Media Watch: Many versions of El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor) by Moisés Simons, and an authoritative discussion about the early international success of this song, and Afro-Cuban music, on NPR's AfroPop Worldwide. My favorite version of the song was a syncopated masterpiece from 1937.
African Music, African Music Albums, African Musicians, African Bands, Reviews, Labels, Discographies, and more, from Afropop Worldwide, the experts on African music
I've been reading a little: The Rough Guide to Reggae --The Definitive Guide to Jamaican Music, from Ska Through Roots to Ragga by Steve Barrow; Peter Dalton; and Orla Duane
The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame was the subject of a story on NPR this morning: Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame -- Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame
I saw an abyssimal dawg-assed S-F horror movie over the weekend from the mid-60's. It had Basil Rathbone, Dennis Hopper, plus borrowed footage from a Russian space flick. It was a space-vampire story, and REALLY SUCKED! I doubt that it's in the Hall of Fame. You might find it here: THE ASTOUNDING B MONSTER
Charity Alert: The Rainforest Site: Help Save Our Rainforests!
Weather: Rained like heck last night -- Robin's Egg Blue sky this morning.
Wildlife: The Yellowhead Blackbirds gathered around and chased a Magpie away from the hanging feeder in the Chokecherry tree. What a noise they made!
The small, yellow-spotted Mallard ducklings feeding on the ground below didn't seem to care though.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
It was a long 4th of July weekend, I was sick, and here comes alotta stuff!
Wildlife: Two Horned Griebes were out on Middle Foy's Lake with their two new chicks riding on Mrs. Griebe's back, while Mr. Griebe was diving and feeding them all! Three Loons have taken residence in our lake since the 4th, making beautiful music. A Bald Eagle flies over the lake every morning. Two families of ducklings regularly visit our feeder. We sighted our first deer in months across the lake, near a neighbor's paddle-boat, and a fairly rare Goldfinch (for us) right outside the kitchen window.
Weather: Rain almost every night -- we're still officially in a drought, but the local moisture is helping keep the fire danger down for sure.
Charity Alert: The Child Health Site : Help a Child in Need Lead a Healthy, Active Life
Media Watch: Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital is definitely on life-support. Some things kinda happened in Episode 11, but not even the return of the headless guy could enliven Episode 12. I'm hoping they edit-out all their worthless padding and do one or two wrap-up episodes so the show can die with dignity, for Lars Van Trier's sake, if not King's.
Queer Eye For The Straight Guy took on beer and poker. Carson finally dressed someone up so they didn't look like they were going in for a job interview at Ringling Brothers Circus.
CSpan's Book TV doesn't go well with fevers and body aches -- talk about a blur of opinions. I couldn't read a damn thing either. I could finally lie still enough for Nicholas and Alexandra, thirty-odd years after it's making. Tom (Dr. Who) Baker was an oddly charming Rasputin, otherwise it was mediocre history, and an unconvincing try at humanizing a family of unfortunately doomed people who were probably clinically qualified as psychopathic isolates. "A pale, unromantic imitation of David Lean's Dr. Zhivago," has been said, and I agree.
The History Channel told the story of the wreck of the whaler Essex in 1820. I very much doubt that a Sperm Whale actually ATTACKED the ship, but it crashed into the ship twice, and stove in the side. (My guess is panic on the creature's part -- and bad sailorship on the part of the men.) I skipped the details of the horrific trip in longboats, where the few survivors only lived because of cannibalism.
We eventually got the book Moby Dick out of this terrible occurance after Herman Melville read a crewman's memoir.
Wildlife: Two Horned Griebes were out on Middle Foy's Lake with their two new chicks riding on Mrs. Griebe's back, while Mr. Griebe was diving and feeding them all! Three Loons have taken residence in our lake since the 4th, making beautiful music. A Bald Eagle flies over the lake every morning. Two families of ducklings regularly visit our feeder. We sighted our first deer in months across the lake, near a neighbor's paddle-boat, and a fairly rare Goldfinch (for us) right outside the kitchen window.
Weather: Rain almost every night -- we're still officially in a drought, but the local moisture is helping keep the fire danger down for sure.
Charity Alert: The Child Health Site : Help a Child in Need Lead a Healthy, Active Life
Media Watch: Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital is definitely on life-support. Some things kinda happened in Episode 11, but not even the return of the headless guy could enliven Episode 12. I'm hoping they edit-out all their worthless padding and do one or two wrap-up episodes so the show can die with dignity, for Lars Van Trier's sake, if not King's.
Queer Eye For The Straight Guy took on beer and poker. Carson finally dressed someone up so they didn't look like they were going in for a job interview at Ringling Brothers Circus.
CSpan's Book TV doesn't go well with fevers and body aches -- talk about a blur of opinions. I couldn't read a damn thing either. I could finally lie still enough for Nicholas and Alexandra, thirty-odd years after it's making. Tom (Dr. Who) Baker was an oddly charming Rasputin, otherwise it was mediocre history, and an unconvincing try at humanizing a family of unfortunately doomed people who were probably clinically qualified as psychopathic isolates. "A pale, unromantic imitation of David Lean's Dr. Zhivago," has been said, and I agree.
The History Channel told the story of the wreck of the whaler Essex in 1820. I very much doubt that a Sperm Whale actually ATTACKED the ship, but it crashed into the ship twice, and stove in the side. (My guess is panic on the creature's part -- and bad sailorship on the part of the men.) I skipped the details of the horrific trip in longboats, where the few survivors only lived because of cannibalism.
We eventually got the book Moby Dick out of this terrible occurance after Herman Melville read a crewman's memoir.
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