Latest news with #NationalSecurityAdministration
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Comedian, soldier, and mathematician Tom Lehrer dies at 97
Tom Lehrer, the social satirist and mathematics professor who used music to poke at the world, died this weekend at the age of 97. Known for songs such as 'The Vatican Rag,' 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park' and 'The Elements,' his music remained comedy staples for decades after he recorded them and influenced performers such as Weird Al Yankovic. He also was a former enlisted soldier, whose time in the U.S. Army influenced much of his musical repertoire. The mathematician and satirist died on Saturday, July 26 at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to his friend David Herder. Thomas Lehrer was born April 9, 1928. He studied piano as a child and, as a prodigy, attended Harvard at the age of 15. He earned a bachelor's and a master's degree in mathematics and became a teacher, along with working as a researcher at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. He also began recording music, often comedy songs with a satirical bent, selling copies as word of mouth began to pick up. And then he was drafted. The songwriting mathematician with a master's degree joined the U.S. Army as an enlisted soldier in 1955. He spent his two years in the Army secretly working for the National Security Administration, which was classified at the time. He reached the rank of Specialist Third Class — or as he later remarked, 'corporal without portfolio' — and left the Army in 1957 to go back to teaching and recording. Lehrer began touring and recorded more albums, featuring some of his most iconic songs, such as 'The Masochism Tango,' 'Send the Marines' and 'We Will All Go Together When We Go.' He also worked as a songwriter and performer for several television shows before stepping back from the music scene in the 1970s to focus on academics. He wrote comedic songs, but almost all of them had a dark edge. Death and conflict played a common role in his lyrics, with the threat of nuclear war and annihilation in particular hanging over his work. During the Space Race he also took the time to lambast Werhner von Braun, the Nazi rocket scientist brought over by the military in Operation Paperclip and a major leader at NASA. 'Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?'/'That's not my department,' says Wernher von Braun,' Lehrer sang. Top Stories This Week Culture Top Air Force enlisted leader apologizes for uniform slip-up Top Air Force enlisted leader apologizes for uniform slip-up By Jeff Schogol Culture An Army pilot and mechanic switched units for a week. Here's how that went. An Army pilot and mechanic switched units for a week. Here's how that went. By Patty Nieberg News Air Force Global Strike Command suspends use of M18 pistol after airman's death Air Force Global Strike Command suspends use of M18 pistol after airman's death By Jeff Schogol His time in the Army influenced his works. In his 1959 live album 'An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer,' he joked that, now a civilian again, he is 'now, of course, in the radioactive reserve'; it was after all the 1950s and soldiers were regularly involved in rather large nuclear tests. 'And, the usual jokes about the Army aside, one of the many fine things one has to admit is the way that the Army has carried the American democratic ideal to its logical conclusion, in the sense that not only do they prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, creed, and color, but also on the grounds of ability,' Lehrer said as an introduction to his song 'It Makes a Fellow Proud to Be a Soldier,' which he said he wrote during his service and claimed to have submitted it as a contender for the Army's official song. The track poked fun at all walks of soldiers, from intellectuals to school dropouts to career-minded officers and bad mess cooks. His military career also had one notable distinction. While in the Army and assigned to a naval base in Washington, D.C., Lehrer claims to have helped invent the modern version of the Jell-O shot. Versions had existed for years, but according to Lehrer, he combined alcohol with pre-flavored Jell-O mix. It was Christmas and he helped through a party. 'The rules said no alcoholic beverages were allowed. And we wanted to have a little party, so this friend and I spent an evening experimenting with Jell-O. It wasn't a beverage,' he told SF Weekly in 2000. 'We finally decided that orange Jell-O and vodka was the best,' he continued. Lehrer retired from teaching in 2001. He viewed his musical career as brief, noting he only wrote and recorded 37 songs in two decades. However his songs inspired several comedians and musicians, including Weird Al Yankovic. On Instagram, Yankovic wrote 'My last living musical hero is still my hero but unfortunately no longer living. RIP to the great, great Mr. Tom Lehrer.' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Live updates: White House affirms tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China will take effect Saturday
The White House confirmed on Friday that tariffs against goods from Canada, Mexico and China will take effect Saturday, as President Trump has threatened. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in her second press briefing of the Trump administration that the tariff plan would go forward. The briefing takes place a day after several of Trump's nominees were grilled in the Senate. One Trump nominee, Tulsi Gabbard, is facing increasing scrutiny from Republicans in her bid to become director of national intelligence. In particular, her views on Edward Snowden, the former National Security Administration staffer who stole over a million classified documents, have rankled GOP senators who might otherwise back her bid. While Trump heads to Florida this weekend, Democrats will choose their new leadership. The Democratic National Committee will vote on its new chair on Saturday in one of its first initial steps toward recovering from November's disappointing election. Follow along for updates from the White House and more Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
31-01-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Live updates: White House set to face questions amid contentious hearings, plane crash probe
The White House is set to answer questions at the end of a busy week that has included high-profile confirmation hearings, a plane crash that appears to have killed 67 people, and the announcement of federal employee buyouts. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt will face reporters early Friday afternoon, her second press briefing of the Trump administration. One Trump nominee, Tulsi Gabbard, is facing increasing scrutiny from Republicans in her bid to become director of national intelligence. In particular, her views on Edward Snowden, the former National Security Administration staffer who stole over a million classified documents, have rankled GOP senators who might otherwise back her bid. While President Trump heads to Florida this weekend, Democrats will choose their new leadership. The Democratic National Committee will vote on its new chair on Saturday in one of its first initial steps toward recovering from November's disappointing election.
The Hill
31-01-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Live updates: White House set to face questions amid federal worker buyout plans, contentious hearings, plane crash probe
The White House is set to answer questions at the end of a busy week that has included high-profile confirmation hearings, a plane crash that appears to have killed 67 people, and the announcement of federal employee buyouts. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt will face reporters early Friday afternoon, her second press briefing of the Trump administration. One Trump nominee, Tulsi Gabbard, is facing increasing scrutiny from Republicans in her bid to become director of national intelligence. In particular, her views on Edward Snowden, the former National Security Administration staffer who stole over a million classified documents, have rankled GOP senators who might otherwise back her bid. While President Trump heads to Florida this weekend, Democrats will choose their new leadership. The Democratic National Committee will vote on its new chair on Saturday in one of its first initial steps toward recovering from November's disappointing election.
