The King's Speech

Screen capture of the speech from the Associated Press broadcast.
Queen Camilla, in white, is seated to the King's left.

King Charles III addressed a joint session of Congress yesterday, as his mother had done in 1991.  Surveying the whole field of our common heritage from Magna Carta to the present, and displaying a deep understanding of American history and politics, his eloquence and humor went over well with the assembled representatives, who interrupted him with standing ovations a number of times.   A lovely speech by a kindly old friend, full of warmth, wisdom, and gentle warning - well worth heeding by those now in power.

If only they would!

The Associated Press transcipt of the speech can be found here.

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Sunday Drive: (You're My) Soul and Inspiration

This gold single by the Righteous Brothers was #1 this week in 1966 on the Billboard charts.  It holds up very well, I think.  They had a unique sound, a masculine sound that must have appealed to every gay boy and man in America.  It certainly appealed to me, just beginning the mysterious ascent to manhood.  Enjoy.

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Waitin' for the Weekend: Gay Swim Party, 1946

From the collection of Harold T. O'Neal, a gay home movie buff who made many films of gay life in California from 1939 to 1989.  This one begins with a well-dressed but rather dull garden party, followed by scenes of several beautiful young men splashing about in various states of undress somewhere along the American River.  A lovely glimpse of what seems a much more innocent time.

Double-click the screen to go full size; hit escape to exit.

Once again, I state what M.P. says, and he ought to know:  if they're only swimming, it's not porn.

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First Gay TV Movie, 1959

This popped up in my YouTube feed the other day:  South, a surprisingly early gay drama shown on British television in 1959 - long before there was any such thing in America.  Newspaper critics were hostile to the display of "perversion" on the small screen, but the fact that it was shown at all proves that the British were ahead of us in that regard.  

The first gay-themed TV movie over here that I recall was That Certain Summer in 1972; Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen played the lovers.  Young people today would not understand the trepidation of watching something so taboo and forbidden.  I watched it with fascination - and no little repugnance.  I was attending college, but still deep in the closet, and terrified of actually encountering any of those wicked ho-mo-sexshuls.  (Oh but I fantasized often . . . then begged God to forgive me . . . over and over again.  An absurd agony that blighted all my teenage years.)

The play was written by Julian Green (1900-1998), born to expatriate American Southerners in Paris.  (The family home in Savannah is now a museum.)  He was a prolific writer, mostly in French, among whose many honors and awards was election to the Olympic heights of the Académie Française in 1971, the first non-French person to be chosen.  Besides which, to judge by the contents of his meticulous lifelong diaries - published in 19 volumes after his death - he was, shall we say, rather energetically gay.  Perhaps, as a Catholic, he had his own struggles with l'absurdité.

The full movie can be seen here (1:19:31).

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King Charles Commemorates 100th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II

A lovely tribute and an inspiring one.

P. S. - I must say, I'm disappointed and a bit shocked that the UK Government has not yet erected some kind of memorial to their late beloved monarch, who served them so long and so well.  Shame on them!

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Sunday Drive: There but for Fortune

My dream girl once upon a time . . ..

Cher, 1967.  An old favorite of mine.  The message still resonates in today's world.

Backup music - by turns ethereal and dramatic - provided by the Wrecking Crew.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

Caution - a few scenes of old-fashioned nekkid swimming.

"If I Had a Boat" by Osvaldo:

M.P. says if they're only swimming, it's not porn.  I'm glad to get clarification on that.

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To Tell the Truth - Undercover Cop, 1973

For several years now at dinnertime, M.P. and I have enjoyed watching episodes of To Tell the Truth from the early 1960s.  I remember it well from my childhood, and I think it is the most entertaining of all the old game shows - perhaps because, unlike with other game shows, neither the panelists nor the audience knows who the real featured character is, so it's fun to try guessing who it is.

This particular episode is perhaps the most entertaining of all, for reasons you will discover if you watch it.  Big laughs.

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Sunday Drive: Debussy, Reverie

Music by Debussy; Art by Parrish.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Slow It Down #2" by Clint Collide:

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The Pork Boys Do Easter 2026

 Some pics of our latest festive dinners.  I post these mainly for our own future reference.

No pictures of the food, but our Palm Sunday dinner was a simple one of breaded cod, fondant potatoes, and steamed broccoli.  The table setting was simple too, as we like to do for Holy Week:

M.P. laid folded green napkins in a cross pattern under the center candles.

Easter Sunday:

They're hard to make out in these pics, but in the centerpiece are three
Easter eggs on sticks, yellow, pink, and blue.

Braised lamb shanks, herbed carrots, baked potatoes.
The first course was creamed chicken soup.  
Dessert, not shown, was lemon mousse in parfait glasses.
Everything was quite delicious.

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Our Darkest Hour Will Be Tweeted

Trump, this morning 4/7/26 (via Joe.My.God.):

Paul Krugman again states the plain truth: if a civilization dies tonight it will be ours - all that America has ever stood for.

I won't ask where the Republican voices are - they sold their souls to the Devil a long time back when they swore allegiance to Trump.  But where are the protests?  Where are the voices of sanity and outraged conscience?  If there is any is outcry, in the streets or in the TV studios, the news feeds I see way down here in Texas sure aren't reporting any.  The train is about to fall off the bridge, and no one seems upset in the U.S. of A., where life is humming along as usual.

For God's sake, will no one tell this maniac to his face to just stop it?  Will no one stay his evil hand from this monstrous crime?  No one at all?

God have mercy on us all, the whole human race.

Update, 7 p.m.:

Trump "Agrees" to Two-Week Ceasefire

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Living in Hell (Formerly Known as America)

Saturday morning, 4/4/26 (via Joe.My.God.):

Sunday morning, 4/5/26 (via Joe.My.God.):

Just the extreme profanity of that last message alone would have meant instant political death for any previous president.  But the horrific threat is unconscionable and unpardonable.

Paul Krugman:

Your Head Trucker asks:  Why are there not millions in the streets right now, all over this country, demanding an end to these evil threats?  Destroying a whole country?  Killing millions of people?  If that isn't the Devil talking, what is it?

And you know, what goes around, comes around.  Don't think this country or its leaders are invulnerable.  And there would be a chain reaction of events, probably, that just might devastate the whole world.  Is there anyone in Washington with enough guts to stand up and say NO to that maniac?

Time's a-wasting.  We're standing on the edge of a bottomless abyss.

BTW:  There's a lot of talk online about invoking the 25th Amendment.  But that would only make J.D. Vance president.  How do you feel about that?

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Easter Sunday 2026

 He is not here; for he is risen, as he said.

R E J O I C E !

The Choir of King's College Cambridge:

Sylvia McNair exquisitely performs the much-loved aria from Messiah:

The Lessons Appointed for Use on

Easter Day

+     +     +     +     +

Bonus:  Rick Steves takes us on a fascinating tour of unusual European Easter customs:

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Today's Meditation

Paul Krugman:

Matthew 7:15-23:

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

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Good Friday 2026

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Murillo, The Crucifixion, circa 1675.
Click to enlarge.

Fernando Ortega gives a deeply moving performance of the well-known hymn from Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

The Lessons Appointed for Use on

Good Friday

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Maundy Thursday 2026

Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;

Therefore let us keep the feast.

Agnus Dei by Zurbaran, circa 1635.

Agnus Dei by Samuel Barber as performed by Voces8:

The Lessons Apppointed for Use on

Maundy Thursday

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