These things make me incredibly sad

From "The Art Newspaper" "Environmental activists defaced the Louvre pyramid on 27 October, covering the landmark glass monument with orange paint. Protestors from the Dernière Rénovation group threw balloons at the famous glass structure while one of the demonstrators climbed up the edge of the pyramid; according to the Telegraph, a dozen people were arrested following the incident. A Louvre spokesperson confirmed to The Art Newspaper that the activists attempted to cover the pyramid, the museum’s main entrance, with an orange liquid. “One of them climbed onto the pyramid's outer glass roof using climbing equipment. The liquid was sprayed onto the glass; traces are visible on the [structure]. No damage to the pyramid has been reported at this stage. Visitor access to the museum was maintained throughout the operation,” the spokesperson adds."

Thank you thank you thank you Richard

Richard is a wonderful son as I've said many time and he is helping us so much with this move. We are truly blessed.

No more prayers on Remembrance Day

I am trying hard to understand why this tradition of this prayer would be offensive to some people. Traditions of all kinds are so interesting to me. I agree there should be a respectful recognition of other faiths and non faiths and new traditions to stand along with the old ones.The good thing about this becoming an issue is that more people know some of this history. I don't think I ever went through a Remembrance Day ceremony that didn't have the effect of tears welling up and Psalm 23 seemed hopeful and positive in that context. From The Vancouver Sun Update, Oct. 31, 2019: Since the publication of this story, the prayer has been reinstated at the school's Remembrance Day ceremony. Legion members in Sydney Mines, N.S., are upset after Jubilee Elementary School told them they couldn't include a prayer in their Remembrance Day ceremony at the school. A Prayer for People of Courage is typically read by a Christian minister during ceremonies and is about peace, protecting people serving in the military and remembering those who have fallen in battle. Clarence Dawe served in the Canadian Forces in the 1960s and is a former president of the Royal Canadian Legion Nova Scotia Nunavut Command. He said by removing the prayer, they're trying to stop a 92-year tradition. "Our men and women who fought overseas took prayers every day," said Dawe. "Padres, chaplains followed them right into battle. That's what kept them going." Dawe said Psalm 23 was recited every day and there would be prayers for their fallen comrades.

Happy Birthday, Richard

It was a wonderful day on Oct 17, 1977 when we welcomed our son, Richard, into the world. He has been a wonderful son.Jim and I held this wonderful little being in our four arms and could hardly believe it. I guess all new parents feel the same way. And he was born on my mother's birthday as I have probably mentioned in past post on this day of the year.

We have the most amazing son

He helps us so much. I've said many times how blessed we are. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Richard.

Paraprosdokian

Stealing from Linda's blog again. "I had no idea what Paraprosdokian was, so I looked it up: A paraprosdokian (/pærəprɒsˈdoʊkiən/) is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists such as Groucho Marx. Will glass coffins be a success? Remains to be seen. What's the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is really heavy and the other is a little lighter. Hear about the new restaurant called Karma? There's no menu - you get what you deserve. I went to buy some camouflage trousers yesterday, but couldn't find any. What do you call a bee that can't make up its mind? A maybe. I tried to sue the airline for losing my luggage. I lost my case. Is it ignorance or apathy that's destroying the world today? I don't know and I don't really care. I wasn't originally going to get a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind. Which country's capital has the fastest-growing population? Ireland. Every day it's Dublin. I saw an ad for burial plots, and I thought: "That's the last thing I need!" Need an ark? I Noah guy. You're not completely useless, you can always serve as a bad example. I broke my finger last week. On the other hand, I'm okay. Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a soft drink. To the mathematician who thought of the idea of zero. Thanks for nothing! Son: "Dad, can you tell me what a solar eclipse is?" Dad: "No sun." How can you identify a Dogwood tree? By its bark."

Love Cezanne so much

From "The Art Newspaper" "The museum houses the Impressionist art collection of Sidney and Jenny Brown—of around 50 works in total—in a villa designed for them, where the family lived for two generations. The collection and house were bequeathed to the city of Baden in 1987. The Browns earned their fortune in engineering and founded Brown, Boveri & Cie., which grew into the multinational corporation known today as ABB. The city of Baden and the Langmatt Foundation say they need to raise SFr40m ($44.4m) to keep the museum operating, and the foundation plans to use the revenue from the art sales to set up an endowment fund to secure its future. But critics say the paintings on offer at Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale on 9 November are among the jewels of the collection, especially Cézanne’s Fruits et pot de gingembre (fruit and pot of ginger, around 1890-93). “It is outrageous,” says Tobia Bezzola, the president of the Swiss branch of the International Council of Museums (Icom). “For Icom, this is an absolute no-go. We have written an official letter to the foundation. They are selling off core elements of the collection to finance future operating costs.” Cezanne’s Quatre pommes et un couteau (four apples and a knife, 1885) © Christie’s Images Bezzola also warns that the sale could set “an enormously dangerous example” to other museums. “Cities and cantons in Switzerland are very often tempted to propose the sale of artworks to cover the operating costs of museums,” he says. “It is so very short-sighted.” Icom’s guidelines on deaccessioning objects from museum collections stipulate that “in no event should the potential monetary value of an object be considered as part of the motive for determining whether or not to deaccession.” Christie’s describes the format for the sale as “unique”, in that if the first lot, Fruits et pot de gingembre, fetches the target amount of around $44.4m, then the remaining two paintings will be withdrawn from the auction. The still life is estimated to fetch between $35m and $55m. The other two works on offer are Quatre pommes et un couteau (four apples and a knife, 1885) and La mer à L’Estaque (the sea at L’Estaque, 1878-79). Markus Stegmann, the director of the Museum Langmatt, concedes that the sale is “painful,” but says it is a last resort to save the museum after alternative efforts to raise funds to keep the Langmatt Foundation afloat failed. The museum is also in desperate need of renovation, which is to be financed by the city of Baden, the canton of Aargau and individual donors, with the foundation itself contributing some funds. Cezanne’s La mer à L’Estaque (the sea at L’Estaque, 1878-79) © Christie’s Images “The foundation is almost insolvent,” Stegmann says. “This is an emergency measure. I understand the reactions—the concern and the fears—but it is about the very existence of the museum and its collection. Our goal is to invest the money in a fund that will ensure us the income of SFr1m per year that we need to keep the museum going.” Alfred Sulzer, a former president of the board of the Langmatt Foundation and a great-nephew of the Brown couple, said he is convinced the planned sale violates the deeds of the foundation and goes against the conditions in the donor’s will. His lawyer wrote to Christie’s in early October, asking the company to inform potential buyers of his view that the sale is illegal. Sulzer says that if the sale proceeds he “will pursue this to the highest court in Switzerland”. But Stegmann says the foundation is confident that the sale is permissible under its rules. “The process of making this decision has taken several years,” he says."

Museums for everything

From "Nice News" "Housed in a historic police, fire and ambulance station in the centre of Sheffield, the National Emergency Services Museum tells the stories of the emergency services through vintage vehicles, original objects, dynamic displays and interactive exhibitions. The museum has preserved some of the building's original features, including Victorian prison cells and an engine house."

Loved this

Visage aux yeux rieurs (Face with Laughing Eyes) by Picasso

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone

Richard came around yesterday and did all sorts of stuff for us for our upcoming move. We are so thankful for having such a wonderful son.

More sunflowers....

So beautiful

From "Nice News" "In autumn, Kyoto’s dense population of ginkgo, maple, and cherry blossom trees transform into a spectacle of fall foliage in every corner of the former Japanese capital. The city’s tree-shrouded temples — such as Jo-jakko-ji, Kiyomizu-Dera, and Tofukuji — are all popular tourist attractions year-round, but they are especially beautiful places to peep at the colorful leaves. The trees sweeping above Togetsu Bridge also put on quite a show, as do the groves huddled closely around Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. Plenty of visitors flock to Kyoto for the fall show, so if you’re craving some serenity away from the crowds, Bishamondo Temple makes the trek to the outskirts of town worthwhile."

Blue lobsters...who knew?

As lover of lobsters I found this rather interesting. And blue and red are probably my two most favoutite colours. From "Interesting Facts" "The odds of finding a blue lobster are 1 in 2 million. The North Atlantic is filled with lobsters, and it’s been that way for millennia. In fact, the first European settlers who arrived in North America in the 17th century reported that heaps of lobsters — some in 2-foot piles — simply washed up along the shore, making the crustaceans a vital source of protein during those harsh New England winters. Fast-forward 400 years, and lobsters remain plentiful; by one estimate, the lobster industry catches some 200 million lobsters in the North Atlantic every year. Among those millions of lobsters are some truly eye-catching crustaceans — including the blue lobster, which is so rare that scientists estimate it’s a 1-in-2-million catch. Although such a rare find fetches a high price at the market, no evidence suggests that the blue lobsters (whose sapphire hue is caused by a genetic defect) taste any different than their normal-colored brethren."

The end of baseball season

Well,the season isn't over but it is over for the Blue Jays since they lost yesterday. We might find another team to cheer on during the playoffs.

Popcorn and math

I've alway had a big love of popcorn and not a great love for math. What a brilliant idea this teacher had. I just may have even come to like math. A very good friend of mine was a math teacher and I once asked her what she liked about math. She said it was because there was a right answer. Well, I loved English literature because there usually wasn't one right answer. She said it drove her crazy that you could have more than one interpretation. We became good friends because she was always staying after school to help students with their math and I was helping students with their French. Someone who liked languages was even more of a mystery to her. I understood that because I didn't really like learning a language either but Jim and I loved France. On our first trip I was sitting there like a dummy while he enjoyed the opportunity to speak French. Being silent isn't exactly my style so I figured I better learn the wretched language since he wanted to spend six months in France on our next trip. https://www.gatesnotes.com/Modernizing-math-education?WT.mc_id=20231003090000_Math-Update_BG-EM_&WT.tsrc=BGEM

Dalias....and more dalias

Local flower arranging groups have put together sculptures of dahlias - know in the 1840s as "devices" By Sophie Parker BBC News More than 5,000 dahlias have been put on display at Stonehenge, paying homage to shows nearly 180 years ago. They feature in a three-day exhibition at the visitor centre in the style of a traditional flower show. The arrangements have been made by clubs in Wiltshire, with the blooms grown by local members of the National Dahlia Society. English Heritage has also re-started a dahlia competition - a "New Hero of Stonehenge" will be chosen.

A lovely brunch with Donna Sunday

We went to the University Golf Club again.The Eggs Benny are pretty good. So nice to see Donna.

Foods invented by accident

I found this rather interesting. https://www.interestingfacts.com/famous-foods-invented-by-accident/Y5fT09QzDwAI3Geb?liu=26da72d4899d29579ae9719e3d9b2e04&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1924244788 A couple of them here.