FYI April 18, 2020

On This Day

1857 – “The Spirits Book” by Allan Kardec is published, marking the birth of Spiritualism in France.
The Spirits Book (Le Livre des Esprits in original French) is part of the Spiritist Codification, and is regarded as one of the five fundamental works of Spiritism. It was published by the French educator Allan Kardec on April 18, 1857. It was the first and remains the most important spiritist book, because it addresses in first hand all questions developed subsequently by Allan Kardec.

The book is structured as a collection of questions regarding the origin of the spirits, the purpose of the life, the order of the universe, evil and good and the afterlife. Its answers, according to Kardec, were given to him by a group of spirits who identified themselves as “The Spirit of Truth”, with whom he communicated in several Spiritist sessions during the 1850s. Kardec, who considered himself an “organizer” rather than an author, grouped the questions and their answers by theme, occasionally including lengthier digressions the spirits had dictated to him on specific subjects, some signed by philosophers such as Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas and writers including Voltaire.

Read more ->

 
 

Born On This Day

1893 – Violette Morris, French shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1944)
Violette Morris (18 April 1893 – 26 April 1944) was an outstanding and versatile French athlete who won two gold and one silver medal at the Women’s World Games in 1921–1922. She was later banned from competing for violating “moral standards”. During World War II, she was accused of collaboration with Nazis and the Vichy France regime. She was killed in 1944 in a Resistance-led ambush.

Read more ->

 
 

FYI

By Ryan Gilbey, The Guardian: Brian Dennehy obituary Character actor known for the films First Blood and Cocoon, and in his stage work a genuine colossus
 
 
 
 

The Passive Voice: Watchwomen
 
 
 
 

BBC News: Captain Tom: How Bedford helped make war veteran a ‘global hit’
 
 
 
 
By Neal Wyatt, Library Journal: New Bestsellers from Anne Tyler, Joanna Gaines | Book Pulse
 
 
 
 
By Jill Layton, Techwalla: HBO Is Gifting Us With 500 Free Hours of Programming
 
 
 
 
The Seattle Times: Coronavirus daily news updates, April 17: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the nation and more ->
 
 
 
 
CutterLight: Birds of Chignik Lake: Sandhill Cranes – Wild, Resounding Tremolo (Check out the video/audio clip!)
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
https://youtu.be/oG0QxxVzRnM
 
 
 
 

Recipes

Gastro Obscura: Taste the globe with New York’s all-grandma kitchen
 
 
By Bon Appétit: Pasta With Brown Butter, Whole Lemon, and Parmesan
 
 
Taste of Home: Zucchini Pizza Casserole
 
 
By Caroline Stanko, Taste of Home: 40 Flourless Cookies You Need in Your Cookie Jar
 
 
By Elizabeth Barbone, The Kitchn: The World’s Easiest Cookies Just Happen to Be Paleo, Vegan, and Gluten-Free