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What To Watch May 20th To Take Away The Blues Times Square Chronicles – Times Square Chronicles

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11am: Build and bring your own puppet to life!Join us for an exploration of the world of puppetry using materials you can find in your own home, including a dash of your imagination. Participants will learn foundational puppetry skills like how to make their puppet breathe, walk and talk, and have the opportunity to share questions withMarc Mac Lochlainn, founder of the trailblazing childrens theatre companyBranar Tatar do Phist, who leads tomorrows workshop.

Gather these items before we start. 1.Newspaper (old) 2.Tape (any type) 3.A wooden cocktail stick (or something like it)4.A pencil 5.Some colored paper (optional) 6.A marker 7.Some books 8.Your hands 9.Your eyes 10.Your imagination

2pm:English National Ballet:Nora Choreographed by the companys Stina Quagebeur, inspired by Henrik Ibsens 1879 A Dolls House.Crystal Costa plays Nora and Jeffrey Cirio is her husband, Torvald; the music is by Philip Glass. The piece premiered in 2019 as part ofShe Persisted, a triple bill of works by women.

Stars in the House with Seth Rudetsky2pm:Plays in the House:Candida:By George Bernard Shaw.Starring Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Andra Burns, Santino Fontana, Rene Elise Goldsberry, Jay O. Sanders and Michael Benjamin Washington. Narrated and directed by David Staller. At 8pm No show tonight. Please tune in toBombshell In Concert.

2pm:Lincoln Center at Home Pop Up Classroom

3pm:Linda Lavin with Billy StritchBilly Stritch, at Lavins piano.

3pm:The Early Night Show with Joshua Turchinis available across all social media platforms with full videos on YouTube, Facebook Watch andwww.theearlynightshow.comreleased every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3pm EST.

4pm:Why We Do It: Derek McLaneRegister hereto watch for FRE Support The New Group and joinDerek McLanefor an exclusive social event immediately following the conversation. Limited to 20 people, your ticket to our Drinks with series offers a chance to converse with New Group artists like old friends all while supporting the programs and artists at The New Group. Your ticket is fully tax-deductible.Click hereto make a donation to purchase your spot!

4pm9:30pm:Maries Crisis Virtual Piano BarTonights scheduled pianists are Drew Wutke (@DrewWutke) and Kenney Green (@Kenneth-Green-5).

5pm:The Metropolitan Opera:Hansel and Gretel Engelbert Humperdincks 1893 fairy-tale opera, conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, starring Alice Coote and Christine Schfer and the late English tenor Philip Langridge as the Witch.

5:30pm:MCC Live Labs: One Acts Under the direction ofRebecca Taichman,the cast featuresJane Alexander(Alice),Katrina Lenk(Christa),Dene Benton(Kelly) andPriscilla Lopez(Waitress). Act readings will be between 25 and 45 minutes in length are read and streamed free to the MCC Theater audience.

6pm The Howard Ashman Celebration In honor of what would have been his 70th birthday, Rainbow Sun Productions has created this collection of songs and stories aboutAshmans life and legacy. Participants includeJohn Tartaglia, Christy Carlson Romano, Bradley Pierce and the original voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson; all proceeds benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

6:30pm54 Below at Home:54 Does 54: The Feinsteins/54 Below Staff Show Hosted by Dylan Bustamante and Kevin Ferguson. In honor of their talents, consider contributing tothe GoFundMe campaignfor the dozens of F/54 staffers who are currently laid off.

7pm:The Homebound Project50 leading actors and writers lend their talents to this new online initiative to raise money for No Kid Hungry, which helps feed children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded by playwright Catya McMullen and director Jenna Worsham, three editions feature 10 new short dramatic works. The actors in tonights second installment include Mary-Louise Parker, Taylor Schilling, Uzo Aduba, Betty Gilpin and Zachary Quinto; the writers include Anne Washburn, Will Arbery, Sarah DeLappe, Adam Bock and Bryna Turner.

7pm:HERE:The Pigeoning Robin Frohardts puppet-theater portrait of an uptight 1980s office drone who suspects that park birds are conspiring to disrupt his orderly existence.

7:30pm:The Metropolitan Opera:VerdisUn Ballo in MascheraVerdi can always be counted on for passion, intrigue, and betrayaland to make glorious music of it all.Un Ballo in Maschera, concerning a plot to murder King Gustavo III of Sweden, who also happens to be in love with his best friend and counselors wife, is no exception. With a principal cast featuring a powerful and dignified leading lady, a character role for soprano as young man, an otherworldly mezzo-soprano fortune-teller, a heroic tenor, and a suave and conflicted baritone, its Italian opera at its finest.

8pmBombshell in Concert The NBC seriesSmashran from 2012 and 2013. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittmans show-within-a-show, Bombshell, had the theatre community a buzz. In 2015,Smashscast gathered at the Minskoff Theatre to perform those songs in a sold-out concert co-directed by Wittman and choreographer Joshua Bergasse and the Actors Fund raised $800,000. Peoplecombines with Rene Zellweger who will introduces the program, and at intermission the acerbic Julie Klausner will hosts a live virtual reunion with cast members Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Debra Messing, Christian Borle, Leslie Odom Jr., Jeremy Jordan, Andy Mientus, Jack Davenport, Jaime Cepero, Will Chase, Brian dArcy James, Ann Harada, Krysta Rodriguez and Wesley Taylor. Tune in and getSmashed. (Needless to say: Team Ivy forever.)

10pm:30th Plaidiversary Reunion Special Musical Theatre West presents a 30th-anniversary celebration of Stuart RosssForever Plaid, an affectionate spoof of 1950s male singing quartets that ran for years in New York and across the country. Along with the cast of the original 1990 Off Broadway production at what is now the Triad TheaterDavid Engel, Stan Chandler, Guy Stroman and the impish Jason Graaethe reunion includes Ross and longtimePlaidperformer David Raben (who was in the 2008 film version). Expects stories, performance clips and perfect harmony.

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What To Watch May 20th To Take Away The Blues Times Square Chronicles - Times Square Chronicles

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May 20th, 2020 at 4:45 am

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Being in the Land of Nod gets nod of approval from scientific and other quarters: Life as a bed of dozes – Economic Times

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Had Napoleon not been an insomniac, sleeping only four hours a night, might Waterloo have had a different outcome, changing forever the history of the world? Such might well have been the case, according to studies in the expanding field of sleep research. According to an Indiana University team, getting in even 39 winks instead of the idiomatically prescribed 40 can adversely affect your resting heart rate (RHR) and impair efficiency the following day. The study, involving 557 participants and spanning 2,55,000 sleep sessions, found that even a minutes delay in going to bed resulted in a higher RHR, creating an increased stress factor. A related finding by British researchers established that shortening your shut-eye inhibits the capacity for divergent thinking.

One of the best endorsements for this conclusion was Einstein who reportedly not only got in 10 hours worth of sound slumber every night but, as a bonus, fit in a couple of short siestas during the course of the day, thus suggesting a variant of the E=MC2 formula, wherein E stands for Enlightenment, M for Morpheus, and C for Catnap squared.

Divergency of thinking was also displayed by Bernard Shaw when, importuned by a tyro dramatist to attend a staging of his first play, the Irish dramatist dozed off in the middle of the performance. Admonished by the younger man that he had been invited to give his opinion of the play, and not to sleep, Shaw replied, Sleep is an opinion.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Being in the Land of Nod gets nod of approval from scientific and other quarters: Life as a bed of dozes - Economic Times

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May 20th, 2020 at 4:45 am

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Here are some International Museum Day quotes that you can share on this day – Republic World – Republic World

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International Museum Day is one of the most celebrated events in the world. It is annually held on May 18. International Museum Day is officially co-ordinated by ICOM, a council of International museums. Read on to know moreamazing Museum Day quotes here:

ALSO READ |Raveena Tandon Is 'forced To Smile For The Camera' In Adorable Pic With Pet Dog

Its not a museum. Its not a place of artefacts; its a place of ideas.

Jeanie Kahnke

The modern world thinks of art as very important: something close to the meaning of life.

Alain de Botton

I paint flowers so they will not die.

Frida Kahlo

Painter, you are not a speaker! Paint so and be silent!

Salvador Dali

A visit to a museum is a search for beauty, truth, and meaning in our lives. Go to museums as often as you can.

Maira Kalman

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once you we grow up.

Pablo Picasso

The best introduction to art is to stroll through a museum.

The more art you see, the more youll learn to define your own taste.

Jeanne Frank

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

Michelangelo

Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.

T. S. Eliot

Which painting in the National Gallery would I save if there was a fire? The one nearest the door of course.

George Bernard Shaw

Whatever else art is good for, its chief effectiveness lies in propagating more art.

Leo Steinberg

A visit to a museum is a search for beauty, truth, and meaning in our lives. Go to museums as often as you can.

Maira Kalman

A country that has few museums is both materially poor and spiritually poor

museums, like theatres and libraries, are a means to freedom.

Wendy Beckett

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The only way to understand painting is to go and look at it. And if out of a million visitors, there is even one to whom art means something, that is enough to justify museums.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

If you really want to seriously think about life, and therefore take painting very seriously and take seriously the joys that it can bring to one, then you want to go to museums. You want to study the greats of the past.

Nelson Shanks

Art has always had as its test in the long term the ability to speak to our innermost selves. People have experiences in art museums today that they used to have in the church.

Bill Viola

Man: a being in search of meaning.

Plato

"Look at those fools. They have no appreciation for art. You have to feel art. And true art... is an EXPLOSION!"

Deidara

ALSO READ |Benafsha Soonawalla Reveals Why She Took Time To Announce Relationship With Priyank Sharma

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Here are some International Museum Day quotes that you can share on this day - Republic World - Republic World

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Open-air dining idea on the table in North Park – CBS News 8

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The pilot plan would close 30th Street from Polk and University Avenues and allow dining in the street to help restaurants safely reach full capacity.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. Restaurants preparing to open for dine-in during the Phase II extension know it will be nice to get back to business, but know the restrictions will impose a challenge.

The California Restaurant Association estimates 30% of restaurants will close for good in the next 16 to 18 months.

Now there is a plan on the table in North Park that could help save businesses called an Open-Air pilot plan for businesses. The proposal calls for the closure of 30th Street, between Polk and University Avenues, and allow dining in the street.

This is lifeline we are throwing our businesses to allow them to use the public right-of-way to increase capacity, said Angela Landsberg, North Park Main Street Association Executive Director.

North Park is filled with many small and cozy restaurants and with the six-foot physical distancing rule for business that could cut their capacity to 25%.

The Open-Air plan proposed by The North Park Main Street Association, is a conceptual plan that would need approval by the city. The proposal would be over two weeks from Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m., to 10 p.m. Other neighborhood restaurants are considering similar options such as converting parking lots into dining areas.

I think it would be nice to be spilling out in the streets, said a North Park resident.

Mixed reactions from non-restaurants.

"Im a new a business. I dont have the ability to survive again with street closures, said a business owner during The North Park Planning Committee monthly meeting on Zoom.

Other businesses say they are welcoming the idea.

Ive got my own parking lot, so it doesnt really affect me that much. If it's good for the neighborhood than it's good for all of us in the neighborhood, said Hangers Cleaners and Laundry owner Gordon Shaw.

There are concerns about bus routes and parking but there is also an outpouring of support.

We would love to see everything open back up. We would love to see it open and have a chance to go and eat at all of our favorite places again, said a North Park couple.

Landsberg presented a power point to the committee that outlined reservations would be needed, no gatherings, no more than five people at a table, six-feet physical distance, masks, and other County health guidelines. This would only be short-term.

We are not looking to rush this. We want to do it the right way we want it to work for everybody, said Landsberg.

Restaurants like Crazee Burger is only 1,700 square feet on the corner of 30th Street and Lincoln Avenue.

Being able to have an expansive outdoor space is going to be both helpful for us and finding room and being able to keep our head count up and as well as help customer last feel safe, said Crazee Burger owner, Garrett Bernard. Be open minded and just courteous and thoughtful and try to consider other people's sentiments. I think something like this is a perfect compromise.

The North Park Planning Committee unanimously approved the proposal, but the city still needs to approve it.

A spokesperson for the City of San Diego e-mailed News 8 this statement:

"North Park Main Street is getting feedback from the community to evaluate the feasibility of providing an outside dining option for City restaurants.

The City is investigatingan emergency ordinance that anticipates future revisions of County health guidelines to provide local businesses specifically restaurants limited access to public space and private, adjacent property for open-air operations.

The alternative would help facilitate the opening and safe operations of the local restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic while abiding with all other social distancing, food safety, cleaning and sanitizing, employee health monitoring and personal hygiene requirements," Scott Robinson,Senior Public Information Officer, City of San Diego."

*UPDATE* North Park Planning Committee approved the Open Air pilot program. City is working on an emergency ordinance that would all public rightaway access for restaurants. Open Air proposal in North Park that would close 30th between University and Polk during peak days/hours and allow dining in the street to help businesses expand capacity during social distance rules

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Open-air dining idea on the table in North Park - CBS News 8

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May 20th, 2020 at 4:45 am

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Tony Slattery: The abuse still weighs on me, after all this time – The Irish Times

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Just as commercial pilots presumably cant let themselves think too deeply about the environmental damage they cause by going to work, so I try not to spend too much time considering the grey morality of my own job. A celebrity interviewer gets famous people to hawk up gobbets about their private lives in exchange for promoting whatever project they have on the go. So youve made a superhero movie tell me about your divorce, is my job, paraphrased. And most of the time, its fine: they get to promote their film, and I get to tell a good story. But sometimes this transactional relationship is a little more complicated.

When I met Tony Slattery in April 2019, he wasnt promoting anything I just knew he had a good story, and he wanted to tell it. As we both expected, we discussed the substance abuse and mental illnesses that had so dramatically derailed his comedy career in the 1990s. But we also talked about something else. I asked, if his life had always been as happy as he kept saying it was, why did he have this longstanding reputation for anger issues? There was a long pause.

I have a feeling that what might have been a contributing factor is something that happened when I was very young, he replied. A priest. When I was about eight.

He had never talked about this with anyone, he said, other than his long-term partner, Mark Michael Hutchinson.

Over the next few days, I phoned him several times, asking if he was absolutely sure he wanted this to go in the piece. He was adamant he did. But I knew we were both anxious: him because he was nervous about how people would react; me because I was nervous about how he would react to his very private life becoming public knowledge. Was I helping him speak his truth or exploiting a vulnerable person? On the one hand, he was a 59-year-old man who was I to censor his past? On the other, could I really take it on trust when an alcoholic says they want to tell the world about their childhood trauma? In the end, after long discussions with my editor, I went with Slatterys wishes.

When the interview was published, there was a national outpouring of love for Slattery. So many people wanted to interview him that he became almost as ubiquitous as he had been in the 90s. Dozens of agents contacted me to ask if they could represent him, and book publishers rushed to sign him up. Since then, weve stayed in touch: he sends fond messages at unexpected times, and I check in to ask if hes OK. I wondered what he would do next. Maybe some voiceover work? Some light standup? Instead, Slattery has taken a different route.

By chance, the day of our second interview is exactly a year to the day the first interview was published in the paper. Good God, is it really? Well, hand on heart, it changed a lot for me because it did have quite a reaction, didnt it? he tells me on the phone from his home in Edgware, north London. Hes self-isolating with Hutchinson, which is quite nice because we dont have to keep two metres away from one another on the sofa. Also, Mark cut my hair yesterday really well! I still look like George Bernard Shaw and Rasputin because of the beard, but the top is okay.

One of the reactions to the interview was that a documentary crew got in touch with him, suggesting that they film him being treated by mental health professionals. Slattery is self-aware to a fault, so he was wary, not wanting to make what he calls one of those My Brave Battle Against the Past things. Sorry, that sounds terribly judgmental, doesnt it? Also, he really does want to get better, and by making the documentary he would get to see some of the best doctors around. I really dont think [the documentary] is going to do me any favours in money terms or career advancement. But it may be a good thing to have done. That sounds self-aggrandising, but I dont care I feel better for doing the documentary and our interview. But, mmmm, have you seen the documentary? OK, ummm, can I ask what you thought of it? he says, going, in characteristic form, from self-doubt to self-confidence and back in mere seconds.

I think that its a very thoughtful and very careful show. Despite the slightly schlocky title, there is nothing prurient about Whats the Matter with Tony Slattery?, which will be on BBC Two this month. It is clear that none of the scenes were set up, but, because Slattery is so honest, every moment is strikingly revealing. In one scene, he meets Stephen Fry, whom he has known since they were at Cambridge together. Fry does his luvvie shtick: Darling thing! Gorgeous to see you! You know I would walk a thousand miles in tight shoes over broken glass to please you!

Likewise. This has always been the case, replies Slattery with deep feeling.

I might have exaggerated, says Fry breezily.

Sometimes, I think maybe one of the problems was that Slattery was just too good for showbiz.

Slattery is in the documentary as he is in life: as open and vulnerable as a freshly peeled orange. In another scene, he and Hutchinson talk to Prof Ciaran Mulholland, a consultant psychiatrist.

You mentioned an incident with a priest at the age of eight. That doesnt sound good, Mulholland says.

In all my exchanges with Slattery, he has always been as gentle as a cloud. But suddenly, in response to Mulholland, we see the anger that Slattery was notorious for in the 1990s, distorting his usually soft features. Well, it wasnt pleasant, getting fucked up the arse at the age of eight. No, it was not, he spits out, glaring at the doctor and the camera and, by extension, the viewers. He then goes into more detail about the abuse, saying things hed never even told Hutchinson, who sits next to him, devastated. By the end, Slattery is crying.

Slattery stifled this trauma for more than half a century, and theres no question he needs to talk about it to start dealing with it. But does it have to happen in the public eye? Perhaps: Slattery is an innate performer, so maybe the only way he could start to speak about it was after he was directly asked by the media. I ask him what he thinks about people who worry he is being exploited.

Im a pretty good judge of character, except for my own. If Id got that vibe of voyeurism or prurience, Id have walked out. And to anyone who thought you were exploitative, I say: Go fuck yourselves, he says. This is Slattery being solicitous, anxious that I must never feel any concern on his account, even maybe especially when I should. But it is also him being proud: one of the many reasons he struggled to talk about the abuse for so long is he has a horror of being seen as a victim.

He is continuing his therapy, even while in lockdown, and he has cut down his drinking by about a quarter. And thats a start. He hasnt quite shaken the worry that in talking about his childhood abuse hes just whingeing on. There remains a strong pull of embarrassment that this terrible thing still weighs and presses down. Please, why, after all this time, why? But he is starting to accept that it does.

Im going to go sententious and pretentious now, but I do think there may be a linear connection from the present to something way back, he says, stammering strongly over his words, as he always does when referring to the abuse. I ask if he ever thinks about naming his abuser or the institution where it happened.

It would serve no social or psychological purpose. That is my current thinking. But be assured be assured? God, what am I turning into? Im turning into Donald Trump! Whats going on with his hair these days? Has he sprayed it with bleach? No, my current feeling current feeling?! Today on Radio 4, its The Current Feeling. Anyway, your question. Oh, I dont know. All it is and now Im doing a 70s police movie: All it is, right, guv

Ive spoken with Slattery often enough by now to recognise some of his cues: when he stammers, it means he wants to discuss something but is finding it difficult. When he deflects into jokes and impressions, it means we need to move on. And so we move on.

Slatterys one complaint about my previous interview with him was there wasnt enough about Hutchinson in it. Happily, the documentary rectifies this oversight, and the love the two men have for one another Slattery still swooning over photos of Hutchinson from when they met in the 80s makes for some of the most emotional moments in the show. I ask Slattery if he minds handing over the phone to Hutchinson, and he agrees enthusiastically, once Mark has finished feeding our psychotic cat, Molly. Molly dealt with, I ask Hutchinson if he thinks Slattery has changed in the past year. I was surprised that he said what he did in the Guardian interview, and thought maybe it would take him down a black hole. But by the end of last year, for the first time in a long time, I could see the old Tony. Every day is up and down, but hes starting to believe that people do seek out his company that is an upturn, he says.

The two men got together when Slattery was a dazzling rising star. Through the 90s when Slattery was doing 10g of coke a day, followed by his complete breakdown, then his years as a recluse and now a recovering alcoholic, Hutchinson has never wavered in his devotion. I could see his vulnerability, his feelings of being lost and alone. When you love someone, you dont walk away when the going gets tough. He makes me laugh, he makes me cry no matter what, hes my constant, says Hutchinson.

So many reality shows today are predicated on the idea that one simple change will fix everything: unhappy in your marriage? Marie Kondo your flat! Unhappy in your life? Let five queer guys give you a makeover! Slattery says he sleeps better since he started to open up about the past, but these things are all relative: he still wakes up every day at 4.30am, as he has done for years, no matter what time he goes to sleep. So thats something else for them to figure out, he says larkily.

Is he able to be more compassionate to himself these days? Slattery knows journalists love a happy ending, so he says: Um, OK. The answer is yes. But with the emphasis, Hadley, on a bit. A bit. I still dont know what the right answer is when it comes to putting people like Slattery in the public eye, and Slattery specifically. But I do know that him talking about the past shows he is starting to believe he may have a future. He knows better than to expect instant change, but that he is allowing himself to think that things might change at all is something. Its a start. Its a bit. Guardian

Whats the Matter with Tony Slattery? is on BBC Two on Thursday, May 21st, at 9pm

Childline offers support to children and young people by calling 1800-666666, texting 50101 or chatting online at childline.ie. Adults concerned about a child can contact the ISPCCs support line on 01-6767960

Samaritans can be contacted on 116123 or jo@samaritans.ie

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Tony Slattery: The abuse still weighs on me, after all this time - The Irish Times

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New UC Technology Doubling Ventilator Capacity Could Save Thousands Of Covid-19 Patients – Scoop.co.nz

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Wednesday, 20 May 2020, 3:53 pm Press Release: University of Canterbury

A simple, low-cost technology developed by University of Canterbury (UC) engineers could save thousands of patients lives around the world by doubling the capacity of ventilators in hospital intensive care units, boosting their capacity to treat surges of Covid-19 patients during outbreaks.

Distinguished Professor Geoff Chase, from UCs College of Engineering, has worked with Christchurch Hospital Senior Intensive Care Specialist Geoff Shaw, Professor Merryn Tawhai of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, and engineers and senior doctors in Belgium and Malaysia to allow two patients to use one ventilator safely and effectively, using a novel active valve concept.

A project to develop, test, and initially deploy the unique system has just been awarded $150,000 from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employments Covid-19 Innovation Fund.

A first prototype has already been made and put into action using mechanical lungs attached to a ventilator at UCs Department of Mechanical Engineering and testing will move to Christchurch Hospital soon.

The UC-led international research team plans to test, prove and then distribute the active breathing circuit system globally on an open source basis, so its software and designs would be freely available.

We believe this can, and will, save countless lives internationally by doubling ventilator capacity and sparing doctors from having to make terrible end-of-life care choices, Prof Chase says. It will provide time for health systems to weather the Covid-19 pandemic storm when major outbreaks occur by increasing intensive care capacity. In New Zealand, a doubling would mean hospitals could, in the short term, provide mechanical ventilation to something like 460 patients instead of being limited to around 230 ventilated ICU beds currently.

This is a clever technology. Its very simple, quickly implemented, and low-cost, but high impact, solution. We can have the first prototypes ready in one to three months, or faster, and pilot-trial tested quickly after that. We will develop them locally and then make them available internationally with freely available software and designs to be 3D printed in hospitals, Prof Chase says.

Worldwide there is a shortage of ventilators because critically ill Covid-19 patients need mechanical ventilation to control breathing and allow recovery, sometimes for more than three weeks. In several countries the wave of novel coronavirus patients has overwhelmed hospital resources.

Through strong early action New Zealand has so far avoided such a feared influx of patients. However, it has one of the lowest numbers of ventilated intensive care unit beds per 100,000 population in the first world, and both modelling and experience in the rest of the world has shown this capacity could be exceeded if demand increased rapidly in a major outbreak.

The new technology uses mechatronics and modern manufacturing such as 3D printing to create a pressure sensor driven active control valve system that lets each patient breathe alternately one at a time. This approach is known as in series breathing.

Despite internet popularity, using a single ventilator for more than one patient, where they all breathe together or in parallel is seen by medical experts as too risky. However, Prof Chase and Prof Shaw and their team have shown how this low-cost active breathing circuit concept using in series breathing allows it to be done safely. Their concept was just described and published in Critical Care, a leading intensive care medicine journal.

This all-new approach will require very little change to current clinical ventilation practice, Prof Shaw says. The device and active breathing circuit weve proposed is a technology extension that enables each patient connected to a ventilator to be treated individually by the machine, instead of breathing in parallel at the same time, which is higher risk to both patients. We believe our technology could also lead to improvements in other areas of ventilation care.

His team is collaborating with ICU clinicians in Christchurch, Malaysia and Belgium on testing and proof of concept, with the research led from New Zealand. This international team shares over 15 years of joint research on intensive care medicine, creating novel innovations that have significantly improved care and outcomes for many patients.

This system is another example of how clinicians and engineers can successfully work together to create innovative products that can solve urgent international problems, Prof Chase says.

The other members of the team are Prof Merryn Tawhai at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, Dr Yeong-Shiong Chiew at Monash Malaysia, Dr Thomas Desaive at Liege University in Belgium, and Professor Bernard Lambermont and Professor Philippe Morimont at CHU de Liege Hospital ICU.

Prof Chase is Deputy Director of the New Zealand MedTech Centre of Research Excellence and the MedTech Spearhead leader for the National Science Challenge, Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI), and acknowledges their support in helping get this concept off the ground.

Scoop Media

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New UC Technology Doubling Ventilator Capacity Could Save Thousands Of Covid-19 Patients - Scoop.co.nz

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May 20th, 2020 at 4:45 am

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For What Its Worth: The fear of the unknown is a terrible fear – Pocono Record

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A Great Historian, statesman and writer, Winston S. Churchill, is quoted on many occasions during his illustrious career on the subjects of history and politics:

"The Farther Backward You Can Look, The Farther Forward You Can See"

Our present COVID-19 pandemic is fearful for all Americans during during this spring season. Our Easter and Passover holidays celebrate the renewal of life and of new beginnings during the spring. America has not been through a serious worldwide pandemic for over 100 years. In 2020, America now has the advantages of over 100 years with state of the art advances in science, medical, computer, mass communication, technologies, etc. combined with the required skills, knowledge, talents and historical memory and data unheard of and unknown in 1918. In 2020, America must wage a common cause of nonpartisan total warfare against the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, America has 100 years of accumulated wisdom and knowledge on how to wage an effective war on modern pandemics.

The so-called "Spanish Flu" of 1918 (which actually began in America!) killed more than 500,000 Americans more deaths than caused by WWI of American Soldiers in 1917-1918. The estimated, staggering and still unbelievable, death toll from the Spanish Flu number at least 50 million deaths.

A short historical comparison/analysis on the communication of knowledge and know-how between worldwide pandemics in 1918 versus 2020:

In 1918: America had nationwide telegraph and cable transmissions. However, public telephone usage was in its infancy and there were no public national or local radio broadcast stations nor radios for public use in 1918. In 1918, there were no national or worldwide mass communication networks for the dissemination of data, information, news to the public and only paper-printed newspapers, weekly magazines and periodicals for distribution and use.

In 2020: America has mass communications for social media distribution, use of satellite communications to transfer data and information and use of worldwide internet for 24/7 news, TV and radio, news in electronic and print form, etc. All of which were unheard of nor were available to wage total war on worldwide health and medical pandemics in 1918.

George Bernard Shaw (who was a great writer and a good friend of Winston S. Churchill) is quoted on whether or not "history repeats itself":

"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience?"

Finally, there is no easy way out of the COVID-19 pandemic except time and patience, and a vaccine, however, the essential question remains to be answered: "When?"

The fear of the unknown is a terrible fear.

Weintraub writes from Stroudsburg, Pa.

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For What Its Worth: The fear of the unknown is a terrible fear - Pocono Record

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April 16th, 2020 at 8:47 pm

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America Reacts To Shelter-in-place Orders By Drinking More Wine – Grit Daily

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April is alcohol awareness month, and in the spirit of things, it seems that Americans are reacting to shelter-in-place orders by drinking more wine.

Well leave the reason for skyrocketing sales of Chardonnay to what playwright George Bernard Shaw said about it in the past, Grit Daily readers.

Shaw, who famously quipped, Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life, aptly described what we are seeing today. In other words, people are turning to their alcoholic drink of choice as a coping mechanism for the extreme worry and isolation that goes hand-in-hand with the pandemic quarantine.

C.Vaile Wright, director of clinical research and quality in the Practice Directorate for the American Psychological Association,spoke out recentlyabout why the stress COVID-19 is leaving in its wake is causing you to reach for that soothing glass of wine.

Wright said,

Stress is a common trigger for drinking, and this pandemic has led to an unprecedented period of stress. We are seeing more people using alcohol as a way to cope with the anxiety and stress and uncertainty of this situation.

I think a lot of people use it to numb out, Wright added. She also cautioned against self-medicating yourself with alcohol, indicating that it isnt the best way to fight stress. She went on to say,

For one thing, alcohol is a depressant, both physically and mentally, so those already prone to depression or sadness may find those feelings exacerbated by drinking.

And it can actually increase ones anxiety because it interferes with the ability to get quality sleep at night. Without quality sleep, it can be hard to manage stress the next day.

If you are part of the shelter-in-place scenario, it sometimes feels as if wine and other alcoholic beverages are essential items. Of course, they are not, but many isolated people such as Noelle Farrara are turning en masse to them.

Noelle Farrara is a human resources officer who lives in New Jersey. She told reporters that cocktails definitely assuaged her anxiety. Since the pandemic unfolded in her hard-hit state, she indicated that the cocktail she normally drank on the weekend has morphed into one or sometimes two that she has every night.

The human resources officer blamed a real fear on the virus, coupled with fear manufactured by the media, for her unease. She said, Getting to the end of the day without paralyzing anxiety is almost a goal. I reward myself with a glass of wine or light beer.

Recently, she realized that she had a new worry to think about. And that was that her husband might run out of wine.

Thats not a thought that wouldve cropped up in the past, Farrara said.

Alcohol represents one of the few creature comforts that are still obtainable. Whether its because its a good way to take the edge off or because people are maintaining some semblance of a social life through virtual happy hours on Zoom, wine sales shot up66 percent.

One liquor store owner Erik Conley said that some vino is selling better than others. Conley, who owns Conleys Wine and Spirits with his wife Kate, told Grit Daily that customers like to hunker down with white wines the most during the shelter-in-place orders.

Conley said go-to brands of choice for them included Chateau Ste Michelle (Riesling), Dark Horse (Rose), Manu (Pinot Grigio), McManis (Chardonnay), Josh (Sauvignon Blanc) and Blindfold White Blend by the Prisoner Wine Company.

Another survey reported that in the week ending March 21, off-premises sales of all alcoholic beverages in the U.S. grew 55 percent. Whats more, the online purchases of beer, wine, and spirits were up 243 percent more than they were the same week of the previous year.

The growth is most likely attributed to bars and restaurants that closed their doors due to the pandemic. COVID-19 has been tough on the industry. Its aftermath left many bars, restaurant owners, tasting rooms and liquor stores fighting for survival.

Many had to move fast to stay in business. Some shifted their focus to home delivery in areas that it is legal. While others worked to get online sites that facilitate alcohol purchases live.

When the governor of Pennsylvaniaordered liquor storesto shut their doors, customers flooded the establishments. They emptied the stores in record time. In response to that void, a site geared to facilitate online alcohol purchases went live. Unfortunately, it proceeded to crash soon after because of the high demand.

Is the rush for wine and other spirits to pass the time going to lead to a wave of alcoholics? That isnt likely to happen, according toColumbia University neuroscientist Carl Hart.Hart said there is no indication that a wave of alcohol addiction will follow this pandemic. And new cases of addiction will be caused by the devastation the pandemic inflicted. Not because of one drink too many.

Thats good news for us oenophiles. However, remember to consume everything in moderation except for Grit Daily articles extolling the virtues of wine. Reading them helps you chill, and you can consume as many of them as you like.

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America Reacts To Shelter-in-place Orders By Drinking More Wine - Grit Daily

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April 16th, 2020 at 8:47 pm

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The Best of Drucker and DeBartolo in MAD – Book and Film Globe

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I started reading MAD on a regular basis starting around the 2nd grade back in 1981. Especially the parodies of the great Mort Drucker, who died on April 8th in his Woodbury, NY home at age 91.

I remember how dense it was to get throughit would take me literally the entire month to read. And I had like this rhythm to reading it. Id always, always start at Spy Vs. Spy, then the Don Martin page before checking out what kind of super fresh 70s clothing that the folks on Dave Bergs The Lighter Side were rocking. My curiosity about the foldable folly on the back cover would usually get the best of me as well, rendering every issue I ever owned worthless on the collectors market.

But I saved the best part for last. The movie spoofs. One of the very first issues I picked up with my allowance money was the January 81 edition, which featured Alfred E. Newmans iconic face drawn on the body of Yoda. I got it strictly for The Empire Strikes Out, the very parody that would spark the ire of Star Wars creator George Lucas, or rather his team of lawyers.

What piqued my particular interest in this parody, however was not just my undying love of all things Star Wars. Albeit unwittingly because I was eight, it was the first time I got to read a Mort Drucker film parody penned by writer Dick DeBartolo. The first time Drucker and DeBartolo worked together was Issue 98 from October 196 on Flapper, a super funny piss-take on the beloved porpoise sitcom Flipper. And from that issue until their last collaboration in 2009, the duo spoofed hundreds of shows and movies across five decades. Oftentimes their targets were the summer blockbusters of that year, be it The Flying Ace or The Towering Inferno or Alien or Robocop or even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The team of Mort Drucker and Dick DeBartolo were so good at what they did that George Lucas himself wound up writing a letter to MAD Magazine. Only this time it wasnt to cease and desist but rather hail the duo as the Leonardo da Vinci and George Bernard Shaw of comic satire.

Here are five Drucker/DeBartolo productions that, as a lifelong reader of MAD, I believe serve as ample justification for such a bold declaration.

Even a cinematic mind as brilliant as Stanley Kubrick has been called an idiot. But in the case of the iconic director of The Killing and Full Metal Jacket, it was the team of Drucker and DeBartolo who first did the honors in this purposefully prolonged and drawn-out pisstake on the Oscar winning space epic. And, as it turns out, that giant monolith turns out to be a book entitled How To Make An Incomprehensible Sci-Fi Movie and Several Million Dollars.

Milos Formans asylum life masterpiece was turnkey ready for a satirical spin the moment it hit box offices nationwide. But the way by which Drucker and DeBartolo not only lampooned Cuckoo but cranked up the films manic energy to 11 gave the story a whole new dimension. It was features like this that made these guys the dream team of MADison Avenue.

None of the flicks parodied in this issue dated October 1982 are not exactly household favorites (though Im sure there are cult audiences for each of them). The only reason I remember On Golden Pond was on account of all the old folks taking up room on line at the LOEWS box office while I was going to see Clash of the Titans for the 10th time, and Death Wish II because Jimmy Page did the soundtrack. As for Deathtrap, I owe it to myself as a lifelong Michael Caine fan to give it a revisit. However, what makes this particular edition so special is that its the only issue of MAD to feature three Drucker/DeBartolo spoofs between its pages, making this a highly sought-after collectors item for MAD folk.

As a sixth grader in 1985, Back To The Future hit my demo like an atom bomb. And indeed Issue no. 260 was high on my list when I picked it up at my local Waldenbooks. Having seen the Robert Zemeckis-directed sci-fi comedy classic at least twice before I copped this edition of MAD, I felt especially prepared for anything DeBartolo and Drucker was gonna throw our way. But leave it to them to pretty much whittle the entire premise of the movie down to the bizarre love triangle between Marquee McFly and his parents. Not to mention a few jabs at producer Steven Spielberg for good measure.

Drucker and DeBartolo worked together only a handful more times before turning in their last feature in 2009 (a sendup of the Chronicles of Narnia). However, clearly their best work during this time was the pairs return to doing what they did bestbeating up George Lucas. And their parody of The Phantom Menace spoke to so many of us who grew up on these fellas poking fun at the Star Bores saga our whole lives. Only there was a shared sense of cynicism between reader and creators because most of us felt gypped by this movie, as awash of Gungan jibjab piss away any new hopes of a classic Star Wars chapter.

Rest in Peace, Mort Drucker. Thank you for your part in my idiocy. I mean literacy.

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The Best of Drucker and DeBartolo in MAD - Book and Film Globe

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April 16th, 2020 at 8:47 pm

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Star Wars and Mad Magazine’s Mort Drucker by Todd King – MousePlanet

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Mort Drucker, Madly Prolific

For over 55 years, Mort Drucker drew caricatures of people, actors, creatures, public figures, historic personalities, and politicians for cartoon stories and spoofs in Mad magazine. His extraordinary talent has been beloved by millions of the magazine's fansas well as by other artists, and even by the stars he was often parodying.

Beyond Mad, Drucker worked on movie posters, Time magazine covers, music album covers and sleeves, comic strips, children's books, coloring books, and other works of satire and humor. Out of his prolific work, some of his pieces, like his covers for Time, have been included in the U.S. National Portrait Gallery in D.C. At the age of 91, he passed away last Thursday, April 9th, 2020.

Like many of us, during this time of the ongoing global pandemic, I found myself at home so much that I started going through things in the house and in closets and storage shelves just to pass some time and maybe organize a few things. I pulled out my collection of Mad and Cracked magazines that feature Star Wars parodies and couldn't resist thumbing through the old pages to relive some of the spoofs they drew up from back in the day. Some jokes were downright hilarious, some jokes fell flat, some were dated and perhaps a bit offensive to today's tastesbut what remained enjoyable the most was the artwork. I loved the caricatures of Han, Leia, Luke, and others with their exaggerated expressions and often clueless faces that could tell their own story even without the speech bubbles. Thinking these would make for great content on my next article here on MousePlanet, I began compiling some images when the news hit that Mort Drucker had passed away. Looking back through some of the scanned pictures I was pulling together I saw that the great majority of them were drawn by Drucker himself. I decided to modify my goal a bit and turn this month's article into atribute to Mort Drucker's Star Wars parodies from Mad.

I thought this image of Lando Calrissian and Mickey Mouse would fit the theme of this article perfectly. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

In the December 1978 issue of Mad, the writer's put together a musical revue by changing the words of popular songs into the context of the galaxy far, far away. This resulted in "The Mad Star Wars Musical," that began with one of Drucker's famous opening spreads shown here in its reprinted colorized version.

If a musical spoof of Star Wars were made today, Mad Magazine had it beat by a few decades. Here Drucker provides a cavalcade of characters from the first movie. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

He often added visual gags that weren't park of the dialog, like the presence of the random Lucy mixed in with the Jawas (where one Jawa appears to be looking at her like, "What are you doing here?") or the spaceship with a dopey bird's beak or giving Darth Vader googly eyes.

Speaking of music parodies, this practice continued even into the 90s where we find a fantastic 2-page spread of our Star Wars folks cutting a rug to the "Macarena," complete with George Lucas commentary and lyrics. (1999 "Star Wars Spectacular" issue, note Harrison Ford's other alter ego)

Mad specialized in combining pop culture ideas into their spoofs. Drucker includes many visual gags with the Star Wars characters to the tune of the Macarena. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

Mocking popular TV shows and movies was Mad's specialty, and Star Wars was no exception. The writers and artist took to Star Wars in some of the earliest parodies of the franchise. When it came to the second film, The Empire Stikes Back, Mad didn't hold back, and Drucker was there to bring the comedy to life. It was common practice for the magazine to begin its story with a full-page spread of gags like this one.

Mad's spoof of The Empire Strikes Back began with this set of gags including Spock at his terminal and a literal price on Han's head. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

These spreads often held hidden jokes, like the easy-to-miss snowball fight in the foreground.

As important as his faces, Drucker had stated that his character's hands also told much of their story and were just as expressive as eyes and mouths. There are many examples one could point to in order to exemplify that, and I think this one of Han and Leia (and Luke) are both subtle and revealing.

Drucker's caricatures always served the spoof's story, including this comical stare by Princess Leia and Han's sarcastic reaction. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

Still, the faces were so good and make me laugh every time.

Drucker's drawings were madcap even in contrast with the serious portrayal of other characters. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

As I enjoyed looking through these strips it was quickly evident that Mort Drucker always tried to outdo himself and never settled on using the same portrayal frame after frame. Even in later issues he'd go for different proportions or exaggerations to great effect.

It seemed that Drucker never repeated any poses of his characters, and had fun stretching their proportions. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

I love the subtlety of many of his pictures. The ugnaught in the background is trying to point out Lando's mistake while bearing an expression of, "Hey stupid, look over there."

Drucker was masterful in setting a scene that was both silly and true to the look of the original like this one from the freezing chamber in Empire. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

It's great when he allows the characters we're familiar with to take on silly postures and actions that are a delight to see. For insance, Vader isn't immune to wackiness in the pages of Mad.

Even a villain as stiff as Vader can't escape a goofy fencing pose by Drucker. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

Sometimes without the word balloons, his drawings could be stirring like the melancholy ending of Empire Strikes Back shown below without any faces as, with them, we look over their shoulder to the outer space scene ... and then we spot the wind-up key of the Millennium Falcon.

Drucker often drew many images that were poignant even when the text was still humorous like this one spoofing Empire's final shot. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

In a case funnier than parody, Lucasfilm's legal department almost sued Mort Drucker for his spoof of Empire Strikes Back. The parody, called "The Empire Srikes Out," somehow got the lawyers in a tizzy where they composed a cease-and-desist letter to the artist to stop and recall the whole thing. Unbeknownst to Lucasfilm's legal team, George Lucas absolutely loved the parody (and had liked the parody from Mad on the first film) and had even written the magazine praising them and Drucker for the piece, and going so far as to request a copy of the original artwork for himself. The letter famously included Lucas's acclaim, "Special Oscars should be awarded to Drucker and DeBartolo, the George Bernard Shaw and Leonardo da Vinci of comic satire. Their sequel to my sequel was sheer galactic madnessKeep up the good Farce!" (Source) Needless to say, that put an end to any thoughts of a lawsuit from Lucasfilm ever again.

Lucasfilm's legal beagles must have forgotten that George Lucas's film, American Graffiti had its poster created by none other than the mad artist himself.

American Graffiti's movie poster illustrated by Mort Drucker. Lucasfilm.

Drucker's work on the original trilogy continued into Return of the Jedi with even more hilarity and of course, beginning with a full-page drawing.

Mad often began their stories with a wild "pile up" of characters like this one at the start of their spoof of Return of the Jedi. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

In Star Wars, creatures were as much the stars as the humans, and Drucker could bring out the silliness of them, too.

Drucker often threw in characters from anywhere and everywhere to add to the absurdity of such scenes as this one of Jabba and his cast of monsters. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

As noted earlier, he often changed up his caricature's looks, like this new take on Yoda.

A different, but no less silly look for Yoda, in his 'cough' death scene with Luke. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

I just can't get over Luke's nonplussed expression in this next drawing. It looks like he's desperately trying to be serious but just doesn't know how stupid he looks.

Both of these caricatures of Luke and Leia are so funny, not because they're simply drawn funny, but because their expressions are serious bringing the perfect irony. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

He was very much like a movie director in his comic stips, where would vary his shots, not always rely on close-ups, and depict action to underscore the humor.

Drucker is able to depict a quick-action gag when Vader "mistakenly" throws the Emperor to his death. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

But when it's time for close-ups and gags, he's your artist especially in this joke which is mostly visual anyway.

When needed, Drucker would also go full-on ridiculous for comedic effect, like this face of the unmasked Vader. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

Even without faces and cariciatures, Drucker could spice up the stories and spoof the style of the original concept like in the picture below of a sweeping action sequence of a war in the stars.

Drucker's talent went even beyond caricatures and into scenery like this space battle, with the kitchen sink gag not looking out of place. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

He would sometimes take his queues from the writers, who would sometimes add scenes not from the source material but from inferred actions and their own imaginations. Drucker could accommodate those acts of whimsy and set the scene just right.

Not a scene from the movie, but one left to our imagination. With Drucker's imagination, we get this hilarious image of what surely would have been a weird-looking wedding. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

Maybe his visual gag of, "May Divorce be with You," could be seen as prophetic, since later films show Han and Leia separatedbut perhaps it was just his play on words from the strangeness of all things in Star Wars.

I hope this does well to honor the memory of Mort Drucker, especially for his parodies of Star Wars characters from Mad. He and the magazine blazed many trails in the world of spoofs, that so many have been inspired by their workthat countless farces and mockeries have come and gone from many different mediums up to this day.

I see things like Drucker's work and Mad's writing to be among the best of parodies, and also some of the earliest ones of the franchise. It reminds us all to not take it all too seriously, to remember to laugh at silliness (how could we forget?), to see things in different ways, to find humor in the world and in ourselves, and to appreciate art in its many forms. As a Star Wars fan, I thank him for his comedy. As a person who needs levity in these trying times, I cherish him for his art.

Mort Drucker produced many covers for Mad including this cute Star Wars title from the Summer 1999 issue. Illustration by Mort Drucker.

Thank you, Mr. Drucker.

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Star Wars and Mad Magazine's Mort Drucker by Todd King - MousePlanet

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April 16th, 2020 at 8:47 pm

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