Is it specified that anyone die in the song, though? (Obviously many many died during the Vietnam war)

Also "Excitable Boy" has quite the body-count.

A 1960s paperback of Asimov's FOUNDATION AND EMPIRE until its alternate US title THE MAN WHO UPSET THE UNIVERSE

UNIVERSE: you've been very thoughtless and hurtful, and frankly I'm upset
THE MULE: look, I'm sorry, alright?

Come to lunch & I'll lend it you.

Frances Wilson, ELECTRIC SPARK: THE ENIGMA OF MURIEL SPARK

Next to read:

Kenan Ornan's new novel THE RENOVATION.

I quite enjoyed this, though it's manifestly a (cool!) short story expanded to shortish-novel length.

There were serious negotiations with the estate about publishing it, and for a while it looked like it might come out, but as I understand it that's fallen through now. Francis had some copies privately printed, one of which I have (he said, boastfully).

I've read it and it's absolutely brilliant.

Did you used to be?

If you want to swim out
Swim like a trout
Cocaine
If you want to come on
Like a salmon
Cocaine

No small fry
No small fry
No small fry
Cocaine

Biting the Dust ... and another one gone, and another one gone ...

The origin of the phrase 'bite the dust': profadamroberts.substack.com/p/biting-the...

... and actually I discover, with a little rummaging around, that it doesn't come from Butler at all, but from Racine!

Ἑκτόρεον ... πολέες δ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι
πρηνέες ἐν κονίῃσιν ὀδὰξ λαζοίατο γαῖαν. Iliad 2:416-18

"even so did Hektor fall to earth and bite the dust. His spear fell from his hand, but his shield and helmet were made fast about his body, and his bronze armor rang about him." Butler

It kind-of does! Which is to say the phrase comes from Samuel Butler's 1898 translation of Homer's Iliad ("wine dark sea" is also Butler).

A medieval gilded painting of St Maximus being martyred by being burnt alive. St Theodotus of Adrianopolis is being martyred right next to him. Both have gigantic golden halos, facial expressions that say "what me worry?" and Al Jolson jazz hands.

Thank you for your attention in this martyr.

If this happened at Reading Library they'd send him straight to gaol!

Sing, Muse, the wrath of Starmer ...

A Chinese mayor sentenced to death had 13.5 tons of gold and 23 tons of cash hidden across his apartments – Startup Fortune Zhang Jun, former Mayor of Haikou, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve after investigators recovered 13.5 tons of gold bars and 23 tons of

*sings*
Gold Mayor [*wah wahhh wah*]
Here's the one
The one with 135 tons of gold
He's pretty bold
startupfortune.com/a-chinese-ma...

The LRB is selling a lapel badge with the name LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS positioned around the circumference in such a way as to confuse easy reading.

I am, myself, a dedicated reader of the REVIEW OF NODNOT SKOOB.

"Even Bears Let We Fly!" -- excellent.
Idiomatic English is hard.

The PhDtt

Noah Wyle

I see there are already two series of "The Pitt", disappointingly not called "Pitt the Elder" and "Pitt the Younger".

Tony the Tiger's Poetry Podcast.

"Robert Frost? ... he's G-R-R-R-REAT!"

Good, but ... bsky.app/profile/drpa...

Starlight Expresso

Evian-ita

Very commendable from Andrew Lloyd Webber: ‘I am a recovering alcoholic’ "Ten years ago, the composer said he was giving up booze — but kept drinking secretly. Now he adores his daily AA meetings, is enjoying a burst of creativity and is selling off his wine cellar"

It's Fanta at the Opera, now.