The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” and Ian and Sylvia’s “Lovin’ Sound” make a great deal of sense as a personal or mutual choice after all these long decades since the Sixties.
There it is, feelings and significant relationships, that which you feel and experience inside or share, matters most. The grim alternative is always there for everyone and everything, but it is not necessarily the Last Word on what is beautiful, most moving, and most worth celebrating for/between human beings.
Taken at the Flood–excellent portrayal of a psychopath; best ever portrayed by a tv production I’ve ever seen. Realistic, scary, and downright evil.
Cards on the Table–for anyone desiring the multiple suspects approach of Murder on the Orient Express. The last guilty party is not revealed until the final minute! Strong adaptation and non-stop suspense to the end.
…………..
Etc.
Don’t bother seeing the 1952 movie My Cousin Rachel. Good suspense, atmosphere, and strong debut performance by Richard Burton (‘The Voice’), but the ending is horribly weak and poorly done. You’ll feel betrayed and palpably gypped. For the opposite end of the continuum, try the fantastic endings of the above 2 Poirots.
(a suggestion for Justin)
What’s wrong with the Queen? Isn’t she big enough, influential enough? Isn’t she a woman? Why doesn’t she count?
Lucy Maude Montgomery? Internationally famous and has brought in a ton of dough to P.E.I. though she’s mainly a children’s book author.
Kim Campbell? A political joke who lost power as soon as she got it. Won by default in a leadership race. Left the PCs decimated in the following election.
What about an internationally recognized writer? Atwood? Munro? Laurence? Roy (published in both official languages)? Carr (writer and painter)?
I’m not so sure that the second woman (I think Elizabeth’s a woman) should necessarily be a politician or just a political agendaist for women’s rights. With Justin’s ongoing p.c. agenda-izing, it could very well turn out to be an Aboriginal woman. Pauline Johnson would be a possibility, though myself I’d much prefer the multi-talented activist Buffy Sainte-Marie who is a major role model. Now that would be truly progressive and well-deserved.
And weary I was, awakening again
to I feel, therefore I am.
Stood in the rain beneath a tree
reconsidering the ruins and haunts
of all that I have seen or been.
But most, the light that moved
and changed whene’r mine eye
sought to fix it
and a stream of sensation
lapping over the rocks of memory.
I could have told you then
in that moment what it all meant
and expressed you as pure colour.
That instant, its immediacy
and sensuous reverie.
All seen in a picturesque sublime.
The beautiful and permanent
imaginings of Nature.
Their conscious equation with Truth
beyond Time.
My spirit healed
in the affects of sensibility.
My soul in surrender
to a deep serene.
(1st published here Jan. 29, 2015)
come from the excellent National Post.
Today:
“Somewhere resistance must arise against the politically correct executioners in this country before they are able to reduce us all to a Dante’s Inferno of frenzied cultural and moral oppression.”–Conrad Black
(commenting on Trudeau’s offerings of “feminist feel-goodery’): “These are all fine gestures, but they’re emblematic of a type of ‘easy feminism’ that looks good on a partisan checklist, but doesn’t actually do a whole lot to improve the lives of women.”–Robyn Urback
Earlier this week, the ever astute and perspicacious Rex Murphy wrote a bang-on column about the shallowness of the Trudeau ‘event’ in Washington, on March 11 called “Feting Justin” (great title). Best quote: “Finally, summits are great PR, and cover shoots are great boosters to vanity and self-esteem, both national and personal. They are tone and ceremony. All the real work takes place in the valleys.”
(EMI boxset –highly recommended for Sellers fans, old comedy fans, lovers of English wit and truly creative merrymaking)
Martin helped to popularize Peter Sellers through the many records he produced for him. Some outstanding tracks are #1-8 on disc 1, the rare “After the Fox” with The Hollies no less on disc 2, the take-offs on the Beatles hits #14-20 on disc 3, and “Thank Heavens for Little Girls” on disc 4. Martin provided music and soundscapes for this inspired capsule of Sellers’ mad brilliance. One of Martin’s forgotten gifts to the audio world. Guaranteed to raise myriad smiles.
(recommended scarce Little, Brown dj book, 1994)
The Beatles wrote great songs and sounded fine on their own, of course, but The Fifth Beatle facilitated their sound and best, unique work, no question. Listening to “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me” was anyone’s memorable introduction to the band, (Martin suggested the harmonica again on the second tune and getting them to play it as fast as possible.)
Later, he talked McCartney into using a string quartet on “Yesterday” which convinced the latter enough to try strings on “Eleanor Rigby”. And Martin was responsible for the fantastic Baroque keyboard solo on “In My Life’. He was a talented all-round musician, producer, and technician–the latter coming into play on “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” with their unconventional backwards and speeded-up splicings.
The orchestral arrangement of the ‘off-rhythmed’ “All You Need Is Love”, the ambient sound effects on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the final piano chord of “A Day in the Life”, and the mixing of electrical instruments with violins on “I Am the Walrus” were all other famous, memorable Martin moments from the Beatles’ catalogue. Not bad for a guy who had previously specialized in comedy records and produced Peter Sellers’ best audio work.
And, during the British Invasion per se, there was much more including ten top hits in a row including non-Beatles acts like Cilla Black, B.J. Kramer and the Dakotas, and Gerry and the Pacemakers. Later Martin would do two Bond theme songs, Elton John’s “A Candle in the Wind’, and albums by America. He also built a famous studio in Monserrat which groups like The Police would record in, so his musical legacy went far beyond the Fab Four.
Although Martin was bitter about being embarrassingly underpaid by EMI while their record sellers cleaned up financially, he was happy that he was free and left alone to play around at Abbey Road studio, and counted himself a very fortunate, happy man four years ago before he died–on the wonderful, excellent 138 mins. Produced by George Martin Arena Grounded Productions DVD (pictured above, highly recommended).
Been riding my bike since the beginning of March.
1. Communication and its lack thereof. How little there often really is out there. How it’s increasingly confuted by Canada’s spiralling Tower of Babel (with 300,000 more potentially Trudeau-voting non-English speakers on the way). E.g., Yesterday a completely different order was recited back to me on a fast-food intercom. Not one word of it had anything to do with what I had said/actually ordered. Also, the total and frequent misunderstandings in communication in the workplace, at home, and between the sexes. Worse than ever. No wonder people are increasingly alienated from others and lack empathy let alone sympathy.
2. Power and control. Seen everywhere whether in workplace, in business, in public, or at home family; also including telephone solicitations. All about controlling or manipulating others as individuals try to hang on to whatever personal freedoms they can cobble together. Avoiding the control of bosses, family members, advertising, etc. Parents micromanaging children. People trying to control themselves and not let others control them. An obsession and mania today.
the most powerful and universal drugs of mankind.”
-RD
