Richard Francis Burton, on books:

Home is where the books are.

- Richard Francis Burton.

Aurora is the effort:

Aurora is the effort

A poem by Emily Dickinson

Aurora is the effort
Of the Celestial Face
Unconsciousness of Perfectness
To simulate, to Us.

Recommended reading:

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson (1960).
Edited by Thomas H. Johnson.

Pictures in video were taken during two events of the aurora borealis, visible from my home in 2024.

Video by Jack Kost.
2024.

On this day in television history - The Stand (2020–2021):

The Stand

9-episode mini-series.

Directed by Josh Boone, Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy, Chris Fisher, Vincenzo Natali and Tucker Gates.

Written by Stephen King, Josh Boone, Benjamin Cavell, Jill Killington, Owen King, Knate Lee, Eric Dickinson, Taylor Elmore.

Based on the novel by Stephen King.

Released in the United States on December 17, 2020 – February 11, 2021.

Music by Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott.

Cast:

James Marsden, Odessa Young, Alexander Skarsgård, Whoopi Goldberg, Gordon Cormier, Amber Heard, Jovan Adepo, Owen Teague, Irene Bedard, Brad William Henke, Nat Wolff, Henrique Zaga, Greg Kinnear, Nicholas Lea, Eion Bailey, Katherine McNamara, Olivia Cheng, Fiona Dourif, Tarun Keram, Ezra Miller, Gabrielle Rose, Natalie Martinez, Jason Burkart, Paul Jarrett, Mark Gibbon, Sunita Prasad, Seth Whittaker, Hamish Linklater, Kendall Joy Hall, Daniel Sunjata, Cameron McDonald, Luis Javier, J.K. Simmons, Kristy Dawn Dinsmore, Jennifer-Juniper Angeli, Curtiss Cook Jr., Angus Sampson, Heather Graham, Spencer Drever, Reese Alexander, M.J. Kokolis, Primo Allon, Harrison MacDonald, Nyla Alleyne, Clifton Collins Jr., Ariana Nica, Todd Matthews, Isla Crerar, Peter Anderson, Rob McEachern, Troy Mundle, Jagua Arneja, Briar Diallo, Tim Carlson, Tebo Nzeku, Alexis Paige Dixon, Shadi Janho, Bruce Blain, David Parent, Miles Chalmers, Brandyn Eddy, Lisa Chandler, Arkie Kandola, Darren Dolynski, TJ Kayama, Mariessa Portelance, Angela Moore, Joe Costa, Fletcher Donovan, Donald Sales, Liza Huget, Lissa Neptuno, Veena Sood, Kim Kondrashoff, Eddie Flake, Hugo Raymundo, Jesse Stanley, Camden Filtness, Jasmine Lukuku, Mike Wasko, J. Douglas Stewart, Shishy Gebru, Myles McCarthy, Leah Hennessey, Jeremy Jones, Richard Meen, Sean Millington, Jenny Mitchell, Iris Paluly, Luvia Petersen, Lisa Renee Pitts, Michel Issa Rubio, Eric Ruggieri, Carolyn Tinglin, Danny Wattley, Bryan Cranston, Steve Ellis, Stephen King, Mick Garris, Jeremy Angel.

On this day in movie history - Black Swan (2010):

Black Swan

directed by Darren Aronofsky,

written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin,

based on a story by Andres Heinz,

was released in the United States on December 17, 2010.
Music by Clint Mansell.

Cast:

Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder, Benjamin Millepied, Ksenia Solo, Kristina Anapau, Janet Montgomery, Sebastian Stan, Toby Hemingway, Sergio Torrado, Mark Margolis, Tina Sloan, Abraham Aronofsky, Charlotte Aronofsky, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Shaun O'Hagan, Chris Gartin, Deborah Offner, Stanley B. Herman, Michelle Rodriguez Nouel, Kurt Froman, Marty Krzywonos, Leslie Lyles, John Epperson, Arkadiy Figlin, Tim Fain, Sarah Lane, Liam Flaherty, Patrick Heusinger, Marina Stavitskaya, Olga Kostritzky, Christine Redpath, Alexandra Damiani, Rebecca Azenberg, Laura Bowman, Holly L. Fusco, Abigail Mentzer, Barette Vance, Lillian di Piazza, Megan Dickinson, Jessy Hendrickson, Geneviève Lebean, Rachel Jambois, Ryoko Sadoshima, Kaia A. Tack, Lauren Fadeley, Sarah Hay, Adrianna de Svastich, Jamie Wolf, Carrie Lee Riggins, Gina Artese, Anne Bergstedt, Alyson Cambridge, Andrew Daly, John Farrer, Dj Jess, Daralina Komar, Tim Lacatena, Meredith Miles, Todd Miller, Michael Stein, Carmella Stolyar.

On this day in movie history - Narc (2002):

Narc

directed and written by Joe Carnahan,

was released in the United States on December 17, 2002.
Music by Cliff Martinez.

Cast:

Jason Patric, Ray Liotta, Chi McBride, A.C. Peterson, Lina Giornofelice, Karen Robinson, Krista Bridges, Myles Donaldson, Gavyn Donaldson, Anne Openshaw, Stacey Farber, Carly Marie Alves, Mallory Mahoney, Alan van Sprang, Donna Croce, Paulino Nunes, Thomas Patrice, Tony De Santis, John Ortiz, Marilo Nunez, Busta Rhymes, Richard Chevolleau, Bishop Brigante, Carson Durven, Lloyd Adams, Booth Savage, Dan Leis, Kevin Rushton, Darren John.

On this day in television history - The Blue Knight (1975 - 1976):

The Blue Knight

created by Albert Ruben and E. Jack Neuman,

based on the novel by Joseph Wambaugh,

was released in the United States on December 17, 1975, and ran for two seasons until October 20, 1976.

The pilot episode was shown on May 9, 1975.
Theme music by Henry Mancini.

Partial cast:

George Kennedy, John Steadman, Barbara Rhoades, Lee Weaver, Lucy Saroyan, Robert Hays, Phillip Pine, Al Hansen, Jess Nadelman, Don Maxwell, Bruce Glover, Gerald McRaney, Tom Bower, Anthony Geary, James A. Watson Jr., Jason Bernard, Ben Frank, Kelly Thordsen, Marc Alaimo, Hoke Howell, Don Hanmer, Byron Mabe, Phillip Simms, Jonathan Goldsmith, Jan Peters, Harry Lauter, Ross Elliott, Alex Rocco, Vic Tayback, Joanna Moore, Mitchell Ryan, John Ireland, Verna Bloom, Steve Sandor, Suzanne Charny, Carmen Zapata, Jacqueline Scott, T.J. Castronovo, Mel Novak, Juno Dawson, Christina Hart, Claire Brennen, Edward James Olmos, Judson Pratt, Lewis Charles, Claudia Bryar, Thomas Carter, Joseph Wambaugh, Kitty Carl, Paul Fierro, Peter Brandon, Booth Colman, Roy West, Lisa Moore, Dorothy Dells, William C. Coleman, Hilary Beane, Sharon Compton, Lieux Dressler, Jason Sommers, Curtis Henderson, Dorothy Meyer, Rita Gomez, Brooks Almy, Michael O'Keefe, Aneta Corsaut, Anjanette Comer, Judith McConnell, Janet MacLachlan, Charles Aidman, Davis Roberts, Kathryn Reynolds, Michael Swan, Helen Craig, Lucy Marlow, Jeff Goldblum, Sherry Jackson, P. J. Soles, Katherine Helmond, Gary Lockwood, Joanne Linville, Elisha Cook Jr., Jim Davis, James Whitmore Jr., Salome Jens, Norman Fell, Guy Stockwell, John Quade, John Lone, Woodrow Parfrey, Hampton Fancher, Jillian Kesner, Kathleen Hughes, Rudy Ramos.

Born on this day – Bernard Hill:

Bernard Hill

Actor

December 17, 1944 – 5 May 5, 2024

Credits:

10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004); 2003 MTV Movie Awards (2003); 2nd House (1974); 30 Greatest Political Comedies (2006); A Dirty Knight's Work (1976); A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999); A Question of Faith (2000); A Very Social Secretary (2005); About Face (1991); Alan Davies' Teenage Revolution (2010); Analogue Love (2011); Ancient Egyptians (2004); Auntie's Bloomers (1991–2001); BBC2 Play of the Week (1977–1978); Beatles Biggest Secrets (2004); Bellman and True (1987); Bernard Hill Remembers... Boys from the Blackstuff (2022); Between the Lines (1993); Big-atures / The Passing of an Age / Home of the Horse Lords (2004); Billy Connolly: An Audience with Billy Connolly (1985); Bombay Railway (2007); Boys from the Blackstuff (1982); Breakfast Time (1986); Brief History of Disbelief (2004); Cameras in Middle-Earth (2004); Canoe Man (2010); Childhood (1974); Christmas University Challenge (2014); CR: Titanic (2011); Crime Story (1992); Crown Court (1976); Cruel Sea: The Penlee Disaster (2006); Dispatches (2009); Double Helix: The DNA Years (2004); Double X: The Name of the Game (1992); Drowning by Numbers (1988); Drug-Taking and the Arts (1993); Du kommst nicht vorbei - Fans im Bann des Ringes (2005); Eisenstein (2000); El corazón de la tierra (2007); Equinox (1997); Europe, a Modern Profile (1992–1993); Everyman (1985 / 1986); Exodus (2007); Fable III (2010); Fairy Tales (2008); Falcón (2012); First Knight (1995); Five Days (2010); Folk America (2009); Forever Young (2023); Fox (1980); Franklyn (2008); From There to Here (2014); Gandhi (1982); Going Off Big Time (2000); Golden Moustache (2016); Golden Years (2016); Gothika (2003); Great Expectations (1999); Have I Got News for You (2005); HBO First Look (1997); Heatwave (2005); Hope and Wire (2014); Horizon (2001–2016); How Britain Worked (2012); I, Claudius (1976); Indian Hill Railways (2010); India's Frontier Railways (2015); Interlude City (2016); It Could Happen to You (1976); Jackanory (1985); John Lennon: A Journey in the Life (1985); Joy Division (2006); Ken Dodd in the Dock (2002); Lego the Lord of the Rings (2012); Lipstick on Your Collar (1993); Love Is Not Enough: The Journey to Adoption (2000–2001); Madagascar Skin (1995); Mania (2007); Match of the Eighties (1997); Midsummer Dream (2005); Milwr Bychan (1987); Mountain Men (1986); Mountains of the Moon (1990); Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (1996); No Go: The Free Derry Story (2006); No Surrender (1985); North v South (2015); Olly's Prison (1993); On the Set of 'Gothika' (2004); On the Set: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002); Once Upon a Time in the North (1994); OutPost 11 (2013); ParaNorman (2012); Pickersgill People (1978); Play for Today (1973–1981); Premiere (1977); Raphael: A Mortal God (2004); Reflections on Titanic (2012); Restless Natives (1985); Reunited Apart (2020); Revealed (2006); Richard III (1983); Ring*Con 2004 (2004); Ringens disipler (2004); Rooms (1977); Runners (1983); Samson and Delilah (1985); Save Angel Hope (2007); Saxon Gold: Finding the Hoard (2010); Say No to Strangers (1981); Scenes by the Sea: Takeshi Kitano (2000); Screen Two (1985–1994); Screenplay (1990); Second City Firsts (1977); Secret Lives (1997); Secrets of the Deep (2006); See You in the Future... (2004); Segunda oportunidad (2018); Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (1992); Shepherd on the Rock (2014); Shirley Valentine (1989); Shrinks (1991); Special Collector's Edition (2011); Squaring the Circle (1984); Stages (1994); Still Life (1984); Sunshine (2008); Surviving Disaster (2006); Telford's Change (1979); Telltale (1993); The 60s: The Beatles Decade (2006); The Big Game (1995); The Black Stuff (1980); The Bounty (1984); The Boys & Girl from County Clare (2003); The Breaker (2014); The Chain (1984); The Children's Rebellion (1985); The Criminal (1999); The Crumblegiant (2007); The Deal (2004); The Death Train (1998); The Devil: An Unauthorised Biography (1998); The First Part of Henry the Sixth (1983); The Fremantle Conspiracy (1988); The Gambling Man (1995); The Ghost and the Darkness (1996); The Glamour Girls (1980); The Great White Mountain (1986); The Greatest (2001); The Grid (2004); The Hunt for Jill Dando's Killer (2003); The Kid (2010); The King's Speech: Revealed (2011); The Last Tommy (2005); The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005); The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse: Deleted Scenes (2005); The Long March to Freedom (2011); The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (2010); The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003); The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002); The Loss of Sexual Innocence (1998); The Making of 'the Bounty' (1984); The Mill on the Floss (1997); The Moor (2023); The Responder (2024); The Sailor's Return (1978); The Scorpion King (2002); The Second Part of Henry the Sixth (1983); The Sorrows (2013); The Theban Plays by Sophocles (1986); The Third Part of Henry the Sixth (1983); The Titanic Chronicles (1999); The Wraith (2011); Timewatch (1999–2002); Titanic (1997); Titanic Explorer (1998); Titanic: Deleted Scenes (2012); Titanic: Secrets Revealed (1998); Titanic: Southampton Remembers (2012); Titanic's Final Mystery (2012); Titus: The Gorilla King (2008); Tory! Tory! Tory! (2006); True Crime (1999); Unforgotten (2015); Unforgotten Takes Us Back to the 70s (2015); Unforgotten: Building the Series (2017); Unforgotten: Domestic Turmoil (2017); Unnatural Acts (1998); Valkyrie (2008); Village Hall (1974); Warship (1977); What Is Unforgotten? (2015); What We Were Watching (2019); Wild China (2008); Wimbledon (2004); Wolf Hall (2015).