Turning a blind eye is an idiom describing the ignoring of undesirable information.  Although the Oxford English Dictionary records usage of the phrase as early as 1698, the phrase to turn a blind eye is often attributed to an incident in the life of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson.  Nelson was blinded in one eye early in his Royal Navy career.  During the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 the cautious Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, in overall command of the British forces, sent a signal to Nelson's forces ordering them to discontinue the action.  Naval orders were transmitted via a system of signal flags at that time.  When this order was brought to the more aggressive Nelson's attention, he lifted his telescope up to his blind eye, saying, "I have a right to be blind sometimes.  I really do not see the signal," and most of his forces continued to press home the attack.  The frigates supporting the line-of-battle ships did break off, in one case suffering severe losses in the retreat.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_a_blind_eye   

The Abominable Dr. Phibes is a 1971 British comedy horror film directed by Robert Fuest, and written by James Whiton and William Goldstein.  It stars Vincent Price in the title role, Dr. Anton Phibes, who blames the medical team that attended to his wife's surgery four years earlier, for her death and sets out to exact vengeance on each one.  He is inspired in his murder spree by the Ten Plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament.  The film co-stars Joseph Cotten, Hugh Griffith, Terry-Thomas, Virginia North, with an uncredited Caroline Munro appearing as Phibes's wife.  It initially received mixed reviews from critics, but has gone on to garner a cult following, with critics singling out Price's performance, the film's dark humour, and its Art Deco production design.  A 2013 Time Out London poll ranked the film in the Top 100 Horror Films of All Time.  The film was followed by a direct sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, released the following year.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Abominable_Dr._Phibes    

noun  mind's ear (plural mind's ears or minds' ears or (less common) minds' ear)  (idiomatic) The mental faculty or inner sense with which one produces or reproduces imagined or recalled sounds solely within the mind; the supposed organ within the mind which experiences such sounds. synonym, coordinate term ▲quotations ▼  Synonym:  inner ear  Coordinate term:  mind's eye   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mind%27s_ear#English    

One of the more unique spins on the best books of the year is NPR’s annual Books We Love roundup.  This interactively, highly sortable list features titles that will be familiar staples on other best of list, alongside dozens of fresh titles and recommendations for readers.  NPR selects their titles by inviting staffers and critics to submit their favorite books and then editors go through the list to delete duplicates and ensure there is a mix of different books that will appeal to a wide range of readers.  The NPR Books team then slots these titles into different categories–ones that are pretty expected, such as book club picks, or age categories, as well as many with creative names–so readers can play around with discovery.  NPR’s guide recommends titles such as Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles and Sandwiches of History: The Cookbook by Barry W. Enderwick.  Itching for a short book?  Try out The Most by Jessica Anthony or Nghi Vo’s The Brides of High Hill.  Want a Geeky read that’s short?  You’ve got yourself a Milk Without Honey by Hanna Harms.  The 2024 Books We Love list includes hundreds of titles.  Dive in here and discover your new favorite read from 2024.  https://bookriot.com/npr-shares-their-big-list-of-favorite-books-for-2024/    

Oxford Word of the Year 2024 is brain rot  noun  Supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.  Also:  something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.  https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/   

Marshall Jacob Brickman (1939–November 29, 2024) was an American screenwriter and director, best known for his collaborations with Woody Allen, with whom he shared the 1977 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Annie Hall.  He was previously the head writer for Johnny Carson, writing scripts for recurring characters such as Carnac the Magnificent.  He is also known for playing the banjo with Eric Weissberg in the 1960s, and for a series of comical parodies published in The New Yorker.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Brickman   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2881  December 3, 2024