>>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/02/world/europe/02russia.html?scp=2&sq=van%20cliburn&st=cse
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>It's funny ... I saw the thread title, and thought this was going to be about Billy Joel.
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The title was sort of intended that way, even though the article was not about Billy Joel. I thought it was a really interesting article, both a reminder of how seismic Van Cliburn's impact was and that things change. Now I guess you would call him a lion in winter, which is also an interesting story. What I liked best was that at the peak of the cold war young Russian women went weak in the knees over a pianist from Texas, and still remember it vividly in their 70s. Those crazy Russians, they love their classical musicians.

Now here is one of my goofy segues, on the topic of lions. A week ago today I went to the zoo in Madison. It's a pretty decent zoo. (And very Madison. As you go through the primate house there are constant signs advising you how not to offend the sensibilities of monkeys). One of the most popular exhibits, as I am sure is true at all zoos, was the lion house. The most recent celebrity animal there is a newborn lion cub. The cub and his mother were out of view. The lion was sitting up on a rock sunning himself. These guys have a really good deal. The lioness does almost all the child rearing, hunting, and so on. But it's the male who gets to eat first, then the others can have what he didn't want. He spends most of the day sleeping or lazing around. Some king of the jungle!

There was one funny moment courtesy of my younger daughter. She called me on the cell, wanting to know if it was OK to have a friend sleep over that night. (A formality). She made some small talk before coming to the point, per usual. "Where are you?" I said we were at the zoo and had seen alligators, a badger, and were by the bears. "Oh, are they alphabetical?" she said. Little smarta**.