29 February 2020

♄

 29 February 12020 is Leap Day, the one day of the year nobody wants to put a holiday on because it only comes around a little less than once every four years. The composer Rossini, responsible for the Lone Ranger radio-show theme, was born on this date. So was Tony Scheuren, responsible for the remarkable Neil Young parody “Old Maid,” a.k.a. “Southern California Brings Me Down.” Stock markets are crashing around the world as people attempt to cope with the economic devastation wrought by the novel coronavirus from China, while the Disaster in Chief insists that everything is under control, thanks to his management, and the whole epidemic will blow over by the time summer starts. And the Smithsonian has released nearly three million images for free use by all and sundry. Enjoy it while you can; the end of all good things is in sight.