Henryk Mikołaj Górecki Dawn Upshaw Helena Wanda Błażusiakówna A biography of Helana can be found here: https://www.gosc.pl/doc/6457342.Lamentacja-twardej-Heleny She was a brave young woman who fought in the underground resistance against the German occupiers. The Success of Henryk Gorecki and Dawn Upshaw’s Recording
Category: Europe
I came across a lovely, peaceful video of a woman preparing a feast of Vareniki (Pierogi). The woman lives in the Carpathian mountains of eastern Ukraine, in a small village of Dzembronya, in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. The video reminds me of Ashe County, North Carolina, perhaps at the turn of the last century. Life is […]
(We laugh so we don’t cry) So, once a year the WLBOTT Elders eat bratwurst and sauerkraut, to maintain our corporate membership in the German Heritage Society. That day was yesterday. But due to leftovers in a leaky Tupperware container, this morning the entire corporate headquarters is enjoying the Fermenté d’Amour, Bavarian Bliss, Eau de […]
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A Well-Curated Joke
I have been carefully curating my son’s life so that, at the appropriate moment, I could present him with this joke. His curating process included an immersion in American pop culture, European Renaissance history, Roman Catholic Cannon Law, a WLBOTT-compatible sense of humor, and a love of boiled eggs. So here’s the joke: Q: What […]
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Russian Outgassing
[Thanks to UC#1 for bringing this breaking news to our attention.] WLBOTT, of course, sent a crew to investigate. From the ISS side, the unmistakable sound of clinking pots and a faint, cheerful hum of Russian folk music drifts through the hatch. Suddenly, two Russian astronauts, Yuri and Svetlana, appear, wearing aprons over their flight […]
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The Buttery Ruble
Ruble to Rubble Earlier today…. A few hours later…. And just as we go to press…. Peering into the future…. Wednesday, November 27, 2024 Later the same day (11/27/24) Butter Behind Locked Doors WLBOTT Responds to the Russian Butter Crisis To respond to this crisis, WLBOTT is introducing to the Russian market a delicious blend […]
The wimple was a common medieval head covering, particularly for married women and nuns. It was a close-fitting cloth that covered the neck, chin, and sometimes even the cheeks, framing the face. The wimple was often worn with a veil draped over it and was seen as a respectable, modest form of dress. It symbolized […]
Oh, have we discovered a delightful rabbit hole. We were continuing the theme of Women’s Head Coverings, this time focusing on Catholic traditions. But this led us to head coverings in medieval paintings, which led us to the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck. WLBOTT: G, are there medieval or renaissance paintings that feature women’s […]
Our esteemed Elder G informs me that there are approximately 100 four-letter curse words in the English language. WLBOTT Word-of-the-Day WLBOTT: If you had to say there was a “queen mother” of all curse words, what would it be? Elder G: The “queen mother” of all curse words would probably be “f***.” Its versatility is […]
A WLBOTT RESEARCH PROPOSAL [Thanks to UC#1 for his research proposal] One of the great unsolved mysteries of life is, “How can I watch the missing ‘Dr Who’ episodes?” Extensive research has been done in BBC archival sites, personal collections and homes of known hoarders, but many of the early episodes remain lost to the […]