The Past Can Sometimes Be The Past

 Sunspot Activity on The Sun Is Seriously Exceeding Official Predictions

The Idea of Australia, a search for the soul of the nation, by Julianne Schultz

5 ways to unlock your brain’s ancient pleasure centers | Jamie Wheal for Big Think

Twelve Masterful Literary Descriptions Of Food

Even in the hands of the greats, food scenes can seem less than central to a story, more filler or filigree than substance. - The Atlantic

The Past Can Sometimes Be The Past

That is, if you do enough digging - and enough reckoning, as Maud Newton, author of the memoir Ancestor Trouble, well knows. - The Rumpus

The Medieval Manuscripts That Offer Health Care And Household Tips

Compiled by a French noblewoman circa 1256 and copied across Europe over the next two centuries, the Régime du corps ("body regimen") survives in 70-odd manuscripts that "offer a window into many aspects of everyday medieval life – from sleeping, bathing and preparing food to bloodletting, leeching and purging." - The Conversation

A 19-Year-Old Wins Britain’s National Poetry Competition

Eric Yip is the youngest winner ever - and he's an engineering student. And "Yip, who cites Ocean Vuong as a writer who made him realise he 'had a right' to be heard, speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, but writes poetry in English." - The Guardian (UK)

Fabio’s Legacy Is Controversial

A new movie revives the (surprisingly intense) discussion. "Isabelle Popp ... proposed a 'words to Fabio' standard for mainstream romance coverage that boils down to: the sooner he’s mentioned, the less effort or expertise went into the story." - Slate

The very best parts of the best Beatle songs

 Tyler Cowen 

You also might title this post “How to listen to The Beatles.”  Here are the best parts, in no particular order:

1. The violins/voices warm-up to Sgt. Pepper.

2. The George/John background vocals to “You Won’t See Me.”

3. The sounds during the fade out section of “You Never Give Me Your Money.”  This is perhaps my #1 pick.

4. The total, sudden silence at the end of “I Want You “She’s So Heavy.”  Radio stations and streaming services don’t get this one right.

5. The drums/bass collision, combined with backward tape on the vocal, at the end of “Rain.”

6. The short Indian drone segment in one of the latter choruses of “She’s Leaving Home.”  Starts at about 2:57.

7. The airiness/breathing aspect of “Long Long Long.”  Not George’s very best song, but still notable for its acoustic properties.

8. Paul’s brief “return to the womb” piano and vocal close to “Cry, Baby, Cry.”

9. The parts of “Blue Jay Way” (starts about 3:44) and “I am the Walrus” (1:59) when the normal music stops and a bunch of sounds, including cello and also some “acoustic-electric” sounds, come together in a crescendo.  Try also Paul’s much later “Cosmically Conscious,” originally written in 1968 and obviously so (how?).  The cacophony and fade at the end of “All You Need is Love” is the best part of that (very good) song!

10. All of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” which apparently was produced so as to be in two different keys at the same time.

In an earlier post, I suggested that to understand the Beach Boys and their sound world you should listen carefully to “Vegetables” on a high-quality sound system.  Figure out that sound world, and then apply that understanding to the rest of your Beach Boys listening.  Well, here are my comparable tips for The Beatles.

       NSW Premier's Literary Awards shortlists 

       They've announced the shortlists for this year's NSW Premier's Literary Awards, "the richest and longest running state-based literary awards in Australia"; see also the more convenient run-down of all the shortlisted titles in all ten categories at Books + Publishing. 
       The winners will be announced 16 May.