I'm guessing that the end-game could be a bit rough.....!

Just Finished Reading: Julia by Sandra Newman (FP: 2023) [384pp]  

Julia Worthing is a rebel born of rebels. But above everything else she is a survivor. She has survived the nuclear war, the Revolution and the purges that followed. She even betrayed her own mother so that she could live a few more months. She has survived the coming of Big Brother and she will keep on surviving day by day, month by month. Julia is also a sex criminal, a thief and a black marketer – whatever it takes. It was only when she became involved with Winston Smith that she knew her days were numbered. Smith was a romantic, a fool who believed that the Proles would save them and a thought criminal who aspired to being an intellectual. It was only a matter of time before the Thought Police caught them. Even so, Julia knew that she would survive. She would survive the arrest; she would survive the Ministry of Love and she would even survive Room 101 – or so she believed... 

I picked this up a while back and intended to read it ‘coupled’ with the original classic 1984. But circumstances, and my pitiful reading speed presently, determined otherwise. It was, as you might imagine, an interesting read – especially so after not long re-reading George Orwell’s most famous work. Not only do we see the events portrayed in 1984 from Julia’s point of view – indeed a few sections are word for word from the original – but we also get glimpses of a time when Big Brother was still consolidating power and when his grip on Ingsoc and Airstrip One had yet to be finalised. We also see slices of life outside of Smith’s experience, with the Proles (an interesting perspective in itself), with the Inner Party and within the Anti-Sex League. It was interesting to get a broader and more rounded picture of the world of 1984 with insights at how the three power blocks (Oceania, Eastasia and Eurasia) emerged after the war and how the actual war (or wars!) was going. 

Obviously drawn from the original text, the Blitz experience of London in WW2 and the later Stalinist regime in Russia this was more than a fair stab at expanding the world of 1984 into more modern times. It did indeed have a more modern feel to it – complete with mini-spy drones keeping a CLOSE eye on people and viewscreens that would be out of place hanging on the wall of a modern house today. Oddly the feel was rather less oppressive than the original which, I think, took something away from the narrative. I did find Julia too hopeful about her personal future (though not the future of Airstrip One) which kind of, almost, distracted from the point of the book. I also thought that the end was both a little too weak and a bit muddled for my liking. We do, however, spend some interesting times with some of the MAIN characters of the original (O’Brien was particularly interesting in this regard!). Whilst I did have a few (minor) niggles with it, I still thought that it was very much worth the read. Recommended if you’re interested in more from the world of 1984. 

'Singing Butler' painter Jack Vettriano dies aged 73

From the BBC

Scottish painter Jack Vettriano, best known for his painting The Singing Butler, has died at the age of 73. His publicist said the artist was found dead at his apartment in Nice, in the south of France, on Saturday. It is understood there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. Vettriano, who was born Jack Hoggan on 17 November 1951 in Methil, Fife, was a self-taught artist.

He left school at 16 years of age to become a mining engineer. For his 21st birthday, he was given a set of watercolour paints and, from then on, he spent much of his spare time teaching himself to paint. He drew inspiration from works at Kirkcaldy Galleries, studying paintings from artists such as Samuel Peploe and William McTaggart so intently that he feared arousing the suspicions of gallery staff. His breakthrough came in 1998 when he submitted two paintings to the Royal Scottish Academy's annual show and both sold on the first day, inspiring him to become a full-time artist. While often dismissed by critics, his works garnered international acclaim, leading to exhibitions in cities such as Edinburgh, London, Hong Kong, Johannesburg and New York.

His best-known work, The Singing Butler, sold at auction in 2004 for £744,800 - a Scottish record at the time. It depicts an elegant couple dancing on a storm-swept beach accompanied by their butler and maid. Among those who acquired Vettriano paintings were Jack Nicholson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Tim Rice and Robbie Coltrane. His publicist said: "Jack Vettriano's passing marks the end of an era for contemporary Scottish art. "His evocative and timeless works will continue to captivate and inspire future generations."

RIP Jack!

Prime Minister Winston Churchill.... at the FDR Whitehouse.... during WW2.... not wearing a suit.... Oh, and I forgot... Without an Election between 1935-45..... 

Crazy....! STILL had the best music though.... Which got me thinking.... Which decade has the NEXT best - the 1970's or the 1990's? Then I thought: Well, the 70's had Disco, Motown, Punk, Prog Rock, Glam Rock, New Romantics AND New Wave... 

Happy Birthday: Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, six Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2003 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2013. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions in film and television.

Howard first came to prominence as a child actor, acting in several television series before gaining national attention for playing young Opie Taylor, the son of Sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 through 1968. During this time, he also appeared in the musical film The Music Man (1962), a critical and commercial success. Howard was cast in one of the lead roles in the influential coming-of-age film American Graffiti (1973), and became a household name for playing Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days (1974–1980). He starred in the films The Spikes Gang (1974), The Shootist (1976), and Grand Theft Auto (1977), the latter being his directorial film debut.

In 1980, Howard left Happy Days to focus on directing, producing, and sometimes writing a variety of films and television series. His films included the comedies Night Shift (1982), Splash (1984), and Cocoon (1985) as well as the fantasy Willow (1988), the thriller Backdraft (1991), and the newspaper comedy-drama film The Paper (1994). Howard went on to win the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind (2001) and was nominated again for the same awards for Frost/Nixon (2008). Howard also directed other historical dramas such as Apollo 13 (1995), Cinderella Man (2005), Rush (2013), In the Heart of the Sea (2015), and Thirteen Lives (2022).

He also directed the children's fantasy film How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), the comedy The Dilemma (2011), and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), as well as the Robert Langdon film series: The Da Vinci Code (2006), Angels & Demons (2009), and Inferno (2016). Howard has gained recognition for directing numerous documentary films such as The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016), Pavarotti (2019), and We Feed People (2022).

Welcome to Mad March, here @ SaLT! This is where things can get a little crazy... Or at least crazier.... The good news is the times we're living through are providing LOTS of crazy stuff to choose from. But not to worry... Whatever I post here won't be quite as crazy as the REAL stuff going on out there - so you're safe.... kind of.... Enjoy!! 

Just Finished Reading: The Peenemunde Raid – The Night of 17-18 August 1943 by Martin Middlebrook (FP: 1982) [233pp] 

The first reports were dismissed as fantastical, simple propaganda. It didn’t help that the reports referenced two different weapons – a gliding bomb and a large rocket. Only much later did it seem that there was something to it. One thing that was certain was a name that came up time and again: Peenemunde. This was a small coastal community on the Baltic coast of north-eastern Germany. It was isolated and seemed to be quite unremarkable. Photo-reconnaissance of the area proved otherwise. Something very strange was going on there, something that concentrated minds, something that needed to be stopped. 

When the bomber crews were briefed on their mission the first thought was that no one had ever heard of Peenemunde. Their second thought was that at least it wasn’t Berlin. At the end of the briefing, they learnt something about the place though – it was important although no one would tell them why for security reasons. The words ‘maximum effort’ meant that every available aircraft would be involved even if they had to put together ‘scratch’ crews to man them. But the thing that really focused their attention and made a shiver down many a back was what they were told next. If the target wasn’t destroyed or at least significantly damaged they would be sent back again – and again – until the chiefs of Bomber Command were satisfied. Of course, every return visit would be met with increased resistance from the Luftwaffe and increased casualties among the RAF. It was a strong incentive, the strongest, to get the job done right the first time. 

I’d read about this raid in other, broader, historical narratives so it was good to see it in more detail. The surprising thing about the whole V-weapons story is how little it was believed (despite copious evidence to support it) until it was almost too late. But, in their defence, once the idea of these weapons was accepted the British authorities did pretty much everything they could to stop them or at the very least slow down their operational deployment. Apparently, almost everyone agrees, the Peenemunde raid by the RAF (it was attacked again later by the USAAF) delayed the V-2 by around 2 months. This doesn’t sound much but it meant that the missile wasn’t available until after D-Day. Even with questionable accuracy it can be imagined what hundreds of unstoppable missile strikes could have done to the build-up of forces prior to the Invasion. 

Although a little dry in places and a little too over detailed in others, this was a very creditable account of a very important bombing raid. One thing I particularly liked was the scattering of personal accounts from the RAF bomber crews, their opposing German night fighter pilots as well as the personnel and families based at Peenemunde who were on the receiving end of the bombing. Collectively they made it feel very real and very immediate. Recommended if you can source a copy. 

...and so we enter the FOURTH YEAR of the Russia-Ukraine War. Let this be the LAST one! Glory to Ukraine!

Just Finished Reading: Atom by Piers Bizony (FP: 2007) [194pp] 

The transition between the 19th and 20th centuries was an odd time in many ways. One of the strangest, and in hindsight one of the most amusing, was in the realm of Physics. As the 19th century ended students who expressed an interest in physics as a career were told that they were wasting their time and that most everything that could be discovered already had been at that anyone left in the profession would spend their, presumably bored, time finishing off a few left-over details. One of those ‘details’ was the structure of atoms. 

No one really knew very much about atomic structure in the Edwardian period. The prevailing ‘theory’ was that atoms (along with their electrons – then of disputed existence) existed in a kind of ‘cake-mix’ blob with the electrons playing the part of chocolate chips. As investigation progressed (using incredibly primitive and home-made equipment) it quickly became apparent that things were far more complex and that a ‘solar system’ model with electrons ‘orbiting’ the nucleus of the atom was a better representation of reality. But that idea created problems of its own. Such a model might work for Hydrogen but more complex atoms had multiple electrons in various ‘orbits’. How did the system maintain itself for more than a vanishingly short period without collapse? How did chemical reactions happen? The more they investigated the more complex and the more frankly bizarre it all became. We were moving into the age of Quantum Mechanics (QM). 

Anyone with even the barest ‘knowledge’ of QM will know how strange it is. In fact, the word ‘strange’ just doesn’t cover it. QM is honestly CRAZY. Albert Einstein himself – who was, to be honest, at least partially responsible for creating the field – never accepted the theory and spent a good deal of his life in opposition to it. Yet, time and time again, QM has been shown in theory, in experiments and in practice as being fundamentally correct – there's just a few little things presently unexplained that need to be cleared up...    

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this, maybe a quick refresher read and nothing more. Pleasantly it was rather more than that. This was FUN. Not only did the author have a very readable style he also managed to explain some very complex ideas that only once or twice pushed up against my ability to wrap my head around them – and for a book on QM that’s quite something! Another thing I really liked about this was the focus on the scientists doing the work and their portrayal as human beings – odd though many of them were. This grounded the experience at a human level. Looking at the beginnings of the ideas surrounding the atom, moving on to the race to create the atom bomb, debates on how stars burn for so long, the creation of heavy atoms in supernova, the Big Bang and much besides this was a great way into the worlds of the vanishing small and the cosmically BIG. If you’ve ever wondered what the fuss was all about but either didn’t know where to start or were afraid that reading up on the subject would fry your brain, this is the book for you. With barely an equation to be seen and very good explanations of the issues raised and their resolutions this will give you a good basic grounding on the subject and might even get you interested in reading further. Definitely recommended. 

Happy Birthday: Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (né McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor best known for his Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role as Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017) and its film prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He is also known for his roles in another two of Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch's films: Paul Atreides in Dune (1984) and Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet (1986). MacLachlan's other film roles include Lloyd Gallagher in The Hidden (1987), Ray Manzarek in The Doors (1991), Cliff Vandercave in The Flintstones (1994), Zack Carey in Showgirls (1995), and Riley's father in the Inside Out film series (2015, 2024).

In addition to Twin Peaks, MacLachlan has had prominent roles on television such as Trey MacDougal on Sex and the City (2000–2002), Orson Hodge on Desperate Housewives (2006–2012), The Captain on How I Met Your Mother (2010–2014) and How I Met Your Father (2022), the Mayor of Portland on Portlandia (2011–2018), Calvin Johnson on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014–2015), and Hank MacLean on Fallout (2024–present).

MacLachlan made his film debut in Dune (1984) in the starring role of Paul Atreides. MacLachlan was performing in Molière's Tartuffe at a Seattle-area theater when a casting agent for Dune producer Dino De Laurentiis began searching for a young lead and received multiple recommendations for him. After several screen tests, he hit it off with director David Lynch, aided by their common Pacific Northwest backgrounds, and succeeded in winning the part. This marked the beginning of a creative partnership between MacLachlan and Lynch, who would go on to collaborate on four more projects before Lynch's death in 2025.

Just Finished Reading: Global Economic History – A Very Short Introduction by Robert C Allen (FP: 2011) [147pp] 

Much like the movement of people, indeed the movement of whole peoples, trade including global trade has a very long history. The Roman Empire traded directly with India and, no doubt, other world empires had similar trading arrangements. But it was only in the 16th century that regular trade in quantity emerged as a factor in global history. With the search for a quicker and more profitable source of spice the Portuguese (to begin with) sought ways to bypass the expensive Spice Road and go directly to the source. Opening up trading posts along the way they began carving out the first global empire. Other European powers were not long behind with Spain, the Dutch, French and finally the British expanding their reach and the reach of global trade itself to every continent on Earth. Empires would rise and fall bolstered or destroyed by changes in global trading patterns. Items, such as pepper and sugar, which had once been affordable only by the rich dropped dramatically in price but still made their traders vast fortunes. Before long everything that could be traded was traded – from cotton to slaves, from tea to opium. A countries economy could be made or broken by the arrival of a fleet of ships off the coast. Some countries became the bread-baskets of faraway empires whilst others, willing and able to practice European style economics, became local powerhouses themselves. Global trade and global history became inseparable. 

As a useful foundation for a knowledge of global economic history this definitely lived up to the reputation of the Very Short Introduction series. Through my other readings I was already familiar with the highlights covered here but was particularly intrigued by the authors analysis of why some countries are rich and why others stay poor. Much of it seems to be timings with Europe getting ‘lucky’ by a combination of readily available resources – especially coal – and a culture that required rapid innovation to maintain profits in a high-wage economy. I think I grasped the basics of this idea but will see if I can follow up with some other readings. From what I understood it certainly made sense but then I do sometimes struggle getting my head around economic theory! 

If you’ve ever wondered about certain aspects of economic history – especially on a global scale – but didn’t know where to start reading about it, this is a pretty good choice to do so. Obviously covering 5-600 years in less that 150 pages means it's all very high level but it does give the flavour of things and points out areas of further study – helped, as always, by a decent bibliography. Recommended and more VSI books to come. 

Just Finished Reading: Hardboiled America – Lurid Paperbacks and the Masters of Noir by Geoffrey O’Brien (FP: 1981/1997) [175pp] 

I was a fan of hardboiled detective fiction long before I read my first book of the genre. I had grown up watching the classic Noir films of the 40’s and 50’s care of my father's love of them. Strangely I actually started reading the novels in my 20’s after I stumbled upon Cyberpunk and the works of William Gibson, specifically the ‘Sprawl Trilogy’ starting off with Neuromancer. The blurb on the back of the book labelled Gibson as the Sci-Fi answer to Raymond Chadler so I felt compelled to check him out. I’m actually amazed at not doing so previously. Films such as The Big Sleep have remained in my Top List for the last 40+ years so it came as no great surprise that I immediately fell in love with the books too. Naturally after Chandler I moved on to James M Cain, Dashiell Hammett and others. Although checking through the hardboiled checklist at the back of this book I see that there are many novels and many authors awaiting to be sampled. 

Regular readers of this Blog will no doubt be aware of my love of pulp fiction covers. One of the delights in this slim volume is the authors attention given to the artists who produced this seemingly endless supply of the iconic artwork as well as numerous examples sprinkled throughout its pages – unfortunately only in black & white but you can’t have everything. Generally, as with the music I enjoy, I know very little indeed about the producers of the fiction I enjoy so much. I’ve never really been interested in the personal lives of authors or musicians (or artists etc..) and would rather enjoy the books, records or movies I like without know anything about them. Part of that is I’m not that interested in other people's lives and I don’t think that knowing if an author is a dog or cat person or how many times they’ve been divorced would enhance my reading pleasure, and to be honest some authors/artists are just not very nice people and I’d just rather not know. That said, I did find some of the authors insights into my favourite noir authors rather illuminating – especially as to what they thought of each other! Raymond Chandler was especially outspoken. 

Overall, this was a highly entertaining and informative read. I do love my Noir in all its forms and this book has inspired me to dive back into the genre. The checklist in the back, running from 1929 to 1960 will certainly help focus my attention and I might even slip in a few books about the phenomena too. Definitely recommended for all Noir fans. 

Oh, the absolute irony......

Definitely a Keeper!!

Happy Birthday: Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton CVO OBE (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Born in Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland, Shackleton and his Anglo-Irish family moved to Sydenham in suburban south London when he was ten. Shackleton's first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904, from which he was sent home early on health grounds, after he and his companions Scott and Edward Adrian Wilson set a new southern record by marching to latitude 82°S. During the Nimrod Expedition of 1907–1909, he and three companions established a new record Farthest South latitude of 88°23′ S, only 97 geographical miles (112 statute miles or 180 kilometres) from the South Pole, the largest advance to the pole in exploration history. Also, members of his team climbed Mount Erebus, the most active Antarctic volcano. On returning home, Shackleton was knighted for his achievements by King Edward VII.

After the race to the South Pole ended in December 1911, with Roald Amundsen's conquest, Shackleton turned his attention to the crossing of Antarctica from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end, he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917. The expedition was struck by disaster when its ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and finally sank in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica on 21 November 1915. The crew escaped by camping on the sea ice until it disintegrated, then by launching the lifeboats to reach Elephant Island and ultimately the South Atlantic island of South Georgia, enduring a stormy ocean voyage of 720 nautical miles (1,330 km; 830 mi) in Shackleton's most famous exploit. He returned to the Antarctic with the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition in 1921 but died of a heart attack while his ship was moored in South Georgia. At his wife's request, he remained on the island and was buried in Grytviken cemetery. The wreck of Endurance was discovered just over a century after Shackleton's death.

Away from his expeditions, Shackleton's life was generally restless and unfulfilled. In his search for rapid pathways to wealth and security, he launched business ventures which failed to prosper, and he died heavily in debt. Upon his death, he was lauded in the press but was thereafter largely forgotten, while the heroic reputation of his rival Scott was sustained for many decades. Later in the 20th century, Shackleton was "rediscovered", and he became a role model for leadership in extreme circumstances. In his 1956 address to the British Science Association, one of Shackleton's contemporaries, Sir Raymond Priestley, said: "Scott for scientific method, Amundsen for speed and efficiency[,] but[,] when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton", paraphrasing what Apsley Cherry-Garrard had written in a preface to his 1922 memoir The Worst Journey in the World. In 2002, Shackleton was voted eleventh in a BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.

Happy Valentine's Day! Go HUG a loved one............

The only thing missing is that the dumpster should be on fire... But maybe its smouldering...

Just Finished Reading: The Origins of the Anglo-Saxons – Decoding the Ancestry of the English by Jean Manco (FP: 2018) [206pp] 

After reading the author’s previous book on the Celts around 2 years ago I thought it was about time to read her book about the Anglo-Saxons (despite not being one). As with the Celts this is a DEEP dive into the origins, culture, genetics and movements of a whole people so is very much a foundation – broad and deep – to any investigation of personal ancestry. I wasn’t expecting it to be particularly illuminating from my perspective but this didn’t stop it being always interesting and often fascinating. 

As I’ve said before, people (indeed peoples) moved around far more in the past than we moderns give them credit for. The Anglo-Saxons – generally made up of Angles, Saxons and Jutes – are a case in point moving across eastern Europe/central Asia westwards and northwards into western Europe, the British Isles and Scandanavia. Most of this slim volume covers that particular part of their history with diversions into archaeology, grave styles, coinage and, my particular favourite, languages and how they changed over LONG periods of time. Only the last quarter or so of the book looks at the impact on England putting to rest, yet again, the idea that the British Isles was ‘invaded’ and conquered by the Saxons and that the local population was displaced. Interesting this erroneous idea seems to have origination after the end of WW2 when the Saxons (AKA Germans) where not exactly in high standing in the UK. However, archaeological and, later, DNA evidence has shown the invasion motif to be overplayed at best. Apparently, which I found MOST interesting, around 36% of Brits living in the South East of England have Saxon genes and some individuals in Kent are essentially indistinguishable from native Germans (much, apparently, to their surprise and annoyance!). But the native population didn’t vanish (AKA killed). Nothing like it. The so-called ‘invasion’ actually took place over 2-300 years and varied from the hiring of mercenary soldiers who decided to stay – whether their ‘masters’ liked it or not – to actual raiders who stayed long term, and individual family groups looking for a better life and more productive farmland. 

Overall, this was interesting read that helped put present day genetics, place names and much else into a (DEEP) historical context. Although it didn’t help me very much to understand my own ancestry (of which more later) it did help me bed in the genetic foundations my ancestors were part of. Definitely of interest to anyone looking deep into their Anglo-Saxon past. Recommended.  

Happy World Radio Day! I've listened to the radio for the last 60 years and loved the experience..... MANY happy memories.........