard featured a naked bear, resplendent in his own fur. Piglet, though, sported a sort of green onesie, and sometimes a scarf.
In the continuation of the not-so-happy Pooh saga, there was a protracted legal battle over the rights to the character and all his supporting players. Suffice it to say that Disney eventually won.
I prefer to remember Pooh as a symbol of simpler times – not the cartoon Disney version, but the line-drawn, humble, honey-loving bear who was kind to his friends and maybe a little bit slow on the uptake. We should all strive to be a little more Pooh-like.
It’s going to warm up into the 40s, but be overcast and gray. We’ll see a break in the precipitation…until tomorrow, that is.
In the headlines…
The Justice Department considered having FBI agents monitor a search by President Biden’s lawyers for classified documents at his homes but didn’t to avoid complicating later stages of the investigation and because Biden’s attorneys were cooperating.
The White House sought to deflect criticism over its handling of discoveries of classified documents at sites tied to Biden.
Administration officials have sought to minimize the damage due to the revelation about the documents, but have struggled to address it cohesively.
Biden and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte held wide-ranging talks yesterday that included a discussion on Dutch concerns about new U.S. restrictions on exporting chip-making technology to China.
Rutte signaled his “intention” to follow the US and Germany’s efforts to train and arm Ukraine with advanced Patriot missile defense systems.
While honoring the Golden State Warriors at the White House for their 2022 title, Biden compared his own once-slim presidential hopes to the team’s pursuit of a fourth NBA championship title in eight seasons.
It was the first time the Warriors celebrated at the White House since their 2015 title when President Barack Obama was in office. Though the Warriors won titles in 2017 and 2018, they did not visit the White House during President Trump’s years in office.
Trump blasted megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress and other Christian conservatives for so far failing to endorse his comeback bid for the White House.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office reportedly took a significant step forward in its investigation of Trump, meeting with his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, about hush money paid to a porn star who said she had an affair with Trump.
The meeting, Cohen’s first with prosecutors in over a year, lasted 2 1/2 hours. It was Cohen’s first sit-down with the office since District Attorney Alvin Bragg took over in January 2022, said two sources familiar with the meeting.
Matt Schlapp, the head of one of the nation’s largest conservative advocacy groups and an adviser to Trump, was accused in a lawsuit of groping an employee on Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign in October.
Charlie Spies, an attorney for Matt and Mercedes Schlapp, denied the allegation in a statement posted on Matt Schlapp’s Twitter page.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will push Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature to make permanent many of his pandemic-era policies that have made him a star with many in the GOP and a potential 2024 presidential candidate.
That includes prohibitions on mask mandates at schools and vaccine requirements for local governments and businesses, whcih are set to expire in June.
DeSantis also plans to protect medical professionals’ freedom of speech, their right to disagree with the “preferred narrative” of the medical community, and the religious views of medical professionals.
Northwestern announced its men’s basketball game at Iowa tonight has been postponed because of a Covid outbreak on the team. The Wildcats have only six available players. The two sides will work to reschedule the Big Ten matchup.
Pfizer stock fell yesterday after a Wells Fargo analyst downgraded shares and said the drug giant needs a “Covid reset.”
Six doctors at public hospitals across China told Reuters they had either received oral instructions discouraging them from attributing deaths to COVID or were aware that their hospitals had such policies.
British luxury brand Burberry’s like-for-like sales growth slowed sharply to 1% in the quarter to end-December as COVID-19-related disruption in mainland China largely offset a stronger performance in Europe.
Even as calls grew for investigations into Rep. George Santos and for his resignation, House Republican leadership gave him seats on the Small Business and the Science, Space and Technology Committees, according to a person briefed on the assignments.
Santos claimed in a 2020 radio interview that he attended Baruch College on a volleyball scholarship and was part of a team that “slayed” Harvard and Yale — but “sacrificed” both knees for his supposed athletic feats.
Santos allegedly conned a disabled, homeless veteran out of thousands of dollars donated to save the man’s dying service dog.
Bronx Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres traveled to Long Island so he and others could bash truth-challenged Santos during a news conference in his own district.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is taking heat for claiming he “had a few questions” about Santos’ resume while insisting the serial liar should not be forced out of office.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the most powerful Democrats in Congress, met over eggs and yogurt in their native Brooklyn to discuss their plans to court moderate Republicans in the newly divided federal government.
Greta Thunberg, the 20-year-old climate activist, was carried away and detained by police in a German village where protesters have been opposing an expanded coal mine, according to a spokeswoman for the group organizing the protest.
Harvard Medical School will no longer submit information to the U.S. News & World Report’s medical-school ranking, the school’s dean said, saying he was inspired by the recent withdrawal of top law schools.
Justice Hector LaSalle will receive a “fair” and “thorough” hearing by the state Senate Judiciary Committee, the top Democrat on the panel told reporters yesterday – a day before the high-stakes meeting takes place in Albany.
Some supporters, such as state Sen. Luis Sepúlveda, drew lines in the sand, directly taking aim at the nominee’s detractors like leading progressive state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who he claims is “assassinating” LaSalle’s character and judicial history.
Three Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee have publicly stated their opposition to LaSalle and two have said they support him. Democrats hold 13 seats on the committee and Republicans have six.
The governor has indicated that she is willing to sue if LaSalle doesn’t advance past the committee, a prospect that would likely open a constitutional can of worms as the judiciary branch would rule on the fate of its own potential leader.
Staff members of the state Assembly announced their intent to form a union, hoping to get Democratic legislative leaders to recognize the often-grueling work conditions they say lead to burnout and hamper their ability to provide services to constituents.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Bronx native, announced new leadership positions and committee chairs on the first day of the 2023 session, which began on Jan. 4.
Residents and elected officials from Manhasset on Long Island’s North Shore have expressed their opposition to Hochul’s proposal to increase the housing stock on the Island.
Hochul’s signature proposal to create affordable housing is getting low marks from affordable housing advocates for one major reason: The plan won’t deliver any new affordable housing for another few years and the crisis is immediate.
The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus is again pushing for a measure that would create a commission to study reparations and the legacy of economic discrimination against people who arrived in the US from Africa against their will.
Art therapists are objecting to their exclusion from a series of bills designed to expand access to mental health services in New York.
Theaters in upstate city centers have formed a new coalition through which to lobby for up to $20 million a year in public money, arguing that the 13 not-for-profit performing arts centers are essential to the identities and economies of their respective cities.
Deaths from opioid overdoses in New York continued to rise in 2021, growing by 14% compared to the prior year, according to data released by the state Department of Health.
New York labor officials pointed to a steep increase in child labor law violations in New York, a 68% rise in 2022 compared to the prior year.
Hochul has yet to commit to housing even 500 of New York City’s 40,000-plus migrants, Mayor Eric Adams said, as he expressed support for the “concept” of putting the new arrivals in sports stadiums.
Adams said it’s time to end the “taboo” and candidly talk about the “vagina” and women’s health.
“We can talk about erectile dysfunction but not clitoral stimulation — something’s wrong. Something is just wrong,” Adams said in his surprise vagina monologue of sorts at City Hall.
“We would have a lot more research and care options for women’s health if we weren’t so afraid of saying the word vagina,” he added.
New York will offer abortion medication free-of-charge at four city-run health clinics, Adams announced, as he laid out an agenda to repair health care inequities for women in the city.
Adams clapped back after city Comptroller Brad Lander criticized his weekend trip to the southern US border and said it wouldn’t help the city secure emergency aid.
Adams affirmed that he has not been subpoenaed as part of a federal probe into his close friend, Lamor Whitehead — but refused to say if he’s voluntarily discussed the matter with investigators.
West Side Assemblyman Tony Simone says MSG yanked an invitation to attend an upcoming event after he criticized company CEO James Dolan’s practice of using controversial facial recognition technology against legal enemies.
Three New York City correction officers were charged with covering up an assault on a Rikers Island inmate, another sign of the problems plaguing the troubled jail complex.
More than a decade after Hurricane Sandy swamped it with 30 million gallons of brackish water, the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River is getting an overhaul that will divert traffic leaving New York City for nearly three years.
Cancers of the uterus will be officially added to the federal list of 9/11-related health conditions, after months of delays.
A member of a Queens community board was booted from office after referring to COVID-19 as the “Wu-Flu” in a public meeting.
A dolled-up Cardi B got off easy in Queens court when she missed the deadline on the community-service sentence she landed for a wild strip-club brawl — and the judge simply pushed it back.
The Syracuse police were searching yesterday for the assailant in a drive-by shooting that killed an 11-year-old girl who lived nearby as she was apparently walking home after buying milk.
WMHT Public Media, the region’s public television operation, has hired Anthony V. Hayes to replace Robert Altman, who is stepping down this year after 15 years as president and chief executive of WMHT.
Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricelli will face a primary challenge this year from fellow Democrat Tim Cavanaugh, a county coroner, as they vie to lead this heavily Democratic city of 10,375 people.
An Averill Park High School teacher was arrested after State Police reported finding he had sent “indecent and sexually suggestive images and statements” to a child under 17, according to a release from police.
