I'm so glad that Tom Daley, a British Olympic gold-medal winning diver, a gay man who bravely "came out" in 2013 (despite being under the threat of being thrown to his death from the top of buildings or of being anally penetrated with a rough-sawn stake and set out in the sun to die while… Continue reading Dear Tom Daley, Get Educated, and Get Your Head Out of Your Bum, Please
Category: Culture
Fifteen Lives: My Thai Soccer Boys Story (Not a Movie Review)
Well, I just went to amazon.com in search of 2-door bypass barn-door hardware (as you do), and the first thing I came across was a huge ad for Ron Howard’s new movie, Thirteen Lives, which tells the story of the Thai soccer team trapped in the flooded cave, one which captured the world’s attention in… Continue reading Fifteen Lives: My Thai Soccer Boys Story (Not a Movie Review)
Bernard Cribbins, RIP
Where are the snows of yesteryear? Probably the first time that line from François Villon's medieval poem Ballad of Ladies of Time Gone By has been applied to Bernard Cribbins, but whatever. Tempus fugit, as they say. And my childhood with it. Bernard Cribbins, who has died age 93 was a staple of that childhood. … Continue reading Bernard Cribbins, RIP
Maria Szymanowksa: Composer, Pianist, Trailblazer
Today is the one-hundred-ninety-first anniversary of the death of Maria Szymanowska, nineteenth-century Polish composer and professional pianist who achieved the height of her fame at the court of Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Before settling in St. Petersburg, Szymanowska had toured most of Western Europe, and her performances, as well as her compositions had been respectfully… Continue reading Maria Szymanowksa: Composer, Pianist, Trailblazer
Sigh: Encyclopedia Britannica Succumbs to New Math in the Service of–What, Exactly?
So. In an outburst of enthusiasm, I thought I'd write a new post today, and--as I often do--I began a search through Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, and a couple of other sites where I regularly look up "On This Day..." information as a prelude and springboard to discovering something new and interesting. Today, though, I got… Continue reading Sigh: Encyclopedia Britannica Succumbs to New Math in the Service of–What, Exactly?
Blessings from the Great Beyond: The Machine That Thinks Like a Man
A few months ago, I was invited, by someone I've known slightly online for a number of years, to join a book club. Rather trepidatiously, I agreed, with the stipulation that I couldn't be much involved for several weeks due to some personal commitments around the same time as their weekly online meetings, commitments which… Continue reading Blessings from the Great Beyond: The Machine That Thinks Like a Man
Retribution: For the Children of Telford
Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all–H.W. Longfellow, Retribution Many years ago, a family friend served as a policewoman in the “West Mercia Constabulary” a division of the British police force covering my home counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and… Continue reading Retribution: For the Children of Telford
Tuneful Tuesdays–The Bakersfield Sound
So, there I was, a couple of weeks ago, exchanging emails with a new friend who lives in California, and who's spent quite a bit of time in Bakersfield. (Note to self: Food. Sounds Awesome!) I think he assumed that--Brit that I am--I'd be unfamiliar with the city. But. No. He misunderestimated me. Hugely. TBC,… Continue reading Tuneful Tuesdays–The Bakersfield Sound
Suwanee’s Cooking School, Chiang Rai, Thailand: Revisited
It's been exactly four years since a day I remember with great affection, the day on which my friend and I attended a full-day cooking school in Chiang Rai, Thailand and--with a lot of effort, hard work, and a great sense of fun--made some of the loveliest and most delicious food I've ever eaten. A… Continue reading Suwanee’s Cooking School, Chiang Rai, Thailand: Revisited
Happy Birthday, United States of America!
A few of my favorites to celebrate the day. The Stars and Stripes Forever, performed by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. I have an indelible memory of their concert, many years ago now, just up the road in Washington, PA which Mr. Right and I attended together: https://youtu.be/a-7XWhyvIpE The Battle Hymn of the… Continue reading Happy Birthday, United States of America!