I heard a live set from the Handsome Family last night – they have – sort of – been described by Griel Marcus as the Beatles of the folk music scene. A lot of their music is about animals and insects, and their live act is at times hilarious, so it is not that surprising … Continue reading »
Who Needs CGI?
I just stumbled upon this wonderful clip from the 1944 film ‘Anchors Aweigh’. It shows Gene Kelly Dancing with Jerry Mouse. Brilliant and seamless.
Humans and Water
In 1972 Elaine Morgan published a book that had a huge impact in feminist circles, called ‘The Descent of woman’, written in part response to the general notion that humans had evolved in response to the need to be hunters, the so-called Savannah Hypothesis, which is still widely accepted. But the notion of evolution being … Continue reading »
Men and Manequins
For some years, tv host Noel Edmuonds has owned a black cab, and to prevent being hailed by potential passengers, has had a manequin in the back seat. He has been described as being eccentric, but this seems all rather sensible and time saving. But now his manequin has a name – Candice, and has … Continue reading »
Spavens on Barbadoes
This is another piece of William Spavens narrative, published in 1792. This is interesting for the parts he gets right, and others have clearly done the rounds of the sailors’ yarn spinnings. “it is not to be exceeded either for beauty or fruitfulness, yielding rich canes which prduce great quantities of sugar, rum, and molases; … Continue reading »
Manning the Pressgang
Once in a while I stumble upon a book or document that is absolutely wonderful. Often it makes me want to meet the person who wrote it, though often the author is long dead, but anyhow… I have been reading ‘the Narrative of William Spavens’, which is an account of what is described as an … Continue reading »
Foundling Tokens
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries in England, there were problems with large numbers of orphans. It is generally assumed the children were orphans due to the death or illness of one or both parents, but this was not always the case. In an earlier post I wrote about the first charity to deal with … Continue reading »
Pain Relief for a Whining Child
The other day I found myself following a woman carrying some heavy shopping, having to constantly wait for a little girl moaning about her sore arm and picking at her elbow. I asked her if a tiger had bitten her. She was very confused and not sure how to respond. But when the woman smiled, … Continue reading »
Rivers of Bilge
I usually write in praise of things on this blog, but I have just finished reading a book that really is a stinker. It is called ‘Rivers of Time – Why is Everyone Talking to Philippa?” which is a clumsy title to start with, but worse – it is utter nonsense. The book is about … Continue reading »
A Ubiquitous Oil
Neroli is a substance I have been told is really good for lifting peoples’ spirits, so can help with low levels of depression. Apparently it is one of the few substances to increase serotonin levels in the brain. Which probably explains why it is an ingredient in a lot of perfumes and cosmetics, for men … Continue reading »
