Yesterday, the radio opera was Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin.” I can’t do a better summary than Wikipedia does: “a dandy rejects a young country girl, she successfully grows into a worldly woman, he tries to seduce her but it is too late.” Set during the reign of Catherine the Great (1762–1796 – and she appears briefly in a silent role in some productions – though not in this one), based on a verse novel by Pushkin, it displays (intentionally or not?) issues of the status of women. The opening duet, between Tatiana’s mother and her maid, includes one of the saddest lines ever written: “Heaven sends us habit in place of happiness.” Although Tatiana gets the upper hand by the time the opera ends. I had planned to see Virgil today, but I missed a deadline I didn’t know existed (it’s fairly new, and it was in a form letter I don’t normally read because I know what is says – or thought I did.) Fortunately he phoned last night so I could tell him before he panicked. He took it well. So I’ll be rearranging my schedule.
Archived from The Guardian. This issue – who should hold historical and pre-historical treasures – has been a hot button topic longer than I have been alive – and it still is. I am on Mamdami’s side myself. It isn’t just the Kohinoor diamond that the UK is still sitting on – It also still holds the Elgin Marbles. I do realize that Athens is subject to earthquakes, but I also feel that those statues must mean more to people who are actually Greek than they ever could to me, regardless of my education.
This video is very short, but it’s on loop, so you won’t miss any of it.
From PBS, referred by Dose of Democracy. Considering how many reactionary bishops we have, this is just a step – but a step in the right direction.
