November 30th: Today in 1900 Oscar Wilde died and lost a duel. In the months before his death he is reputed to have said: My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or other of us has got to go. Wilde lost.

Belle and Sebastian are a big band among the trendy, but surprisingly are actually very, very good. Their latest album is The Life Pursuit and you will see it near the top of many best of the year lists. My favorite track is The Blues Are Still Blue sadly unavailable to sample anywhere I can [...]

November 29th: Today in 1781 slave ship captain Luke Collingwood of the Zong made the decision to throw his human cargo overboard in an effort collect the insurance on the ‘cargo’. This horrific murder was exposed, the claim denied and the publicity helped bring the public attention to the brutality of the slave trade and [...]

Ratatat are an electronica group out of Brooklyn, New York. Electronic music is often background music for me, not really something that grabs me, but I like to have it around. Wildcat from their album Classics is a rare electronic song that really grabs me, you can listen to it on their myspace page here. [...]

November 28th: Today in 1925 the Grand Old Opry show debuts on WSM radio, still its home today. I know that many look down on country music, but I have to say I think it is their loss. Much of country music is crap, but so is most rock, rap, opera, etc. If you look [...]

El Perro Del Mar is a one person band from Sweden with a unique singing style you will likely either love or hate. I really like it obviously, but the sound is so distinct that I suspect it will be like the Indigo Girls for me, I will love her work in small doses. Anyway [...]

November 27th: Today in 1934 Baby Face Nelson was killed in a shoot out with the FBI. Nelson is often described as the opposite of the legendary ‘gentleman bandits’ like Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd as Nelson seemed to take delight in killing. Legends and songs came out of the lives of Dillinger and Pretty [...]

Curiosity Originally uploaded by Tancread. Saw this polar bear playing with a little girl at the Memphis Zoo. I suspect the map moving was about all the bear could see in the darkened room we were in so it kept coming at it.

November 24th: Today in 1963 Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President Kennedy as Harvey was being moved from Police Headquarters to a nearby jail. The killing was broadcast on live nationwide television and the photos of the shooting have become iconic with photoshop reworks [...]

I really enjoyed this story about the guy who has bought and restored the house from ‘A Christmas Story’. The ending is classic: Standing in front of the house holding a replica Red Ryder rifle, he discusses his future plans — which could include a nearby bed and breakfast — when, seemingly on a director’s [...]