If you have already contributed financially to Haiti, you might be thinking: are there other ways I could help. Well, there are some Simple Tasks Anyone Can Do and compiled at this CrisisCommons Wiki. Check it out.

from the brilliant ReflectionOf.Me

P.S. I think a man made this. The clue is the “bacon” reference. If it was “chocolate”, I would have thought it was a woman. Just sayin’! 🙂

As characters go, Gianni Schicchi is remarkable. Not only does he appear in a Canto (XXX) of Dante’s Inferno, but he is also the subject of a one act opera by the great composer, Giacomo Puccini. Not bad for a minor crook of a man. Other than Othello, not many characters can claim such an honor.

The opera contains one of the most beautiful arias I know, “O mio babbino caro” (Oh, my dear papa).

The night before my daughter was born, I went to see Gianni Schicchi. After, when she was born, I used to hum “O mio babbino caro” to her to help her fall asleep.

One of my favourite sopranos is Anna Netrebko, and she sings “O mio babbino caro” here: