Sophisticated Theology™ in Group Structures (and politics)
Something absolutely fascinating happened to me yesterday. D.P. Monahan, who sometimes comments here, pointed me to a blog by someone called Hoyt who’d written a post on Matriarchy/Patriarchy. She (and … Continue reading
20ème siècle | Paris | October 2017 | Christie’s
“This October, Christie’s presents Giacometti’s colossal Grande femme II alongside Basquiat’s masterpiece, Jim Crow. Drawn from two exceptional French collections, the two works lead our series of auctions dedicated to … Continue reading
This week in that other part of my life
I’m overseeing the restoration of this rather wonderful Dolorosa (Madonna of the Seven Sorrows, to be specific). She’s circa 1750, carved wood, applied gesso and polychrome painted with glass eyes. … Continue reading
It’s not my fault | Edouard Louis
“It was a chase scene. In the foreground was what looked to be a middle-class man, wearing a white shirt and suit pants. He was trying to get away from … Continue reading
How the oligarchy wins: lessons from ancient Greece | Ganesh Sitaramanan | Opinion | The Guardian
“To understand that, we can turn to an instant classic from a few years ago, Jeffrey Winters’ Oligarchy. Winters argues that the key to oligarchy is that a set of … Continue reading
You weren’t wondering – but anyway
I’ve been quiet because I’ve been doing stuff. On occasion my mind becomes exceedingly unpleasant. Critical and negative, to an almost crippling degree. This has been one of those periods. … Continue reading
If Goodness Is Represented by X
Last night I couldn’t sleep and I was thinking about that tired line on how can there be goodness without “god”… But – what is goodness really? Isn’t the very … Continue reading
Now Canada Has Gone Too Far
I’m afraid this is a much more serious declaration of war on the entire world than any test North Korea might attempt. I have rarely, if ever, seen so many … Continue reading
Just a thought
One of those email forward things going around, but an amusing one. This woman is 51 yrs old. She is TV health guru Gillian McKeith, advocating a holistic approach to … Continue reading
(Translation) Tradução: 40 Anos do Movimento Anti-Gay
Versão original in English: aqui. Em 2005 a SPLC publicou um cronograma da história do movimento anti-gay nos Estados Unidos. Usando aquele trabalho como base criei uma versão alternativa, mais detalhada, … Continue reading
It’s an alpha male thing: what dominant chimpanzees and Donald Trump have in common | via The Guardian
“Chimpanzee politics can be intricate, but they always obey the rules of social dominance. Because chimps and humans evolved from a common ancestor going back 5-7m years, we humans know … Continue reading
Using the scale provided
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
How the aristocracy preserved their power | Chris Bryant
“Historically, the British aristocracy’s defining feature was not a noble aspiration to serve the common weal but a desperate desire for self-advancement. They stole land under the pretence of piety … Continue reading
The value of ancient religions in life today
So now it’s even the nice little Buddhists! Seeeeeeeeeeeee! See why I keep saying creating a hierarchy of which religion is least rubbish is pointless? All it does is give … Continue reading
Film, Dance and Life – not necessarily in that order
The great dancer Tamara Tchinarova died two days ago. She was the first wife of actor Peter Finch (remember Network?) It was all very peaceful. She was up one day, … Continue reading
Protected: Screaming for silence; In which one loses it.
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
30 Day Exercise Challenges?
Has anyone done any of these 30 day exercise challenges? If so, how was it? I bought gym equipment again. The teenage boys who lived next door to us in … Continue reading
Lady Macbeth (Leskov) & Beatriz at Dinner
We finally got around to watching both films. This Lady Macbeth (as I mentioned in a recent post) isn’t the Shakespearean version, but based on a novella published by Nikolai … Continue reading
Sexism, Racism, Classism & Homophobia – Here I come!
Or there I went. Down the rabbit hole, just like Alice. This business of one’s past is dangerous stuff. Here I was, safely behind my exceedingly high French walls, but no, … Continue reading
The WC. at the top of the stairs, before & after
This was a fiddly affair, but we’re nearly there. All that’s missing now are the windows which are being restored. The floors unfortunately had to be replaced because when the … Continue reading
Look what I found
He’s going to be furious 😀 Hilarious. It’s on a site that’s called Movies & Portraits. Very creative, best wishes, George. Who’s George, and how has this picture ended up in … Continue reading
As mid-life crises go (come?)
I’m at 70kg. Which is down from 73, but not quite the 64 I was between the ages of 19 and 37. I’m 5’9 and a half, so I know … Continue reading
How Well Can We Remember Someone’s Life after They Die? – Julia Shaw for Scientific American
“Memory is often a social construction. Certainly in the context of grief, memories are often elicited and shared in group settings with family members and friends. Information is disclosed, information … Continue reading
Summer at number 42 (Mazamet, 2017)
“And when the Lord said drinketh champagneth, we didith.” Alcoholics 20:17 We’re enjoying summer no end this year. The girls have made it particularly fun and special. They do every … Continue reading
A Boy (or more) to be Sacrificed
I watched the men talking on the beach with some degree of suspicion. I simply did not understand what was going on, what they were doing, or why. I’d never … Continue reading
A Gap Year at Number 42
The August Girls are here and we’re having a ton of fun. Next year will be the 10th year we summer together. That’s a long time, isn’t it? The other … Continue reading
Rulers, Religion and Riches by Jared Rubin – why the west got rich | Books | The Guardian
“Why are some parts of the world rich, and other parts poor? In the west many of us live in conditions almost unimaginably more comfortable than billions of people in … Continue reading
Why Are Americans So Afraid? | Class Warfare Blog
“I was reading an article over at AlterNet with the title above. The subtitle is “Facts Take a Backseat to Deeply Ingrained Fears.” That article takes a fact-based approach in … Continue reading
Trans discrimination II via Clare Flourish
Trans discrimination II by Clare Flourish “It is not a free speech issue. You’re a man, really has little value as speech. Why would anyone want to be rude to … Continue reading
Standards of Real Manhood™
“Segurem suas cabras que meu bode está solto“ That’s a traditional Lusophone saying that means tie up your does because my buck is free. Get it? Keep your females locked up … Continue reading
Illuminated by Gas
About a year after I came out the dust had settled. All financial support from my family had ceased. Many harsh things were said- mostly by me. And at that … Continue reading
Of what we feel – and don’t feel.
After posting that little excerpt from The End of Eddy I ended up reading the English version yesterday. Excellent, although the translation isn’t quite as stylish as the French original; … Continue reading
How the middle class hoards wealth and opportunity for itself | Inequality | The Guardian
“… Opportunity hoarding does not result from the workings of a large machine but from the cumulative effect of individual choices and preferences. Taken in isolation, they may feel trivial: … Continue reading
Rank reversal aversion inhibits redistribution across societies | Nature Magazine, Human Behaviour
“Income inequality is pervasive despite evidence of inequality-averse social preferences. We show that people will sometimes support inequality to avoid reversing the rank of others in society. Using a … Continue reading
Summer 2017 (at nº 42)
We have a slight pause between the departure of our last guests and the arrival of new ones. Well, we do have a dog guest now, but that’s different. I’m … Continue reading
Artificial realities and income
Just found this in today’s El Pais And I had this one for France already: Does anyone have examples for other countries? You’d never guess those are the real … Continue reading
And one day you realise you’re a cartoon squirrel
And all the beautiful and sophisticated things you have are just you hoarding acorns- no matter how many romantic Dostoevskian justifications you may have. And you mostly socialise with other acorn … Continue reading
The ecology of human fear: survival optimization and the nervous system | Neuroscience
“In this article, we gather ecological theories and empirical data from a variety of related fields in an attempt to create a unified model of how humans predict, respond to, … Continue reading
The Zurbarán Nearby
I recently discovered that the Zurbarán above lives just 20 minutes away from number 42. It’s at the former Episcopal Palace in Castres (now a museum.) A very nice building of … Continue reading
Safety in numbers?
One of (in my firm opinion) the best interior designers in the world has landed at number 42- bringing along with her a photo of us together many years ago. … Continue reading
Update: Ten Types of Human by Dexter Dias
Absolutely worth the time! The title may be off-putting because it’s gimmicky- but the contents of the book are not. He uses the Ten Types format as an outline to … Continue reading
Nearly there
We’re still waiting for the moulding that tops off the wainscoting (aka chair rail), and then it’s mostly details. In all I’m pleased. It’s got great light and a welcoming … Continue reading
Tentative Uncertainty
When my mother-in-law was first ill, it was a strange time. Sometimes she’d say unusual things. Things that didn’t quite fit in the conversation. Then she’d have the occasional fall. … Continue reading
Cultural Oddities: Slave Jewellery
Isn’t that an extraordinary picture? All that jewellery you see, it’s gold. Solid gold. Salvador was the birthplace of slave jewellery. I think the concept doesn’t exist in any other … Continue reading
From the Rescuer to the Aggressor – understanding the 10 types of human | Science | The Guardian
“Dias tells the story of human behaviour through 10 tropes. The Kinsman will protect his or her own gene pool at the expense of any other. It’s illustrated in the … Continue reading
A Mild Headache & Peonies
–I have a mild headache. –We’re entering summer mode. We had guests a couple of weeks ago, but as of Wednesday it’s basically non-stop until September. Cold soups will feature … Continue reading
‘Are you yellow?’ Red Symons interview with Beverley Wang prompts ABC apology | The Guardian
Symons: “Do they speak Mandarin or Cantonese? Wang: “Who’s ‘they’?” Symons: “The people in Taiwan.” Wang: “They speak Taiwanese and they speak Mandarin. And in Canada, where I’m from, … Continue reading
The Changing of the Loos
The one terribly unpleasant thing I found when we moved into number 42 were the loos. From a little distance they look normal, but as one approaches, one discovers they’re … Continue reading
Progress in the bathroom
We’re halfway there. The tub is in place, the shower cubicle is being tiled, the cabinet thingy arrived, the loo is installed (and it works, which is always a good … Continue reading
Hips, Lovage, Heat & Banks
Lovage: The only good part of the title. I can’t believe I’ve gone 39 years without it. It looks like big flat leaf parsley but with a much stronger celery-like … Continue reading
The Day Will Come | Der kommer en dag
Director: Jesper W. Nielsen Written by: Søren Sveistrup Stars: Lars Mikkelsen, Sofie Gråbøl, Harald Kaiser Hermann, Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt “The year is 1967, and a blooming youth culture is on … Continue reading
I burst out laughing: Trump orders the slaying of Clooney newborns – The Whitechapel Whelk
US President, Donald Trump, has issued an executive order calling for the newborn twins of actor, George Clooney, to be put to death immediately. Source: Trump orders the slaying of … Continue reading
Perspective, Priorities & Women in Society
Yesterday I was reading John Oliver’s more than justified criticism of the coverage of the most recent terrorist attacks in London; this was shortly after reading an article someone emailed … Continue reading
Free speech is at the core of the left-right divide. But what are we fighting over? | Jason Wilson | Opinion | The Guardian
by Jason Wilson “… Free speech in the Bill of Rights is not freedom from criticism or disagreement. But this was not what Christian appears to have had in mind. … Continue reading
An Agendist’s (Mostly) Private Thoughts
It’s usually a bad idea to put people on a pedestal; Unless they’re blind or in a wheelchair, in which case it might be funny. Three of my grandparents are … Continue reading
“Home” of Friedrich Nietzsche – Palazzo Berlendis for Sale
Source: Home of Friedrich Nietzsche – Palazzo Berlendis for Sale 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms 300 m2 2,500,000 EUR (2,181,703 GBP) The advertisement is slightly misleading, this is actually an apartment … Continue reading
Must See: Betting On Zero
“From ‘Darfur Now’ writer/director Ted Braun comes a riveting docu-thriller following controversial hedge fund titan Bill Ackman as he puts a billion dollars on the line in his crusade … Continue reading
Our Very Own Honour Killings: 15enne uccide l’amico per un like su Facebook – Corriere.it
Un like di troppo e un commento, poco appropriato, sotto la foto di una ragazzina postata sul suo profilo Facebook, ha convinto Alex, 15 anni, che quello era uno sgarbo … Continue reading
The wonderful world of Herbert Spencer
“The presumption that any current opinion is not wholly false gains in strength according to the number of its adherents. Admitting, as we must, that life is impossible unless through … Continue reading
Ask not what a mirror can do for you-
Above are all Louis XIV mirrors. Fascinating period. As transitions go, probably one of the most significant in the history of art. We leave behind the heavy-handedness of everything that came … Continue reading
Some things never change- mostly the chandeliers
I was up a ladder cleaning the chandelier in the grey salon today and I started trying to count backwards to figure out the year when I bought it (because … Continue reading
Apparently “Chanel needs to understand Indigenous anger” over boomerangs
“If you are an Aboriginal person the idea that someone would pay nearly $2,000 for a designer boomerang is absurd. To pay that much for a boomerang would have to … Continue reading
Salvador Sobral WON Eurovision!!!
How absolutely wonderful. First Macron, now this. There is much light at the end of this tunnel.
Canadian journalists support ‘appropriation prize’ after online furore | The Guardian
“The piece sparked furore on social media. While some defended Niedzviecki’s idea, others described the piece as clueless and an insult to the indigenous writers who had contributed to the … Continue reading
Armand Albert Rateau: Lanvin’s Art Deco designer | Christie’s
Lanvin and the man she chose to design her apartment. “Armand Albert Rateau was one of France’s greatest Art Deco designers, creating everything from furniture to theatre interiors. Meredith Etherington-Smith … Continue reading
Floridus and Herbidus but not Fruitidus (well, a little)
and I forgot to mention… there are teak chairs available from VidaXL (sold to most of Europe with free shipping) for just €60 each. They also make 2 and 3 … Continue reading
The science of inequality: why people prefer unequal societies | Inequality | The Guardian
“… For example, studies of income and happiness have revealed that, once a basic level of wealth is achieved, relative wealth is more important for overall happiness. Similarly, a vast … Continue reading
From Denying to the Grave
From Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us by Sara E. Gorman, Jack M. Gorman, M.d., Jack M. Gorman, Oxford University Press Rabbit Feet and … Continue reading
Teresa Cristina sings Roses Don’t Speak
“… I complain to the roses. What nonsense. Roses don’t speak. Roses only exhale the scent they steal from you…”
April at nº 42
It’s been a busy month. And dusty. Work has begun to move the west bathroom into a larger room. And what was the bathroom is going to become a dressing … Continue reading
Does Revenge Serve an Evolutionary Purpose? – Scientific American
“Why all the celebration after the killing of Osama bin Laden? A psychologist who studies evolution and human behavior explains the complex desire for vengeance” Source: Does Revenge Serve an … Continue reading
The Red-Pill Right Swaps Chivalry for Misogyny – via TDB
“An investigation by The Daily Beast about the New Hampshire state representative who was secretly behind The Red Pill (“the web’s most popular online destination for pickup artistry and men’s … Continue reading
The Secret Life of the Mind: How Your Brain Thinks, Feels, and Decides by Dr. Mariano Sigman
“Where do our thoughts come from? How do we make choices and trust our judgments? What is the role of the unconscious? Can we manipulate our dreams? In this mind-bending … Continue reading
In the land of zeros and ones- there are questions
Curiosity, hope and the constant impulse to compare ourselves- all part of the human evolutionary strategy. Doesn’t that mean we can whittle everything down into those terms? What follows is that most … Continue reading
Changes
Dealing with the limited counter space in the kitchen has not been easy, but finally we have a solution. A cross between an island and a table. It’s the height … Continue reading
Heuristics & Biases (borrowed from GSU)
I love graphs and tables 😀 This one is amusing. The more I look through comments on newspapers and blogs, the more I notice the extent to which people rely … Continue reading
Ai Funghi
Here I am, a month or so in. This seems to be working for me. Intellectually what I knew I wanted was, shall we say, a divorce from the ego. … Continue reading
America’s Cult of Ignorance – The Daily Beast
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political … Continue reading
From Venice to Florence to Mazamet
… Finally settled on a mirror for the entrance hall. Not as nice as the blue glass Venetian version from the other day, but attractive nonetheless. This one is Florentine. … Continue reading
A North Italian, Clear & Cobalt Blue Glass Mirror| VENICE, 1st half of the 18th century | Christie’s
A NORTH ITALIAN ENGRAVED, CLEAR AND COBALT BLUE GLASS MIRROR VENICE, FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY The rectangular plate within a stepped foliate-decorated surround interspersed with oval medallions depicting flowering urns … Continue reading
New & Old
Isn’t that wonderful? I just love de la Simone. This is my 2nd week of microdosing. For a crazy person it’s more art than science. The overall effect is good. … Continue reading
Notes on The Time Before
I want to continue talking about that period because it’s oddly relevant to what’s going on in the world today… As a child with grandparents from three different countries and … Continue reading
The Butchering of the Age of Reason – via TDB
“Our country is in a crisis that threatens to set us back 400 years. I know this sounds dramatic, and I am not talking about politics, I’m talking about reversing … Continue reading
Reflections on White Masculinity via The Guardian + Society’s failure to discuss ideas.
[The book is] “slated for 2018 . It’s based on interviews with four different groups around the world. One of them is an organization in Sweden which helps young neo-Nazis … Continue reading
The Grey Agendist
Well, the hair is grey, anyway. Very, very grey. Also, very, very short. My mood is up. We’ve had over a week of excellent weather now. One day at 18º … Continue reading
Matisse, Tiziano, Veronese & Diana Vreeland
Bacchus & Ariadne have just left. They’re on their way to Madrid where they’ll be restored by the exceptionally able hand who presided over much of the work at the … Continue reading
The Anatomy of Populist Economics by Brigitte Granville – Project Syndicate
A bit of a long read, but well worth it. Professor Brigitte Granville’s article is outstanding. PARIS – For at least the past year, populism has been wreaking havoc on … Continue reading
Musée d’Orsay: Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870). La jeunesse de l’impressionnisme.
“Comment regarder l’oeuvre de Frédéric Bazille, mort au combat en 1870 lors de la guerre franco-prussienne alors qu’il n’était âgé que de 28 ans ? Si ses premières toiles sont … Continue reading
Pastoral Amusements
Isn’t that room stunning? The tapestry you see on the wall on the left is the Cheval Fondu from the Amusements Champêtres series. It was thought to be Beauvais but … Continue reading
I don’t know how many souls I have
It’s profoundly problematic that every time I’m confronted with the notion that I’m not immortal, I desperately want to die. Who was that Victorian author who said Germans were incapable … Continue reading
Him, Daniel Blake
We watched Ken Loach’s film last night. Beautifully done but excruciatingly sad. I spent the rest of the evening feeling generally guilty- and selfish, and clueless, and uncaring. It’s something … Continue reading
The Last Straw Fallacy: Another Causal Fallacy and Its Harmful Effects
by Carolyn Cusick & Mark Peter November 2015 Argumentation; Nov. 2015, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p. 457 “We have noticed a pattern of arguments that exhibit a type of irrationality … Continue reading
Thinking aloud
I was awake until very late last night looking at old pictures. In particular pictures where the Bacchus painting appears. A collector contacted me to make an offer. We haven’t … Continue reading
The David Irving Method & Wanker Theory
One of the less talked about films of last year was Denial. Not as cheerful as La La Land or dramatic as Fences, it tells the story of the libel … Continue reading
From Simulation Confusion by K. Sanes
“… more often, we are being deliberately tricked, by people who have something to gain by manipulating us with misleading appearances. Indeed, much of America’s economy is based on providing … Continue reading
Reading books is good. Dressed of sea.
because we’re forced to inhabit the perspective of another human being. We should do that all the time. Dedicate a part of the day to that. I’ve never understood lack … Continue reading
Things an agendist does when he’s bored: This is a Reince Priebus
Well, I was bored yesterday and so decided to make a joke (picture and all) out of the name of the current White House chief of staff . The people … Continue reading
In case you missed it: Matt Frei
“Meet The Trumps: From Immigrant To President Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States and commander in chief of America’s armed forces, the most powerful position in … Continue reading
Let’s just say they wish today was over: Penelope Fillon & Marine Le Pen
Marine Le Pen: élue au Parlement européen, et est accusée d’avoir rémunéré avec des fonds européens comme assistante parlementaire Catherine Griset, alors que celle-ci travaillait essentiellement pour le FN. Cette dernière … Continue reading
Skittles, Terrorism & the Hippopotamus Factor
These excellent graphs are by the wonderful people at Datagraver. For more interesting graphs, numbers and information on terrorism, Oxford University’s OWID is fantastic. I thought it would be interesting for … Continue reading
Warmth at last
Winter sun! The weather is finally improving. After a reasonably pleasant December, the cold front was not fun. It did get us back into action and the attic of number 42 … Continue reading
Prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom. – Petitions
If you’re a UK citizen or resident, you can sign this petition: Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in his capacity as head of the US Government, … Continue reading
A Series of Even More Unfortunate Events: The Appalling Airport
No sooner had the Baudelaire orphans handed their passports to the immigration officer than they looked up and realized it was actually Count Olaf in disguise! In a very, very bad disguise. … Continue reading
The fire that burns unseen – Luís Vaz de Camões
16th century poetry and also some wonderful music. Amor é um fogo que arde sem se ver, é ferida que doi, e não se sente; é um contentamento descontente, é … Continue reading
Sean Spicer: Trump considering 20% tax on Mexican imports – Business Insider
“Sean Spicer, White House press secretary for President Donald Trump, told reporters on Thursday that the administration is pushing for a 20% border tax on Mexican imports. “When you look at … Continue reading
Christianity and the Strong Arm of the Law: Do the religious not trust themselves? | myatheistlife
“The Pink Agendist has a pretty awesome blog. His take on this topic is stunning, and allows us to see how the church set the tone for what they now … Continue reading
The Last Shaman by James Freeman
This documentary is now on Netflix. Interesting concept. James suffers from acute depression. He’s tired. He’s tried all sorts of treatments but nothing has really worked. He decides to “give … Continue reading
Clickbait title: Is rape imaginary?
…“The dissociation of labor and disintegration of society, which liberty and free competition occasion, is especially injurious to the poorer class; for besides the labor necessary to support the family, … Continue reading
Saving the Temple Neuf
Our mayor has launched a fundraising initiative aimed at restoring three of the more important religious buildings in town. One of them is the Temple Neuf, also known as the … Continue reading
The Magic(al thinking) Word of 2016/2017: Deal
Bold, ambitious, Global Britain- those were some of the terms Theresa May repeated ad nauseum in today’s speech on Brexit. The most used word, however, was deal. That is undoubtedly … Continue reading
The Mother of All Muckrakers
“… Tarbell was the nemesis of John D. Rockefeller, the creator of Standard Oil, precursor of ExxonMobil. But she was a lot more than that — as a journalist she … Continue reading
Lessons in Ethics: The Moral of Annie
The moral of Annie is that there was a time when it really didn’t matter how talented your child was and/or how well they could sing, if it was a Ginger, … Continue reading
The adventures of President Shyster & his Shysterettes
By now you’ve probably seen President Shyster posing next to a table covered in files: The setup was extraordinary. Basically he said, Dear Public, these are papers. Papers mean I … Continue reading
Little- thinking
When I was little I sometimes wished an aeroplane would crash. This was generally to get rid of a single person- which makes it terribly inefficient methodologically. Wishing for choking would’ve … Continue reading
What would 18 year old you think?
I read this the other day and it stuck in my mind. It’s from a speech by the author of The Black Swan, N.N. Taleb. Interesting notion. To go back to … Continue reading
From Istanbul to Moscow, cold snap wreaks havoc across Europe (PHOTOS) — RT News
“Bone-freezing cold, heavy snowstorms, and floods have been plaguing the European continent this week, causing power outages, traffic jams, cancelled flights, and even a stream of plastic eggs with toys … Continue reading
Words. So many words. Rosemonde Gérard.
Lorsque tu seras vieux et que je serai vieille, Lorsque mes cheveux blonds seront des cheveux blancs, Au mois de mai, dans le jardin qui s’ensoleille, Nous irons réchauffer nos … Continue reading
A chest for the scullery
The chest for the scullery is in place. I wanted something very specific so we had it made (adapted actually) in Germany and then shipped to us in a flat … Continue reading
Attempts at mind control
Because I obviously need(ed) to *wear* a reminder in very large letters.
Wishful thinking: from Proxylane to Dedifferentiated Rose Cells
I can’t tell you how annoying I find advertisements for cosmetics. What’s most irritating is that they work. The world’s wealthiest woman is, after all, Liliane Bettencourt the owner of L’Oreal. What … Continue reading
The unbearable heaviness of being.
Milan Kundera is a stupid name. There, I said it. I don’t mention it often, but I was one of those clever children. You get high scores on a test … Continue reading
Darwin, Bonaparte & the Samaritan (starting the year on a good note!)
That’s the title of Michel Serre’s new book. Unfortunately I think it’s not yet available in English (but it is in French & Spanish.) He’s one of the great minds … Continue reading
Julia Engelmann (Poem) with English Subtitles (and good ham!)
I was going to continue writing about existentialism today- but in an effort not to depress anyone before the Reveillon, I’ll give you something rather beautiful instead. You might already … Continue reading
Stufen
I remember being 10 and sitting in the back seat of the car (a town car), my parents were up front, and I asked them why they thought they should … Continue reading
Why we are willing to pay for mega expensive things
by Paul Harrison Director, Centre for Employee and Consumer Wellbeing; Senior lecturer, Deakin Business School- The Conversation Australia “It may not seem logical or good value for money, but there are … Continue reading
Dear Eagle’s Talons
This just arrived. I got it online. It says: Dear Eagle’s Talons, We await your arrival with impatience. Are you enjoying yourself? Goodbye my dear Eagle’s Talons. Hug Jeanne for … Continue reading
Stupid and sometimes not
I’ve been jumping rope for two weeks now to lose weight. It’s ridiculous- but somehow less ridiculous than jogging or doing any other sort of public exercise. My waist is … Continue reading
Light-hearted things
In the first half of the 20th century there were squads called Einsatzgruppen- HA! Just kidding. No depressing history or politics today. I promised a picture of the Louis Philippe … Continue reading
George Michael, pop superstar, dies at 53 | Music | The Guardian
Star who made his name as half of pop group Wham! has died peacefully at home, according to his publicist Source: George Michael, pop superstar, dies at 53 | Music … Continue reading
Twas the night before Christmas (eve- all’s about eve)
Alagna was at Versailles last week. Magnificent. I don’t go to things like that anymore because- because I don’t like leaving the house unnecessarily, or travelling, or pretending I’m interested … Continue reading
It’s not cold
14 degrees celsius today. We had a couple of colder and rainy days earlier in the week but the predictions are that this winter in the Tarn will be mild. … Continue reading
Democrats, demagogues and despots via the FT
“The more powerful the passions and the more uncontained the ambitions, the more likely the democratic system will collapse into despotism. Demagogues are the Achilles heel of democracy. There is … Continue reading
Ich bin ein Berliner
Right now we don’t know what the reasons were- and frankly I imagine the motivation doesn’t play much of a role in the feeling of loss of those who have lost … Continue reading
When The New York Times Defended Putting a Black Man in the Bronx Zoo – TDB
Just as the late Stephen Jay Gould updated Charles Darwin by arguing that humans evolved through fits and starts—“punctuated equilibrium”—social progress also is less steady than we would like. Even … Continue reading
The end of an era?
That’s the cover of this month’s municipal magazine. The major item is the motorway. It’s reminding us we’re in the final stage before the concession. It’s also reminding us this … Continue reading
The Evil Agendist
You know those Christmas cards they make you buy every year from the people who paint with the paintbrush in their mouth or feet or wherever because they’re missing limbs? … Continue reading
Books, Food & 10 Year Plans
We left Spain 2 years ago today. What you see above is my last bloody mary at the marina. I loved the marina in winter, barely a tourist in sight. … Continue reading
Welcome to the age of anger
The seismic events of 2016 have revealed a world in chaos – and one that old ideas of liberal rationalism can no longer explain by Pankaj Mishra “Writing in the … Continue reading
Racist troll guilty of harassing Labour MP with antisemitic posts | The Guardian
A racist internet troll has been found guilty of harassing a Labour MP with a series of anti-Jewish rants sent after the jailing of a fellow far-right extremist. Joshua Bonehill-Paine, … Continue reading
Autumnal in G Minor
Time insists on passing. I looked at the calendar today and realized that this time two years ago, we were packing up Villa l’Africaine. Yesterday I received a lovely card … Continue reading
What Gamergate should have taught us about the ‘alt-right’ + Let’s talk about language.
“It’s understandable that the world didn’t much care about Gamergate. The 2014 hashtag campaign, ostensibly founded to protest about perceived ethical failures in games journalism, clearly thrived on hate – … Continue reading
My Mazamet 
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