by Peter Cates Just browsing Recently I have been browsing through volumes of the Library of Universal Knowledge, published in 1880, not so much for information on any particular subject but for how it was discussed in 1880. A few examples- “Infant, in English law, means every male and female under the age of 21.” […]
by Peter Cates Ralph Meeker Ralph Meeker (1920-1988) was labeled perhaps a bit misleadingly as a character actor; on film and television, he did portray men on both sides of the law but he didn’t have the characterizing artistry of a Rod Steiger or Sir Lawrence Olivier. What Meeker did have was a tough, almost […]
by Peter Cates MobLand A new Paramount series MobLand depicts the activities of Conrad Harrigan, a gentlemanly head of a crime family in London and his calculating, slightly shrewish wife Maeve, both portrayed with consummate persuasion by Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. The gentlemanly quality masks a ruthless cold-blooded evil and greed as he decides […]
by Peter Cates Khachaturian Khachaturian: Gayaneh Ballet Excerpts; Piano Concerto; and Masquerade Suite – Jiri Belohlavek conducting the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra, in Gayaneh, and Masquerade; pianist Mirka Pokorna with Vladimir Valek conducting the Prague Symphony Orchestra in the Piano Concerto. Supraphon SU 3107-2011, recorded between 1972 and 1980, CD. Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) composed some […]
by Peter Cates Sir Eugene Goossens Sir Eugene Goossens (1893-1962) conducted the Rochester Philharmonic during the 1920s; succeeded Fritz Reiner as Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1931 to 1946; moved to Australia to lead the Sydney Symphony for ten years until forced to resign in 1956 due to his involvement with a […]
by Peter Cates Samuel de Champlain In his fascinatingly detailed Voyages, Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635) wrote of traveling up the Penobscot River in the following entry for September 5th, 1604: “The same day we passed also near to an island about four or five leagues long. From this island to the main land on the […]
by Peter Cates Poet Lee Sharkey Poet Lee Sharkey (1945-2020) moved to Maine in 1971 and taught writing for several years at the University of Maine’s Farmington campus. She was also a social and peace activist, mentored aspiring writers from many walks of life, particularly those in prison and psychiatric hospitals, and protested the Iraq […]
by Peter Cates The Cathedrals The Cathedrals – Masters of Gospel; Riversong 84418-2876-4, 1992 cassette. The Cathedrals is a gospel men’s quartet in the tradition of the two most well known ones from the Deep South – the Blackwood Brothers; and the Statesmen. This cassette is a generously filled anthology of 15 previously released selections- […]
by Peter Cates Listening to a pile of 78s After listening to a pile of 78s that are both long forgotten and musically captivating, I wish I could write about each and every one of them, but, for reasons of time and space, can only pick a few; hopefully they can be heard via YouTube. […]
by Peter Cates Maine Speaks anthology The 1987 Maine Speaks anthology contains what has elsewhere been often considered the most famous 20th century short story from our Pine Tree State – The Ledge, by Lawrence Sargent Hall (1915-1993). However, before today (February 2, 2025), I was totally unfamiliar with the story, and the writer, let […]