totimundi.com Blog

Polish tenor Wieslaw Ochman [b.1937] sings an aria from F. Lehar’s “Der Zarewitsch” [film version 1973]

Franco Corelli, Englewood, New Jersey, March 18, 1962

“Opera improved on its glitz factor thanks to HD broadcasts and tabloid publicity, but lost sight of its artistry. Administrators and critics fostered the wholly erroneous notions that singers of the past couldn’t act and singers today could; while the jet-set demands of the international lifestyle fostered hothouse careers: the next great hope comes along, wins acclaim, oversings and fades from sight. The tenor Rolando Villazón became a poster boy for opera in the 2000s: not, alas, for his huge talent, but for singing his voice to shreds.”–Anne Midgette writing for the Washington Post about opera of the past decade

Are you giving somebody a gift card? The Federal Trade Commission says, “Give the recipient the original receipt to verify the card’s purchase in case it is lost or stolen.”

Garrison Keillor has unpleasant things to say about Unitarians, Jews, and the people of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in his recent column. Maybe he should stay in his bigoted little hicksville where things are more to his liking.

“Ditch fake Christmas trees to save planet” says an article at telegraph.co.uk. My goodness! If a few fake trees more or less are going to make or break the planet, we might as well forget about the planet and do as we please.

STATE DINNER MENU

The menu for the White House state dinner Tuesday in honor of India, prepared with the help of guest chef Marcus Samuelsson of New York’s Aquavit restaurant:

Potato and eggplant salad

White House arugula with onion seed vinaigrette

Wine: 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Modus Operandi, Napa Valley, Calif.

Red Lentil Soup with Fresh Cheese

Wine: 2006 Riesling, Brooks “Ara,” Willamette Valley, Ore.

Roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney

Chick peas and okra

Or

Green curry prawns

Caramelized salsify with smoked collard greens and coconut-aged basmati

Wine: 2007 Granache, Beckmen Vineyards, Santa Ynez, Calif.

Pumpkin pie tart

Pear tatin

Whipped cream and caramel sauce

Wine: Sparkling Chardonnay, Thibaut-Janisson Brut, Monticello, Va.

Petits fours and coffee

Cashew brittle

Pecan pralines

Passion fruit and vanilla geles

Chocolate-dipped fruit

Source: The White House

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I understand that Indians have dietary restrictions, but I think the White House could have come up with a better menu.

State dinner: Who’s at the head tables?

Who Is Hot And Who Was Blocked (Or Forgotten) At First White House State Dinner–huffingtonpost.com

Guest list–washingtonpost.com

Modern Flourishes as Obamas Host State Dinner–New York Times

“The deep hostility of Britain’s senior military commanders in Iraq towards their American allies has been revealed in classified Government documents leaked to the Daily Telegraph.”

It is a mystery to me why the British wanted to play along with Bush’s fascist adventure in Iraq in the first place.

Brizzly is a web-based Twitter and Facebook client that I have tried out today for the first time. The one advantage to it that I see is that the Twitter messages show the original URL, not the shortened one, and so you can have an idea of what to expect before clicking on a link. A disadvantage is that the font and physical layout at Brizzly are less appealing than at Twitter.

I haven’t seen my chipmunk neighbor since Saturday November 7. Maybe he has gone into his burrow for the winter.