Thirty-six years ago this month, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera opened in New York, and went on to become the longest-running show in Broadway history. I've never seen it. I don't hold much brief for ALW, and I've only seen two of his musicals over the past fifty-three years. The first was… Continue reading From Andrew Lloyd Webber to Angora Goats
Month: January 2024
Quote of the Day: The Verger
“I can tell you that, sir…I’d be verger of St. Peter’s, Neville Square.”–W. Somerset Maugham, The Verger It’s from one of my all-time favorite short stories, The Verger, by W. Somerset Maugham. Now I’m not–intuitively–much of a fan of Somerset Maugham, but The Verger, a little story I was introduced to by a British neighbor, probably around… Continue reading Quote of the Day: The Verger
Dame Judi Dench, Nude in the Bathtub
"Oh, my giddy aunt," as darling Auntie Pat used to say. If there ever were a story pointing to the occasional perils associated with modern technology, especially as we try to stay "with it," and "relevant" into our dotage, this is it. Bless her heart. Apparently, several months ago, Dame Judi’s daughter suggested that her… Continue reading Dame Judi Dench, Nude in the Bathtub
A Podcast Recommendation For Those Who Love Military History
Via Scott Johnson at powerlineblog.com. This past Saturday I met Aaron MacLean, host of the School of War podcast. Aaron is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Before that, he worked on Capitol Hill as senior foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Senator Tom Cotton and served on active duty as a… Continue reading A Podcast Recommendation For Those Who Love Military History
“Lucent syrops, tinct with cinnamon”: The Eve of St. Agnes
There are some personal anniversaries I celebrate in my iPhone calendar app. Birthdays, death days, anniversaries, significant--even tragic--events of family, friends, and loved ones. Plenty of all those. Perhaps more than my fair share of a couple of them. But a few events superimpose themselves, irrespective of personal experience. And so, here we go, for… Continue reading “Lucent syrops, tinct with cinnamon”: The Eve of St. Agnes
Ab-so-bloomin-lutely Loverly: RIP Audrey Hepburn
A lightly-edited post from that originally published several years ago. RIP, sweet lady. Audrey Kathleen Ruston, who died thirty-one years ago today (far too soon), was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium, the daughter of a member of minor Dutch nobility and a peripatetic English financier father who later changed his name to… Continue reading Ab-so-bloomin-lutely Loverly: RIP Audrey Hepburn
These Were My Father’s Muslims
Fifty-eight years ago today, on January 15, 1966, two of my family’s dearest friends were murdered. Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello (pictured right) was the Premier of Northern Nigeria and Sardauna of Sokoto. Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (ATB) was the first (and so far only) Prime Minister of a Nigeria that had achieved its independence from Britain on October 1,… Continue reading These Were My Father’s Muslims
“Two Different Faces”–Happy Birthday, Sis!
Sixty-three years ago today, my idyllic life as an only child came to an end and I began the rest of my life as a sibling. We were living in Mubi, in the British Cameroons which was, at the time, administered as a United Nations Trust Territory. In a few short months, a plebiscite would… Continue reading “Two Different Faces”–Happy Birthday, Sis!
Lloyd Austin–For Fuck’s Sake, Don’t Be A Jerk
Good grief. Not sure what's wrong with the US military retired, all the way from Generals down to Field Grade Officers. I think it's pretty safe to say that the grunts--the enlisted--the sad sacks, the jarheads, the squids, etc. don't suffer from this foolish nonsense, but honestly! LTC Vindman. General Mark (I'm in China's Corner)… Continue reading Lloyd Austin–For Fuck’s Sake, Don’t Be A Jerk
Getting Their Reputations Back–The Royal Mail Horizon Scandal Staggers to the Finish Line, Courtesy of ITV
A bit more than three years ago, I wrote a post on Ricochet, When Computers Rule, about the Royal Mail scandal involving Fujitsu’s Horizon software and the plight of hundreds of UK “sub-postmasters” who’d been accused, prosecuted and convicted for fraud because, once the Fujitsu software system was implemented for Post Office management, their accounts… Continue reading Getting Their Reputations Back–The Royal Mail Horizon Scandal Staggers to the Finish Line, Courtesy of ITV