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Arum italicum will prosper in the driest of dry shade and provides year round interest. The marbled leaves emerge in autumn and last all winter, a pale yellow spadix/spathe flower appears in spring looking rather like a rod in a cowl. Then in summer the leaves wither and the inflorescence morphs into a spike of green berries which turn bright red/orange as autumn approaches. A lush looking plant but every …

AI search is a doomsday cult To even entertain the idea of building AI-powered search engines means, in some sense, that you are comfortable with eventually being the reason those creators no longer exist. It is an undeniably apocalyptic project, but not just for the web as we know it, but also your own product. Unless you plan on subsidizing an entire internet’s worth of constantly new content with the …

A reader question: Hi Muffy,Now that March is around the corner, we can start to think about starting to think about the summer. I have always been enchanted with the New England lake resorts (for the families) and camps (for the children). Do you or your readers have pictures and memories of camps and camps from long ago or recommendations for resorts and camps for the current day?Many thanks and …

Par-tee with an Arnold Palmer in hand as you tee off at one of his managed properties, Walt Disney World’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.Arnold Palmer Golf Management signed a 20-year partnership with Walt Disney World in 2011, taking over all golf course operations at the resort - which unfortunately means an infusion of UnMagical Trash cans.// Walt Disney World, Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course, 2024[Source: share_a_dream_come_true. Used by …

This week, my lady-friends over at Desperately Seeking the `80s spent half of their weekly podcast recounting the litigious shenanigans of a quarelsome network of duplicitously opportunistic pizzeria owners, back in the `80s, who’d unwittingly birthed a city-wide ruse by basically all naming their respective establishments “Ray’s,” despite the fact that precious few – if any – of them were actually named that. Laugh it up, but if you’ve ever …

I should talk about my podcast work. It’s going well! My main gig is the Spotlight On podcast, hosted by music industry vet and erudite interviewer Lawrence Peryer (LP). Several months ago, I was promoted (I suppose that’s the word—it’s a two-man operation) from editor to full-on producer/manager of the show. That means I’m handling nearly everything outside of hosting. I’m having a blast and am thankful that I’m working …

PC, free As the ever-burning philosophical discussion of what is a “buried treasure” rages on, I walk straight into the fire by covering this fantastic little game, Sheepy: A Short Adventure. This is a free game that’s had no reviews, barely any mention in the gaming press, and absolutely deserves coverage. However, this is also a game made by a popular YouTuber with 12.8 million subscribers. So is it buried? …

So last fall, while I was in Sardinia, I took a little side trip. The festival we were at was at the north end of the island, in a little town called San Teodoro. From there, I took a bus to the train station in Olbia, and the train took me all the way across the island. I don’t want to belabor the point, but I could take a bus …

Dead on Time by Clifford Witting This is a classic Clifford Witting novel, and happily it is one of several republished by Galileo Press so it is possible to compare and contrast his writing. This 1948 book relies on what is a closely observed murder scene, with plenty of nearby witnesses in the small window of opportunity. Once more, like at least two of the other plots employed by Witting, …

Wanton by nature, craving bizarre thrills, Clio went through a city of men and a lifetime of experience before surrendering to the inevitable. via

I’m pleased to present the latest edition of Second Glance History’s wildly popular self-help series, with advice on everything from traveling, pickpocketing, writing, getting vaccinated and eating healthfully to breaking a lease, pulling off a practical joke, being a Good Samaritan, becoming a juvenile delinquent and breaking a world record. Today, we’re exploring personal finances Read More

When Georgiana Houghton first exhibited her paintings at a London gallery in 1871, their wild eddies of colour and line were unlike anything the public had seen before — nor would see again until the rise of abstract art decades later. But there was little intentionally abstract about these images: Houghton painted entities she met in the spirit regions. Viewing her works through the prism of friendship, loss, and faith, …

Changing routines and economic pressures have reduced the times that pubs are generally open these days. But looking back, the times when it was possible to get a pint were once much more tightly restricted than they are now....Monday. The start of the working week for so many people. But for many too, a day they don't work due to their shift patterns, or it's their designated day off, or …

Central Scotland’s leading arts venue, Macrobert Arts Centre is delighted to announce Ed Robson as its new Artistic Director and CEO. Arts consultant, Lucy Mason is Interim Director until Ed takes up his position in May. Ed Robson said: ”It’s a terrific time to be joining the team at Macrobert Arts Centre. Following on from Julie Ellen’s fantastic leadership, I’m looking forward to getting some special shows onstage, seeing some …