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I only watched the Academy Awards sporadically. I really enjoyed the Sound of Music segment and Lady Gaga's singing. Here's an interesting story about the truth about the real Von Trapp family: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31658799

On ‘Downton Abbey,’ Beware the Fish Mousse By ROSLYN SULCAS NYT FEB. 26, 2015 “It’s not just about making the food look nice,” said Lisa Heathcote, who makes the dishes that appear on “Downton Abbey.” “You have to fit into the script requirements, choose the right kind of food that is historically accurate.” Credit Andrew Testa for The New York Times LONDON — Soufflés were on the menu at Downton Abbey, and Lisa Heathcote was standing in a tent in a windy parking lot, making one after another in two makeshift ovens. “Sometimes they would fall before the director was ready to shoot, sometimes they would fall in the middle of a take,” recounted Ms. Heathcote, who is Mrs. Patmore, Daisy and the rest of Downton Abbey’s kitchen staff rolled into one practical person responsible for all the food on the set. “The continuity people were freaking out. There were rows of collapsed soufflés, new ones continually coming out of the oven. It was a nightmare!” As any “Downton” fan feverishly anticipating the Season 5 finale on Sunday, knows, that’s a lot of food. From the early scene in the first episode, when the Crawley family hear of the sinking of the Titanic over breakfast — thus heralding a new heir for Downton and several seasons of romantic intrigue — to the endless dinners, teas, luncheons (not “lunch,” please!) and ceremonial banquets that mark the regular rhythms of aristocratic family life, few television series show more people eating more often. A scene from the kitchen with Lesley Nicol. Credit Nick Briggs/Carnival Film & Television Limited for Masterpiece Nor are they messing about. For breakfast, there might be eggs, sausages, bacon, kidneys, kedgeree (a rice and smoked-fish dish) and toast. Lunch would be at least two courses; tea would include cake and sandwiches; the evening meal would consist of at least three courses, finishing with a small savory (like prunes wrapped in bacon), or as many as seven courses if there were guests. Ms. Heathcote has been the food stylist on “Downton” since the first episode. “We had no idea what it was going to be,” she recounted in the kitchen of her house here, near the Wimbledon tennis courts. “A friend had emailed, saying, ‘Keep February open, I’ve got a nice little period drama coming up.’ ” That nice little period drama, about an English aristocratic household in the first decades of the 20th century, has now taken over the world, and like everything else that goes into the making of the series, the food, and how it is prepared and served, is precisely planned and monitored for historical veracity. In her early 50s, Ms. Heathcote is blond, energetic and what the English might call jolly. Drinking coffee and describing her job after a grueling week of shooting the coming sixth season (she is sworn to secrecy, although it did emerge that marmalade-making is involved), she said that her job was essentially to facilitate what Julian Fellowes, the creator of “Downton,” required. “He often writes food into the script, and it’s always accurate,” she said. “But there is a lot that isn’t written in that we have to work out in terms of seasonality, what is eaten upstairs and downstairs, and how it will look visually.” Ms. Heathcote acquired historical expertise about food while working on films and television series set in bygone eras (“The Duchess,” “Love in a Cold Climate,” “Outlander”). She grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon, and trained as a cook at the Prue Leith school in London. Her introduction to on-screen work came some 25 years ago, when a producer friend asked her to lend a hand on a commercial. An element of a period-appropriate menu. Credit Nick Briggs/Carnival Film & Television Limited for Masterpiece It has become more important to make film food more authentic over the years, she said. “If you look back at films of the ’50s and ’60s, the food is so fake, and people are so obviously not eating,” she said. “Now we all so much more food-aware and more attuned, through cooking programs on television, to how food looks and is presented.” The job, she said, isn’t nearly as straightforward, nor as glamorous, as it may sound. “You are essentially part of the art department,” she explained, “and you need to understand what the requirements are. It’s not just about making the food look nice. You have to fit into the script requirements, choose the right kind of food that is historically accurate and correct for the season. It’s got to be able to stand around while the scene is shot over and over again, and you have to be able to make vast quantities of it, because if someone carves a chicken leg off a whole chicken, they are going to do that over and over again, and you will have to have 60 chickens ready.” She added that because at Downton there was butler service — the food is on platters and in dishes carried by footmen to each diner, who then serves him- or herself — it also had to be user-friendly. “We’ve made sure that the dining room is the ballet that a dining room has always been in an aristocratic house,” said Alastair Bruce, the historical adviser on the series. “The servants must silently and effortlessly offer food; you have to teach each of those actors how to place the fork or spoon on the dish, and to serve. Each person at the table could decide whether they wanted a dish or not, and how much, but once you’ve put it on your plate, you had to eat it. That’s how these people were brought up.” An element of a period-appropriate menu. Credit Nick Briggs/Carnival Film & Television Limited for Masterpiece The food, Mr. Bruce said, couldn’t be overly fancy or ornate, or it would be too difficult to help oneself. “The rule is that if Violet can’t put a fork and spoon on the item on the plate and serve herself, it can’t be in the dining room,” he said, referring to Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, played with much verve by Maggie Smith. Repeated takes of a single scene mean that Ms. Heathcote must be constantly ready to refresh plates and replace food that is sitting around at room temperature. She said that “for health and safety reasons,” the food served was generally cold, although she cooks the breakfasts on set and remarked that Hugh Bonneville likes a hot sausage. Although there is always real food on the table, she said that improvisation is occasionally necessary. “Sometimes Julian will write something into the dialogue — ‘marvelous fish mousse’ — and you need to give them what’s in the script,” she said. “But fish can’t sit around on set, so I often cheat it with cream cheese and coloring. If another fish dish is required, I make chicken breasts and slightly mask them with a sauce. We call it chicken-fish.” Since some scenes show meals being prepared in the Downton kitchen, Ms. Heathcote said she had to be careful to get every detail right. “You have to get birds with feet and head on, calves with hooves, and veg that look a bit rugged, because everything would have come off the estate,” she explained. “The meat must be tied up with old string, not the blue one that butchers use now. It’s also very much about the visuals, so I have to cast the food; I’m always looking at stuff, and saying, ‘No, it’s the wrong shape.’ People must think I’m mad.” The series has traveled from 1912 to 1924 over its five seasons, and Ms. Heathcote said that the art directors were careful to take note of social changes and kitchen innovations, like food mixers, refrigerators and Pyrex. “Food was highly fetishized at the beginning, with those extraordinary ice creams and jellies and decorated food made with aspic,” she said. “As the series moves on, it gradually moves away from that, but it is still quite complicated, with mousselines and the edges of the plates decorated.” Lesley Nicol, who plays Mrs. Patmore, the cook, said that luckily, as head of the kitchen, she spends most of her time overseeing the junior kitchen staff. “She is always tasting and garnishing — and shouting, so I don’t have to do anything very technical,” Ms. Nicol said. She added that although she didn’t consider herself much of a cook (“It makes me laugh how many people think I am”), she had learned a few tricks. “Yesterday, I had to knead dough,” she said, “and Lisa taught me how to do it so that it looked right.” So there is dough in Season 6 as well as marmalade? Story-line theorizing can commence. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/arts/television/on-downton-abbey-beware-the-fish-mousse.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=0

http://www.chateaudegudanes.org/ Found by the son of an Australian family on the Internet in 2013, the family has undertaken a complete restoration of Chateau De Gudanes. The old girl will live to fight another day.

Thats a great report, and I truly hope Mr Axiom got to see it before he leaves on his trip.... Sadly, Grandma doesnt travel anymore. She always hated flying, and now the process is just so cumbersome that she just doesnt want to deal... Back in the day, when she did travel, her pre-trip research was always on the culture and non-sexual aspects, because it was always assumed a hookup would happen randomly, and from some gay bar.... Kudos on the tenacity of the "sexual" research... Wish i had the patience to do it, and ponder all the missed opportunities..... But as they say, whatever your travel experience is, you "always have the memories".............

I just want to give you guys a head's up about the scene in Havana. I got there on February 13. I had dinner with a young Cuban guy I met on Bearwww.com. He wasn't a rent boy. He turned out to be more feminine in person. He was very pretty, but not my type. Also it was difficult getting to know him because he had no English and I have very little knowledge of Spanish. I felt sorry about letting him down as he was very sweet, but I felt no chemistry there. Saturday night I went to Humboldt 52 with the owner of Casa Arian. It was fantastic. Great entertainment and cheap booze. There were plenty of boys/men to be had. Some were obviously gay, others were young macho guys. The majority were available for sex. I was forewarned to tuck my money away and to bring only enough for the evening. There I met the most gorgeous young twink ever. Sorry I have no contact information; he lives with his family. The prices range to 25CUC ($1.00CUC=$1.00USD) to 45CUC. I also gave him toothbrushes, hair products, and small bottles of cologne. Bring some extra toiletries along because they are hard to get in Cuba and very appreciated. The boys are very nice and not at all dangerous, but are not averse to lifting a few items when you're back is turned, so put all your valuables in the safe. Another caveat, do not buy food on the street. I bought a fruit juice from a street vendor and had 24-hour bug. So bring Immodium and any other over the counter meds you need. I drank the tap water and had no ill affects. However, there are no convenience stores there, so you have to buy bottles of water in restaurants. I ate several times at the Hotel Park Centrale which is very modern and has reasonable prices. The owner of Casa Arian also suggested some good Cuban restaurants. I met some guys from Amsterdam and after recuperating from my stomach ailment I went with one to Cabaret Las Vegas. There were about 50-75 rentboys there. The majority were black or mulatto and between 20-30 years old. I didn't see any twinks that night. The Dutchman and I proceeded to get inebriated and we left the bar with two guys. My guy was a black dude around 23 with a big pinga. Most of the boys are "activo" only. My last night I went back to Humboldt and once again the show was fabulous. One of the dancers was extremely handsome. I was mesmerized. As I had an early flight back to Toronto I left early with a tall handsome mulatto guy in tow. When I got to the airport I was still tipsy, but got a few winks in the waiting area. Some overall comments. It was my first time in a third world country and it took a bit to get used to the sadly run down buildings. However, I didn't see any panhandlers and the people were healthy and well-dressed. There were many many handsome Cuba men on the streets and sidewalks. Make sure to bring a Spanish phrase book because almost no one speaks English or any other European language. Beware to taxi drivers overcharging you. Negotiate your price before getting in the taxi because they are unregulated. I liked using the bicycle taxis for short rides. My ankle was still healing after a break in December. For souvenir shopping go to old Havana. I was told that the Malecon was dead because of the cold winds there at night so I didn't bother going there. The weather in February in Havana is not very hot and some nights I wore a jacket when I went out. The hottest day I was there it was about 29 Celsius and almost no humidity. Many of the Cuban guys want you to fall in love with them. I believe it's because they are desperate to get to a first world country. But there are some sincerely nice guys who are very romantic. I'm definitely going back, but I'm going to learn more Spanish before I do so. Being able to communicate with the locals really adds to the enjoyment of the holiday. I think the next time I go it will in March because the cool sea winds precluded going to the beach. My rating is 3 1/2 stars out of 5!

Who can forget Gertrude and Heathcliff + Clem Kiddlehopper? And, so many others. These strictly from memory and no research. Not to hijack, but you have made me start thinking about other oldies buy goodies and one of my other favorites, Sid Caesar (and company). Absolute masters of impromptu. Best regards, RA1

Sometimes I see myself in a comic strip.

I actually interpreted the comment as a reference to the Hippies of the 80's, who had dreads and reeked of patouli and Weed.. I never read Racial slur into it.... and I too agree her reaction was a bit extreme, but I think there was an underlying jealously of Giuliana, who was obviously a level above her on the show.... Whatever, if girl dont need a paycheck, good luck to her.... Grandma is throwing her hat in the ring I Think Grandma Sucky Might just be the Ticket ?

I understand why Bohner extended the invitation to speak. Republicans have been working for decades to make support for Israel a wedge issue to split off Jewish Americans from the Democrats. But Israel and its American supporters (as opposed to pols who find it useful to be seen to support Israel) have been careful to avoid this trap. For several years, Netanyahu has been winking and nodding to American Jews that they should support the Republican party but openly challenging a sitting Democratic American president in this way is completely over the top. The Democrats are furious; serious people in Israel are horrified.

And now 180 retired generals have come forward to publicly denounce Bibi's behavior as a danger to the security of Israel. LOL, how many retired generals can a country like Israel have? 180 has got to be a hell of a lot of them.

Before visiting the saunas in the evening - here is a day-time event that might be interesting to attend: http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-entertainment/photography-exhibition-celebrating-rios-history-opens-on-citys-anniversary/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRioTimes+%28The+Rio+Times%29 Celebrating Rio de Janeiro's 450th year - There is no charge to see the exhibit - -

Israel election: Labor challenger catches up with Netanyahu as vote nears http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/01/israel-election-labor-challenger-catches-up-netanyahu

At least he is in his New film. The star, who recently won his First Oscar for his portrayal of Steven Hawking in Theory of Everything will next up be playing the first Danish Transgender... In the biopic — set for release in 2016 — Eddie plays Einar Wegener, a Danish artist who undergoes one of the first gender reassignment procedures in history. And this was in Germany in the 1930s, so this stuff was experimental back then! The Danish Girl is directed by Eddie's Les Misérables director Tom Hooper and also stars Amber Heard and Alicia Vikander as Eddie's wife. And Eddie looks STUNNING on the road to his NEXT Oscar..... "You look Wunderful"........

I agree, I plan to see the film. Here is a little more of the background of the story: http://www.bustle.com/articles/22952-eddie-redmayne-to-play-lili-elbe-in-the-danish-girl-who-is-the-1900s-trans-pioneer

This looks like it should be really good.

Great pics. Thanks for sharing as always

Thanks for the report!

I loved this part of the show as well. The songs from that movie are some of my faves.

Grandma Sucky's Helpful hint of the Day........

I never watched him on TV. The interview revealed a profound and well rounded man. As I compare and contrast a man like that to the majority of us today with our faces buried looking at our phones I wonder when we will all lose the ability to interact with one another in person. What a daily schedule he outlined. Sounds like he only slept 3 1/2 hours a night. I hope he took naps.

Poo power: fuel, lampshades, paper and other useful things made from waste From horse manure to panda poo, animal waste can build our furniture and fuel our cars The panda can naturally convert waste plant material into the type of sugars that can be fermented into bioethanol. Photograph: Xinhua /Landov /Barcroft Media Rich McEachran Friday 27 February 2015 10.39 EST Last modified on Saturday 28 February 2015 10.21 EST Poo. It’s a dirty word, and in some parts of the world, a taboo. But everyone does it – the average person alone produces 72.5kg of faecal matter annually. Some of it gets treated, some of it is left to float around, but nearly all of it has an economic value. Last year, the UK’s first bus powered by human poo hit the roads of Bristol and in January this year, the Janicki Omniprocessor, a machine that turns human poo into water was revealed. Janicki Bioenergy, the company behind the machine, is soon to ship a processor to Dakar, Senegal, where it will produce 10,800 litres of water. Here are some other examples of how waste is being integrated into sustainable, circular design and production with environmental and social benefits. Stools made from stoolsThere are seats made from urine and sand, so it’s almost inevitable that there would be furniture fashioned from poo, or to be more precise, a mixture of horse manure, straw and other agricultural waste. The stools and lampshades, known as Terra, were the creation of Tel Aviv-based designer Adital Ela. Ela believes the idea could inspire the future of interior design and that anyone could eventually make their own household items from waste collected locally. After use, the objects can be remoulded with water or composted. She even envisages a future where the making process could become a craft and provide communities in developing countries with added income. Poo to the slaughter Facebook Twitter Pinterest In Kenya, Maasai pastoralists in Kajiado County are generating electricity for a slaughterhouse using byproducts from the animal killing process: blood, guts and even poo. The facility can pipe gas to local businesses, while any waste sludge is turned into fertiliser. The group of 320 pastoralists expect to sell cylinders of the gas from March. Each one would be priced at Ksh 700 ($8/£5.20) – roughly half of the price of standard gas. Usually the slaughterhouse waste would be burned, so with more than 500 cattle and sheep being killed daily, the process will also ensure that a lot of methane doesn’t enter the atmosphere. Let cow poo provide the powerIn the future, poo won’t just be the fertiliser that grows the fruit, vegetable and crops. It could also close the nutrient cycle by powering food production systems. A team of Stanford University PhD students are developing a low-cost machine for pasteurising milk that runs on methane from dung. According to Sarah Rizk, co-founder of the technology, Vorpal, a cow’s poo can pasteurise 10 times the amount of milk it produces. By relying on the animal to power the biodigestor, the system can ensure that methane emissions are reduced, less milk is spoiled and farmers’ incomes are boosted. “The cow provides all the power we need to pasteurise the milk. With this system, farmers can be fully self-sufficient and customers wouldn’t have to pay [more to cover the costs of] electricity for pasteurisation,” explains Rizk. “We use a high voltage pulse to directly kill bacteria rather than heating up the whole volume of milk. Because of this, we cut energy use in half.” Writing on rhino poo Facebook Twitter Pinterest Standard paper production can use vast amounts of water and chemicals and emit high levels of CO2. A number of small businesses have found an alternative to energy-intensive virgin wood: elephant and rhino poo – there’s a lot of it going around: according to the WWF, Indian elephants can excrete 220lb (100kg) of dung a day. Mumbai-based Elrhino is one of the businesses recovering the waste and converting it into a range of stationery. The dung is a perfect raw material because it’s high in celluose (the main fibre used to make paper), explains ElRhino’s co-founder Nisha Bora. The company manages the dung production chain from the sourcing and preparation to the selling. Bora says that “the art of making paper by hands is dying”, so having control over the supply chain means they can train local women and young people to provide them with economic opportunities and skills. It currently has several dozen employees. ElRhino claims that the products sold are created using 44% less energy than virgin wood and generating 50% less waste. Run your vehicle on panda poo Facebook Twitter Pinterest Biofuels from corn can be worse than gasoline when it comes to carbon emissions, according to experts. Researchers from the Mississippi State University concluded that waste plant material, such as corn cobs and stems, would be ideal alternative sources, with a little help from a cute animal: the panda. Ashli Brown, who co-authored a report based on the research, presented at an American Chemical Society meeting, realised that the bear’s poo could help in the process of converting the waste – it contains a number of microbes needed to break down the material, thanks to the bacteria in the bear’s gut, which it uses to break down its diet of bamboo. The panda’s ability to naturally convert material into the type of sugars that can be fermented into bioethanol is a sharp contrast to the current carbon-intensive options. http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/feb/27/poo-animal-panda-waste-useful-furniture-fuel-cars

Well its good you keep entertaining YOURSELF, because as far as this site goes, YOUR entertainment for others is like dogshit on the bottom of a shoe. Zippy, we all know you like Nothing here, and only hang around so you can sniff my Ass, so go ahead Hon and take a nice long Whiff.....

We always watched Red Skelton. And, with pleasure. Best regards, RA1

DAMN, you duped Grandma again........ I wanted to see........................... When you say RED SKELETONS, I want RED SKELETONS.......

LOOKIN, didnt you know that birds have Stock in the car-wash Industry ????

Interesting story, and it sounds like this thoughtful little girl is not the only one who has established a mutual gift-giving relationship with crows. I currently have a bunch of these bellicose black-bellied blighters being bothersome around my place and have been looking for something to give them too. They must have sensed my intentions as I came out yesterday morning to find they had beat me to the punch with a few little gifts of their own.

I stayed at Casa Arian which is in Central Havana (La Reina and Angeles). It was very clean. Plenty of hot water. Each room at a safe which is indispensable. It was 30CUC a night (=$30USD). The advantage is that the owner is gay and will give you advice the gay night life and the boys. Breakfast is 5CUC. It was about 10 CUC taxi ride to the bars. Like most buildings in Havana it was run down. If you want a first world hotel try the Hotel Parque Central. A standard room runs about $200USD a night and is very modern. It includes breakfast. There is live entertainment in the evenings. It's about $10CUC on way the gay bars (where the boys are). I am not sure if the security will allow you to bring boys back to your hotel room.

Thanks for the detailed report. It's very interesting. Please may I ask you to comment on where you stayed, how you found it and whether it was upto reasonable first-world standards.

I suspect the Shah, the Ayatollah and all those folks who lived in Iran at the time had a little something to do with it.

There are many other great Brazilian cities to visit. In most cases, speaking some of the local lingua franca will be necessary to get by as many folks here speak little or no English, though they can understand Spanish. My spellings might be incorrect, and sorry, no pics: Paraty / Parati Minas Gerais area: Ouro Preto, San Joao del Rei - Tiradentes - old Portuguese colonial Brazil The Bahia, Recife and Olinda areas have great sights and crippling poverty as well Florianopolis is supposed to be a great beach area Manaus and the jungle areas Iguassu falls - I have been on the Argentine side