Menowercogitatus; Involves Thinking

There's an awful lot going on in the world, heh na? Sitting in The Hutch, the riskiest thing in life for me is that the ceiling falls in. (Trust me, that's a distinct possibility, and I'm not talking metaphorically.) Of course, there are many for whom more than the ceiling collapsed.  It is tempting to bury my head entirely in my yarn works and some of the more distracting listening and watching, keeping the world at bay.

I'm rather too concerned a human being to play ostrich, though. I like to stay informed and educated. Take the recent events nearby; the fire that really b******d up a lot of folks' plans. There has been a lot of speculation and plenty of folk willing to jump on the doom train (pardon the transport reference), but in truth, the actual cause has yet to be fully investigated. I have come across an excellent short video by a professor specialising, among other things, in fire engineering. His credentials having been vetted, I am happy to share this with you here. It's eight minutes, and I found it informative and rational:

Then there is the more distant stuff happening, which is affecting the whole world at one level or another. I have mentioned once or twice before that I greatly enjoy the podcast called Empire, run by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand. There are lots of history shows out there, but these two make sure that every corner is explored, that time is taken to dig deep and add to knowledge and understanding, expanding appreciation of the role of history in showing us what is happening now. This was especially pertinent when, last week, three shows were dedicated to interviewing some prominent Iranian expats, and we were able to hear their perspectives in relation to the history of Persia/Iran. If you are at all interested and care about geopolitics, and particularly the current schemozzle, then I cannot recommend this trio of podcasts highly enough. I link you to them via the YouTube feed, rather than the Spotify. These are not for agreeing or disagreeing, but for absorbing and broadening one's sense of what the heck is going on.

Ali Ansari

Kim Ghattas

Christiane Amanpour

A lot of podcasts now have membership setups so that you can listen uninterrupted, and get extras and such like. I have resisted the majority, perfectly happy to put up with (skip) ad-breaks and come back weekly for episodes. So far, though, two have absolutely captured me and are worth every penny: Empire, and Sherlock & Co. I've told you about them before (check back on the label if you missed them). 

Now I have found a new source of excellent listening for which I have been happy to fork out some of my meagre pension! This, I think is particularly good value, as one is joining not a single podcast, but a host of several podcasts, so lots to listen to for a humble twenty bucks per year. 

Noiser. Click the image to be transported there!

Quality productions, and again, historically based. There are some readings of Austen, Conan Doyle, and Dickens, but other shows explore actual historical events and epochs. Iain Glen's narration of Real Vikings is fabulous, lending dramatic gravitas. I have just started Detectives Don't Sleep, which is equally as captivating. I am looking forward to working my way through everything on offer! 

So yes, they help to temper the mood against the weight of world affairs...

Menoizikul; Midweek Musicalisms

As stated at the start of the month, there were only three composers who fitted the 'lesser-known' intention of this series. Of the famous names to pick for the closing music for March, it was just impossible to go past J S Bach! Born on the 21st March, 1685, in Eisenach, Germany, he left an undisputed legacy in music. Mathematical precision, geometrical and mesmerising rhythms, lyrical and philosophical passages that reach into the very core of the listener... I do not believe there is any work of this composer that fails to delight (and I have listened to a great, great deal of JSB over the years).

Here, today, a short and peaceful item from the Goldberg variations. I had the Glenn Gould version on vinyl and still consider it one of the definitive performances. However, the more recent Canadian pianist, Angela Hewitt, certainly equals it...

Menonday Art Vibe: Home Hangs Series

Last week I shared with you my own little Yellow Cow artwork, as produced by an uncredited artist from the collective in Hornsby, back in OZ. 

The very first item I bought from that gallery was by Tim Bell (a young man severely affected by autism, who has done well and is now part of the team running the place). I don't think I need to explain too much about why I added this to my personal collection!