^^^^ OK, so I've figured out that when you add square brackets around a letter within a text, it creates strikethrough lines that you can't get rid of fyi... and partly in response to your top two lines, but also as they relate to the word of the year as chosen by the brilliant people at OED, because it's not even a word, but... wait for it... an emoji. This is surely a modern sign of the apocalypse: the four horsemen and an emoji "that best reflected the ethos, mood, and pre-occupation of 2015." What in the holy hell?! http://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/oxford-dictionaries-word-year-emoji-tears-joy-1.3322428 Anyway, I've been critical of tech for reading, but here's a unique way in which it very much helps us appreciate great worksof the past. Many fragile writings are being digitized, and because of it, we now have unprecedented access to Beowulf! The original manuscript of Beowulf is available online It's the bottom one in this link: http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?index=0&ref=Cotton_MS_Vitellius_A_XV LOOK you can zoom in and see the texture of the parchment and examine the beautiful writing and see where the scribes pressed firmly and lightly! It's exquisite I love it! http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=cotton_ms_vitellius_a_xv_f094r

Ghosts in the machine...

sigh... sorry not sure what's going on or how to fix it...

Fourth post down... it was a whole weird ordeal...

So this is from a couple of years ago, but somehow just recently made its way to a FB page. Thought it might be of interest as Burroughs has been mentioned recently It's fascinating to see the humanity behind some of humanity's great figures. Here are a couple of several excerpts of letters you can read in the link at the bottom. Love him to bits for explaining his fluid grammar in the post script. I know the feeling. Then there's his advice in a letter to Billy Burroughs Jr. 'to anyone contemplating a literary career'. Bet you know what it is without reading it. You're right. Selected Letters of William S. BurroughsJanuary 26, 2012 | by William Burroughs WSB [Paris] to Laura Lee and Mortimer Burroughs [Palm Beach, Florida][ca. November 17, 1959] Dear Mother and Dad,I am sorry.. Can only say time accelerated and skidded—No time to eat as you see in the photo—(Taken by my friend Brion [Gysin] the painter, certainly the greatest painter living and I do not make mistakes in the art world. Time will bear me out.. Brion used to run The 1001 Nights, restaurant night club in Tanger but at that time we barely spoke disliking each other intensely for reasons that seemed adequate to both parties.. Situation and per­ sonnel changed.. The 1001 Nights closed for dislocations and foreclosures and Brion woke up in Paris.. And I, stricken by la foie coloniale—the colonial liver, left the area on advice of my phy­ sician.. “You want to get some cold weather on that liver, Bur­ roughs. A freezing winter would make a new man of you,” he said.So when I ran into Brion in Paris it was Tanger gossip at first then the discovery that we had many other interests in common..Like all good painters he is also a brilliant photographer as you see.. A curious old time look about the photo like I’m fading into grandfather or some other relative many years back in time..)Rather a long parenthesis.. It strikes me as regrettable that one should reserve a special and often lifeless style for letter to parents.. So I shift to my usual epistolary style.. When my correspondents reproach me for tardiness, I can only say that I give as much atten­ tion to a letter as I do to anything I write, and I work at least six and sometimes sixteen hours a day..I am considering a shift of headquarters from The Continent— or possibly England—All we expatriates hear now is: “Johnny Go Home”and may be a good idea at that..Terrible scandal in Morocco.. Cooking oil cut with second run motor oil has paralyzed 9544 per­ sons.. The used motor oil was purchased at the American Air Base and was not labeled unfit for human consumption .. The Moroccan press holds U.S. responsible not to mention 9,544 Moroccans and a compound interest of relatives.. “Johnny stay out of Morocco.”I want to leave here in one month more or less a few days and make Palm Beach for Christmas if convenient.I was sorry to hear that Mote has been ill.. Take care of your­ self—Dad—and get well. I will see you all very soon —LoveBillPS. If my writing seems at times ungrammatical it is not due to carelessness or accident. The English language—the only really adjustable language—is in state of transition.. Transition and the old grammar forms no longer useful..Best.Bill WSB [London] to Billy Burroughs Jr. [Savannah, Georgia] Sept 6, 1973 8 Duke Street St James Flat 18 London SW1 England Dear Bill: Enclose check for 500 dollars. It is indeed difficult to make a living as a writer and my advice to anyone contemplating a literary career is to have some other trade. My own choice would be plumb­ ing, but I suppose they have a tight union to keep this twenty dollar an hour with two lazy worthless assistants to hand the head man his tools good thing from being swamped. I have a friend in New York who is a painter and can’t make a living at that, who makes 50 dollars per day fixing up lofts . . . (very hard work but he gets all the jobs he can handle and works when he needs to.) I never heard of sucking lemons to keep awake. Ice tea, Coca Cola in hot weather, coffee in cold weather, work well enough sup­ plemented with no doze caffeine pills. Caffeine is by far the safest stimulant doesn’t louse up coordination and appetite. Just back from a holiday in the Greek islands. Great swimming. Even fell off a horse. All right for a visit. Still looking for a reason­ able place to live. All the best to you and Karen Love Bill Rub Out the Words: The Letters of William S. Burroughs, 1959–1974 edited by Bill Morgan will be published by Ecco on February 7. Final letter from Cursed from Birth: The Short, Unhappy Life of William S. Burroughs Jr., edited and compiled by David Ohle, published by Soft Skull Press. You can read the remaining excerpts here: http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/01/26/selected-letters-of-william-s-burroughs/

I don't know about some better than none. It has to be the right way for the right reasons, which is why they could no longer continue without Bonzo. Besides the personal issues that were tearing them apart, like Jimmy said, they were so cohesive live, who could you get to come in and play all those intricate improvised parts? And memorizing another's part went against the essence of Zep anyway. They were each integral in bringing out the musical creative best of the other, and to that end, they were one. It's like the principle of irreducible complexity: you take away one essential part, the whole doesn't work. Best for each to go on a new path, and should they converge now and again, only in that same genuine spirit. I think it's an interesting ride to get to see who they are musically outside of Zep.

^^ That Onion piece was hilarious! Some Lead Belly news -- there's an upcoming tribute concert on November 21st in Connecticut: Lead Belly tribute at Wilton Historical SocietyBy Phyllis Boros on October 30, 2015 at 4:37 PM These undated photos from the Library of Congress show Lead Belly and Martha Promise and at a home in Wilton. “Shine a Light on Lead Belly: The Wilton Midnight Special” on Saturday, Nov. 21, will pay tribute to the legendary folk-blues singer, songwriter and 12-string guitarist Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter (1888-1949), who had a connection to the town. Sponsored by the Wilton Historical Society, the event will run from 7 p.m. to midnight. The concert will be headlined by the Frank Enea Band, with Meredith DiMenna, David Anastasia of the Mojomatics, Lucia Palmieri and other surprise musical guests who will cover Lead Belly songs including some of his best known works such as “The Midnight Special,” “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” and “Goodnight Irene.” “He not only recorded material for folk song collectors John and Alan Lomax 80 years ago in Wilton, but he was married on Jan. 21, 1935, at a Belden Hill Road home,” the society reported in an email. He is “widely regarded to be one of the most influential of 20th-century American musicians. Telling stories through song, he blended the sound of traditional folk with blues, work songs and spirituals to create a body of music that ranks with the catalogue of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, America’s other folk music icons,” the society noted. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Food will be provided by award-winning Chef Jeff Esaw of Old Greenwich, whose company, Jeff’s BBQ and Catering, specializes in BBQ, Southern and Cajun cuisine. (Chef Jeff has appeared with Al Roker, NBC’s beloved weatherman, on the Food Network’s “Roker on the Road.” And Roker has dubbed him the “King of the BBQ.”) Tickets are $50, which includes music, food and a glass of Louisiana wine or Turbodog Louisiana beer. There will also be a cash bar serving soft drinks, wine and beer. The Wilton Historical Society is at 224 Danbury Road. For tickets: 203-762-7257, www.wiltonhistorical.org http://blog.ctnews.com/culturecache/2015/10/30/lead-belly-tribute-at-wilton-historical-society/ http://www.wiltonhistorical.org/

That Witching Hour trilogy was a romp! I saw her at a library interview / Q&A in Toronto. She's tiny, but fierce. Lovely lady with a fiery moral compass and creativity; dangerous combination, that. She also has that rare ability to be unflappably polite but uncompromisingly honest. Huge respect. I've had this for a long time and love it but revisit it only now and again. It's a bit... spooky or something, I can't put my finger on it (and I don't mean the whole crossroads legend thing). When I do listen, I'm always in awe about how he does it; just sounds like two guitars sometimes. Maybe for pro guitarists this is an easy answer, but it's a mystery to me, and I like that there's something to discover. Look at those hands, though. Tree branch fingers make for fret coverage mere mortals only dream of. There is another compilation that has been released, an apparently cleaner remaster with a new bio and photos to commemorate Robert Johnson's 100th birthday: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Recordings-Centennial-Collection/dp/B004OFWLO0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447723546&sr=8-1&keywords=Robert+Johnson%3A+The+Centennial+Collection There's also a limited vinyl edition which if you can find it now will cost you something that starts in the low four digits. I'd love to get my hands on this and would be tempted to steal it if I saw it on someone's shelf but would ultimately not do it because, well, it's just not the way. But then I'd think about having seen it and what it would be like to have it . Check out the comments in the review section, some good insights. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Original-Masters-Centennial/dp/B00512ZFRU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1447723546&sr=8-2&keywords=Robert+Johnson%3A+The+Centennial+Collection

Thanks for the link. Good info!

The Last of the Just by André Schwarz-Bart

When my mom was in elementary school, they used to tie the hands of left-handed children behind their backs and force them to learn to write with their right hand. Something about left-handedness and evil or devil's work; mental medieval superstitions trickling through to 'modern' times. Mind you, this was before the second Vatican Council, so not only were their masses in Latin, but who knows what would've happened to those questioning faith. I don't think today people understand just how oppressive certain churches and schools were. Not all of them, mind you, but there was certainly an air of invincibility that made the bad ones that much worse because, well, where could you go to complain? Sounds like you lucked out, really. Things were different by the time I went to Catholic school (though there was a marked difference between Poland and Canada), and they are even better for kids today (at least for those in areas I'm aware of), and that is a good thing.

Hoping our Parisian friends are all right... Three locations targeted - two restaurants had shootings, explosions around the football stadium - 18 dead, 60 hostages in a theatre... oh my God...

Not sure if this belongs here as it's a review of a book, however: http://www.thenational.ae/arts-life/the-review/book-review-india-psychedelic-a-love-letter-to-the-sounds-of-the-subcontinent#full Sounds like a fascinating read about a topic that doesn't seem to get a lot of attention.

Wanted to get this in before midnight - this is the anniversary of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinking and I wanted to acknowledge and pay respect to it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald

From the first photographs of humans to the arresting beauty of our almost human cousins: The Mesmerizing Intimate Portraits of Apes in Pawel Bogumil’s “inHuman” SeriesPosted By Marky Ramone Go on Nov 3, 2015 Photographer Pawel Bogumil decided to show the intimate side of Apes in his mesmerizing series called “inHuman,” which aims to widen our view of our fellow inhabitants of Earth and treat them more humanely as possible. “We strictly demarcate the world of humans and animals. Each creature except man we call an animal. Generally accepted boundaries are not contractual but determined, and eliminates any space for beings between these two terms. We describe humans as living creatures, distinguished by the highest degree of development of the psyche and social life, while the rest are mere animals,” writes Pawel in his artist statement about ‘inHuman’. Capturing these apes in their unguarded moments while they brim with emotional intensity, Bogumil gifts viewers with a rare opportunity of discovering that these living creatures also exhibits human-like reactions and also develops genuine care and relationships with one another. I picked the several here that moved me to tears. There's such a familiarity, humour and intelligent, emotional depth to the looks in their eyes. You can read the story behind this series and see the rest of the photos here: http://resourcemagonline.com/2015/11/the-mesmerizing-intimate-portraits-of-apes-in-pawel-bogumils-inhuman-series/58302/#disqus_thread

It's incredible how far photography has come considering it's such a young art. That quote by Daguerre gives me chills. 1838 The first photograph of a human being by Amanda Uren This picture, the earliest known photograph to include a recognizable human form, was taken in Paris, France, in 1838 by Louis Daguerre. The human in question is standing in the bottom-left of the photograph, on the pavement by the curve in the road. He is having his boots shined. 1838 IMAGE: PUBLIC DOMAIN VIA WIKIPEDIA I have seized the light. I have arrested its flight.LOUIS DAGUERRE, 1839The exposure time for the image was around seven minutes, and although the street would have been busy with traffic and pedestrians, it appears deserted. Everything moving was too fast to register on the plate. The exception is the man at the lower-left who sat still long enough to appear in the photograph. The person cleaning his boots is also visible, although not as distinctly. It has been speculated that instead of a shoeshine boy, the man stood at a a pump. However, comparison with another image taken by Daguerre of the same spot at noon reveals boxes used to hold brushes and polishes. Like every Daguerreotype — the first publicly announced photographic process, and named after Daguerre — the photograph was a mirror image. Here is the image reversed back to show the view as Daguerre saw it: IMAGE: PUBLIC DOMAIN VIA WIKIPEDIA The street is the Boulevard du Temple, part of a fashionable area of shops, cafés and theaters. It was nicknamed the "Boulevard du Crime" because of the many crime melodramas playing in its theaters. It later lost many of these when Baron Haussmann, under the instructions of Napoleon III, remodeled and modernized Paris, removing the narrow, dark and dangerous streets of the medieval city and replacing them with parks and open spaces. This process began in 1853. While the man having his boots shined and the person doing the shining are the most recognizable human figures, a very detailed examination of the photograph reveals other possible people: http://mashable.com/2014/11/05/first-photograph-of-a-human/#v8Rc_jMTukqc See the link for the close-ups. Blurry, but thrilling because you're viewing history being made.

Sartre said, "Hell is other people," though it's a special kind of hell when other people talk in movie theatres as if they're in their living rooms or use their cell phones throughout the movie. Brutal. This was all part of the special movie experience during "Spectre" which I liked in terms of its solid structure and pace and weaving previous stories together, but I wasn't as viscerally engaged as I was with previous Craig Bonds. Mind, I liked "Skyfall" the least when I first saw it, but it has become my favourite on subsequent viewings. Maybe I'll change my opinion after watching "Spectre" again. It's just that it didn't seem to have the witty dialogue of previous Bond films, and I didn't really get what it was about the final Bond girl that made him fall for her. Beauty, brains, sure, but we were told rather than shown her supposed espionage talents, and while their story lines weave nicely together, that heat that was apparent with Vesper or even with Monica Bellucci's character. Waltz was very good as the villain, but I feel like he's acting the same way in his villain roles, that calm, collected, exasperating power and delivery. I thought the motivation for Bardem's villain in "Skyfall" was better developed and more psychologically convincing. You could see his point of view, demented though he was, and understood his extreme reaction to rejection. Waltz's villain, by contrast, is well written, more subtle perhaps, but doesn't seem as emotionally moving. I was distracted throughout the film, though, so maybe that affected the whole experience more than I realize. One of the reasons I don't like going to the movies with other people is that they always seem to want to 'chat' or comment on something. You didn't hear what a character said? Don't ask me. You want to tell me what this reminds you of? I don't care. Seriously, I'm militant about distractions and almost always see movies alone. Of course, the group reaction is part of the pleasure, but bad manners really take away from it. Seats should have electrical zaps...

What?

Thank you, annie, truly, thank you *sigh*

Uuuugh... Screenwriter Melissa Mathison has passed away. When "ET" came out we were fairly new to Canada and though I was still learning English I really GOT that movie. You couldn't imagine how different Canada was from Poland at the time (just focusing on media for the moment -- reel-to-reel music, two TV channels - Channel 1 and Channel 2 - state owned, of course) so then this movie was a whole other level of revelation and magic and catharsis and joy and possibility. Then I watched "Black Stallion" which left a profoundly deep impact on me that is hard to put into words but needless to say still resonates. The final movie she scripted, "The BFG", is being released in 2016. Very sad to hear of her passing. RIP. http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-melissa-mathinson-dies-story.html

lol poor Phil's not even gotten out of the gate and some people want to shut it: 'There is too much suffering in the world': Music fans launch petition demanding the United Nations step in and stop Phil Collins from coming out of retirementhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3302870/Petition-aims-stop-Phil-Collins-returning-music.html It does say that Phil wants to make a new album, which is most encouraging.

Firstly and mostly, I'm very happy that Phil has found his way out of the darkness and into a new creative cycle. I'm happy for Jason, too, as in previous interviews he's spoken of Phil fondly. Hopefully this includes some new music on the horizon. Looking forward to hearing what they make together.

Thanks to @ledzepnews, my attempt to have a calm Sunday morning failed exquisitely as it was run over by the wild ungoverned inner beasts all hurtling out. Sunday heartburst

Dear lucky people of London (I feel like I say that a lot), In January, 2016, you can see for the first time ever the 'lost library' of mathematician, mage, and alchemist John Dee who amassed one of the largest book collections in Renaissance England. Scholar, courtier, magician: the lost library of John DeeA major exhibition revealing the fascinating life, times and lost library of Queen Elizabeth I’s most famous ‘conjurer’. John Dee (1527–1609) is one of the most intriguing characters of 16th century England. A member of the Elizabethan court, he is infamous for his attempts to make contact with other-worldly spirits and his study and practice of alchemy. He was also a mathematician and scholar of navigation, a founding fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, a university lecturer on rhetoric, and an astrologer. Dee’s library was one of the most famous collections of books and manuscripts of its time, as renowned for its contents as for the fact it was pillaged and dispersed while Dee was travelling in Europe during the 1580s. Today the Royal College of Physicians library contains more than 100 books previously belonging to Dee: the largest known collection of Dee books surviving in one location. They were acquired as part of the library of the Marquis of Dorchester, presented to the physicians in the 1680s. It is not clear how these 100-plus volumes came to be owned by Dorchester, but there is evidence that many of them were stolen from Dee by a certain Nicholas Saunder. The Dee collection contains some of the most dramatic and beautiful books in the RCP library, including mathematical, astronomical and alchemical texts. Many of the books are heavily and elaborately annotated by Dee himself. Our 2016 exhibition will be the first time the books of Elizabethan England’s most famous ‘conjurer’ will have been displayed in public. RCP museum opening hours are usually Monday-Friday 9am-5pm + weekend tours and special evening events. Full details and dates for our John Dee-related events and tours will be available by late November 2015. https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/events/scholar-courtier-magician-lost-library-john-dee Some additional info in the following article. What a rare chance to see the collection and personal notes of one of Renaissance's murkier characters. The occult library of John Dee to go on showPosted on October 23, 2015 by Paul St John Mackintosh One of the most mysterious figures of the Elizabethan era, the scholar and alchemist John Dee (1527–1609) had a voluminous library of alchemical and occult texts. One of the largest in Elizabethan England, this library was dispersed after his death. However, over 100 surviving volumes were gifted to the Royal College of Physicians in London, and will now form the centerpiece of an exhibition, “Scholar, courtier, magician: the lost library of John Dee,” opening there in January 2016. In his lifetime, according to his alma mater, St John’s College, Cambridge, Dee “amassed a huge library of at least 3,000 printed volumes, as well as a large number of manuscripts, which he initially housed in his residence at Mortlake. Almost as soon as he departed for Poland to embark on that period of his life which caused most controversy, his communications with spirits, his house was raided and many books were stolen. The perpetrators probably included former pupils such as Nicholas Saunders.” The Marquess of Dorchester later acquired Saunders’ haul and donated it to the Royal College. According to the exhibition blurb, this will be “the first time the books of Elizabethan England’s most famous ‘conjurer’ will have been displayed in public.” The Dee archive in the RCP Library includes such works as La cosmographie universelle by André Thevet, and Polygraphie et Vniverselle escriture cabalistique, by Johannes Trithemius. Dee left his own notes and annotations on many of the volumes. Dee’s legend has grown far enough to inspire books about him in his turn, such as Peter Ackroyd’s excellent mystery, The House of Doctor Dee. He’s even been the subject of an opera, Dr Dee: An English Opera. The RCP exhibition already looks set to be one of the most fascinating of 2016. http://www.teleread.com/library/the-occult-library-of-john-dee-to-go-on-show/