Shots Fired

Just Say No...

Nelson Rockefeller

We had to tell this guy "No" in '60, '64, and '68. He finally took the hint.

Rudy Giuliani

We told this unctuous Democrat-turned-Republican "No" in 2008.

George Pataki

                                      

        Michael Bloomberg

We said "No" to both of these assholes during the 2016 campaign.

...to nominating New York Republicans

Oh HELL No!

"Especially if he's only been a 'Republican' for like a day and a half, am I right?"

You are correct, old friend...especially then...

Lexington and Concord

On April 19, 1775 the Battles of Lexington and Concord took place. It was the first open armed conflict between Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies in what was then called British America.

There were some dicey moments along the way, but in the end it worked out okay...

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis (1820), by John Trumbull

"It's a good thing, too, as much as you dislike tea."

Exactly so...

Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update

It was rainy here yesterday, but that didn't hurt business at the B&B. If anything, rainy weather makes my customers want to linger longer, to stay relatively dry. Among the customers who dropped in yesterday were two very colorful species that haven't visited since winter began...

"I'm completely over that ALCS thing, just so you know."

"Red IS your favorite color, right?"

I call these my "baseball" birds. If I ever see a Baltimore Oriole in these parts, that would be amazing...

Enough Said

From the acerbic pen of Michael Ramirez, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

One of the most difficult things to do in show business is follow up a successful venture with another success. The legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II faced that challenge after the overwhelming success of their first collaboration, Oklahoma!

Their follow-up to that 1943 hit might not have enjoyed quite the commercial success of its predecessor, but Carousel is arguably the pair's artistic pinnacle. Rodgers has said that Carousel is his favorite of all of his musicals, and in 1999 Time magazine named the show the best musical of the 20th century. It has remained popular with both amateur and professional companies for decades.

Original 1945 lobby poster

On April 19, 1945 Carousel opened at the Majestic Theatre in Manhattan. The original production ran for 890 performances, and cemented Rodgers and Hammerstein's reputation as the preeminent team in American musical theatre.

Easily the most popular song from the show was "You'll Never Walk Alone," which has become a standard. It is a moving song, and deserves its popularity, but in my experience female vocalists often render it in an "operatic" style that I find off-putting.

I much prefer more straightforward interpretations like the one Scottish vocalist Susan Boyle included on her 2012 album Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage.



Today's send-off is Boyle's lovely and unadorned rendition. Enjoy...