The Words of Miles Davis
Musical virtuoso Miles Davis assembled some of history’s most venerable jazz ensembles. Unbeknownst to audiences, he could also mentor his fellow musicians midway through a world-famous trumpet solo.
Read moreMar 18
Musical virtuoso Miles Davis assembled some of history’s most venerable jazz ensembles. Unbeknownst to audiences, he could also mentor his fellow musicians midway through a world-famous trumpet solo.
Read moreSunday is March 17th…St. Patricks Day and people everywhere will be doning something green as they get dressed. It is commonly known that Ireland is referred to as The Emerald Isle. But there is more to the story of why we wear green on St. Patricks Day.
Read moreFor very many years Paul Newman was the heart throb of women everywhere. This story of a woman who randomly encounter the handsome actor might just give you a giggle today.
Read moreThe pickle we refer to here is dill pickle dip! If you like dill pickles this may become your new favorite dip.
Read moreNo matter if it’s a local stage show or a major Broadway production, these long-held theater traditions and superstitions are still going strong.
Read moreThe week is nearly over…we thought maybe a funny truth would bring some humor and a welcome chuckle to your day 🙂
Read moreMar 6
If you are tempted to think that prayer is not effective or important this story may give you reason to rethink the power of prayer. This is a testimony written by a doctor who worked in Africa.
Read moreIt’s all about the movies!
Some of the most enduring scenes in cinematic history come from unscripted moments when directors or stars dared to veer off-book and go with the flow of spontaneity. Here are eight such moments that weren’t part of the original plan, but unquestionably turned into movie magic for appreciative audiences.
Read moreWell, here we are beginning a new week and we, your Two Chums, want to remind you of something very important!
Read moreMeeting Prince Ranier of Monaco in 1955.
A name synonymous with all things bright and beautiful, let’s find out some more about this amazing lady.
Read moreWe came across this dear article about the (many) animals who mate for life and thought we would share it with you. Yes, you guessed it, Interesting Facts shared this with us.
Animals are not normally known for exercising restraint when it comes to reproduction. But for all the attention paid to the promiscuity of busy breeders like dogs and jackrabbits, some critters display a different side of animal nature by mostly sticking with one partner. Scientists call these animals “socially monogamous” — a male “pair bonds” with a female to mate, raise young, and spend time together for the duration of their lives. (Occasionally, one may “cheat” with another mate but quickly return to their partner.) Here are 11 such creatures who know a thing or two about long-term relationships.
Read moreWell, thank you to all of our patient chums!
Yes, we are coming up for air! You should have received a whole bunch of posts over the weekend as we finally figured out how to fix our technical problem! Onward we go, rejoicing, to be sure!
Do you know where the term SCUBA came from?
Read moreIf you’ve been our chum for a while you know that for a number of years now we have regularly brought you posts entitled “Words Of Wisdom”. Starting today we want to add a new category that we will bring from time to time called “Words of Encouragement”.
Read moreFeb 16
By the time the weekend rolls around many parents are done in from all the demands and activities of a long, and sometimes hard, week. Mustering up more interest and attention for a child with seemingly boundless energy can be hard, but remember…
Read moreFeb 14
Feb 13
Feb 9
This Super Bowl Sunday, everyone is looking for a good sandwich to celebrate with. It needs to be easy to prepare, with simple ingredients, and very yummy. We’ve got just the thing for you and your family or guests for your Super Bowl get together. A very juicy easy to prepare and tasty French Dip sandwich.
Read moreFeb 8
The thoughts which you hold dear and wonderful “Savvy Secrets”, to be sure. Here are a few that we have found.
Read more
Feb 7
In the bustling streets of Paris in the year 1945, a French woman named Marie embarked on a journey that would soon become a story whispered among the locals. With her trusty baguette tucked under her arm and six bottles of wine clinking in her basket, Marie set out to navigate the post-war city.
Read moreFeb 6
We’ve all had one…a table or chair that wobbles because one leg is shorter than the others. We stuff pieces of paper, matchbooks, or even magazines under the short leg in an effort to keep the piece of furniture stable. We’ve got a better solution.
Read moreFeb 5
Just imagine the ability to render solid stone transparent. Giovanni Strazza possessed this incredibly rare artistic talent. His masterpiece, “The Veiled Virgin,” carved from flawless Carrara marble, stands as one of the most astounding achievements in the history of sculpture.
Read moreFeb 2
Some people call their evening meal dinner, while others refer to this meal as supper. It is often assumed that the difference is attributed to whether you are from the North or the South. But that in’t the whole story.
Read moreFeb 1
Most of us have had the experience of having milk sit in the refrigerator only to realize when it’s poured on our cereal or in our coffee or tea it has turned “sour”. That’s when it gets dumped out. But it wasn’t always like that.
Read moreJan 29
We have recently come across a number of unique food, and food culture and tradition related questions we thought it would be interesting to answer. So each day this week we will answer a new one. Today is a question regarding the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Years Day.
Read moreJan 26
Jan 25
The famous question uttered by Pilate in the Bible that many years ago, continues to be asked today.
Read moreJan 24
In the United States, fortune cookies and their mysterious notes are a beloved part of paying the bill at Chinese restaurants. With hidden messages ranging from cryptic predictions to sage advice, these cookies have piqued our curiosity for decades.
But where do they come from?
Read moreJan 22
Actress, singer, and American sweetheart Doris Day was born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff in 1922 and discovered her love of singing early on. She started her career at the age of 18, crooning to keep America’s spirits up through World War II.
Read moreJan 19
We started off this week sharing some words of wisdom from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Let’s finish this week with some wise words from one of our favorite very wise people…Corrie ten Boom
Read moreJan 18
Your Two Chums absolutely LOVE egg salad! So when we came across this new version we had to give it a try.
Read moreJan 17
Jan 12
You don’t have to have traveled to England to know that the English love their “cuppa” or cup of tea! If tragedy strikes, you can hear someone say, “Time for a cup of tea!” If joy is in the air, the same words can be heard! If it is raining outside and a little dreary, absolutely THE SAME WORDS!
Tea, to the English, is the fix all of fixes!
And, of course, there is a tea time that is observed in most English households.
Read moreJan 11
Possibly the Most important thing you’ll read this Year…
The Charles Schulz Philosophy
Read moreJan 10
Oh, these wonderful bees! We learned a lot by reading this and so wanted to share it with all of you.
Read moreJan 9
On January 9, 1493, (531 years ago to the day) explorer Christopher Cp;umbus, sailing near what is now the Dominican Republic, sees three “mermaids”—in reality manatees—and describes them as “not half as beautiful as they are painted.”
Read moreJan 8
Jan 5
For many Christians tonight marks the celebration of Twelfth Night, or the end of the Christmas Season.
Read moreDec 28
Rolling into the very New Year, we thought you would enjoy reading this.
Read moreDec 27
There are plenty of ships in the U.S. Navy (291 of them, to be precise), but only one has the curious distinction of flying the Jolly Roger — the ominous flag typically associated with pirates.
Read moreDec 26
December 25th, the official day we celebrate Christmas has passed. But Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Christ is more than a day.
Read moreDec 20
You probably already know the catchy classic Mexican Christmas song entitled Feliz Navidad. But we would bet you’ve never seen it danced to like this!
Read moreDec 19
As these precious days flow on, let’s be sure to remember why we celebrate Christmas and the true meaning.
Read moreDec 14
At least it’s not dead at one popular fast food eatery. We came across an interesting article that explains the philosophy of customer service at Chick-fil-a. You might be surprised.
Read moreDec 13
The Holidays can be a lot on everyone and sometimes it doesn’t take much to put us “over the edge”, so to speak. You are not alone – to be sure.
Here are some wonderful quotes to keep you on “full”!
Read moreDec 11
Katherine Hepburn once told a story from her childhood that taught her a very valuable lesson about giving. During this holiday season, amidst the hustle and bustle of shopping, it would do us all well to remember the real joy of giving.
Read moreDec 8
ATTENTION TO ALL PARENTS WHO NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT SANTA
Son: “Dad, I think I’m old enough now. Is there a Santa Claus?.”
Dad: “Ok, I agree that your old enough. But before I tell you, I have a question for you. You see, the “truth” is a dangerous gift. Once you know something, you can’t unknow it.
Once you know the truth about Santa Claus, you will never again understand and relate to him as you do now.
So my question is: Are you sure you want to know?”
Brief pause…
Son: “Yes, I want to know”
Dad: “Ok, I’ll tell you: Yes there is a Santa Claus”
Son: “Really?”
Read moreDec 7
Tonight begins the 8 day Jewish Festival of Lights known as Hanukkah. One of the iconic dishes served during Hanukkah is latkes. If you are unfamiliar they are a sort of hash brown potato meets a potato pancake….yummy. or at least we think so but it turns out not everyone loves them…not even all Jews apparently. So these potato cakes are an alternative. And tasty one too!
Read moreDec 6
One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.
Read moreDec 5
Pigeons are wildly misunderstood birds, and they’ve only been considered a nuisance for the last century or so.
Read moreDec 4
Castor oil is one of those things we all “know” about but don’t really know about…or at least we don’t really know much, if anything, about it. It’s one of those ancient substances that has been used throughout the ages, that much we do know, but for what? We don’t have all the answers but today we can share a few modern reasons to keep some in your cupboard.
Read moreDec 1
Who doesn’t love a good riddle? Share these ones with you Littles, and Bigs, for that matter!
Read moreNov 30
We thought maybe you could use a story…an actual true story, that would at least put a smile on your face if not cause an actual chuckle on this last Thursday in November. And knowing that this is the busiest travel time of the year we found this particularly noteworthy.
Read moreNov 29
French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) had boundless zest for her craft. In 1905, when her traveling production of “La Tosca” stopped in Rio de Janeiro, the 61-year-old ensured a memorable finale by spontaneously leaping from a parapet.
Read moreNov 28
Nov 27
Four weeks from today will be Christmas morning. If you’re making your Christmas list for Santa we have an idea for you…
Read moreNov 22
While apple pie may have misappropriated origins (the first recipe appeared in England around 1381, not in the U.S.), pumpkin pie deserves more credit as a purely American dessert.
Read moreNov 21
In October, 1705, the Connecticut settlement of Colchester was facing an early winter. While New England was known for its cold snaps, this one was unusually premature and severe, with temperatures so low that nearby waterways froze. The timing was unfortunate!
Read moreNov 20
When it comes to holiday movies there are dozens, if not hundreds, to choose from that revolve around Christmas. This one, as the title implies, is about Thanksgiving.
Read moreNov 15
The role of First Lady of the United States is unsalaried and carries no official duties, but that’s not to say that First Ladies wield no power.
Read moreNov 14
What are the health benefits of having a close friend — like identical twins close — for your entire life?
Read moreNov 13
Do you recognize this child? Maybe not, but more than likely you do know of him.
Read moreNov 10
Tomorrow is the official day on which we celebrate our soldiers, our Veterans and that we do!
Read moreNov 10
Nov 9
This photo was taken in Damascus in 1899. The dwarf is Samir. He is a Christian and cannot walk. The one who carries him on his back is Muhammad. He is a Muslim and he is blind.
Read moreNov 8
Heartwarming story – “Hello darkness, my old friend…” Everybody knows the iconic Simon & Garfunkel song, but do you know the amazing story behind the first line of The Sounds of Silence?
Read moreNov 7
We saw this on social media and simply had to share! So touching and so true!
Read moreNov 6
The weather is cooling off and we are approaching what people call the cold and flu season. We came across a tasty and simple remedy to help you boost your immune system and stay healthy.
Read moreNov 3
As we look around today it seems like so many people are on edge. People more than ever seem to be easily offended by others, even those whom they are friends with or those who are a part of their family.
Read moreNov 2
It was during the 1870s and 80s that the Eiffel Company reached its pinnacle and was solicited around the world. But did you know this?
Read moreNov 1
Now, we know that you are not all from Southern California but also know that you would love to see these quaint little towns! Thanks to Angela and onlyinyourtown.com, we have this information.
Read moreOct 31
It ‘s not exactly clear what ancient Celts did during Samhain, the pagan holiday we now link with Halloween, but historians have some idea thanks to a surviving bronze calendar.
Read moreOct 30
Turnips aren/t usually considered fancy fare — over the years they’ve served as livestock fodder and occasionally been used to pelt unpopular figures in public.
Read moreOct 27
Herbs have all kinds of wonderful qualities beyond there culinary uses. Rosemary has one you may not know about.
Read moreOct 26
If you need an easy, simple, inexpensive way to relieve some stress and help yourself to be generally healthier, we’ve got a Savvy Secret for you.
Read moreOct 25
Anita Blair was the first guide dog handler in El Paso, Texas, when she graduated from The Seeing Eye in March 1940 with Fawn, a German shepherd. The photo, below, is a black and white photo of Anita being guided by Fawn across a bustling city street in the early 1940s.
Read moreOct 24
On any given day, 37% of adults in the United States pick up a greasy bag of treats from their local fast-food joint. Fast food has been blamed for all kinds of societal ills, particularly ones that are nutrition-related, but we keep eating it anyway. Whether you consume fast food every day or avoid it at all costs, you might not know these six facts about some of America’s most popular fast-food chains.
Read moreOct 23
Niagara Falls is known for the many daredevils who have attempted stunts in its thundering waters.
Read moreOct 19
Oct 18
Did you know that the Bible is the most read and studied book of all time? Most people would agree that the pages of the Bible are filled with wisdom for our daily lives. Whether you happen to be a student of the Bible or not, this is some info you may not know, and we think some wise counsel.
Read moreOct 17
Albert Einstein was a brilliant man – we all know that!
He shares with us the secret to staying young.
Read moreOct 11
Need a quick pick me up that doesn’t cost a thing and will boost your wellness in a hurry? We’ve got that!
Read moreOct 10
We want to stand with our friends and neighbors and family members who are Jewish and to echo God’s Word from the Psalms that Israel would be delivered.
Your Two Chums,
Oct 10
We came across a beautiful definition of kindness that we simply had to share with you our chums.
Read moreOct 9
Despite spending most of their days trying to survive and thrive, early people across the globe needed something actually fun to do with their spare time … much like people today. Made from stone, bones, and other handy materials, early games weren’t too far off the ones we play today. And while humans eventually transitioned from stick-based games to those with dice, and later boards, the earliest games show that humans haven’t changed all that much in a quest for good-intentioned victory over family and friends.
Read moreOct 8
Original photo by Ian/Dagnlil Computing/ Alamy Stock Photo
Oscar Wilde was born in 1854 and died in 1900. During those all-too-brief years, he built a reputation that would long outlive him. And while today he is known for his literary works, he is arguably just as famous for his legendary wit — as well as the scandal and ensuing imprisonment that upturned his life.
As a literary figure, Wilde is perhaps best known for his play The Importance of Being Earnest, his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and “The Ballad of Reading Gaol,” a poem he wrote in exile after his release from prison. But when Oscar Wilde’s name is mentioned, it’s not only his writing that people remember. The name is synonymous with flamboyant manners and rapier wit, and a certain type of genius that dazzled society, whether it was in the clubs of London or the lecture halls of the United States.
When Wilde went to the U.S. in 1882 to lecture primarily on aestheticism — an artistic movement that emphasized the aesthetic value of art, or “art for art’s sake” — he encountered a hostile press but was well received by the general public. The trip made him an international star. It also gave rise to one of the most famous quotes attributed to Wilde (though there’s no evidence to support the claim). When he arrived at U.S. customs to begin his tour (so the story goes), he was asked if he had anything to declare. With typical wit, he replied, “I have nothing to declare but my genius.”
Back in London, things turned sour when questions about Wilde’s private life spiraled out of control. His relationships with men became public knowledge, and soon he was charged with gross indecency and sentenced to two years hard labor. His name was tarnished, his reputation left in tatters, and he spent his remaining years in exile in France, where he died in a cheap hotel in 1900. It was a tragic end, and sadly, even today, the events of his life are perhaps more widely known than his work.
But there was a lot more to Wilde than writing, wit, and scandal: He was a complex man with a complex personality. To better understand the man behind the myth, here are a few things you might not know about the ostentatious, brilliant Oscar Wilde.
The Wilde name was well-known before Oscar made his mark. His father, Sir William Wilde, was an acclaimed otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor) and ophthalmologist, who wrote significant works on medicine, archaeology, and folklore. His mother, Jane Wilde, was a poet and activist, known for her support of the Irish nationalist movement and women’s rights. As Wilde wrote in “De Profundis” (a letter he wrote from the Reading Gaol prison), “She and my father had bequeathed me a name they had made noble and honored not merely in literature, art, archaeology and science, but in the public history of my own country in its evolution as a nation.”
When Wilde was 12 years old, his little sister, Isola, died of meningitis. He was deeply affected by her death, and later wrote a poem in her memory called “Requiescat”. It’s a beautiful, lyrical poem, in which Isola seems to be at once dead and alive: “Tread lightly, she is near / Under the snow, / Speak gently, she can hear / The daisies grow.
J.E.C. Bodley, a friend of the young Wilde during his Oxford University days, said Wilde was “naïve, embarrassed, with a convulsive laugh, a lisp, and an Irish accent.”. But Wilde adjusted to life at Oxford, and became a brilliant student. He also lost his accent, stating later in life that “my Irish accent was one of the many things I forgot at Oxford”. Wilde’s voice in later life was described by the actor Franklin Dyall as “of the brown velvet order — mellifluous — rounded — in a sense giving it a plummy quality” and “practically pure cello.” Unfortunately, a recording of Wilde reading “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” turned out to be a fake, and no other recordings are known to exist.
While some of Wilde’s works can be described as quintessentially “English” plays, Wilde himself never abandoned his Irish roots. When public performances of his play Salomé were banned in Britain — on the basis of it being illegal to depict biblical characters on the stage — Wilde hit back in an interview, saying “I shall leave England and settle in France, where I will take out letters of naturalization. I will not consent to call myself a citizen of a country that shows such narrowness in its artistic judgment”. He then added, “I am not English; I’m Irish — which is quite another thing”.
In his early twenties, Wilde became besotted with a beautiful young woman called Florence Balcombe. When they first met, he told a friend, “I am just going out to bring an exquisitely pretty girl to afternoon service in the Cathedral. She is just seventeen with the most perfectly beautiful face I ever saw and not a sixpence of money”. They dated for months, but distance put a strain on their relationship. Then Florence met Bram Stoker, who would later go on to write Dracula. They married, and Wilde was devastated. He wrote Florence a letter in which he called their time together “two sweet years — the sweetest of all the years of my youth”. They remained friends for years after.
Due to Wilde’s well-documented relationships with men, people often don’t realize that he was married and had two children. Wilde married Constance Lloyd, an Irish author, in London in 1884. During their first two years of marriage they had two sons together, Cyril and Vyvyan. No one knows when Constance became aware of Oscar’s relations with men, but she met his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, in 1891. The ensuing scandal and Wilde’s imprisonment placed a great strain on their relationship. Constance changed her surname and moved to Switzerland. She died in 1898, and Oscar never saw his two sons again.
Wilde met Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas, who was 16 years his junior, in 1891. The two soon became lovers. Douglas was the third son of the Marquess of Queensberry, famous for creating the Queensberry Rules of boxing. When Queensberry found out about his son’s relationship, he tried to end it in various ways. At one point he left a card for Wilde, which simply said “For Oscar Wilde, posing sodomite.” This prompted Wilde to prosecute Queensberry for libel. It backfired terribly, and Wilde himself ended up in court on multiple charges of gross indecency. He was found guilty and sentenced to two years hard labor. All this occurred at the height of his fame and success, while The Importance of Being Earnest was still being performed in London. After his conviction, Wilde’s life was never the same.
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Wilde spent his last three years impoverished and in exile in France. Some of his closest friends visited him and stayed with him to the end, as Oscar faded away in a dingy hotel in Paris. He was a broken man, but his wit could not be destroyed. As he lay looking at the surroundings of his cheap hotel room, he uttered some of his final words: “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go.” It was classic Oscar Wilde, and the quote is often listed among the greatest last words ever spoken.
Wilde feared that he had ruined his family name. In his letter “De Profundis,” he wrote: “I had disgraced that name [Wilde] eternally. I had made it a low byword among low people. I had dragged it through the very mire”. But Wilde, on this occasion, was wrong: His name would not be disgraced eternally, although it did take more than a century for an official annulment of his conviction.
In 2017, Wilde was one of some 75,000 gay men in England and Wales pardoned by Queen Elizabeth II. All of these men had been convicted for now-abolished sex offences. This royal pardon is informally known as the Turing Law, named after Alan Turing, the World War II codebreaker who, like Wilde, was convicted for his gay relationships. Turing was officially pardoned in 2013, 61 years later.
Today, Wilde is still remembered for his exuberant lifestyle and infamous imprisonment as much as for his work. Nonetheless, The Picture of Dorian Grayand The Importance of Being Earnest are still considered great literary masterpieces of the late Victorian period, and both display Wilde’s indomitable wit and consummate eye for beauty.
Oct 6
Oct 5
Concepts like faith, trust, hope, confidence, love and attitude can be hard to describe to a child, and if we are honest sometimes hard to grasp ourselves. We came across six lovely illustrations of these ideas and wanted to share them with you, our chums.
Read moreOct 3
On Sunday, Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, became our oldest living former President, celebrating his 99th birthday .
Read moreOct 2
In her 2017 debut novel, “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine,” Scottish author Gail Honeyman introduced readers to Eleanor Oliphant, a socially awkward young woman whose personal journey involves confronting both her deep loneliness and her traumatic past.
Read moreSep 29
Nutella Brownies are simple to make and simply delicious to eat! With 4 basic ingredients in less than 30 minutes you can make this yummy treat 🙂
Read moreSep 28
It’s probably no surprise that cucumbers are full of vitamins and minerals, but did you know that among many, many other uses, they can help you polish your shoes?
Read moreSep 27
Keeping your kitchen trash can smelling good can be a challenge. We have a plan…
Read moreSep 26
We thought it would be a great way to start a new week off by hearing the words of some of our Founding Fathers.
Read moreSep 26
Although society often places a disproportionate emphasis on attaining certain milestones at a young age, success is possible at any stage of life. Age brings with it unique insights associated with our lived experiences, which can lead to innovative ideas and solutions. But it’s not just a matter of having more experience — as we age, we may also become more resilient and more committed to our goals. Having overcome challenges and setbacks earlier in our lives, we’re often better equipped to successfully navigate the obstacles that come later.
We all continue to learn, grow, and evolve throughout our lives, and we may find our priorities and aspirations shifting as we grow older. The new skills and interests we develop can help us succeed in our pursuit of long-held ambitions or newfound passion projects. Research shows that success has nothing to do with age; it’s a combination of personality, persistence, intelligence, and luck.
So while achieving success is a personal journey with no one-size-fits-all definition, we hope these quotes act as a reminder that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams.
Read moreSep 22
Etiquette is not something you learn about and act upon for no reason. It is clearly something that will keep you straight and feeling a part of things in a good way.
Read more