The New Doctor Who

We have to admit that we were a bit worried about finally seeing the first ep of the new Doctor Who this evening. The BBC had hyped it up so much, and we were still pining for the Tennant; so the possibility of great disappointment seemed imminent. All I can say is that at the end of the show, the world's greatest DT fan sitting next to me said that Matt Smith wasn't that bad ... and the companion had great potential! Other early reviews:

"To millions of fanatical fans, changing the Time Lord is far more important than changing the Prime Minister. Parliaments are temporary… the universe goes on forever. So the good news is… you can all relax. After a fine performance in an encouragingly expensive and slick special- effects packed opening salvo, it’s crystal clear that Mr Smith is certain to be a sensation. The Beeb’s best franchise is in safe hands. Phew!"
The Mirror

"Essentially, the Doctor is meant to be a mad alien, and Smith looks like one before he even opens his mouth. By the end of episode one he was bedizened in a suitably daft public-school geography-teacher ensemble of bow tie and tweed jacket. It was ridiculous but it felt right: mad, alien, brand new but very old. A+ to the casting director. A+ to Smith."
The Telegraph

See? Not a spoiler in sight!

Baseball is Back!

The 2010 season begins in a few hours when the Yankees go to Fenway for the first of hopefully more than 162 games. It has been so long since I had to follow from over here that I have not yet got any kind of system in place. The main thing is whether or not I will be able to find online the CBS broadcasts with my heroine Suzyn Waldman. So my apologies to non sport fans - my obsessions are both winter and summer!

Baroness Park of Monmouth RIP

I know I know another blinking obituary. They are just so compelling. This one, for example: the top spy of her time. It is just irresistable! Here are some excerpts from the Telegraph:

"Daphne Park demonstrated that a woman could be an immensely competent officer on the ground. Extracting information in the middle of an African jungle or burning top secret documents (and then hiding the ashes in her knickers) were simply part of the job."

"Here (in the Belgian Congo), Daphne Park dealt with the inevitable death threats and lawlessness of society with habitual sangfroid. On one occasion, when living alone, she chased off an intruder by leaning out of her window and shouting: "I am a witch! And if you don't instantly go away your hands and feet will fall off!""

"The family home was a mud hut without running water or electricity. Daphne pegged her first gold claim aged three, finding a single nugget which she then lost. She had no formal education until the age of 11, when she walked three days to the nearest road and hitched a lorry ride "through a cloud of locusts" to Dar es Salaam."

Go and read the rest for yourself. It's here. Another amazing woman - she puts me to shame with her energy and initiative.

Mind Cleanser

Jews across the world today are cleaning out their cupboards in preparation for the festival of Passover. May I present an opportunity to flush out one's brain also: the theme tune to the cartoon 'Pinky and the Brain' ... in Russian! Greetings and good wishes to you all!!

In Synch With the Times

Was delighted to see the front page of the Times today had as its main picture a cyberman. Turning to page eleven there was also a medium-sized story:

"... More than 100 props from Doctor Who will be sold at auction today allowing fans to buy an original, if somewhat ramshackle, part of sciencefiction folklore. As well as two full-size Daleks from 1988, which are expected to go for up to £7,000 each, the sale includes modern costumes such as David Tennant’s suit and Billie Piper’s pyjamas from Marks & Spencer.

It is the Heath Robinson monsters that catch the eye, however, made in a hurry from foam latex, fibreglass and electrical components that would not look out of place in a school science experiment. A fearsome red snake encountered by Peter Davison and a young Martin Clunes in a 1983 episode was created mainly from airconditioning tubes.

“The monsters were made from things you could buy in a hardware shop,” said Stephanie Connell, entertainment memorabilia specialist at Bonhams in Central London, who said the use of DIY components allowed the BBC to meet tight schedules ..."

The rest of it is here. Have to say I prefer my own pics :-)

Are You My Piglet?

Guess who went to the viewing at the auction house of Doctor Who props and costumes? Here, Piglet tries on the costume worn by Billie Piper in 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances'. Much fun was had by all.

Colonel Mike Osborn RIP

On the other hand, I usually complain about the unusually large amount of obituaries of World War Two veterans. The following, however, caught my eye. Mike Osborn witnessed the capture and death of the evil Heinrich Himmler:

"Osborn's counterpart in Intelligence, Lt-Col "Spud" Murphy, insisted that Himmler remove his SS uniform. The man refused to wear battledress on the ground that it was enemy uniform, so he was stripped, wrapped in an Army blanket and bundled into Osborn's staff car.

Osborn drove to Army HQ as Murphy, with a drawn revolver, rode in the back with their prisoner. On arrival Himmler was escorted to a room where a doctor was waiting to carry out a preliminary examination to check that he was not carrying any poison.

As Osborn left the room to telephone the Army commander, he heard a shout and the sound of a scuffle. On coming back in he saw Himmler writhing stark naked on the floor, foaming at the mouth. He had concealed a small phial of poison under his tongue."

He also was one of the first to discover the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, he landed in Normandy on D-Day plus 1, he was in Tobruk ... the man seems to have been everywhere!

Read about him here.

Kathryn Grayson RIP

Singing "I Hate Men" in 'Kiss Me Kate'

One of the reasons that I have learned to love the Telegraph obituaries is because its valedictory style is not always laudatory. A recent and particular example is that of Kathryn Grayson, a singing Hollywood star who was never a favourite of mine, except that she was in one of the best movie musicals ever, i.e., Kiss Me Kate. Here are a few quotes from the Telegraph:

"...she had a pert expression, bee-stung lips and a retroussé nose that her studio, if not always her public, thought would be irresistible"

"Her voice passed in less demanding times for how a great singer should sound, but recording techniques have improved greatly since then. Nowadays, the more florid moments sound curiously like Minnie Mouse gargling."

"Legend has it that, as a child, she wandered on stage after the show at the St Louis Municipal Opera House and sang just for the janitor. In the empty auditorium, a torrent of one-man applause greeted the performance. Only when it was time to say goodbye did she realise that he was stone deaf and hadn't heard a note."

They are not exactly speaking ill of the dead, but they are certainly having a little fun at her expense. For 'Kiss Me Kate', if nothing else, I shall always hear her voice in my head.

Dr Joan Austoker RIP

Was sad to see an obituary in today's Times for Dr. Joan Austoker. It begins:

"Dr Joan Austoker was a brilliant communicator to the public of the importance of early detection of cancer through screening, whose writings reached millions of homes. She wrote much of the public guidance that was crucial in helping women to consider the benefits and limitations of screening.

She conveyed the complex biology in an accessible way that encouraged many people to accept their invitation for screening and have their condition diagnosed before it became lifethreatening. The present Department of Health National Awareness and Early Detection Initiative is the product of her work over the past two decades."

The rest of it is here

The thing is, when I saw the name, I was pretty sure that this was the same woman who taught me biology when I was twelve. I remember her clearly, mainly because I liked to sit in the back of the class with my friend Fran and do my maths homework until Dr. Austoker decided that I couldn't see the board properly from there and had me sit up at the front next to her :-) Somehow, I am really glad to learn that in fact she was a wonderful woman, and am also sad that I did not know it until now.

For All My Friends who Follow the Team at Fenway

Just found this online, and think it needs to be shared. It's not even Spring Training yet - can't we all be friends? Er, no.

Banning the Burqa

The wearing of a burqa is an issue which evokes extreme reactions across a spectrum. In democracies that pride themselves on a variety of freedoms, one might think that choice of clothing should not be a problem. On the other hand, many people find the burqa offensive. India Knight wrote an interesting piece in the Times a couple of weeks ago. She was discussing a potential law in France that would fine women wearing the burqa or niqab in public. According to her, the French government considers wearing a burqa to be an in-your-face action by extremists, rather than a religious prescription. Her response is that

"I find this whole subject uncomfortable because I don’t really know what I think; I change my mind constantly. I start off, as most people would, from the point of view that everyone should be allowed to wear what they like, regardless of how peculiar it might strike others as being, without being dictated to."

That seems pretty clear to me. What I may think the custom says about the lives of the people who observe it, e.g., oppression of women, is my opinion, but surely not any basis for enacting its prohibition. On the other hand, as Knight also says

"The bottom line, I guess, is that you have to fall into line with the country you’re living in. I was in Marrakesh a couple of months ago and, as ever, was treated to the sight of idiot tourists wandering around the souks half-naked, complaining loudly about unwelcome attention and taking photographs of the picturesque natives without asking first. So you could argue that banning the burqa is a variant on the same thing: stopping people offending the social mores of the country they find themselves in."

The thing is, I find it hard to be offended by an item of clothing. It's not like it is a yellow star or a pink triangle. On the other hand, I would rather be able to see people's faces if I am to interact with them. I have not had much interaction with burqaed women, though. Anyway, I'm afraid that this all has a lot more to do with the Western response to those terrorists who claim to be acting according to Islamic teachings. Of course it is important to try and stay safe. Laws governing clothing, however, aren't the way to go.

India Knight's article is here

The Epitome of Angelic

Sadly this is only a picture of a photo (the negative was lost many years ago). It is, however, generally held to be a representation of the sister of ravaj at her most beautiful moment of childhood. Happily, while no longer necessarily angelic, she continues to shine.

Krakow Cuisine

As Piotr and his friends from Krakow set up their exhibition in the Czech Scrolls Museum, we have had some interesting conversations about Jewish life in the area. Ancient relatives of the ravaj lived in villages round and about, so a trip to Poland may be taking place in the not-too-distant future. With that in mind, I did some googling, and came up with this fine Jewish restaurant :-)

Sneaky Sister!

The sister of ravaj, who screams razorblades if one tries to photograph her, nicked this little pic last Boxing Day down at Mecca. Although we won, the football we played was incredibly bad, as reflected by the look on my face.

Homer Simpson Quotes

I am sooooo procrastinating. In that mode, I have found some Homer Simpson quotes on the BBC website and feel the need to share them:

• [Reading computer manual] "To start, press any key. Where's the 'Any' key?"

• "I want to share something with you: The three little sentences that will get you through life.
Number 1: Cover for me.
Number 2: Oh, good idea, Boss!
Number 3: It was like that when I got here."

• "Pffft, English. Who needs that? I'm never going to England."

• Homer: "Well, he's got all the money in the world, but there's one thing he can't buy."
Marge: "What's that?"
Homer: [thinks] "A dinosaur."

Rest in Peace Miep Gies

I remember watching the Oscars one year, when a film about Anne Frank won an award. The film-maker came onstage with an old lady beside him, and suddenly I sounded like the Roadrunner as I pointed to the screen crying "Miep, Miep!" In one of the obits below she is quoted regarding her decision to go to the Academy Awards having been based on the fact that Anne had loved Hollywood so much.

Miep lived to a ripe old age - 100 - yet it is still sad that she has gone. Now it's all just history, since the last witness is dead.

"Miep Gies devoted herself to sustaining Anne Frank's legacy, answering letters from all over the world. In 1987 she published a book, Anne Frank Remembered. In it she observed: "I am not a hero. I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did and more – much more – during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the heart of those of us who bear witness.""
The Telegraph

"When Otto Frank finally returned to Amsterdam in the summer of 1945, it was to find that Miep Gies had kept the business going despite nearly starving during the terrible final winter of the conflict. With nowhere to live, Otto Frank moved in with the Gies family and stayed with them for seven years until he moved to Switzerland to be close to his mother."
The Times

"After Otto Frank's death in 1980, she continued to campaign against Holocaust deniers and refute allegations that the diary was a forgery."
The Guardian

"A small woman — just a shade over 5 feet tall — whose hair had turned white, she bore a single remembrance of those days in the hiding place, a black onyx ring with a diamond in the center, worn on her left hand. It was a gift from Auguste von Pels, one of the doomed Jews she had sheltered."
NY Times

Piglet in O'Hare Airport

On the way back to London from a delightful Thanksgiving in Appleton, Piglet stops to chat with an old friend.

Perils of Facebook

It's been a while, I know. My three regular readers have either given up, e-mailed me to check I still have all my fingers, or followed me to Facebook. What can I say? I was seduced by the chance to see pictures of the grown-up children of people I had not seen since Junior (Middle) School. Am I sated? Not quite, I think. Shots of weddings of friends of my sister still have a bit of a hold on me, although I no longer play any word games with annoying strangers who score so many points you'd like to think they are cheating but really you are just ticked off that you aren't getting any better. Anyway, just wanted to pop in and wish you all a happy secular new year!

A Bit of Poetry

When I was at university, we had to study this poem:

This Is Just to Say
(by William Carlos Williams)

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

While I was convinced that this was not really a poem but rather a note he'd left on the kitchen table that had fallen out of his ephemera; others in the class got terribly serious about his literary style. Today I was delighted to find this blog. Enjoy.

The Story of Susan Travers

The amazing story of the only woman ever to serve in the French Foreign Legion is reported here.

"When France fell to the Nazis she made her way to London and signed up with General De Gaulle's Free French and was attached to the 13th Demi-Brigade of the Legion Etrangere, which sailed for Africa. Volunteering as a driver to the brigade's senior officers, she exhibited such nerves of steel in negotiating minefields and enemy attacks that she earned the affectionate nickname "La Miss" from her thousand male comrades."

She would have been 100 this week.