Private Library Photos

  About these two personal libraries, I know little. It is simply the case that the pictures of the books show up in essays about the individuals, both of whom produced books you may have among your own.

ErIc Hobsbawm

  This photograph is from “The Century of Eric Hobsbawm”, by Enzo Traverso, The Ideas Letter, June 25, 2026. In it, it is mentioned that a new biography of Hobsbawm will soon be published by Belknap Press (Harvard University Press). The title: The Age of Hobsbawm; The Life of a Revolutionary Historian, by Emile Chabal.

  I often have rambled on about periodicals and Hobsbawm co-founded one in 1952 - Past & Present, which is still being published by Oxford.

A Bonus: (This is from the essay mentioned.)

 “Hobsbawm loved jazz—a passion he wrote about under the nickname of Francis Newton, becoming a reputed jazz critic for The New Statesman. But in this realm, too, his tastes favored the classics: In his eyes, Miles Davis and John Coltrane simply could not compete with Duke Ellington.”

William T. Vollmann

   I am sure I have read some of Vollmann's magazine pieces, but have none of his books. If you are unfamiliar with him, you should see the interesting Wikipedia entry and read Mr. Sorondo's essay.
   The pictures are from this substack: "We Always Leave Things Unfinished", by Alexander Sorondo, in Big Reader Bad Grades, June 30, 2026. Have a look.

   Mr. Vollmann lives in Sacramento and apparently these books are found in a former Mexican restaurant that Vollmann "bought in 2000 and converted into a studio. The building is closed-in with a tight perimeter of chainlink fence."
   Mr. Vollmann is not well.
If you think you might want to purchase some of his work for your library, leave ample room. In 2003 he produced a massive "seven-volume treatise on violence and his new novel is coming out in August. A Table for Fortune has over 3,000 pages.

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 26)

 Last Veteran of the Light Brigade -1923

Source: The Laramie Republican (Wyoming), Feb. 26, 1923.
  

This is from Tennyson:

III

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

   Volleyed and thundered;

Stormed at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of hell

   Rode the six hundred....

VI

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

   All the world wondered.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

   Noble six hundred!

NIL ----- NIL

 The Two Meanings of NIL
   
  Although the word "NIL" has been around since the sixteenth century, it usually was only noticeable every four years-or-so, when the World Cup rolled around. In the last five, however, readers frequently see "NIL", but that is another "NIL". Here is the distinction. 

 1.  "NIL"  - Means Nothing
 The old "NIL" means, nada, no amount or zero and it is the one that shows up often every four years when nothing much happens during football matches. What is really needed is a new word to replace "DIVING" ,  to describe much of the action which is displayed.

 2. "NIL"  - Means A Lot
  The new "NIL" stands for Name - Image - Likeness, and for those things a U.S. college athlete can now earn a large sum of money. This is the real "NIL" that you now see in the news. 
  Actually, you don't even have to be an actual athlete to be given a large sum. The manager (i.e., towel and water guy) of the McNeese State Cowboys basketball team provides an example, in that he apparently received a sum that was at least six figures. Quarterbacks can get millions.

  If you are now intrigued, see the Wikipedia entry for, "Student Athlete Compensation" or "NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) Explained."

The Bonus:
  Those who know about Title IX will wonder if women have benefitted. The answer is "Yes" and the athlete pictured above is Olivia Dunne, now known as "Livvy'. She has her own Wikipedia entry. 
   "On July 2, 2021, the NCAA changed its rule to allow its athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Dunne was projected to earn more than any other collegiate athlete due to her large social-media platform, which was a combined five million followers across both Instagram and TikTok at the time of the rule change.  In August, Dunne announced that she signed with WME Sports, becoming their first NIL athlete. A month later, she announced her first exclusive brand partnership with activewear brand Vuori."

Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

                                        Happy SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL !

A Happy Fourth of July For Some

Source: 
Miriam Gottfried, Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2026.

Source: Bloomberg News

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 25)

 Happy Canada Day!

   Here are a few items from the London Morning Advertiser - 100 Years Ago - July 1, 1926.

Today the temperature is supposed to soar to 35, but will "feel like" 47! In 1926, it was 25 and peoples' feelings were probably not so inflated.

Cars driving into buildings is not new.

In 2026 we may soon be able to get booze from another province, but probably no bourbon from the U.S. for quite a while.

According to the "Homicide Dashboard" produced by the Toronto Police Service, there have been 16 murders so far in 2026.

The blue license plate problem happened in 2020. The issue is still in the news: "Ford Government is in Secrecy-by-default mode, Critics Say After blue licence plate Documents Released."

DON'T FORGET TO RENEW YOURS

Nurses can now wear scrubs.

Now we just have different coloured ones.

London had a local paper back in 1926 and the sports coverage was considerable. There were even stories about lawn bowling and cricket.

There were plenty of ads, but clearly the writing was on the wall and this strategy was applied. It didn't work.

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 24)

 A Criminal Caught - 1898

Arizona Republican, Oct. 10, 1898

Punishment Forthcoming

The Times (Washington), March 30, 1899

For more about this crime see, "Marion 'Peg-leg' Brown", where a picture of the murdered Constable Michael Toohey is also found. "Death, Disaster, and Disgrace in Victorian London - Walking Tour," . p.33.

Aptronym Alert

   I have written about aptronyms before, so when I spotted three more, I thought I would add them to the pile. For an earlier piece see the clearly titled "Aptronyms". If you are not at all interested in aptronyms, but would enjoy something sleazy, then proceed directly to the bottom and see the Bonus. 

FIFA and the Falcons
  FIFA activities have disrupted many citizens in the cities in which the World Cup games are being played. In Toronto the disruptions extended to the peregrine falcons in the rafters at the stadium. Rather than remove the nest, the decision was made to shield the birds and workers and the chicks survived. During the ornithological consultations, expert advice was sought and provided by David Bird, an emeritus professor of wildlife biology at McGill University. 
  ("How Peregrine Falcon Chicks Nesting in BMO Field’s Rafters Complicated World Cup Preparations," Om Shanbhag, June 23, 2026 G&M.

Fantasies and Fortunes
  Carley Fortune seems to be doing well and is aptly named.
("Her Chart-Topping Romance Novels Started With Her Teenage Diaries: Carley Fortune left a hard-won journalism job to give fiction a shot. Five best-sellers later, a series based on her debut is about to stream," Elisabeth Egan, June 3, 2026, NYT.)

Sordid Shenanigans South of Here

  Jerry D. Cash, had lots of it and embezzled much more. Now out of prison, he is starting over with a new name, Jerry W. Ross and a new modus operandi. 

    

The Bonus:

   The former Mr. Cash was found in an article about an industry about which I knew nothing - the growing Kratom Industry. Kratom is derived from trees in Southeast Asia and as a compound is now found in many forms in drinks and tablets in hundreds of convenience stores and  gas stations across the border.
  If you are re-thinking your stance about not travelling to the U.S. and are heading toward Port Huron, you may want to pause. Although kratom has been said to boost energy and limit pain, it is regarded as unsafe. although it is being promoted by many associated with the current Administration in the U.S. 

  "How an Addictive Gas Station Drug Found Allies in Trump’s Cabinet

With support from Markwayne Mullin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: The Kratom industry is Pursuing a Potentially Lucrative Policy. Mr. Mullin owns equity in a company that could benefit," Kenneth P. Vogel and Christina Jewett, NYT, June 15, 2026.
   

  "For years, federal health officials have warned about the risks associated with a supplement derived from the leaves of kratom trees that adherents say can kill pain or boost energy. Sold in gas stations across America, kratom has been linked to liver toxicity, seizures and thousands of deaths.

  Powerful figures close to President Trump, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, pushed to downplay those concerns…..

 In a disclosure statement, he listed an investment worth as much as $1 million in a kratom company, Botanic Tonics, that could benefit from the changes he has sought.

 The company’s founder, Jerry W. Ross —[aka Jerry D. Cash] who had been an energy executive in Mr. Mullin’s home state before pleading guilty to a financial crime — is a leading player in the influence campaign that was devised to benefit kratom at the expense of its rivals in the marketplace....

   The kratom campaign underscores how corporations in the growing wellness industry can gain traction in Mr. Trump’s government by casting risky products as aligned with the administration’s Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, agenda championed by Mr. Kennedy, who has sometimes prioritized unproven remedies over science….

   “It’s looking like we have a coin-operated drug policy that basically responds to whoever will give money,” said Kevin Sabet, who worked on drug policy under Republican and Democratic presidents. “And it threatens public health and safety because it’s going around the scientific process in favor of donors and influencers.

A Rising Scourge

  Long used medicinally in Southeast Asia, the leaves of the kratom tree contain a compound called mitragynine that interacts with the brain’s opioid receptors in a manner said to produce mild pain relief and — depending on its preparation — either sedation or energy and focus.

Kratom started gaining popularity in the United States in the early 2010s as the opioid addiction epidemic raged. With doctors tightening access to powerful prescription painkillers like OxyContin, users spread the word that kratom — initially sold as a bitter-tasting powder — could produce a similar effect.

Devotees promoted it as a way to kick opioid addiction or to replace alcohol. But as reports of negative effects started rolling in, the government tried to take action.

   Kratom took off, appearing on the shelves of convenience stores and vape shops as tablets, drinks and gummies. The products varied in strength, and the concentration of active ingredients on the labels was not always accurate. They could be purchased in many states without age verification.

   From 2020 through 2024, kratom was found in the system of more than 5,200 people who died of drug overdoses, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based on death certificates and other official reports. Though often found in combination with other drugs, one study determined that those using kratom carried a sixfold increase in the risk of overdose death."

   There are so many articles about the subject of "sleaziness", this one may have been overlooked, but it should be near the top of the list. 

For more about kratom see the Mayo Clinic.