My Virtual Reading Room

A Lighthouse for Dark Times, from The Marginalian

The mates who have met for a pint every Thursday for 56 years, from BBC

(via lindahoyland --many thanks!)


The Life-Changing Magic of Japanese Clutter, from Aeon

(a lengthy but fascinating article)


This American fruit could outcompete apples and peaches on a hotter planet, from The Washington Post

'Help, help, ' said a man. 'I'm drowning.'
'Hang on, ' said a man from the shore.
'Help, help, ' said the man. 'I'm not clowning.'
'Yes, I know, I heard you before.

Be patient dear man who is drowning,
You, see I've got a disease.
I'm waiting for a Doctor J. Browning.
So do be patient please.'

'How long, ' said the man who was drowning. 'Will it take for the Doc to arrive? '
'Not very long, ' said the man with the disease. 'Till then try staying alive.'
'Very well, ' said the man who was drowning. 'I'll try and stay afloat.
By reciting the poems of Browning
And other things he wrote.'

'Help, help, ' said the man with the disease, 'I suddenly feel quite ill.'
'Keep calm.' said the man who was drowning, ' Breathe deeply and lie quite still.'
'Oh dear, ' said the man with the awful disease. 'I think I'm going to die.'
'Farewell, ' said the man who was drowning.
Said the man with the disease, 'goodbye.'

So the man who was drowning, drownded
And the man with the disease past away.
But apart from that,
And a fire in my flat,
It's been a very nice day.

(found via conuly --many thanks!)

(cross-posting to greatpoetry )

(spoiler: he does NOT succeed ;))

...the birthday of Maria Sklodowska-Curie. A remarkable person and scientist; the MSN article below offers a very brief summary. One of her daughters, Eve Curie, had actually written an excellent book about her, titled "Madame Curie" (which had been translated into English and can be bought, on Amazon or elsewhere, if you are so inclined). I remember it is a book aimed at older children.

Marie Curie: The Pioneer of Radioactivity and a Legacy of Scientific Excellence


...today is also the 107th anniversary of the (ahem) Great October Socialist Revolution...

(shared by minoanmiss --many thanks!)

(An old favorite; cross-posting to greatpoetry )

The Puritan's Ballad

My love came up from Barnegat,
The sea was in his eyes;
He trod as softly as a cat
And told me terrible lies.

His hair was yellow as new-cut pine
In shavings curled and feathered;
I thought how silver it would shine
By cruel winters weathered.
( But he was in his twentieth year, / This time I'm speaking of... )

If you can't take in anymore, there's a reason, by Nadia Bolz-Weber, from her Substack

an essay on circuit breakers, empty buckets, and the shame-show of social media

It was linked from a recent Carolyn Hax column, which might perhaps also be of interest to some people here.

(gift link, but I'm told Wash Post now asks for registration--I hasten to assure you it's quick and free)

Tiny Pangolin Finally Rescued After Being Lost In The Streets

Taken a couple weeks ago. Enjoy :)

All are from Astronomy's Picture of the Day:

Northern Lights, West Virginia


Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Over the Lincoln Memorial


Aurora Timelapse Over Italian Alps


Colorful Aurora over New Zealand

Photo contest reveals strange beauty of the microscopic world, from MSN

(via minoanmiss --many thanks!)

It's a beautiful ballet, of course. I must watch it, it's been a while.

But the reason I'm posting it is, of course, this

www.npr.org/2021/08/19/1029437787/in-1991-soviet-citizens-saw-swans-on-the-tv-and-knew-it-meant-turmoil

A few days late, I know, but I just came upon this post from 4 days ago and had to share ;)
~~~

И уже по традиции в этот день - байка из книги "Изюм из булки".

And, as has become traditional for me on this day--a tale from my book "Raisins from a bun".

ЕЛКИН И ЕВРЕИ

В сентябре 2006-го от р.Х. я имел неосторожность поздравить человечество с Новым годом по еврейскому календарю. Так и написал в собственном интернет-журнале: «поздравляю ВСЕХ».

Ибо из Ветхого завета выходит, что все люди в той или иной степени евреи…

Лучше других шутку оценил товарищ Елкин из Хабаровска: он накатал на меня ябеду в Генеральную прокуратуру. Елкин потребовал привлечь меня к уголовной ответственности, потому что своим поздравлением я «нарушил ст. 26 Конституции РФ, в которой записано право человека самому определять свою национальность»!

Ну, меня позвали в прокуратуру. Как говорится, здрасьте, давно не виделись. Следователь сказал: давайте, пишите пояснения. Я довольно раздраженно спросил: с какого места? Он довольно неосторожно ответил: как можно подробнее.
Тогда я написал: Авраам родил Исаака, Исаак родил Иакова…

ELKIN AND JEWS

In September of year 2006, A.D., I, incautiously, wished everyone a Happy Jewish New Year. That's exactly what I wrote in my personal online journal: "I wish EVERYONE a happy holiday."

Because, according to the Old Testament, all people are Jews, to a greater or lesser extent...

Comrade Elkin from Khabarovsk appreciated my little joke more than everyone else: he sent in a complaint about me to the Attorney General. Elkin demanded that I be held criminally responsible, because, with my holiday wish, I "violated Article 26 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which states that a person has the right to determine their own nationality"!

So, I was called into the law office. As the phrase goes, why, hello, been a while, hasn't it? The prosecuting attorney said, all right then, write an explanatory note. I, rather irritatedly, asked, "Where should I start?" He, rather incautiously, replied, "Be as detailed as possible."

Then I wrote: Abraham begat Isaac, Isaac begat Jacob...( Read more... )