Tag: COVID-19

“That Great Cesspool”: Cesspudlians of London, ONT to Host International Group Online Viewing of 1939 “Hound”

~ inconstantreader (@janice_e) ~ Leave a comment

I can do no better than to quote the announcement sent out by Ian Bennett:

An invitation to Sherlockians around the world

 On behalf of The Cesspudlians  (The London, Ontario Sherlock Holmes Society), I extend greetings to you and all your members, and an invitation to participate in a group online viewing of The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939), which is available on YouTube, at 9pm EST on Saturday, April 25th, 2020.  Twitter comments will be appreciated as you watch and afterwards as well. Please use the hashtag #combetracey.

If you prefer and you have your own copy, you can watch along at home without YouTube.  The version on the link above is 1 hour and 19 minutes long. I bought my own copy some time ago, so I’ll probably watch that and save some internet strain.

 Currently prevented from meeting—you know why—by the Professor Moriarty of viruses, we are determined not to let the Napoleon of Crime have his unfettered way with us and will strike back in a Baker Street Irregular way, by conspiring against him to enjoy the genius of Mr. Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart companion Dr. Watson (a first responder of excellent character and qualification).

 Please pass this message on to all your members, and also to any other society to which you may have a connection, wherever they may be, so that all Sherlockians can come together and celebrate the work of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce and, of course, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 Use the hashtag #combetracey to announce your presence and the participation of your society, wherever you may be.  We hope to make this the largest (virtual) gathering of Sherlockians from around the world.

 It may be that we are not ourselves luminous, but that we are conductors of light.  We have no genius, but perhaps we can stimulate it !

 Join us on April 25th at 9pm EST and shout to the world how you feel about Holmes.  And Damn Covid-19 to hell !  Online slide show here:  https://bit.ly/3HoundSh0

Ian Bennett for The Cesspudlians
Scion of The Bootmakers of Toronto

Many thanks to the Cesspudlians for organizing this unorthodox assembly. I hope to “see” you there!

“We Have Much to Hope from the Flowers”: A Study in Resilience

~ inconstantreader (@janice_e) ~ Leave a comment

Not directly related to Holmes, but I wanted to share this article because (a) Sherlock would have appreciated it, and (b) it cheered me up a bit amid the continuing pandemic.

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/4/14/21208857/pandemic-plants-evolution-beauty

Stay home, and stay safe, everyone!

Virtual Meeting a Success, Another Planned!

~ inconstantreader (@janice_e) ~ Leave a comment

The NMSOBC just gathered virtually on Zoom for the first time. Fourteen of us saw one another for the first time in a while and discussed “The Man with the Twisted Lip.” We enjoyed presentations on whether the story takes place in a different universe from the rest of the Canon (Jim Cassetta), the social history and geography of the story’s locations (Elinor Gray Howell), and wood in Victorian England (Ken Meltsner).

Given the success of the meeting, we decided that, since the ongoing pandemic will prevent us from gathering to commemorate the “death” of Sherlock Holmes with a memorial service, we will instead have another virtual meeting, where we will talk about “The Final Problem.” Details are on our Events page; keep an eye on that or our Facebook page for any changes or updates.

“Keep Your Distance and All Is Well”: The Sherlock Holmes COVID-19 Survival Guide

~ inconstantreader (@janice_e) ~ 1 Comment

From the talented Mark Chellew, President of the Sherlock Holmes Society of South Australia, we present the Master’s guide to surviving the pandemic. We very much hope you’ll take his recommendations to heart.

(Many thanks to MX Publishing for sharing this.)

“It is not eight o’clock, and a Wagner night at Covent Garden!”: Opera from Your Couch

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Illustration by Sidney Paget, 1891, for “The Red-Headed League”

For those who enjoy opera—even when it doesn’t feature the famous contralto Miss Irene Adler—the Metropolitan Opera in NY is streaming a different performance from their Live in HD series each night, providing one more way to enjoy cultural experiences while confined to your home.

Selected upcoming performances:

  • March 29: Wagner’s Tännhauser (Holmes loved Wagner, per REDC)
  • March 31: Rossini’s The Barber of Seville
  • April 1: John Adams’s Nixon in China
  • April 4: Verdi’s Macbeth

Check the full schedule and available supplementary material at the Met’s site.

Streams can be watched on their website or via the Met app for Apple, Amazon, and Roku devices and Samsung Smart TVs. Each performance will be available for 23 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. the following day. Full details on accessing the broadcasts can be found on the website.

Thanks are due again to JeanMarie Zubia!