It seems Caroline Overington is a big hit with the pond's many opera devotees and buffs (well at least one is better than none), so the pond was naturally drawn to the story at the top of the rotating Oz digital page, proudly labelled EXCLUSIVE ...
The pond did a double take at that, but later checking in again, there was that EXCLUSIVE word again when the CO story had been downgraded to an ordinary splash ...
Along with that EXCLUSIVE came another nonsensical word - HISTORIC ... it seems like CO had been assigned this day the duty of drumming up the hits with click bait, not so much Puccini as Offenbach ...
Now the pond can overlook the fact that Overington didn't bother to head off to Snelling's wiki - here for those who know how to evade southern walri - to discover that Snelling has been published in standard geological publications estimating the age of geological specimens in billions of years, but has also written articles for creationist journals in which he supports a young-earth creationism viewpoint
But what the pond can't overlook was this bit of click-bait by the UK's Daily Snail, a publication the pond usually never references, and likes to avoid like the plague...
But what the pond can't overlook was this bit of click-bait by the UK's Daily Snail, a publication the pond usually never references, and likes to avoid like the plague...
Note that the Snail ran its story on 1st July; CO's EXCLUSIVE belatedly turned up on 7th July ...
Now the Snail is notorious filching stories, but here's the tragedy of the reptiles trying to pretend that they're for the informed Oztralian, when in reality they're for the Oztralian who doesn't have a clue about how to find information on the full to overflowing intertubes - no wonder they worshipped the arrival of copper down under ...
Like the Snail, the Oz seized on the chance to run a snap of the Grand Canyon ... (and what a grand sight it is, though the pond regrets to this day the squirrel that flung itself under the pond's car) ...
No doubt the reptiles figured that their demographic, being rabidly climate science denialist coal lovers, also skewed fundamentalist Xian creationist, with the bonus that the few informed Oztralians who visit the site could appreciate the satirical irony at the heart of the story ...
What's sad about this is the way that the Snail actually put together a more interesting package, with breakout boxes and panting information about the controversy...
The Snail was also eager to report gory details of creationism ...
Were the reptiles doing payback? The pond has no idea, not having contacted either the reptiles or the Snail for comment ... but it was a serious irritation, because the pond had intended to celebrate TGIF by spending quality time with a gloomy bromancer ...
Meanwhile, the memes have been running hot ...
And then it was back to the gloomy bromancer, dudded by the Donald and the Barners ...
Indeed, indeed, and the pond looks forward to the Donald, Ivanka and the rest of the Trumpists announcing a unilateral boycott on the use of Chinese manufacturing for their brands ...
Nothing like leadership, and nothing like the bromancer to pin all the blame on China ...
Oh yes, that unilateral boycott, with Barners' able assistance, will really make Beijing pay a price ...
And now to a short, sharp, snappy answer to the wag peddling that T-shirt meme ...
Oh so wrong ...
And so to a tribute to CO, a bit scratchy, but that's what happens to blasts from the past ...
Faaark - so Rupert's rags are now going to start running puff-pieces for Creationism?
ReplyDelete"Most geologists believe that the Grand Canyon supports the theory that the Earth is millions of years old..." Actually, Caroline, that should be "Every geologist with the slightest credibility....".
I look forward to the Big O being made Science Editor of "The Australian", and commencing a campaign for a local version of the Scopes Monkey Trial. In a world where Sharri Markson can be a National Political Editor, anything is possible.
As the self confessed numpty of opera, I must say I am enjoying..and learning from the thread, that I still have a lot to learn. (thanks to GB and yourself DP.)
ReplyDeleteBizet's Pearl Fishers, being set in Ceylon,reminded me of a man I worked with part time from the ages of about 8 to 17 (truck jockey/laborer) who hailed from Ceylon. He came from a wealthy tea plantation family, but was smuggled off to Britain for killing a man in a drunken stupor.He went on to be a Sapper in the British military, but alcoholism eventually found him in Oz.
His tales of life in Ceylon, using elephants in land clearing for plantations, teaching me terms to instruct the elephants, hunting/staking out rogues tigers, all enchanted my childhood, but my fondest memory was of him gargling a tune with beer and two pickled onions while I looked down his throat in disbelief.
Apologies for my digression.
I do hope all this cultural appropriation to CO is a passing phase because it is genuinely misplaced....she is the original Idiot wind. Cheers.
Well I'm not exactly an opera aficionado myself, Anony, certainly not like DP. I'm more your ordinary disorganised eclectic who's just been around for enough years to have heard quite a lot of things (I'm still a big fan of The Weavers). And, clearly, missed a lot of things too (eg Goanna)
DeleteBut anyway, DP has linked us to the very lyrical Bjoerling-Merrill version of Au fond du temple saint (without doubt the finest male duet aria ever written). If you want a more spinto version, you have to go for the old favourite Pavarotti (and Ghiaurov in this instance):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOewwwDgsTk
There must always be room for memories of a tune gargled with beer and two pickled onions ... otherwise life is meaningless ...
DeleteWell yes, but I'm glad you were the one who said so, DP :-)
Delete