Melbourne Cricket Ground, 1st January 1864

From Wikipedia:

the first Intercolonial cricket match in Australia was played in Launceston, Tasmania between players from Port Phillip and Van Diemen's Land in February 1851

Great 60 Minutes tonight:

--

Recent New Yorker cartoons:

Pilot to exiting passenger:
"Hey buddy, how bout a little something extra for the landing?"

Framed sign behind a boss in his office:
"Surprises" (circle with line through it)

Marriage counselor, holding phone receiver, to couple:
"Excuse me for a moment. It's my idiot husband."

Woman to man at bar:
"No, really, I love it when you talk in sentences."

Woman to man on couch watching TV:
"You don't really know someone until you give him the remote."

Man to wife on couch at home:
"Let's just stay in and contribute to the disappointing weekend box-office."

Rats

Coming Distractions from ABC's The Note:

— Nov. 20, 2005: Sen. Joe Biden's (D-DE) birthday
— Nov. 21, 2005: Gov. Phil Bredesen's (D-TN) birthday
— Nov. 27, 2005: Gov. Tim Pawlenty's (R-MN) birthday
— Nov. 28, 2005: President Bush travels to Arizona and raises money for Sen. Kyl's (R-AZ) reelection campaign, Phoenix, AZ
— Nov. 29 - Dec. 1, 2005: Former President Bill Clinton, in his capacity as UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, travels to Sri Lanka and Indonesia and then reports back to the European Commission in Belgium
— Nov. 30, 2005: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) delivers a public address to Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA
— Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2005: Republican Governors Association 2005 Annual Conference, Carlsbad, CA
— Dec. 1-3, 2005: Democratic National Committee's rescheduled fall meeting convenes, Phoenix, AZ
— Dec. 1, 2005: Attorney General Alberto Gonzaels addresses the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, NY
— Dec. 2, 2005: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) headlines a Kentucky Democratic Party fundraiser, Louisville, KY
— Dec. 2, 2005: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) delivers a public address to Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA
— Dec. 2, 2005: Sen. Harry Reid's (D-NV) birthday
— Dec. 2, 2005: Ret. Gen. Wes Clark's birthday
— Dec. 6, 2005: Special election in California's 48th congressional district to replace former Rep. Christopher Cox (R-CA)
— Dec. 6, 2005: Former President Bill Clinton headlines a fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) reelection campaign at Crobar, New York, NY
— Dec. 6, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Cambridge, MA
— Dec. 7, 2005: Gov. Mark Warner (D-VA) is the special guest at South Carolina Democratic Party's First Annual Governors Appreciation Dinner featuring Jim Hodges, Ernest Hollings, Robert McNair, and Richard Riley, Charleston, SC
— Dec. 7, 2005: Sptizer for Governor gala fundraiser, New York, NY
— Dec. 7, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Ann Arbor, MI
— Dec. 8, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Chicago, IL
— Dec. 9-11, 2005: Florida Democratic State Conference, Orlando, FL
— Dec 10, 2005: DNC Commision on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling meets to issue final recommendation to Chairman Dean, Washington, DC
— Dec. 11, 2005: Sen. John Kerry's (D-MA) birthday
— Dec. 11, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Austin, TX
— Dec. 12, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Houston, TX
— Dec. 12, 2005: Democratic Governors Association holiday reception, Washington, DC
— Dec. 13, 2005: Gov. Tom Vilsack's (D-IA) birthday
— Dec. 13, 2005: Special election on bond issues in Arkansas
— Dec. 15, 2005: Gov. Mark Warner's (D-VA) birthday
— Dec. 15, 2005: Republican National Committee holiday party, Washington, DC
— Dec. 16, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Kansas City, MO
— Dec. 25, 2005: Evan Bayh's (D-IN) birthday
— Jan. 9, 2006: Alito confirmation hearings commence in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Washington, DC
— Jan. 19-21, 2006: Republican National Committee winter meeting, Washington, DC
— Feb. 9-11, 2006: Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) convenes at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
— Feb. 15, 2006: Deadline for joint congressional bipartisan committee looking into governmental failures in responding to Hurricane Katrina
— Feb. 25-28, 2006: National Governors Association winter meeting, Washington, DC
— Feb. 27, 2006: DGA "Taste of America" gala, Washington, DC
— Mar. 9-12, 2006: Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Memphis, TN
— Apr. 27-30, 2006: Log Cabin Republicans National Convention, Washington, DC
— May 21, 2006: President George H.W. Bush (41) and Mrs. Barbara Bush serve as commencement speakers at the George Washington University, Washington, DC
— June 6, 2006: Gov. Bob Riley (R-AL) and ousted Chief Justice Roy Moore square off in GOP gubernatorial primary
— Aug. 4-7, 2006: National Governors Association Annual Meeting, Charleston, SC
— Aug. 25-28, 2008: Democratic National Convention

Essays from the Sino-Platonic Papers collection I meant to read but ended up only skimming:

- Chaos in Heaven: On the Calendars of Preclassical China
- Silk Road Exchange in China
- Chinese characters and the Greek alphabet

John Wilson and his magazine (disclosure: my former part-time employer) embody the kind of writing he speaks of in the last line here--the kind that appeals to "a diverse band of intellectually curious readers...":

It's fashionable to speak of "academic" writing with reflexive disdain. Certainly many books that proceed from the university presses merit such dismissiveness. But others are first-rate, and among these are many that deserve to be noticed not only by scholars within a particular academic sub-field but also by a wide and diverse band of intellectually curious readers both inside and outside the groves of academe.

John says this to introduce B&C's review of The Sinister Way.

Sound of Music Anniversary DVD: A Good Excuse to Post This Nifty Picture

More from NPR (whose picture this is; lawyers, stand down), including a video clip of the opening scene.

For whatever reason, the only three movies I think I've seen more than 5 times are Sound of Music, Field of Dreams, and Dave. Maybe also Hot Shots Part Deux.