Haven't had a Mystery Guest segment here for a while, so time to fix that.  Actually, this isn't precisely a Mystery Guest, but one that requires blindfolds for the panelists anyway, since one of them might have a passing connection to identify the guest.  And though it's not a celebrity, that's the fun of this.

The guest is Dick Kallmar, who's a film and Broadway producer, as well as radio host.  But more to the point, he indeed does have a passing connection to one of the panelists -- he's Dorothy Kilgallen's husband.

He's the first guest, but if you want to jump directly to him, it starts at the 2:50 mark.  The game is a lot of fun, but all the more for him doing one of the best hidden-voices I've seen on the show.

The NFL draft is coming up pretty soon, so this today is appropriate.  The guest contestant on this week's "Not My Job" segment of the NPR quiz show "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" is 5-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.  Here's there to promote a book he just had published.  Host Peter Sagal leads a wonderfully lively and very funny interview, which has a lot more participation from the other panelists than usual.  And it especially gets to be a joy when the topic hits...strawberries.  (Yes, strawberries.  Furthermore, the quiz portion is an absolutely spot-on perfect topic -- of which Brady doesn't have a clue, but relies on the help of his...well, we'll call them "his teammates.

I like to buy commemorative stamps.  Not really as a collector (I do keep one of each, but they're no laid out in a book, meticulously or otherwise), but just to use.  So, I check in with the post office from time to time, to see what is new.  I don't buy every commemorative stamp -- some just aren't to my taste, or just promoting something commercial that doesn't interest me.  But I do get a lot of them.

It was a treat, therefore, to find two new stamps in that stood out.  One, because I knew that this year was the 200th anniversary of Illinois, and the other because...well, it was just fun to see.  So, if you have plans to go the post office over the next few weeks, here's what's waiting for you.

This is a very charming and whimsical TedTalk sent me of John Hodgman, which he did in 2008.  It's not long, only about 15 minutes, and he's such a good storyteller, it carries you along.  It's titled, "​Aliens, love -- Where are They?"  Thanks to Catherine Clinch for sending it to me.

In it, he talks about aliens, time, space and somehow ties it all together in his observation about the equally alien concept of falling in love.

Twitter is full of tweets from people offering Wise Words from Famous People.  And often they're quite interesting, and sometimes the fact that you've posted a quote followed by a famous name doesn't inherently make it as wise as it would otherwise seem.
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And as wise and nurturing is as this is in support of creativity (which I'm thoroughly in favor of), the very first thought which came to mind was --

​Said the man who imagined and designed the outdoor-sculpture in Chicago at the Daley Plaza which is described as his concept of a woman.

Sometimes the fanciful things that you can imagine are valuable not because they are real, but because they add uncommon insight into what is.
-- Robert J. Elisberg

Today's "Not My Job" segment of the NPR quiz show Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! is actually not today's at all but from eight years ago out of their archive vault.  The guest contestant is Molly Ringwald, and her interview with host Peter Sagal is charming and fun, and she's an absolutely wonderful sport, especially given some material that Sagal has uncovered.  Furthermore, the quiz topic is decidedly off-beat since it seems to have even less connection to her than usual.

One of the many things I like about the NPR quiz show is how sometimes their contestants are people you'd never expect to hear on a game show -- let alone hear, ever.  And this week the guest is Dr. Michael Rosbash, who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his study in understanding animals' biological clock.  And the joy is that his interview with host Peter Sagal is a hoot.

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Much as I love so much about the British culture and history, I've never been a follower of The Royal Family.  It's not that I disdain them -- I don't, not even remotely, I enjoy a bit of pageantry now and then -- but I take them for their place in history and for what any of them might say at any particular given moment.  I have some friends who seem to almost have apoplexy if there's News About the Royals.  That's not me.

But I have to admit, I like Meghan Markle.  Not to the point of Royal Fandom, mind you.  I think that she's bright, good-hearted and even a solid actress.  But that's hardly why.  And long-time readers of these pages will understand the reason.  It's because on top of all that, she's a graduate of the beloved Northwestern University.  The Purple and White.  Huzzah.  Hey, what can I say?  I have my standards, I know that.  But I can at least note that my awareness of Ms. Markle for this came before I had a clue she was Dating a Royal.  Indeed, I was a bit bewildered when standing in grocery store lines and she began popping up on magazine covers.  ("What's up with that?" was a common thought.)  But my appreciation has grown grew the higher her profile has gotten in the world of Kings and Queens.  And then, too, I know that when she takes on official duties and is out in public wearing Royal Purple, while most of the world just presumes it's part of Grand Tradition, I instead smile -- aware that deep inside she's fully of Purple Pride and probably really chose the outfit to also honor her old college.

A couple months back, I came across an article about her political activism which included video of a speech she gave to the United Nations in 2015.  The speech was long before she was engaged to a prince.  Long before an important movement of women pushed itself to the forefront. Back then, she was UN Woman's Advocate for Political Participation and Leadership.

The British Royal Family is not know for its outspokenness, though in fairness, some have been involved in very good causes.  But as Robert Lacey, a historian and biographer of the Queen, noted in the article with this video, “You have to go back to Prince Philip to think of a recruit to the family who is so evidently feisty and spiky.  I can see that this is going to be a real problem in the months and years ahead for her, an existential problem.”

Who knows?  I only know that I do like the lady.  And this is a thoughtful, charming speech, beginning with a lovely story she tells about when she was 11 years old.

Oh, and of course, Go U, NU, Fight, Fight, Fight...
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For the past 10 years on Bill Gates' blog, "Gates Notes," he and his wife Melinda post their annual letter about their huge foundation.  This year, for the tenth anniversary they did something different, and it's very interested.  The each separately answered the "10 Toughest Questions We Get."

And the questions are good, and blunt.  I don't think they're as "tough" (as in difficult to answer) as they are blunt, but they certainly aren't softball.

Here are the questions:
• Why don’t you give more to the United States?
• What do you have to show for the billions you’ve spent on U.S. education?
• Why don’t you give money to fight climate change?
• Are you imposing your values on other cultures?
• Does saving kids’ lives lead to overpopulation?
• How are President Trump’s policies affecting your work?
• Why do you work with corporations?
• Is it fair that you have so much influence?
• What happens when the two of you disagree?
• Why are you really giving away your money–what’s in it for you?

You can read their individual responses here.

To draw attention to this, the couple appeared on Good Morning America. And then answered questions, as host Robin Roberts took questions from the studio audience.
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