Of beards, cultural deficit, zero zero, rough trade, Dilbert, fake pandas, Welsh Romans, Bowie and Gallic electro

A gamble that paid off news: a Belgian art dealer who bought a painting that caught his eye for under €100,000 (£86,600/$115,000) "on a hunch" is now the owner of not only a Rubens, but a Rubens "two-in-one" - if you flip the picture upside-down. [click any pic to embiggen]

It's another snippets post, dear reader:

• Preposterous delusions of grandeur news: The tatty, backward, uncultured city of Plymouth, birthplace of Madam Arcati (and the city where we met) has announced it has placed its bid to become the UK's next "City of Culture"! Both of us were convulsed with laughter at the very thought of it...
• Pointless rebranding news: Whatever next? The iconic London Underground Tube signs on the Bakerloo Line have "temporarily" been taken over by a promotional advert for Heineken Zero, and people - particularly disability access campaigners on behalf of people with learning difficulties - are really unhappy about it. I am not surprised! More of our "beloved" Mayor Sadiq Khan's attention-seeking, money-making shit. Of course.
• Vinyl's not dead! news: Iconic London indie record shop Rough Trade is marking its fiftieth anniversary in 2026, with a year-long series of events and special edition vinyl record releases. Keep the faith!

RIP, Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert.

• Human zoo news: Staff at a zoo in Japan have been dressing up as pandas, and encouraging the public to "feed them", because their last real pandas have gone back to China. It really is another world...
• Pompeii in Port Talbot? news: A vast Roman villa has been discovered under the largely-undisturbed Margam Park in South West Wales. Why the fuck they chose to settle in the godforesaken Port Talbot, of all places, is a mystery.
• God news: David Bowie's childhood home in Bromley, South London is being restored and is set to re-open as a museum/cultural centre in 2027. "Fame (fame), what you need you have to borrow..."
• And finally: Happy 70th birthday wishes today to the coolest French singer you never heard of, Étienne Daho. Oh! Les années 80!

Etienne Daho - Tombé pour la France

And the weather? Rain, mizzle, rain, ad infinitum...