La voz nasal de Sasha Bell recuerda a varios iconos de los sesentas, Nico incluida. Los arreglos musicales evocan el “Pop Barroco” del grupo, también neoyorquino, The Left Banke. A pesar del ritmo rápido y firme, la atmósfera es melancólica a más no poder, pero el subidón del final con el “Will you follow me?” deja un sentimiento “soleado”. ¿No?

The Ladybug Transistor – The Places You’ll Call Home (mp3)
The Ladybug Transistor
Merge Records – 2003
Cómprenlo@InSound.com

“Toast has become an everyday sort of thing. However, it is still possible to respect toast. Although at first used simply to preserve bread, toast is also crunchier and easier to spread things on than regular bread. Some prefer the taste of toast to plain bread. Toast has also influenced the development of peanut butter, butter, and jam. Sure, you could spread any of these items on something else, but it just wouldn’t be the same without toast.” A Brief History of Toast@BBC

Blog@Dr. Toast Amazing World of Toast
Toaster Pics@Toaster Museum

Meerkats are highly social and live in packs consisting of up to 3 familial groups. There can be up to 30 individuals in a pack. Each individual family group includes a breeding pair and their offspring. Within packs, animals are usually friendly, but among packs, serious fights can erupt.

Official Meerkat Information
Meerkat Manor@Animal Planet

“Teachers, including school heads, are accountable to union leaders, not to the education ministry or parents. Teacher evaluation exists in name but not in practice. A significant slice of education spending goes straight to the union. Some 30,000 union officials are on the payroll as teachers; they never set foot in a classroom although there is a teacher shortage in some schools.”

Education In Mexico@The Economist

OECD Education Ranking

Sandie Shaw- Jeane
Morrissey / Marr, 1984

Sandie Shaw una cantante inglesa famosa de los “swinging sixties” era muy admirada por Morrissey y Johnny Marr “two incurable Sandie Shaw fans”. Cuando estos la invitaron a grabar I don’t Owe you Anything (especialmente escrita para ella), en las mismas sesiones grabaron Hand in Glove; que fue lanzado como sencillo y esta versión de Jeane, que ahora les presentamos.
A diferencia de la obscura rola original de Smiths, en esta versión solo tenemos a la delicada voz de Sandie, a Marr con su guitarra y unos maravillosos coros de Moz que no podían haber sido puestos en otro lugar (más que en la rola original). Unas joyitas ambas.

“It appears that the artichoke was first developed in Sicily, Italy. There is mention of the plant in Greek and Roman literature as far back as 77AD. Artichokes were cultivated by the North African Moors near Granada, Spain about 800AD. The choke made to England in about 1548 but was not well received.”

The Globe Artichoke@Gourmet Sleuth
How To Cook and Eat An Artichoke@Simply Recipes
Artichoke The Band

“Food is easily and conveniently cooked with solar energy as the “fuel” in devices called solar cookers (or solar ovens). Solar cookers are an ideal addition to any kitchen wherever there are predictable hours of sun many days of the year. Solar cooking and baking are easy. Solar cookers are safe around children and provide a great way to learn about and use solar energy. Solar cookers are clean, convenient, non-polluting and easy on the environment. And, for millions of people living in arid, fuel-scarce regions of the world, solar cookers can literally save lives.”

Solar Cookers.org
Cómpren sus kits aquí

“Badgers are omnivorous – they eat both animals and plants – and they are able to choose from a wide range of food, depending on the time of year, weather conditions and local land use. By far the most important item in their diet is earthworms, but other favoured foods include beetles, birds, young rabbits, rodents like squirrels and rats, reptiles and amphibians. Badgers also feed on bee and wasp larvae, fruits, fungi, cereals, nuts, seeds and berries.”
Eurasian Badger@UK Forestry Commission

“Galaxy Zoo, the project which harnesses the power of the internet – and your brain – to classify a million galaxies.By taking part, you’ll not only be contributing to scientific research, but you’ll view parts of the Universe that literally no-one has ever seen before and get a sense of the glorious diversity of galaxies that pepper the sky”

Galaxy Zoo.org