Here are some things that I learned about this week while randomly reading across the internet.
Marcus Roberts
Read a mention of him in a New York Times article about George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” (one of my all-time favorite tunes). So I looked him up on Spotify and listened to his version of “Cross Road Blues” (another all-time favorite).
The Purple Cow Guy
From Garrison Keillor’s newsletter “The Writer’s Almanac”, I learned that Tuesday was the birthday of (Frank) Gelett Burgess, an American humorist and novelist. GK said that Mr. Burgess wrote 35 books, but I had never heard of him or read any of his works.
I am familiar with a poem he wrote, that my mother was fond of repeating:
I never Saw a Purple Cow
I never Hope to See One
But I can Tell you, Anyhow
I’d rather See than Be One
He also said (this was new to me, Mother never mentioned it)
If in the last few years you haven’t discarded a major opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse. You may be dead.
That seems like useful advice.
Do bugs have feelings?
This was one that Mary showed me during the week. It turns out that bugs – insects – probably do have feelings. As Zaria Gorvett put it in an article on bbc.com
… there’s mounting evidence that insects can experience a remarkable range of feelings. They can be literally buzzing with delight at pleasant surprises, or sink into depression when bad things happen that are out of their control. They can be optimistic, cynical, or frightened, and respond to pain just like any mammal would. And though no one has yet identified a nostalgic mosquito, mortified ant, or sardonic cockroach, the apparent complexity of their feelings is growing every year.
I’ll be thinking twice the next time I start to swat a fly.
Questions? Suggestions?
So… maybe I’m a little smarter after this week. Or maybe I’ve just accumulated some more nice trivia to clutter up my brain space.
Leave a comment below with any questions or suggestions. I always appreciate feedback.
Mike
White Rabbit photo by Victor Larracuente on Unsplash
Bee crying image by RalfDesign on Pixabay
