Eighteen years after Footloose

Kevin Bacon gallantly sends himself up in Will and Grace in 2002 (4 minutes):

Put it away

"Half-Nekkid Thursday" is a tiresome fad that entices bloggers to expose their pallid, flabby, repulsive flesh until the entire blogosphere vomits.

In response, Ben Locker dreamed up Elegantly Dressed Wednesday. Some of his own contributions to this great project are here.

British public "not fit for purpose"

The speech politicians would love to make.

Last farewell

Intrigued by this photo on the BBC website, I did some Googling.

More than fifty ships lie wrecked in the Sound of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, and the best known - perhaps because she's been the most visible - seems to be this one, the Fleetwood registered trawler Wyre Majestic.

Built in 1958, she's been lying on the rocks since 1974. But as these pictures show, we're losing her.

Two worlds collide

John Le Mesurier tries to become an Australian:

Elder Statesmen

If George W Bush, Dick Cheney and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were all hit by the same truck, Senator Robert C Byrd (born 1917) would automatically become President of the United States.

In this very sound speech last year he came out fighting for his right to continue to serve in Congress even though he's, as it were, old.

More recently, Senator John McCain (71) asserted his credibility as a Presidential candidate by pointing to his hale and hearty mother.

This list of political oldies was compiled by Michael Crick.

Dear Posterity…

A new cache of Henry James letters.

Seven today

Wikipedia, that is.

Foodscapes

Landscapes made from food.

Or how about sea creatures made from plastic bottles?

Seven minutes of melancholy happiness

Chet Baker sings and plays like he means it:

Watch with Nanny

Reviving the corpse of Fifties children's television (4 mins):



Late extra (1 min):

Henry's footsteps

This lovely little site takes you down the River Thames with Victorian photographer Henry Taunt, plus brand new images of the same scenes. (Congratulations on your blue plaque, Henry.)

Mental illness as spectator sport

"We have wandered, by many digital and media paths, into an era of new cruelty that would have horrified us even two decades ago" - Peter Preston on Britney Spears.

Spilled Water EMERGENCY!

Made me laugh:

Jailhouse Rock

Can it ever be right to make a thousand Filipino convicts impersonate zombies? Froog scratches his head over the video evidence.

(Many thanks to Froog for his appreciative review of Webside Gleanings.)

RIP George MacDonald Fraser

The BBC reports his death aged 82.

Heard him give a talk and answer questions in the Nineties; he seemed a likeable - indeed endearing - soul.

Obituaries: Guardian / Independent / Telegraph / Times

Centenarian twins

They're going to Budapest (from Cornwall) to celebrate.

That Thing They Do

Hard at work in 1943, the faux-Egyptian sand-dancers Wilson and Keppel:



(The third member of the act, Betty, is presumably backstage, sobbing incredulously.)

Fraudulent automaton

The strange case of the bogus mechanical chess-playing Turk.

Thud, thud

Did you wake up feeling as if numerous nails had been hammered into your head? Watch yourself: it may not be a hangover.