Yesterday, the opera was “Rodelinda” (by Handel) which dates from before 1750. It is an opera seria, a form which was still used in Mozart’s time (and he wrote a few, including one when he was 14), but he largely moved away from the form. Opera was characterized by featuring noble characters being noble (and others, of course, in opposition to them) and really didn’t have any dialog, but was a series of arias through which the story was told. There was no chorus, but all the soloists were singers I am familiar with and like., including Sasha Cooke, whom I hadn’t heard since she played Kitty Oppenheimer in “Dr. Atomic.” That was in 2008, and she doesn’t appear to have aged a day.
Cartoon
Short Takes –
Democracy: a Journal of Ideas – “Middle-Out” Biden’s New Deal?
Quote – When Biden speaks of middle-out versus trickle-down he is doing more than drawing a political contrast. He is making a highly consequential argument about economic cause and effect, how prosperity is created, and the role of government. And we’ll give you a hint about what he means: The answer is not tax cuts for the rich.
Click through for analysis by a couple of dudes who have been working on these principles for years.
Law and Crime – Project Veritas Loses Defamation Lawsuit Against CNN for Depicting Twitter Ban as Part of ‘Misinformation’ Crackdown
Quote – “Furthermore, while there is some difference between violating a policy by providing incorrect or misleading information and violating a policy by truthfully providing someone’s private information (and potentially exposing a person to harm), the distinction is not enough to make the statement at issue actionable as both violations are similarly damaging to the journalist’s reputation,” the ruling continues. “Project Veritas’s allegations and arguments do not plausibly suggest that the truth (as pled in the Complaint) would have a different effect on the mind of the average reader in terms of the reputational harm.”
Click through for more, including full ruling if you are so inclined. My translation would be “Just because the reporter made a mistake on which loe-life thing you did this time doesn’t make it defamation.” So nice to see “Project Varitas” lose.
Women’s History – Wikipedia – Ada Lovelace
Quote – [Ada Lovelace] was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage’s proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and to have published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. As a result, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.
Click through. A spiritual ancestor of Grace Hopper – and an interesting human being in her own right.
Food For Thought:
