Monday, March 28, 2022
A STORY
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Someone I know accidentally took home a set of keys which caused the cars of some of t he rest of us to be locked in the garage. It all ended up okay when the keys were sent back by Uber but she still felt bad. I told her the following tale and it occurs to me that it is worth posting in Bytes . . .
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A man wanted to know why bad things took place. He was advised to consult the Great Guru, who lived on a mountaintop, so made his way there. He climbed and climbed, eventually having to also deal with snow, ice and freezing cold.
At last he reached the summit and found the Great Guru sitting cross legged at the entrance of his cave, clad only in his robes.
“Oh Great Guru,” he said, “I am deeply troubled and have come to you seeking enlightenment. Can you tell me why bad things occur in life?”
The Great Guru looked him in the eye, paused and said:
“Shit happens.”
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Sunday, March 27, 2022
READERS WRITE, AND MORE . . . LES MIS
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Byter John P, a retired journo, sent me an email in response to yesterday’s Quote of the Day, “A flea can bite the bottom of the Pope in Rome” from the song Little People from the musical Les Miserables. In that song, youngster Gavroche sings of what can young (and thereby small) people can achieve.
John's email . . .
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Hi Otto
Interesting that you should choose one of the best bits of the original English Les Miserables lyrics by Herbie Kretzmer (based on the French lyrics by Alain Boublil).But there is an ironic twist to it.I was sent a cassette recording in late 1985 of the soundtrack of the premiere production of the English version of Les Mis, directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Colin Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Patti Lupone as Fantine, Michael Ball as Marius and Alun Armstrong – Brian in New Tricks – as the innkeeper Thénadier.As with Cats a few years earlier, so smitten was I by the whole package that I began organising an indulgent theatre visit to Britain, confident that my credentials as a newspaper theatre critic would allow me entry to all or most West End theatres. And so they did.Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Diana Rigg, John Mills, Judi Dench (and husband Michael Williams), Patrick Macnee, Tom Courtenay, Paul Schofield, Cliff Richard, Rosemary Harris, Alan Rickman, Lindsay Duncan, Julia McKenzie, Colin Blakely, Patricia Routledge, Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Maureen Lipman, Howard Rollins and Tom Wilkinson were just a few of the performers I saw in 34 shows. Some of the 34 (notably Les Mis and Cats) were repeat visits to see both the original stars and their understudies – and new cast members – in action.Now to the ironic twist. Outside the Palace Theatre (where Les Mis played on the West End until 2004) was a small billboard which advised without fanfare that Les Mis would be opening in both New York and Sydney in 1987.The production was reshaped for the New York season. Some lyrics were changed and some songs removed. One of the songs affected was Little People. Perhaps because of the fear it might offend the big Catholic element in New York’s theatre audience, “A flea can bite the bottom of the Pope in Rome” (reprised in the original) was removed. Indeed, the whole song was removed.Sydney’s production incorporated the changes for New York. So Australian audiences have never had the chance to enjoy the cheeky song and that beautifully irreverent verse. I questioned its absence during a conversation with one of the producers at the lavish, champagne and prawn-filled Sydney opening night party (in the Hyde Park Barracks). He said simply: “There have been a few changes.”Hope you and the family are all well.Best wishesJ
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Thanks John. Most informative and interesting.
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Some comments:
Les Mis is my favourite musical. I never miss attending when there is a production on in Sydney or when local musical societies perform it, some of those being as good as the fully professional productions. (I have heard that Cameron MacIntosh insist on full information, observation etc before approving a go-ahead, to keep up the quality).
The original performers mentioned by John can be seen in the 10th Anniversary Performance of Les Mis on Youtube at:
This is the full performance but be forewarned that it is in costume but not with sets.
I believe that there is no better Valjean than Colin Wilkinson, no better Javert than Phillip Quast, no better Thenadier than Alun Armstrong and no better Madam Thenadier than Jenny Galloway, all of whom are in the above video.
Just writing about it has made me watch it again, which I am doing now.
Colin Wilkinson
Phillip Quast
Alun Armstrong
Jenny Galloway
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Some more comments:
From:
Encore Tickets
By Sophie Thomas
20 June 2019
Flying the French Flag in the West End for over 30 years, Les Miserables has become part of London’s theatre fabric. Seen by over 70 million people around the world, the production has become a must-see for any theatregoer.
Some facts:
- Although many believe the musical is set during the French Revolution era, the production actually takes place during the early 19th century. The musical opens in 1815, with audiences seeing the life of Jean Valjean throughout later decades.
- The musical was originally a rock opera, with a concept album created by Claude-Michel Schönberg and John Boublil in 1980. The album sold 260,000 copies.
- Les Miserables was first performed at the Palais de Sport in Paris, where it ran for 105 performances.
- The original production opened on 8th October 1985 at the Barbican.
- The first West End cast of Les Miserables starred Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Patti LuPone as Fantine, Roger Allam as Javert, Michael Ball as Marius and Frances Ruffele as Eponine.
- Initially, critics did not enjoy Les Miserables, with the production receiving scathing reviews. In fact, the show was considered to be ‘witless and synthetic’, doing little in testament to the Victor Hugo novel it was inspired by.
- Audiences loved the musical, with the show transferring to the Palace Theatre on 4th December 1985, where it took residency for over 19 years. Playing to larger audiences, the musical quickly gained momentum to become a must-see show across London theatres.
- After West End success, Les Miserables transferred to Broadway, opening on 12 March 1987 at the Broadway Theatre, running to 18 May 2003. During this time, it became the second longest-running musical in Broadway history.
- The show did not pick up the Olivier Award for best new musical in 1985, losing out to Me and My Girl.
- Patti LuPone, Colm Wilkinson and Alun Armstrong all received Olivier nominations for their performances.
- The show moved to the Queen’s Theatre on 3rd April 2004.
- In the West End production, there are 392 costumes that feature throughout, including 85 wigs and over 5,000 separate pieces of clothing.
- To date, Les Miserables has been performed in over 40 countries around the world. Whether there are productions in the United States, Australia, the Dominican Republic or China, global audiences can witness the iconic marching in ‘One Day More’.
- As well as its global presence, the book and lyrics have been translated into 22 languages, including Hebrew, Castillian, Flemish and Mexican Spanish (to name four).
- In celebration of Les Miserables’ continuous run, Queen Elizabeth II requested the musical to be performed to commemorate the Anglo-French alliance. Jacques Chirac watched 40 minutes of Les Miserables at Windsor Castle, with Cameron Mackintosh claiming the musical “is the most successful and most exciting artistic collaboration between France and England ever”.
- Les Miserables became the longest-running musical on 7th October 2006, with The Phantom of the Opera. The show is currently the third longest-running in the West End, behind The Mousetrap and The Woman in Black respectively.
- The production celebrated its 10,000th performance on 22nd January 2010.
- Les Miserables has won two Audience Awards for most popular show in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
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One final item . . .
Many years ago when my daughter was aged about 7, she loved Les Mis, knew all the lyrics. My wife, myself and our daughter were driving somewhere and we had agreed to give our next door neighbour a lift. Her name was Pam and she was a deaconess in her church. Our daughter was in the backseat with Pam and had earphones on as she sang along to Les Mis on her Walkman.
There was an awkward silence as the only sound in the car was daughter singing the lyrics to Lovely Ladies (the prelude to Fantine becoming a prostitute to support her daughter):
[Sailor 1:]
I smell women
Smell 'em in the air
Think I'll drop me anchor
In that harbor over there
[Sailor 2:]
Lovely ladies
I'll love you till I'm broke
Seven months at sea
And now I'm hungry for a poke
[Sailor 3:]
Even stokers need a little stoke!
[Women:]
Lovely ladies
Waiting for a bite
Waiting for the customers
Who only come at night
Lovely ladies
Ready for the call
Standing up or lying down
Or any way at all
Bargain prices up against the wall
As I said, awkward.
Saturday, March 26, 2022
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
"A flea can bite the bottom of the Pope in Rome"
Gavroche,
Lyric from song "Little People"
from Les Miserables
A worm can roll a stone,
A bee can sting a bear,
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care!
A sparrow in a hat can make a happy home,
A flea can bite the bottom of the Pope in Rome!
Engraving from the original Les Miserables book, Gavroche and his brothers inside the Bastille Elephant
REMEMBERING HEROES: JIM GORDON, VC
Continuing the stories behind the names on the signs at the rest stops on the Remembrance Driveway from Sydney to Canberra.
Jim Gordon
Location of Rest stop:
Sutton Forest
About:
James Gordon, VC (1909 – 1986) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Gordon was one of 20 Australians to receive the award for their actions during World War II, receiving it for deeds he performed while fighting against the Vichy French during the Syria-Lebanon campaign.
He later served against the Japanese in the New Guinea campaign and after the war became a soldier in the Australian Regular Army, serving until 1968.
Summary of Victoria Cross award
In June–July 1941, the unit was engaged in the Syria-Lebanon campaign against the Vichy French. During the Battle of Jezzine, on 10 July 1941, Gordon's company was "...held up by intense machine-gun and grenade fire from Vichy French forces, but on his own initiative, he crept forward alone and succeeded in getting close to the machine-gun post. He then charged it and killed the four machine-gunners with his bayonet. His action demoralised the enemy in this sector and the company advanced and took the position." He was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross for this action.
Citation for the award of Victoria Cross:
On the night of 10 Jul 41, during an attack by “D” Coy on “GREENHILL”, the Coy came under intense M.G. fire and was held up in its advance. Movement by even single individuals seemed almost impossible as in each case when this was attempted that person became a casualty.At this juncture in the effort to advance, Lieut. M.G. Davis and Cpl. POLLARD were killed, Sjt. SMITH, Pte SCOTT and Pte LUFF seriously wounded (Pte Luff dying of wounds after being taken to hospital) The further advance of the two forward pls involved was impossible whilst the enemy M.G. post existed. The enemy position was fortified and completely covered the area on which Pte Gordon, and the remainder of the two pls were located.Pte Gordon, noting the situation, and on his own initiative, crept forward under fire, including grenades, and succeeded in approaching close to the post. He then charged it from the front and with the bayonet killed the four enemy machine gunners. His action completely demoralised the enemy in the area and was a magnificent inspiration to his comrades.The Coy, due to the gallant action of Pte. Gordon was able to advance and took the position. During the remainder of the action that night and the following morning, as on all previous occasions, Pte. Gordon fought with equal gallantry being constantly in close fighting with the enemy. The action of Pte. Gordon is considered worthy of the highest decoration that award of the Victoria Cross is strongly recommended. Recommended. John LararackBrig Comd 25 Aust Inf Bde
Afterwards:
He later served against the Japanese in the New Guinea campaign and after the war became a soldier in the Australian Regular Army, serving until 1968.
On 12 July 1942, a plaque in his honour was unveiled in front of the Gingin Post Office; it was later moved to the town's war memorial. Later that year a portrait of Jim Gordon painted in 1941 by artist William Dargie won the 1942 Archibald Prize, Australia's most famous portrait prize.
Gordon returned to Australia in March 1942 with the rank of corporal. Due to malaria he did not rejoin the 2/31st Battalion in Papua until November 1942. In July 1943, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. After seeing further action during the capture of Lae and the subsequent advance through the Markham and Ramu Valleys in New Guinea, he returned to Australia in January 1944. He was hospitalised due to malaria again, and was later reassigned to administrative duties. He remained in the Army until 17 February 1947.
After discharge, Gordon briefly worked for the state electricity commission, before rejoining the army as a regular soldier on 2 December 1947, achieving the rank of Warrant Officer Class II in 1950. He continued service until 1 August 1968 when he retired; after this, he was employed at Campbell Barracks (Western Australia), Swanbourne, as a groundsman until 1975.
Gordon died on 19 July 1986 at the Repatriation General Hospital, Hollywood. After being cremated, he received full military honours.
Gallery:
Corporal Jim Gordon VC, 1941
Portrait by William Dargie
Private Gordon posing for the above portrait.
Jim Gordon VC at a Reunion of 2/31 Bn members shortly before he passed away.
Jim and Myrtle Gordon
Warrant Officer James Gordon (left) in New Guinea during WWII.
Friday, March 25, 2022
FUNNY FRIDAY
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-Something different today for Funny Friday – it’s all corn.
By the way #1:
Here are some explanations for the origin of the term “corny” to describe jokes
- It’s been a term of derision only since the 1930s, when something that was “corny” or “cornfed” or “on the cob” was rustic, countrified, old-fashioned, unsophisticated and behind the times – and hence trite or hackneyed.
- It first was used by jazz musicians, who called a style of playing “corny” if it was outmoded or worn out. This is the Oxford English Dictionary’s first citation, from 1932: “The ‘bounce’ of the brass section … has degenerated into a definitely ‘corny’ and staccato style of playing.”
- Another theory is that at the beginning of the 20th century, seed companies in America started sending out catalogues to the farmers to advertise their goods. To spice up the catalogues, they would sprinkle jokes and cartoons throughout the pages. The jokes on the pages were of low quality and the jokes came to be known as "corn jokes", which was then shortened to "corny", and eventually applied to all humour considered unsophisticated.
- It is possible that both theories are true. Perhaps it was farmers who first came up with "corny," only to have the term turned against them by urban sophisticates.
By the way #2:
A little silver-haired lady calls her neighbour and says “Please come help me, I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t figure out how to get started.”
Her neighbour asks, “What is it supposed to be when it’s finished?”
The lady says, “According to the picture on the box, it’s supposed to be a rooster.”
The neighbour decides to go over and help with the puzzle.
She lets him in and shows him where she has all the pieces spread all over the table.
He studied the pieces for a moment, looks at the box, turns to her and says, “First of all, no matter what we do, we’re not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster.”
He takes her hand and says, “Secondly, I want you to relax. Let’s have a nice cup of tea, and then,” he says with a deep sigh,
“Let’s put all the corn flakes back in the box.”
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CORN CORNER:
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The other night, this girl called me up and said "C'mon over, nobody's home".
So I went over and nobody was home.
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A man tells his doctor, “Doc, help me. I’m addicted to Twitter!”
The doctor replies, “Sorry, I don’t follow you …”
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I was visiting my boyfriend the other night when I asked him if I could have a newspaper.
“I don’t waste my money on newspapers. Just use my MacBook Pro."
I can tell you this: That cockroach never knew what hit him.
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No matter where he goes, Prime Minister Scott Morrison likes to bring his ukulele, then, whenever someone asks if he plays an instrument, he says...
“Yeah, I play a little guitar!"
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79% of people don't know the opposite for the following:
1) Always
2) Coming
3) From
4) Take
5) Me
6) Down
Okay, I will tell you, I had to look it up . . .
it’s a Rick Roll:
1) Never
2) Going
3) To
4) Give
5) You
6) Up
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Just failed etymology AND entomology class.
I'd tell you how much that bugs me, but I can't find the word for it.
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My girlfriend has been telling me for years that I need glasses. I finally decided to go to the eye doctor to prove her wrong.
Now I have to hide these fucking glasses.
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Two guys are playing chess.
One says to the other, "How about we make this more interesting?"
So they stop playing chess.
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My wife left me because she said I’m insecure.
No, no. Wait. Here she comes. She just went to the bathroom.
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I phoned my wife and told her I had something to tell her, but it's hard to say.
Nervously, she said "What is it?"
I said "Ken Dodds Dad's dog is dead".
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Are you sweating whilst putting fuel in your car? Feeling sick when paying?
You have got the carownervirus.
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Statistics show that 1 out of 3 people in a relationship are cheating.
Now I've just got to figure out if it's my girlfriend or my wife.
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What I Yoda’s Last Name?
It’s “Lei he hoogh”
YODA LEI HEE HOOGH
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What's the difference between a vitamin and a hormone?
You can't make a vitamin...
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Anybody here believe in telekinesis?
If so, raise my hand.
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Thursday, March 24, 2022
MORE UNOFFICIAL RULES FOR LIVING IN AUSTRALIA
Russell Crowe is Australian. Unless he screws up. then he’s from New Zealand.
Mel Gibson was Australian until he drunkenly blamed Jews for all the world's problems. Then suddenly everyone remembered he was born in the USA. Just wait till Nicole Kidman fucks up. We’ll be reminding everyone she was born in Hawaii.
To add to the drop bear thing - If someone else is telling a tall tale to wind tourists up, you are legally obligated to back them up. "Oh it's no joke, remember Stevo? Took his arm clean off."
Don't park outside of someone's house continuously. Yes everyone has a right to park on the road. But socially speaking, stick to your own boundary. If you are stupid enough to buy on a 200sqm block, get a bicycle and a bus pass.
If you visit a country town and follow the lead of the locals, you will do alright and may be invited to visit again.
The Kingston biscuit is reserved for special occasions: e.g. you have guests over, you just got promoted, or you are feeling a bit fancy. It is not a biscuit for ordinary snacking.
When telling a story, “the other day” could be anywhere from yesterday to about 5 years ago.
You bring a slab not a 6pack
You must know all the lyrics to Khe Sahn
Australia is pronounced with 1.5 syllables, no more.
Straya
Been busy? Flat out like a lizard drinkin’
"Bring a plate" means to bring a plate of food to help with a party/bbq/etc.
It does not mean to literally "bring just a plate"
You must mash the crossing button at least 5 times to make it work. If the lights haven't changed quick enough, you must press the button more to speed it up...
If something is really good, it's "half decent"
If you say something polite like “good morning” or “how are you” when you're out walking and the other person doesn’t say anything, you have to say loudly and sarcastically “Yep, I’m good thanks”
It does not matter how good our team is. It does not matter how bad England are. It does not matter how many arseholes are in our team or whether England are good blokes. Beating England in cricket is the essence of being Australian.
Don't be a whinger. Just don’t. Suck it up princess, we all have problems.
Saying "no worries mate" when somebody says sorry or thanks you for something.
You don't say "that was really good!" You say "how good was that?"
No shirt in the woolies two blocks from the beach: normal No shirt in the woolies three blocks from the beach: bogan
Look after your mates
Treat everyone with dignity and respect, unless they prove to you in some way they don't deserve either and the rip them a new one.
Politicians are never, EVER to be trusted. Even the good ones are probably bastards.
Have a pair of Dunlop Volleys at least once growing up
Kimmy! Kimmy. Kimmy, look at moi. Look at moi. Look at moiii. I've got one word to say to you-
Whenever someone isn't paying attention
The great wall of China was built to keep the rabbits out
If a beer is not cold then it is not worth drinking
Tomato sauce is the only condiment you need
Don’t be a dobber.
Kenoath mate
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
RARE HISTORIC PHOTOS, CONTINUED
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Words and text from:
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Vincent Van Gogh's Actual Portrait
By 1873, the camera was an established enough invention that it wasn't unheard of for even a 19-year-old art dealer like Vincent van Gogh to have been photographed.
Not only is this just one of two confirmed photographs of the famous painter (and the only one of him post childhood), this photo provides a jarring look at the actual visage of a man we tend only to envision by way of his famous self-portraits.
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Lincoln's Funeral
On April 15, 1865 — just six days after the surrender at Appomattox effectively ended the Civil War — John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln.
Four days later, on April 19, the nation mourned as funeral marchers made their way down Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C.
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The Shot That Started World War I
The (overly) simple version of the story goes that World War I began when Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914.
Here, we can see police arrest the man who "started it all" just after the assassination.
(Some scholars say that this photo actually depicts the arrest of an immediate bystander initially mistaken for Princip.)
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Hitler Declares War On The U.S.
It's not unbelievable that this moment would be photographed, but it is strange that it's not more widely known due to what it depicts and the fact that it provides the portrait of Nazi pageantry you'd think would be burned into our collective memory.
Indeed, with bold colors and an enormous Reichsadler, it was a scene of spectacle when Hitler addressed the Reichstag at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin on December 11, 1941 to declare war on the U.S.
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Hanging Of The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators
John Wilkes Booth was working with nearly ten other conspirators around the time he assassinated Abraham Lincoln. These Confederate sympathizers planned to revive the Confederacy by assassinating Lincoln as well as Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward.
Unlike Booth, they failed to follow through. Like Booth, they were eventually captured and killed. On July 7, 1865, four of the plotters — Mary E. Surratt, Lewis T. Powell, David E. Herold, and George A. Atzerodt — died at the end of a rope in Washington, D.C.
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Billy The Kid, In Person With His Posse
This photograph — only discovered in 2010 and subject to much debate over its authenticity — is one of only two known images of Billy the Kid (the other technically being a ferrotype, and a rough one at that, from 1879 or 1880).
The 1878 photo here, however, presents Billy the Kid (left) in relative clarity, playing croquet with his posse, the Regulators, in New Mexico.
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The Surrender That Ended The Civil War
While historians can argue about when exactly the Civil War ended, the widely accepted narrative states that it came to a close on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
Pictured: Soldiers wait outside the court house in Appomattox as the higher-ups work out the official terms of surrender.
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The Armenian Genocide
It's not so much that the Armenian genocide wasn't photographed, it's that the event itself has been so marginalized by history books that any image is, for most, a revelation. While as many as 1.5 million Armenians perished in Turkey (almost as great as the percentage of Jews who would die in Nazi-controlled Europe) between 1915 and 1922, much of the world has forgotten.
Of the images that have survived, many portray Armenians being rounded up for execution. Fewer show the brutal reality of those executions.
Pictured: An Armenian woman kneels beside her dead child in Aleppo, Syria, circa 1915-1919.
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Tuesday, March 22, 2022
ORIGINS OF WORDS AND PHRASES
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Caught red handed:
The expression dates from the 15th century in Scotland where the law demanded that for a person to be punished for butchering an animal that wasn’t their own was if they were caught with the animal’s blood still on their hands.
An earlier form of 'red-handed', simply 'red hand', dates back to a usage in the Scottish Acts of Parliament of James I, 1432.
Red-hand appears in print many times in Scottish legal proceedings from the 15th century onward; for example, this piece from Sir George Mackenzie's A discourse upon the laws and customs of Scotland in matters criminal, 1674:
"If he be not taken red-hand the sheriff cannot proceed against him."
The earliest known printed version of 'red-handed' is from Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, 1819:
"I did but tie one fellow, who was taken redhanded and in the fact, to the horns of a wild stag."
It is thought that Scott’s use of the terms helped popularize and expand its use.
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Throw the baby out with the bathwater:
One explanation often offered is that in the early 1500s, people only bathed once a year. Not only that, but they also bathed in the same water without changing it! The adult males would bath first, then the females, leaving the children and babies to go last. By the time the babies got in, the water was clouded with filth. It is said that the mothers had to take extra care that their babies were not thrown out with the bathwater.
Not so.
The phrase appears to be German in origin, and simply means that the good should not be discarded along with the bad due to inattention or haste.
The term was always used as a metaphor to suggest that people should not race to hasty decisions, not that parents would actually throw their baby out after bathing.
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Rub the wrong way:
Meaning to irritate or repel someone, there are 2 possible origins
1. Early Americans, during the colonial times, would ask their servants to rub their oak floorboards “the right way”. The wrong way (not wiping them with dry fabric after wet fabric) would cause streaks to form and ruin it, leaving the homeowner annoyed. An alternative explanation in this vein is when servants scrubbed floors against the grain of the wood, leading to streaks on the floor.
2. Rubbing a cat’s fur the “wrong way,” which annoys them.
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Cracklin’ Rosie:
The lyrics of this Neil Diamond song suggest to some a devotion to a woman of the night:
Oh, I love my Rosie child —You got the way to make me happy.You and me, we go in style...Cracklin' Rose, you're a store bought womanBut you make me sing like a guitar hummin' ...
"Crackling Rosé" is the name of an inexpensive sparkling wine once produced by Andres Wines of British Columbia, Canada, which was popular among the indigenous population.
One explanation for Diamond writing the song suggests that Diamond heard a story about a native Canadian tribe while doing an interview in Toronto, Canada—the tribe had more men than women, so the lonely men of the tribe would sit around the fire and drink their wine together—which inspired him to write the song.
Btw, Diamond is now aged 81
On March 7, 2020, despite his retirement due to Parkinson's disease, Diamond gave a rare performance at the Keep Memory Alive Power of Love Gala at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where he was being honoured.
On March 22, 2020, Diamond posted a video to YouTube playing "Sweet Caroline" with slightly modified lyrics ("...washing hands, don't touch me, I won't touch you...") in response to the widespread social distancing measures implemented due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
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You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink:
The idea behind the phrase is thought to go back to the 12th century. It’s said to have made an appearance in a book called Old English Homilies, 1175.
The phrase itself dates back to the 16th century. It appears in a book during that time by John Heywood called A Dialogue Conteinyng The Nomber in effect of all the Prouerbes in the English Tongue, 1546:
“A man may well bryng a horse to the water, but he can not make hym drynke without he will.”
By the way, US author, humorist, poet, & wit (1893 - 1967) Dorothy Parker, was\ challenged by American columnist and wit Franklin P Adams to use the word 'horticulture' in a sentence. She replied:
You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think.
Dorothy Parker
This bit of wit took place when a group was playing word games of incorporating specific words in sentences and making the result humorous.
At the same gathering, Frank Adams was challenged to come up with a sentence using the word “meretricious”. His reply was “Meretricious ‘n’ a Happy New Year.”
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Monday, March 21, 2022
BEST STREET ART 2021, PART 2
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Continuing this series . . .
The following pics are from a post showing what the site considers the 100 best street art works of 2021. The website can be viewed by clicking on:
Part 1 (20 photos) was posted on March 15, here are the next 20, from various countries and continents . . .
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More to come.
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