Sunday, June 08, 2025

 

TONY AWARDS - 2025

 

Tony Awards 2025: Sunday 8 pm on CBS

With some help from Gemini, here are 3 lists of nominees for the TONY 1 - by category, 2 - by performer and 3 - by play.

 Nominees

Here's a comprehensive look at the nominees for the 2025 Tony Awards, honoring the 2024-2025 Broadway season.


Awards by Category

Awards for Productions (Plays & Musicals)

  • Best Musical

    • Buena Vista Social Club
    • Dead Outlaw
    • Death Becomes Her
    • Maybe Happy Ending
    • Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
  • Best Play

    • English
    • The Hills of California
    • John Proctor is the Villain
    • Oh, Mary!
    • Purpose
  • Best Revival of a Musical

    • Floyd Collins
    • Gypsy
    • Just in Time
    • Sunset Boulevard
  • Best Revival of a Play

    • Eureka Day
    • Glengarry Glen Ross
    • Home
    • Othello
    • Thornton Wilder's Our Town

Awards for Performers

  • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

    • Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
    • Jeremy Jordan, Death Becomes Her
    • Adrian Lucas, Buena Vista Social Club
    • Ben Platt, Death Becomes Her
    • Denzel Washington, The Piano Lesson
  • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

    • Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
    • Helen J Shen, Maybe Happy Ending
    • Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard
    • Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her

  • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

    • George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
    • Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
    • Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
    • Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face
    • Harry Lennix, Purpose
    • Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
  • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

    • Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
    • Mia Farrow, The Roommate
    • LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
    • Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain
    • Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

    • Brooks Ashmanskas, SMASH
    • Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw
    • Danny Burstein, Gypsy
    • Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
    • Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins
  • Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

    • Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club
    • Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw
    • Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
    • Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
    • Joy Woods, Gypsy
  • Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

    • Kara Young, Purpose 
    • Tala Ashe, English
    • Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day
    • Marjan Neshat, English
    • Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the VillainOther Categories (Representative Selection)
  • Best Book of a Musical

    • Marco Ramirez, Buena Vista Social Club
    • Itamar Moses, Dead Outlaw
    • Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her
    • Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
    • David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
  • Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

    • David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
    • Will Butler, Stereophonic
    • Itamar Moses & Erik Della Penna, Dead Outlaw
    • Will Aronson & Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
  • Best Direction of a Musical

    • Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club
    • Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
    • David Cromer, Dead Outlaw
    • Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
    • Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Boulevard
  • Best Direction of a Play

    • Knud Adams, English
    • Sam Mendes, The Hills of California
    • Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!
    • Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the Villain
    • Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • Best Scenic Design of a Musical

    • Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
    • Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending
    • Arnulfo Maldonado, Buena Vista Social Club
    • Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her
    • Derek McLane, Just in Time
  • Best Scenic Design of a Play

    • David Bergman and Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray
    • Miriam Buether and 59 Productions, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
    • Marsha Ginsberg, English
    • Rob Howell, The Hills of California
    • Scott Pask, Good Night, and Good Luck
  • Best Costume Design of a Play

    • Brenda Abbandandolo, Good Night, and Good Luck
    • Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray
    • Rob Howell, The Hills of California
    • Holly Pierson, Oh, Mary!
    • Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
  • Best Lighting Design of a Musical

    • Jack Knowles, Sunset Boulevard
    • Tyler Micoleau, Buena Vista Social Club
    • Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending
    • Ruey Horng Sun and Scott Zielinski, Floyd Collins
    • Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her
  • Best Lighting Design of a Play

    • David Bengali and Heather Gilbert, Good Night, and Good Luck
    • Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California
    • Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
    • Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, John Proctor is the Villain
    • Nick Schlieper, The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • Best Sound Design of a Musical

    • Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club
    • Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard
    • Peter Hylenski, Just in Time
    • Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending
    • Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins
  • Best Sound Design of a Play

    • Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
    • Palmer Hefferan, John Proctor is the Villain
    • Daniel Kluger, Good Night, and Good Luck
    • Nick Powell, The Hills of California
    • Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • Orchestrations

    • Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club
    • Kris Kukul, Dead Outlaw
    • Ethan Pakchar, Maybe Happy Ending
    • Orion Griffiths, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical

Nominees by Individual

Performers & Creatives with Multiple Nominations

  • Will Aronson (2 nominations)

    • Best Book of a Musical (Maybe Happy Ending)
    • Best Original Score (Maybe Happy Ending)
  • David Cumming (2 nominations)

    • Best Book of a Musical (Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical)
    • Best Original Score (Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical)
  • Felix Hagan (2 nominations)

    • Best Book of a Musical (Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical)
    • Best Original Score (Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical)
  • Marg Horwell (2 nominations)

    • Best Scenic Design of a Play (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
    • Best Costume Design of a Play (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
  • Rob Howell (2 nominations)

    • Best Scenic Design of a Play (The Hills of California)
    • Best Costume Design of a Play (The Hills of California)
  • Peter Hylenski (2 nominations)

    • Best Sound Design of a Musical (Just in Time)
    • Best Sound Design of a Musical (Maybe Happy Ending)
  • Natasha Hodgson (2 nominations)

    • Best Book of a Musical (Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical)
    • Best Original Score (Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical)
  • Derek McLane (2 nominations)

    • Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Death Becomes Her)
    • Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Just in Time)
  • Hue Park (2 nominations)

    • Best Book of a Musical (Maybe Happy Ending)
    • Best Original Score (Maybe Happy Ending)
  • Zoë Roberts (2 nominations)

    • Best Book of a Musical (Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical)
    • Best Original Score (Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical)

Other Nominees (Alphabetical)

  • Brenda Abbandandolo - Best Costume Design of a Play (Good Night, and Good Luck)
  • Knud Adams - Best Direction of a Play (English)
  • Saheem Ali - Best Direction of a Musical (Buena Vista Social Club)
  • Michael Arden - Best Direction of a Musical (Maybe Happy Ending)
  • Paul Arditti - Best Sound Design of a Play (Stranger Things: The First Shadow)
  • Brooks Ashmanskas - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (SMASH)
  • Tala Ashe - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (English)
  • Gregg Barnes - Best Costume Design of a Musical (Death Becomes Her)
  • Natalie Venetia Belcon - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Buena Vista Social Club)
  • David Bengali - Best Lighting Design of a Play (Good Night, and Good Luck)
  • Jeb Brown - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Dead Outlaw)
  • Miriam Buether - Best Scenic Design of a Play (Stranger Things: The First Shadow)
  • Danny Burstein - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Gypsy)
  • Will Butler - Best Original Score (Stereophonic)
  • Natasha Chivers - Best Lighting Design of a Play (The Hills of California)
  • Jon Clark - Best Lighting Design of a Play (Stranger Things: The First Shadow)
  • George Clooney - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Good Night, and Good Luck)
  • Darren Criss - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Maybe Happy Ending)
  • David Cromer - Best Direction of a Musical (Dead Outlaw)
  • Jonathan Deans - Best Sound Design of a Musical (Buena Vista Social Club)
  • Laura Donnelly - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (The Hills of California)
  • Cole Escola - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Oh, Mary!)
  • Mia Farrow - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (The Roommate)
  • Adam Fisher - Best Sound Design of a Musical (Sunset Boulevard)
  • Eboni Flowers - Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Purpose)
  • Christopher Gattelli - Best Direction of a Musical (Death Becomes Her)
  • Heather Gilbert - Best Lighting Design of a Play (Good Night, and Good Luck)
  • Rachel Hauck - Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Swept Away)
  • Palmer Hefferan - Best Sound Design of a Play (John Proctor is the Villain)
  • Jessica Hecht - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Eureka Day)
  • Megan Hilty - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Death Becomes Her)
  • Jon Michael Hill - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Purpose)
  • LaTanya Richardson Jackson - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Purpose)
  • Jeremy Jordan - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Death Becomes Her)
  • Natasha Katz - Best Lighting Design of a Play (John Proctor is the Villain)
  • Celia Keenan-Bolger - Isabelle Stevenson Award Recipient (Good Night, and Good Luck)
  • Daniel Dae Kim - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Yellow Face)
  • Julia Knitel - Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Dead Outlaw)
  • Daniel Kluger - Best Sound Design of a Play (Good Night, and Good Luck)
  • Jack Knowles - Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Sunset Boulevard)
  • Kris Kukul - Orchestrations (Dead Outlaw)
  • Gracie Lawrence - Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Just in Time)
  • Harry Lennix - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Purpose)
  • Jamie Lloyd - Best Direction of a Musical (Sunset Boulevard)
  • Adrian Lucas - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Buena Vista Social Club)
  • Justina Machado - Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Real Women Have Curves: The Musical)
  • Jak Malone - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical)
  • Arnulfo Maldonado - Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Buena Vista Social Club)
  • Louis McCartney - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Stranger Things: The First Shadow)
  • Sam Mendes - Best Direction of a Play (The Hills of California)
  • Tyler Micoleau - Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Buena Vista Social Club)
  • Itamar Moses - Best Book of a Musical (Dead Outlaw); Best Original Score (Dead Outlaw)
  • Marjan Neshat - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (English)
  • Marco Paguia - Orchestrations (Buena Vista Social Club)
  • Ethan Pakchar - Orchestrations (Maybe Happy Ending)
  • Scott Pask - Best Scenic Design of a Play (Good Night, and Good Luck)
  • Marco Pennette - Best Book of a Musical (Death Becomes Her)
  • Holly Pierson - Best Costume Design of a Play (Oh, Mary!)
  • Sam Pinkleton - Best Direction of a Play (Oh, Mary!)
  • Ben Platt - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Death Becomes Her)
  • Nick Powell - Best Sound Design of a Play (The Hills of California)
  • Clint Ramos - Best Costume Design of a Musical (Buena Vista Social Club)
  • Marco Ramirez - Best Book of a Musical (Buena Vista Social Club)
  • Brigitte Reiffenstuel - Best Costume Design of a Play (Stranger Things: The First Shadow)
  • Nicole Scherzinger - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Sunset Boulevard)
  • Nick Schlieper - Best Lighting Design of a Play (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
  • Dan Moses Schreier - Best Sound Design of a Musical (Floyd Collins)
  • Helen J Shen - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Maybe Happy Ending)
  • Jennifer Simard - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Death Becomes Her)
  • Sadie Sink - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (John Proctor is the Villain)
  • Sarah Snook - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
  • Ben Stanton - Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Maybe Happy Ending)
  • Fina Strazza - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (John Proctor is the Villain)
  • Ruey Horng Sun - Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Floyd Collins)
  • Danya Taymor - Best Direction of a Play (John Proctor is the Villain)
  • Justin Townsend - Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Death Becomes Her)
  • Taylor Trensch - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Floyd Collins)
  • Denzel Washington - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (The Piano Lesson)
  • Hannah Wasileski - Best Lighting Design of a Play (John Proctor is the Villain)
  • Clemence Williams - Best Sound Design of a Play (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
  • Kip Williams - Best Direction of a Play (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
  • Joy Woods - Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Gypsy)
  • Catherine Zuber - Best Costume Design of a Musical (Sunset Boulevard)

Nominated Productions

Productions with Multiple Nominations

  • Buena Vista Social Club (10 nominations)

    • Best Musical
    • Best Book of a Musical
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Natalie Venetia Belcon)
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Adrian Lucas)
    • Best Direction of a Musical
    • Best Scenic Design of a Musical
    • Best Costume Design of a Musical
    • Best Lighting Design of a Musical
    • Best Sound Design of a Musical
    • Orchestrations
  • Death Becomes Her (10 nominations)

    • Best Musical
    • Best Book of a Musical
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Megan Hilty)
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Jennifer Simard)
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Jeremy Jordan)
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Ben Platt)
    • Best Direction of a Musical
    • Best Scenic Design of a Musical
    • Best Costume Design of a Musical
    • Best Lighting Design of a Musical
  • Maybe Happy Ending (10 nominations)

    • Best Musical
    • Best Book of a Musical
    • Best Original Score
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Darren Criss)
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Helen J Shen)
    • Best Direction of a Musical
    • Best Scenic Design of a Musical
    • Best Lighting Design of a Musical
    • Best Sound Design of a Musical
    • Orchestrations
  • Dead Outlaw (7 nominations)

    • Best Musical
    • Best Book of a Musical
    • Best Original Score
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Jeb Brown)
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Julia Knitel)
    • Best Direction of a Musical
    • Orchestrations
  • The Hills of California (7 nominations)

    • Best Play
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Laura Donnelly)
    • Best Direction of a Play
    • Best Scenic Design of a Play
    • Best Costume Design of a Play
    • Best Lighting Design of a Play
    • Best Sound Design of a Play
  • John Proctor is the Villain (7 nominations)

    • Best Play
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Sadie Sink)
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Fina Strazza)
    • Best Direction of a Play
    • Best Lighting Design of a Play
    • Best Sound Design of a Play
  • Sunset Boulevard (7 nominations)

    • Best Revival of a Musical
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Nicole Scherzinger)
    • Best Direction of a Musical
    • Best Scenic Design of a Musical
    • Best Costume Design of a Musical
    • Best Lighting Design of a Musical
    • Best Sound Design of a Musical
  • Floyd Collins (6 nominations)

    • Best Revival of a Musical
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Taylor Trensch)
    • Best Lighting Design of a Musical
    • Best Sound Design of a Musical
  • Just in Time (6 nominations)

    • Best Revival of a Musical
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Gracie Lawrence)
    • Best Scenic Design of a Musical
    • Best Sound Design of a Musical
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray (6 nominations)

    • Best Play
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Sarah Snook)
    • Best Direction of a Play
    • Best Scenic Design of a Play
    • Best Costume Design of a Play
    • Best Lighting Design of a Play
    • Best Sound Design of a Play
  • Purpose (6 nominations)

    • Best Play
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Jon Michael Hill)
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Harry Lennix)
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (LaTanya Richardson Jackson)
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Eboni Flowers)
  • English (5 nominations)

    • Best Play
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Tala Ashe)
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Marjan Neshat)
    • Best Direction of a Play
    • Best Scenic Design of a Play
  • Good Night, and Good Luck (5 nominations)

    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (George Clooney)
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Celia Keenan-Bolger)
    • Best Scenic Design of a Play
    • Best Costume Design of a Play
    • Best Lighting Design of a Play
    • Best Sound Design of a Play
  • Gypsy (5 nominations)

    • Best Revival of a Musical
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Danny Burstein)
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Joy Woods)
  • Oh, Mary! (5 nominations)

    • Best Play
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Cole Escola)
    • Best Direction of a Play
    • Best Costume Design of a Play)
  • Stranger Things: The First Shadow (5 nominations)

    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Louis McCartney)
    • Best Scenic Design of a Play
    • Best Costume Design of a Play
    • Best Lighting Design of a Play
    • Best Sound Design of a Play
  • Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical (4 nominations)

    • Best Musical
    • Best Book of a Musical
    • Best Original Score
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Jak Malone)
    • Orchestrations
  • BOOP! The Musical (3 nominations)

    • (Details on nominations needed to list categories)
  • Yellow Face (3 nominations)

    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Daniel Dae Kim)
    • (Details on other nominations needed to list categories)
  • Eureka Day (2 nominations)

    • Best Revival of a Play
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Jessica Hecht)
  • Real Women Have Curves: The Musical (2 nominations)

    • Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Justina Machado)
    • (Details on other nominations needed to list categories)
  • SMASH (2 nominations)

    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Brooks Ashmanskas)
    • (Details on other nominations needed to list categories)

Other Nominated Productions (Alphabetical)

  • Glengarry Glen Ross (1 nomination)

    • Best Revival of a Play
  • Home (1 nomination)

    • Best Revival of a Play
  • Othello (1 nomination)

    • Best Revival of a Play
  • The Roommate (1 nomination)

    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Mia Farrow)
  • Swept Away (1 nomination)

    • Best Scenic Design of a Musical
  • Thornton Wilder's Our Town (1 nomination)

    • Best Revival of a Play

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Tuesday, May 06, 2025

 

OPEN AI, THE PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION (PBC)

Open AI released today information about its new planned structure.

After several months of studying how to raise money to finance the development of AI, and a well-publicized lawsuit with Elon Musk, Open AI has changed its planned structure from going to a for profit company, to remaining a not-for-profit but one which controls a "Public Benefit Corporation" (PBC).


Here's the announcement from Open AI:

ANNOUNCEMENT 2025-05-05

https://openai.com/index/evolving-our-structure/


Here's an explanation of a PBC from Wikipedia:

"In business, and only in United States corporate law, a benefit corporation (or in some states, a public benefit corporation - PBC) is a type of for-profit corporate entity whose goals include making a positive impact on society. "


A PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION - WIKIPEDIA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_corporation


Here's a link to an earlier article, with news about the studies Open AI was conducting, to help determine its future structure:


OPEN AI NEWS - QPORIT - 2025-04-16

https://qporit.blogspot.com/2025/04/new-products-and-reports-from-open-ai.html



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Saturday, May 03, 2025

 

THE KENTUCKY DERBY

 

Kentucky Derby 2025 – May 3 • Churchill Downs

The Kentucky Derby, first run in 1875, is the opening race of the Triple Crown. The 1¼‑mile race runs at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3 - (The Kentucky Derby show starts in mid afternoon on NBC; the race itself begins about 7 p.m. ET -- NOTE: The race itself only lasts about 2 minutes, so do not tune in at 7:05!). 

The Preakness (May 17) and Belmont Stakes (June 7) complete the series. 

Since American Pharoah’s historic 2015 sweep and Justify’s repeat in 2018, no horse has worn the crown (won all three races). 


(Ongoing improvements to training, track surfaces and veterinary oversight continue to try to improve the safety of the horses. I watched the Belmont in person some years ago. The horses are really working very very hard. It is not obvious how strenuous the race is, for the horses, when it is just watched on television.)


The signature drink for watching the Kentucky Derby is the Mint Julep.


THE MINT JULEP


Here's how you make a wicked MJ. (Note: Don't drive or ride a horse or operate heavy machinery after this; don't ingest with anything that will exceed your tolerance for total number of chemicals in the body!) Boil a little bit of water with some washed and dried, torn up, fresh, nice looking mint leaves, to create a strong mint tea and then put it in a cup . (Note: Mint leaves are not always that easy to get, and when you get a bunch, many leaves are often wilted, or blackened. It's important to select the best leaves even if that is only a fraction of the bunch of mint in the package.)
Add quite a bit of sugar. (Optionally -- ideally, in fact -- some sugar could be replaced with a half jigger of a sweet liqueur like Cointreau, Drambuie, or Grand Marnier.) Add about a half jigger of a good Kentucky Bourbon. (After trying quite I few, I found that my favorite is definitely Maker's Mark.) Add this mixture with some additional torn up, fresh, nice looking mint leaves to ice in a crusher.

Crush the mixture of sweetened mint tea, and bourbon to make a tall glass worth of flavored crushed ice. Take a tall, chilled glass, add a long straw, fill the glass with the crushed ice, and then pour in a jigger more bourbon to fill up the cracks. Turn on the pre-race show, and enjoy it!

It's matter of taste what you eat with the drink, if anything. My own preference is Greek or similar appetizers. 

Update - Final Order of Finish

  1. 18 Sovereignty (5/1)
  2.   8 Journalism (3/1)
  3. 21 Baeza (13/1)
  4. Final Gambit
  5. Owen Almighty
  6. Citizen Bull
  7. Neoequos
  8. American Promise
  9. Admire Daytona
  10. Luxor Cafe
  11. Burnham Square
  12. Flying Mohawk
  13. East Avenue
  14. Publisher
  15. Tiztastic
  16. Render Judgment
  17. Coal Battle
  18. Sandman
  19. Chunk of Gold

Horses - ordered by Number

Horses - ordered by (Friday evening) Odds 

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Wednesday, April 30, 2025

 

100 DAYS

 

Here is a list of a few of the actions of the Trump administration (#2) in the first hundred days and their likely consequences.  It should be noted that all these actions are quite public, and appear to be actions that the administration is proud of:

 

Cast doubt on vaccines

 

Provided frequently changes in plans for tariffs, while sharply raising them

 

Lots of lies and blaming Biden

 

Attacks on our allies

 

Snatching people off the streets without due process


 

Deference to Russia:  No tariffs; pre-negotiation concessions to Russia for Ukraine war talks

 

No progress in Gaza


Indiscriminate firing of government employees in many areas

                Loss of expertise

                Loss of services in

                                Social security

                                Veterans’ services

                                Emergency assistance (FEMA)

                                Weather reporting

                                Protecting Civil Rights

                                Detecting and prosecuting fraud

                                Detecting and prosecuting foreign interference

                                IRS

                                Maintaining the nuclear arsenal

 

 Sudden dismantling of USAID services 


Cancelling research contracts in Universities and research groups in government

                               

 

CONCLUSION: THE US HAS BECOME LESS PROSPEROUS, LESS SAFE, LESS HEALTHY, LESS IMPORTANT, AND LESS HAPPY in just 100 days.

                               


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Wednesday, April 23, 2025

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, W S! -- IT'S SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHDAY

 

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE is believed to have been born on this day in 1564. He is known to have died on this day in 1616. 

(There's an actual record of his death. There's no record of his birth, but there is a record of his baptism, from which the date of his birth is assumed.)

He lived through a tumultuous period, writing some of the greatest plays and poetry ever written in English, (and probably just... ever written).  


Some (just a few!) of his most revered plays are:

Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Othello, Romeo & Juliet (tragedies); a series of historical plays leading up to the reign of Queen Elizabeth; A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest (fantasies), and Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night (comedies).


This summer, the Public Theater will be presenting Twelfth Night free in NYC's Central Park Delacorte Theater (just renovated!).


THE PUBLIC THEATER: TWELFTH NIGHT - FREE IN CENTRAL PARK, NYC

https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2425/fsitp/twelfth-night/


Another great venue (also great workshops!) for Shakespeare in New York is 

THE RED BULL THEATER

https://www.redbulltheater.com/


Here's a list from Google (AI) and other sources, of some of the many venues around the US and the world that produce Shakespeare's plays:


The American Shakespeare Center in VA. (They also produce the Blackfriars' Shakespeare Conference every few years.) https://americanshakespearecenter.com/



Here is one of his sonnets. (notice that the imagery is interpretive of the deeper meanings of the poem). 


SONNET 65 "SINCE BRASS..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4FRae1XRkI/

A performance of sonnet 65 with visual commentary.








In Shakespeare's sonnet 65, brass, rocks and steel are fragile, decaying with time, but love, art, beauty and poetry persist forever.
Here's an analysis of the sonnet: SONNET 65 - ANALYSIS
https://sonnetsbyshakespeare.blogspot.com/2006/06/sonnet-65.html


Here's more about Shakespeare's sonnets:

SONNETS AS DRAMA
https://sonnetsbyshakespeare.blogspot.com/2011/11/sonnets-as-dramatic-speech.html


SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL STUDIES BY JAMES SHAPIRO
https://www.amazon.com/stores/James-Shapiro/author/B0034PH36C




 

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