UKers, you are in for a treat

From Richard Shindell's latest email:

8. If you're in the UK, you're long national wait is nearly over. I'll be there in August. Check my website for details. And thank you for all of your emails.

"To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered." - Voltaire

Shindell is a wonderful songwriter and an elegant and passionate guitarist, IMO. If you like the tracks he has clips of on his site, you will almost certainly have an excellent time if you see him in person.

from my friend Nick

The future as seen by the past

http://paleo-future.blogspot.com/

Wm. Wallace and all that

I was recounting to a friend the wonderfully ironic tale of the hideous new statue of William Wallace near Stirling, emblazoned with the word "Freedom!", that has to be enclosed in a cage at night. In the process, I found this photo, which is in some teeny-bopper's MySpace page and is entitled "Melrose Scotland in front of William Wallace statue with my travel buddy Bentley--2001".

I don't know if that guy is named Bentley, but that's not Melrose or a statue of William Wallace. That's the monument at Glenfinnan to commemorate the landing of Prince Charles Stuart that began the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. So, about 200 miles away (the Wallace Monument is not at Melrose either, BTW) and about 450 years off in time.

afternoon poesy entertainment

Burn's Tam O'Shanter with 'translation'

I detect some...liberties here and there with the English version, rather like listening to a French movie while readign the subtitles. But I love teh language, and I'd much enjoy seeing the Thom statues at Souter Johnnie's Cottage.

What say, john_arundel and gr_c17, are we three "ancient, trusty, drouthy cronies"? :-)