MusicInk is a prototype kit that transforms plain paper into functioning, noise-making instruments. Image: MusicInk
First, kids use stencils to paint various instruments with Bare Conductive paint. Image: MusicInk
Then they connect electrodes to the instruments, which lead back to an Arduino. Image: MusicInk
The Arduino connects with a smartphone app via Bluetooth, which essentially turns the paper instruments into capacitive sensors that react to gestures. Image: MusicInk
Kids can strum, tap and generally touch the instruments to emit a musical sound, all of which were recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Image: MusicInk
The idea is to make a low-cost, customizable kit that will challenge children to think about music in a new way. Image: MusicInk
The brains of the Arduino is housed in a pretty wood box. Image: MusicInk
MusicInk is a prototype kit that transforms plain paper into functioning, noise-making instruments. Image: MusicInk
First, kids use stencils to paint various instruments with Bare Conductive paint. Image: MusicInk
Then they connect electrodes to the instruments, which lead back to an Arduino. Image: MusicInk
The Arduino connects with a smartphone app via Bluetooth, which essentially turns the paper instruments into capacitive sensors that react to gestures. Image: MusicInk
Kids can strum, tap and generally touch the instruments to emit a musical sound, all of which were recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Image: MusicInk
The idea is to make a low-cost, customizable kit that will challenge children to think about music in a new way. Image: MusicInk
The brains of the Arduino is housed in a pretty wood box. Image: MusicInk
When we think of innovative ways to teach children we often defer to screens. You hear schools boasting, “Every student gets an iPad!” or extolling the virtues of a new computer coding program they’ve implemented. And all that is great—it really is. Unfortunately, as we increase our focus on technology, it usually means we decrease the time children spend actually making with old fashioned tools like paper, paint and scissors. But not always. A new project from Italian startup MusicInk is combining technology and tactile art making to create a new way to teach children the basics of music.
A simple action provokes a surreal outcome.
MusicInk, created by product designers Gilda Negrini and Riccardo Vendramin and software engineer Luong Bui, is a prototype kit that turns paper into functioning, noise-making instruments through conductive paint and an Arduino. The kit comes with a set of stencils that children use to paint various instruments onto a piece of paper using the carbon paint from Bare Conductive, the same paint that was used in Calvin Harris’ human instrument video for “Humanthesizer.” There’s a guitar with strings, a trumpet, drum, and piano key. After adding a couple of coats, each painting is connected to an Arduino Duemilanove board with a Sparkfun MPR121via electrodes and cables.
The brains of the Arduino is synced up with a smartphone app via Bluetooth, essentially turning the paper instruments into capacitive sensors that react to gestures. So every time a child taps a drum, pushes down on a trumpet’s valve or strums a guitar, a musical sound, all recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, is emitted. The controller box holds up to 12 electrodes, so a group of children can be playing instruments simultaneously, like a paper-made orchestra. “Children’s reactions are extraordinary,” say the designers. “It’s beautiful to see their amazed face when they realize they can play a simple piece of paper.
It is a little bit magical to watch as a piece of paper transforms into an interactive instrument. And upon first seeing the instruments in action, it feels almost as though you’re in a cartoon where a simple action provokes a surreal outcome. The gestures are simple enough for children to understand, and the designers plan on making the kit even more intuitive, customizable and possibly wireless, before they make it available to purchase. Their hope, they say, is to create a low-cost, customizable product that will challenge children to think about music in a new way. “We think that giving a different and more tangible way to learn something theoretical, like the basics of music, might be very interesting both for children and teachers,” they say. “We, as designers, think that learning is easier when made with something practical.”
Next-generation gene sequencing can identify invasive carp species in Chicago area waterways
Public release date: 17-Oct-2013 [
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Contact: Wen-Tso Liu wtliu@illinois.edu 217-333-8442 University of Illinois College of Engineering
A project to map the microbes present in the digestive systems of fish species holds promise for monitoring the presence of Asian carp in Chicago area waterways and ultimately preventing their spread, according to a study published in Nature's ISME Journal. The work, funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, is being conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Asian carp is a term used to refer to several invasive fish species including silver, bighead and black carp. Bighead carp and silver carp have already invaded much of the Mississippi River basin, where they compete for food with native species and dominate aquatic communities. Bighead carp and silver carp are considered one of the most severe aquatic invasive species threats facing the Great Lakes today, according to the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC). The ACRCC is coordinating the efforts of federal, state, local and private resource management agencies to develop an Asian carp control program. Efforts to control the fish include research to understand their physiology and behavior and how they differ from that of native species, with an eye toward developing effective monitoring and management systems.
Gut microbiotathe microbial communities present in the digestive tracts of living thingsare unique, according to Wen-Tso Liu, co-author of the study and a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois. For that reason, careful analysis of fish gut microbiota can reveal host-specific biomarkers shed in fish feces that indicate the presence of a specific species, promising the development of precise monitoring systems. Since fish feces are plentiful in waterways, monitoring could be easier than with techniques that have focused on detecting the DNA of the targeted species in sloughed-off skin tissue, Liu says.
The researchers used a next-generation gene sequencing technology called 16S pyrosequencing, which focuses on the 16S rRNA gene sequences, to analyze the gut microbiota of the invasive silver carp and the native gizzard shad. They successfully discovered potential biomarkers for silver carp and are working to refine them, Liu says.
In addition, the research illuminated some important similarities and differences in the species. For example, he says, gizzard shad harbor microbial communities that are 10 times more diverse than that of silver carp, showing that their digestive processes are significantly more complicated. The researchers also discovered a common food-source microbe, which proves that the fish compete for the same food.
"This is why invasive species can be dangerous," he says. "They can eat the same food, and if the invasive species consumes more food, then the native species can be out-competed and their population will start to decline, leading to ecological disaster."
On the strength of these findings, the researchers are beginning an extensive project to confirm their findings in the fish species in the Chicago Riverapproximately 50 different onesin order to map their gut microbiota and develop biomarkers for each species. The results will lead to a precise monitoring methodology, but the benefits will likely extend further, Liu says.
"There is a lot more beyond just monitoring," Liu says. "We will also learn more about the diversity of fish, their diets, how their diets are related to their gut microbiota and how they metabolize inside the gut."
###
The scientific article, "Fish gut microbiota analysis differentiates physiology and behavior of invasive Asian carp and indigenous American fish," by Lin Ye, Jon Amberg, Duane Chapman, Mark Gaikowski, and Wen-Tso Liu, is available on the ISME Journal website.
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Next-generation gene sequencing can identify invasive carp species in Chicago area waterways
Public release date: 17-Oct-2013 [
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| Share
]
Contact: Wen-Tso Liu wtliu@illinois.edu 217-333-8442 University of Illinois College of Engineering
A project to map the microbes present in the digestive systems of fish species holds promise for monitoring the presence of Asian carp in Chicago area waterways and ultimately preventing their spread, according to a study published in Nature's ISME Journal. The work, funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, is being conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Asian carp is a term used to refer to several invasive fish species including silver, bighead and black carp. Bighead carp and silver carp have already invaded much of the Mississippi River basin, where they compete for food with native species and dominate aquatic communities. Bighead carp and silver carp are considered one of the most severe aquatic invasive species threats facing the Great Lakes today, according to the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC). The ACRCC is coordinating the efforts of federal, state, local and private resource management agencies to develop an Asian carp control program. Efforts to control the fish include research to understand their physiology and behavior and how they differ from that of native species, with an eye toward developing effective monitoring and management systems.
Gut microbiotathe microbial communities present in the digestive tracts of living thingsare unique, according to Wen-Tso Liu, co-author of the study and a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois. For that reason, careful analysis of fish gut microbiota can reveal host-specific biomarkers shed in fish feces that indicate the presence of a specific species, promising the development of precise monitoring systems. Since fish feces are plentiful in waterways, monitoring could be easier than with techniques that have focused on detecting the DNA of the targeted species in sloughed-off skin tissue, Liu says.
The researchers used a next-generation gene sequencing technology called 16S pyrosequencing, which focuses on the 16S rRNA gene sequences, to analyze the gut microbiota of the invasive silver carp and the native gizzard shad. They successfully discovered potential biomarkers for silver carp and are working to refine them, Liu says.
In addition, the research illuminated some important similarities and differences in the species. For example, he says, gizzard shad harbor microbial communities that are 10 times more diverse than that of silver carp, showing that their digestive processes are significantly more complicated. The researchers also discovered a common food-source microbe, which proves that the fish compete for the same food.
"This is why invasive species can be dangerous," he says. "They can eat the same food, and if the invasive species consumes more food, then the native species can be out-competed and their population will start to decline, leading to ecological disaster."
On the strength of these findings, the researchers are beginning an extensive project to confirm their findings in the fish species in the Chicago Riverapproximately 50 different onesin order to map their gut microbiota and develop biomarkers for each species. The results will lead to a precise monitoring methodology, but the benefits will likely extend further, Liu says.
"There is a lot more beyond just monitoring," Liu says. "We will also learn more about the diversity of fish, their diets, how their diets are related to their gut microbiota and how they metabolize inside the gut."
###
The scientific article, "Fish gut microbiota analysis differentiates physiology and behavior of invasive Asian carp and indigenous American fish," by Lin Ye, Jon Amberg, Duane Chapman, Mark Gaikowski, and Wen-Tso Liu, is available on the ISME Journal website.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Montreal combo plate cuts weight and health risks in obese individuals
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Oct-2013
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Contact: Jane-Diane Fraser jfraser@hsf.ca 613-569-4361 x273 Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
High-intensity interval training combined with Mediterranean diet counselling 'supersizes' heart health
Montreal − Lifestyle programs focused on high-intensity interval training combined with nutritional counselling on the Mediterranean diet have shown dramatic results for improving the heart health of people with abdominal obesity, finds a study released at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
"Each of these lifestyle interventions alone is known to have an impact, but no one has studied them together in a longer term," says Dr. Mathieu Gayda, one of the study's authors and an exercise physiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute. "Our results show that the combination of the two interventions supersized the benefits to heart health."
The heart health benefits included significant improvements in body fat mass, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, exercise capacity, muscle endurance, weight loss, waist circumference, resting heart rate and blood sugar control.
The study found an average reduction in waist circumference of eight centimeters, a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 6 mm Hg and an aerobic fitness improvement of 15 per cent over the first nine months of the study.
Improvements in waist circumference, blood pressure and fitness can lead to numerous other health benefits including a reduced risk of developing high blood pressure, as well as improving osteoarthritis symptoms, quality of life, physical functioning, and cognition.
On average, blood sugar levels also improved by 23 percent in participants with diabetes, while the improvement was approximately 10 per cent in individuals with pre-diabetes.
"In general, the sicker you are, the more you will benefit from the program. The greatest improvements in blood sugar levels were achieved in the individuals with diabetes, those who had the highest blood sugars," says author Dr. Anil Nigam, a preventive cardiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute.
Dr. Gayda notes that cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death for Canadians with diabetes. "Improvements and control in blood sugar levels using lifestyle interventions (exercise and diet) can substantially reduce their overall risk of heart disease and stroke and microvascular complications such as retina and kidney disease."
All of the study participants had abdominal obesity − excess body fat carried around the stomach and abdomen. Abdominal obesity increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and high blood cholesterol and interferes with the body's ability to use insulin effectively, a condition known as insulin resistance.
Study participants received high-intensity interval training two to three times per week combined with counselling on a Mediterranean diet, which favours lots of vegetables, grains and fish, small amounts of meat and plenty of olive oil. High-intensity interval training is a form of cardiovascular training that mixes very high-intensity bursts of activity with low-intensity breaks over 20 to 30 minutes.
"What is striking is not only the positive early results, which can be common when motivation is high but the fact that participants kept improving into a second year," says Dr. Nigam.
"When it comes to a healthy weight and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, people look for the magic bullet," says Dr. Beth Abramson, Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson. "But there is no magic it comes down to basics and how we live our lives. We have the power to prevent up to 80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke."
She adds that the key to a long, heart-healthy life is to manage your diet, be physically active and smoke-free and to avoid excessive alcohol consumption and stress.
A report released by the Heart and Stroke Foundation earlier this year underscores the importance of healthy behaviours in protecting your heart health to gain more healthy years of life:
A sedentary lifestyle results in nearly four lost quality years of life
Eating a poor diet results in nearly three lost quality years of life
Quitting smoking can add two and a half more quality years of life
Excessive stress can cut nearly two years of quality life
Excessive alcohol consumption costs Canadians two quality years of life
"It's about prioritizing your heath today and sticking to your commitment," says Dr. Abramson, who urges all Canadians to go to makehealthlast.ca to do a personalized risk assessment and get tips and tools to lower their risk.
The Canadian Cardiovascular Congress is co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
Statements and conclusions of study authors are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect Vascular 2013 host organizations' policy or position. They make no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
###
The Heart and Stroke Foundation's mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. 'Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen.' Heartandstroke.ca
HSF spokesperson Beth Abramson is the author of the newly released book Heart Health for Canadians.
Vascular 2013 is a unique, one-time Canadian event bringing four separate scientific meetings together under one roof: the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, the Canadian Diabetes Association/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Professional Conference, the Canadian Stroke Congress and the Canadian Hypertension Congress. vascular2013.ca
It is a joint initiative of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Canadian Diabetes Association/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Canadian Stroke Network, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and Hypertension Canada.
For more information and/or interviews, contact the
VASCULAR 2013 MEDIA OFFICE AT 514-789-3402 (Oct 17-20)
OR
Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations
Christian Ahuet, Consultant
514-842-2455, ext. 29 / Cell. 514-994-7496
Congress information and media registration is at http://www.vascular2013.ca
After October 20, 2013 contact:
Jane-Diane Fraser
Heart and Stroke Foundation
jfraser@hsf.ca
613-569-4361x273
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| E-mail
| Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Montreal combo plate cuts weight and health risks in obese individuals
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Oct-2013
[
| E-mail
| Share
]
Contact: Jane-Diane Fraser jfraser@hsf.ca 613-569-4361 x273 Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
High-intensity interval training combined with Mediterranean diet counselling 'supersizes' heart health
Montreal − Lifestyle programs focused on high-intensity interval training combined with nutritional counselling on the Mediterranean diet have shown dramatic results for improving the heart health of people with abdominal obesity, finds a study released at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
"Each of these lifestyle interventions alone is known to have an impact, but no one has studied them together in a longer term," says Dr. Mathieu Gayda, one of the study's authors and an exercise physiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute. "Our results show that the combination of the two interventions supersized the benefits to heart health."
The heart health benefits included significant improvements in body fat mass, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, exercise capacity, muscle endurance, weight loss, waist circumference, resting heart rate and blood sugar control.
The study found an average reduction in waist circumference of eight centimeters, a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 6 mm Hg and an aerobic fitness improvement of 15 per cent over the first nine months of the study.
Improvements in waist circumference, blood pressure and fitness can lead to numerous other health benefits including a reduced risk of developing high blood pressure, as well as improving osteoarthritis symptoms, quality of life, physical functioning, and cognition.
On average, blood sugar levels also improved by 23 percent in participants with diabetes, while the improvement was approximately 10 per cent in individuals with pre-diabetes.
"In general, the sicker you are, the more you will benefit from the program. The greatest improvements in blood sugar levels were achieved in the individuals with diabetes, those who had the highest blood sugars," says author Dr. Anil Nigam, a preventive cardiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute.
Dr. Gayda notes that cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death for Canadians with diabetes. "Improvements and control in blood sugar levels using lifestyle interventions (exercise and diet) can substantially reduce their overall risk of heart disease and stroke and microvascular complications such as retina and kidney disease."
All of the study participants had abdominal obesity − excess body fat carried around the stomach and abdomen. Abdominal obesity increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and high blood cholesterol and interferes with the body's ability to use insulin effectively, a condition known as insulin resistance.
Study participants received high-intensity interval training two to three times per week combined with counselling on a Mediterranean diet, which favours lots of vegetables, grains and fish, small amounts of meat and plenty of olive oil. High-intensity interval training is a form of cardiovascular training that mixes very high-intensity bursts of activity with low-intensity breaks over 20 to 30 minutes.
"What is striking is not only the positive early results, which can be common when motivation is high but the fact that participants kept improving into a second year," says Dr. Nigam.
"When it comes to a healthy weight and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, people look for the magic bullet," says Dr. Beth Abramson, Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson. "But there is no magic it comes down to basics and how we live our lives. We have the power to prevent up to 80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke."
She adds that the key to a long, heart-healthy life is to manage your diet, be physically active and smoke-free and to avoid excessive alcohol consumption and stress.
A report released by the Heart and Stroke Foundation earlier this year underscores the importance of healthy behaviours in protecting your heart health to gain more healthy years of life:
A sedentary lifestyle results in nearly four lost quality years of life
Eating a poor diet results in nearly three lost quality years of life
Quitting smoking can add two and a half more quality years of life
Excessive stress can cut nearly two years of quality life
Excessive alcohol consumption costs Canadians two quality years of life
"It's about prioritizing your heath today and sticking to your commitment," says Dr. Abramson, who urges all Canadians to go to makehealthlast.ca to do a personalized risk assessment and get tips and tools to lower their risk.
The Canadian Cardiovascular Congress is co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
Statements and conclusions of study authors are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect Vascular 2013 host organizations' policy or position. They make no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
###
The Heart and Stroke Foundation's mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. 'Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen.' Heartandstroke.ca
HSF spokesperson Beth Abramson is the author of the newly released book Heart Health for Canadians.
Vascular 2013 is a unique, one-time Canadian event bringing four separate scientific meetings together under one roof: the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, the Canadian Diabetes Association/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Professional Conference, the Canadian Stroke Congress and the Canadian Hypertension Congress. vascular2013.ca
It is a joint initiative of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Canadian Diabetes Association/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Canadian Stroke Network, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and Hypertension Canada.
For more information and/or interviews, contact the
VASCULAR 2013 MEDIA OFFICE AT 514-789-3402 (Oct 17-20)
OR
Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations
Christian Ahuet, Consultant
514-842-2455, ext. 29 / Cell. 514-994-7496
Congress information and media registration is at http://www.vascular2013.ca
After October 20, 2013 contact:
Jane-Diane Fraser
Heart and Stroke Foundation
jfraser@hsf.ca
613-569-4361x273
[
| E-mail
| Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Like Puppet, Chef, and Ansible, Salt is an open source server management and automation solution with commercial, officially supported options. Based on command-line-driven server and client services and utilities, Salt is primarily focused on Linux and Unix server management, though it offers significant Windows management capabilities as well. While Salt may look simple on its face, it's surprisingly powerful and extensible, and it has been designed to handle extremely large numbers of clients.
Salt uses a push method of communication with clients by default, though there's also a means to use SSH rather than locally installed clients. Using the default push method, the clients don't actively check in with a master server; rather, the master server reaches out to control or modify each client based on commands issued manually or through scheduling. But again, Salt can also operate in the other direction, with clients querying the master for updates. Salt functions asynchronously, and as such, it's very fast. It also incorporates an asynchronous file server for file deployments.
Child laborers wait to be processed at a safe house after being rescued during a raid at a factory in New Delhi by workers from Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) in June.
Kevin Frayer/AP
Child laborers wait to be processed at a safe house after being rescued during a raid at a factory in New Delhi by workers from Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) in June.
Kevin Frayer/AP
Nearly 30 million people live in slavery worldwide, with most of them in Asia and Africa, according to a report released Thursday.
The Walk Free Foundation's ranking incorporates factors that include the traditional definition of slavery — owning another person — as well as things such as child marriage and human trafficking.
Here are the highlights of the report:
— India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh together account for more than three-quarters of the total estimate.
— The West African nation of Mauritania tops the list. It has the highest estimated proportion of enslaved people in the world. The report says there are between 140,000 and 160,000 people enslaved in Mauritania. That's out of a population of just 3.8 million.
— India has the most slaves (between 13.3 million and 14.7 million people), followed by China (2.8 million to 3.1 million) and Pakistan (2 million to 2.2 million).
— Iceland, Ireland and the U.K. have the fewest slaves. (They rank 160 on the index.) The U.S. is ranked 134 (with between 57,000 and 63,000 people considered enslaved).
Kevin Bales, the report's lead author, tells NPR's Audie Cornish that the exploitation of people seeking opportunity — in other words, economic migrants — is getting worse.
Other Estimates
The Walk Free Foundation's numbers are higher than estimates of forced labor issued by the U.N.'s International Labor Organization and from the U.S. State Department.
Bales tells Audie that's because this new report uses "better, more advanced methodology."
We reported earlier this year on the State Department's list of countries it believes aren't doing enough to combat modern-day slavery. They included Russia, China and Uzbekistan. But the report also focused on everyday sectors that depend on trafficking victims.
Bales says that slavery today can be found in work that is "dirty, dangerous and demeaning," such as mining, agriculture and fishing.
An ILO report last month cited the Thai fishing industry, among the world's largest, for "deceptive and coercive labor practices, and even forced labor and human trafficking."
"Johnny Carson" (Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), by Henry Bushkin
Hell hath no fury like a lawyer scorned.
"You must never, ever repeat a word from last night," Johnny Carson told Henry Bushkin after sobering up from a barstool confessional. Bushkin gave a lawyerly assurance to "The Tonight Show" host, saying in part, "I would lose my license if during your lifetime I repeated it to a soul."
Maybe Carson's head hurt too much to catch that little caveat. Had he noticed the words "in your lifetime," the entertainer might not have been so keen on hiring a 27-year-old lawyer who likely would outlive him and might one day reveal his personal and professional blemishes.
Is Bushkin's writing about his famously private client an act of betrayal tinged with revenge? Carson did fire him after nearly two decades of devoted service.
Putting that matter aside, few books like "Johnny Carson" have been more engrossing. It's not just a juicy peek inside a celebrity's life from the view of a hanger-on. Bushkin's memoir is also a well-written corporate tale that reveals the tough business of staying America's favorite late-night host, full of stories of money, sex and skullduggery, peppered with plenty of laughs.
Bushkin began handling Carson's affairs in 1970. Carson needed additional legal advice on how to execute a pre-emptive strike on his second wife (there would be two more). Bushkin writes that he proved himself by joining Carson, who was armed with a .38-caliber handgun, and a few others in a raid on the love nest shared by Mrs. Carson and athlete turned sportscaster Frank Gifford. Packing heat didn't protect Carson's emotions: He wept when he realized that he was indeed losing another wife.
Not that Carson had to worry about being lonely — just being careful. Sometime around 1970 his skirt-chasing earned him a beating from a mobster's entourage and a contract on his life. Bushkin says some high-level talks allowed Carson to walk the streets of New York again without fear of being killed for hitting on the wrong guy's girl.
Family and finances were sore spots for Carson. His mercilessly cool mother remained unfazed and unappreciative of his incredible success. He had his own problems relating to his three boys. When son Rick landed in a mental hospital for two weeks, Bushkin writes, Carson refused to drive across town to visit. Pleading that the publicity would not be good for either Carson, he sent Bushkin instead.
In Bushkin's telling, Carson was too trusting of managers and other financial advisers, making him an easy victim of bad deals. He had other weaknesses, too. Mrs. Carson 3.0 was willing to sign a prenuptial agreement designed to protect Carson's fortune. But he balked at the last minute, saying it was a terrible way to start a marriage. "This romantic gesture," his lawyer says, "would cost Johnny $35 million."
Bushkin's memoir adds shading and detail to the portrait of Carson already established. The master of the talk-show medium was often uncomfortable with individuals. In the right mood, he could be witty, generous and fun to be around — and, in a flash, turn cruel and cold. Late-night TV's naughty Midwesterner was also a roving husband, unpredictable when drunk, a four-pack-a-day smoker prone to obscenity-laden rants. When he drove a car he usually carried a handgun for protection, the book says.
Carson fired Bushkin over a business matter, the lawyer says, and litigation ensued. All these years later Bushkin seems torn between reveling in their friendship and taking an opportunity to get even. He tries to absolve himself of wielding a literary dagger by imagining that Carson, who he says was suspicious of flattery and sentimentality, would have been happy with this book because it's accurate.
Imagine instead that self-serving statement in the hands of one of Carson's late-night characters, Carnac the Magnificent. The envelope he tears open might well reveal this answer: "Fat chance."
___
Douglass K. Daniel is the author of "Tough as Nails: The Life and Films of Richard Brooks" (University of Wisconsin Press).
With an estimated 700 million of its billion or so residents now residing in urban areas, China has reached an important tipping point in its evolution from an agrarian to industrial economy. But this mass population migration, combined with China's insistence on central planning and general disdain for Keynesian theory, has resulted in an odd form of growing pain: massive, pre-fab cities built for a populace that doesn't even exist yet.
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