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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tom Lehrer, musical satirist, dies at 97
Tom Lehrer, an acerbic songwriter and Harvard-trained mathematician who rose to fame in the 1950s and '60s by pillorying the sensibilities of the day, has died at age 97. Lehrer died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday. His death was confirmed by friends on Facebook. No cause of death was given. The bespectacled Lehrer began performing on college campuses and clubs across the country in the 1950s, playing the piano and singing darkly comedic numbers that he penned on topics such as racial conflict, the Catholic Church and militarism, earning him the sobriquet of "musical nerd god." In "National Brotherhood Week," which lampooned the brief interlude of imposed tolerance celebrated annually from the 1930s through the early 2000s he wrote: Oh, the white folks hate the black folksand the black folks hate the white folks,to hate all but the right folks is an old established rule …But during National Brotherhood Week (National Brotherhood Week),Lena Horne and Sheriff Clark are dancing cheek to fun to eulogizeThe people you despise,As long as you don't let 'em into your school. Lehrer's songs also took aim at then-taboo subjects such as sexuality, pornography and addiction. In 1953, his self-released album 'Songs of Tom Lehrer" became an underground hit. Produced for $40 and promoted by word of mouth, the cover image was of Lehrer in hell playing piano as the devil. It eventually sold an estimated 500,000 copies and sparked demand for concert performances around the world. During the mid-1960s, Lehrer contributed several songs to the satirical NBC news show 'That Was the Week That Was,' hosted by David Frost. The show inspired Lehrer's third album, 'That Was the Year That Was.' Released in 1965, it reached the 18th spot on American music charts. On the occasion of his 90th birthday in 2018, Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik wrote that Lehrer's lyrics were written "with the facility of William S. Gilbert and tunes that evoked the felicity of Sir Arthur Sullivan. Lehrer's work bounced the absurdities and paranoias of that period back at us, in rhymed couplets and a bouncy piano beat." Thomas Andrew Lehrer was born in New York City on April 9, 1928, to a middle-class family. His father James Lehrer was a successful necktie manufacturer. As a child he took piano lessons but preferred Broadway show tunes — with a particular affection for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan — to the classics. After entering Harvard University at age 15, his penchant for sardonic humor surfaced in his parody song "Fight Fiercely Harvard," which challenged the football team's reputation for toughness and earned him a measure of renown on campus. For a time he followed a dual track, music and academia, though he never completed the PhD thesis he began while pursuing doctoral studies at Harvard and Columbia University. After a two-year break between 1955 and 1957 when he served in the Army, Lehrer once again performed concerts across the U.S., Canada and Europe. In a 1959 Time article, the magazine described Lehrer and fellow comedians Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl as the symbols of a new 'sick' comedy. 'What the sickniks dispense is partly social criticism liberally laced with cyanide, partly a Charles Addams kind of jolly ghoulishness, and partly a personal and highly disturbing hostility toward all the world." Lehrer's work opened the door for generations of musical satirists including Randy Newman and 'Weird Al' Yankovic and exerted an influence on everything from the musical skits of "Saturday Night Live" to the mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap." "He set the bar for me — and provided an example of how a nerdy kid with a weird sense of humor could find his way in the world,' Yankovic once said of Lehrer. 'Done right, social criticism set to a catchy tune always makes politics easier to digest,' Lizz Winstead, co-creator of "The Daily Show," told Buzzfeed in an article examining Lehrer's influence on modern satirical comedy. But Lehrer was first and foremost an academic, over the course of his career teaching math and musical theater at Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UC Santa Cruz and working for a time at the Atomic Energy Commission. He viewed entertainment largely as a sideline, and by the late 1960s had grown weary of life in the public eye. After several pauses to focus on his academic pursuits, he stepped off the stage in 1967 following a concert in Copenhagen. In 1971, he wrote songs for the PBS children's series "The Electric Company." His last turn in the spotlight was a year later. After performing at a presidential campaign rally for the Democratic nominee, South Dakota Sen. George S. McGovern, he gave up performing for good. Lehrer explained his retreat from the stage by saying that 'political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize." In an interview with the New York Times, he elaborated: 'The Vietnam War is what changed it. Everybody got earnest. My purpose was to make people laugh and not applaud. If the audience applauds, they're just showing they agree with me.' But audiences were not through with Lehrer. After nearly a decade in self-imposed exile, Lehrer became a hit once again in the early 1980s when Cameron Mackintosh, the British theatrical producer, created "Tomfoolery," a revue of Lehrer's songs that opened in London's West End before going to to play New York, Washington, Dublin and other cities. Despite the public acclaim, Lehrer maintained a fiercely private life. He never married nor did he have children. In 2020, Lehrer announced through his website that he was making all of the lyrics he wrote available to download for free without further permission, whether or not they were published or retained a copyright. Two years later he went further in relinquishing his rights, saying: 'In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs. So help yourselves, and don't send me any money.' Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. 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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Do NRW Holdings' (ASX:NWH) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?
The excitement of investing in a company that can reverse its fortunes is a big draw for some speculators, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can manage to find investors. Sometimes these stories can cloud the minds of investors, leading them to invest with their emotions rather than on the merit of good company fundamentals. Loss making companies can act like a sponge for capital - so investors should be cautious that they're not throwing good money after bad. In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like NRW Holdings (ASX:NWH), which has not only revenues, but also profits. While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. How Quickly Is NRW Holdings Increasing Earnings Per Share? Generally, companies experiencing growth in earnings per share (EPS) should see similar trends in share price. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. It certainly is nice to see that NRW Holdings has managed to grow EPS by 17% per year over three years. If growth like this continues on into the future, then shareholders will have plenty to smile about. One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. EBIT margins for NRW Holdings remained fairly unchanged over the last year, however the company should be pleased to report its revenue growth for the period of 14% to AU$3.1b. That's encouraging news for the company! The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers. View our latest analysis for NRW Holdings Of course the knack is to find stocks that have their best days in the future, not in the past. You could base your opinion on past performance, of course, but you may also want to check this interactive graph of professional analyst EPS forecasts for NRW Holdings. Are NRW Holdings Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders? Insider interest in a company always sparks a bit of intrigue and many investors are on the lookout for companies where insiders are putting their money where their mouth is. This view is based on the possibility that stock purchases signal bullishness on behalf of the buyer. However, insiders are sometimes wrong, and we don't know the exact thinking behind their acquisitions. In the last twelve months NRW Holdings insiders spent AU$46k on stock; good news for shareholders. While this isn't much, we also note an absence of sales. On top of the insider buying, it's good to see that NRW Holdings insiders have a valuable investment in the business. Given insiders own a significant chunk of shares, currently valued at AU$88m, they have plenty of motivation to push the business to succeed. This would indicate that the goals of shareholders and management are one and the same. Does NRW Holdings Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist? If you believe that share price follows earnings per share you should definitely be delving further into NRW Holdings' strong EPS growth. Not only that, but we can see that insiders both own a lot of, and are buying more shares in the company. Astute investors will want to keep this stock on watch. It is worth noting though that we have found 1 warning sign for NRW Holdings that you need to take into consideration. The good news is that NRW Holdings is not the only stock with insider buying. Here's a list of small cap, undervalued companies in AU with insider buying in the last three months! Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Boston closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll return soon after back spasm forces him out
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll be able to pitch in a couple of days after walking off the mound with a back spasm in the eighth inning of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 'It's just a spasm. It should be gone in a couple of days,' he said through a team translator after the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 for a series victory. In to face the top of the Dodgers' order, his velocity was noticeably down to mid-90 mph on his fastball instead of the high 90s to low 100s. Manager Alex Cora and a trainer came out to the mound to visit him after Shohei Ohtani flew out to the left-field warning track. Jordan Hicks entered and got out of a two-on, one-out mess when Teoscar Hernández lined to second and Ceddanne Rafaela dove to the bag, beating Hyeseong Kim for double play. Hicks pitched the ninth for his second save. 'Tight back. He should be OK,' Cora said of Chapman. Both Chapman and Cora said they didn't think there would be a trip to the injured list. 'I was definitely determined to stay out there, work through it,' Chapman said. 'Alex thought it would be better, smarter that we just 'call it' to avoid anything down the line.' The 37-year-old Chapman is having one of his better seasons in the majors with 18 saves and a 1.30 ERA, with much better control. He's walked just 11 in 41 1/3 innings. In early July he earned his 350th career save and said he'd like to reach 400. ___ AP MLB:
