Some days we just need a feel-good story. Well, CNN’s Amanda Jackson has this one
WHAT ARE THEY DOING NOW THAT THEY’LL BE APOLOGIZING FOR IN 50 YEARS? U.S. psychoanalysts apologize for labeling homosexuality an illness.
Related (From Ed): I’ll take “Headlines I wasn’t expecting this week in the Minneapolis Star Tribune for $500,” Alex: Pediatric gender clinics: We may look back and ask ‘what were we thinking?’
There was a general sense of mockery about the bathroom (C8) euphemism, however, the most scathing disapproval was reserved for the use of 'restroom'. Bill Hardy of Cumbalum "finds restroom even more odious given the very limited range of facilities upon which to rest," while Peter Wotton of Pyrmont notes that "many latrines/lavatories also contain showers, if not baths, however, I am yet to find a restroom with a bed or even a sofa". Manbir Singh Kohl of Pemulwuy definitely doesn't want to "'rest' in an area of disagreeable sights, sounds and odours."
Frank McGrath of Bulli recalls that "in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, George asks Martha to: 'Show our guests to the euphemism (C8).' One can’t get more acidly genteel than that."
While we're on the topic of euphemisms, Stephen Yates of Ashtonfield has a question. "How many euphemisms for dying are there? Seniors Insurance are surely doing them to death with their current TV campaign. Many more and I think they'll do me in."
Most beautiful German books
They've announced the Schönste Deutsche Bücher 2019 -- 25 books in five categories, selected from 682 submissions; the Börsenblatt overview offers a better ... overview, but there's more information at the official site about each title.
The latest in hlo's series of 'The State of Things'-Q & As is with Filip Florian: The age of prophets, great teachers and laws engraved on stone is over.
Among his responses:
In literature, are there any recognisable trends typical of the end of the millennium and the 2000s ?
I would say that such characteristic tendencies do exist. The divergence from canons and other well-paved roads, as well as a freedom of thought and expression of unprecedented scope. In addition, the ego has once more returned to dominance. There is a characteristic openness about the engagement with subjectivity, and the authorial ‘I’ takes ever more prominence centre stage.
Horns are growing on young people's skulls. Phone use is to blame, research suggests Isaac Stanley-Becker
John Gorman, via Medium
What is the most
important thing you look for in
On TV, I’m watching Our Planet, In Search of Greatness, Street Food, Chernobyl, The Clinton Affair,Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, and This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy. I don’t normally watch 19 different things at one time, but life’s felt a little scattered lately. For books, I’m listening to Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond on audiobook and I’m making good progress on Robert Caro’sWorking (highly recommended).
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan. Hard to summarize but there’s certainly something interesting on almost every page. (A-)
Fleabag. Bitingly funny and poignant, a real gem. (A+)
Skyscraper. Die Hard + the Sherlock Holmes story A Scandal in Bohemia + #sponcon for Big Duct Tape. I love a good disaster movie. (B+)
Mexico City. Great food, vegetation everywhere, beautiful architecture, culturally fascinating, super walkable/bikeable/scooterable. I am definitely visiting here again as soon as I can. (A)
Puyol Taco Omakase. Delicious & fun & a great experience, but I’m not sure the food was obviously so much better than some of the best street food I had in Mexico City. I had this same experience in Bangkok years ago…street food is tough to beat when there’s a thriving culture of markets, carts, and stalls. (B+)
The National Museum of Anthropology. One of my new favorite museums in the world. The only thing possibly more impressive than the collection is the architecture of the building. (A+)
Teotihuacán. I had high hopes for this archeological site and I was still blown away by it. (A+)
AirPods. This is my favorite gadget in years, the first real VR/AR device that feels seamless (and not like a Segway for your face). The freedom of wireless headphones feels similar to when I first used a laptop, wifi, and dockless bike share. (A+)
Homecoming. So many things to love about this, but one of my favorites is the shots of the audience watching Beyoncé and the rare moments when she watches them back: “I see you.” And also the way they put a cohesive show together while showcasing individual talents and styles. (A-)
Homecoming: The Live Album. Come on, a marching band playing Beyoncé hits? That this works so well is a small miracle. (A-)
Avengers: Endgame. I liked but didn’t love it. It was like the ST:TNG finale and the Six Feet Under finale mashed together and not done as well. It also seemed too predictable. (B)
Avengers: Age of Ultron. Now that the Thanos narrative arc is complete, this is an underrated installment. (B+)
Casa Luis Barragán. This was like being in someone’s creative mind. The layering of the garden reminded me of Disney’s use of the multiplane camera in the forest scene in Bambi. (B+)
Gelatin Sincronizada Gelitin (NSFW). I was skeptical of this art performance at first — a bunch of half-naked people painting on a moving canvas using paintbrushes coming out of their butts — but it ended up being a really cool thing to experience. (B+)
Game of Thrones. I’m not quite as critical of the final season as everyone else seems to be. Still, it seems like since the show left the cozy confines of George RR Martin’s books, it has struggled at times. (B+)
Wandering Earth. Based on the short story by Liu Cixin (author of the Three Body Problem trilogy), this disaster movie is a little uneven at the start but finishes strong. (B)
Halt and Catch Fire Vol 2. The music was one of the many great things about this show. (A-)
Running from COPS. A podcast about how media and law enforcement in America intersect to great and terrible effect. (B+)
Eating bugs. I tasted crickets, grasshoppers, and grubs at the market: mostly just salty. I had beef tartare and guacamole with grasshoppers on it. They added a nice crunch to the guac. Wouldn’t exactly go out of the way for them, but they weren’t bad. (B)
Panaderia Rosetta. Did I have one of the best pain au chocolat I’ve ever had here? Yes. Yes, I did. Also extremely delicious: everything else I tried. (A-)
Against the Rules. A podcast from Michael Lewis about what’s happening to the concept of fairness in America. The episode about Salvator Mundi, the supposed Leonardo masterpiece, is particularly interesting. (A-)
Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth. I have a new appreciation of how much Tolkien did in creating his books: writing, map making, world building, art, constructing languages. (B+)
Frida Kahlo’s Blue House. A striking house with a lush courtyard, but the highlight was seeing Kahlo’s work area much the way she left it when she died. (B+)
Street Food Essentials by Club Tengo Hambre. Mexico City is a huge place with so much to do that I wanted to hit the ground running right away, so I booked this street food tour. Definitely a good idea. We sampled so many different kinds of tacos & gorditas & quesadillas that I lost count. Highlights: huitlacoche quesadillas, al pastor tacos, fresh Oaxaca cheese at the Mercado de San Juan, and the blue corn masa used to make tlacoyos at one of our last stops — probably the best tortilla I’ve ever eaten. (A-)
The Matrix. This came out 20 years ago. I watched it with my 11-yo son the other day and he thought the special effects “held up pretty well”. (A)
Electric scooters. I used the Lime dockless electric scooters for the first time when I was in Mexico City and I loved experience. Easier than a bike and a fun & fast way to get around the city. Cons: the combo of the speed & small wheels can be dangerous and cities generally don’t have the infrastructure to accommodate them yet. (B+)
Paprika. Inventive and visually dazzling. Purportedly an influence on Christopher Nolan’s Inception. (B+)
Oh and just because, here’s a photo I took recently in my backyard that makes it seem like I live in Narnia or The Shire
It’s Time to Switch to a Privacy Browser Wired – “There’s a new battleground in the browser wars: user privacy. Firefox just made its Enhanced Tracking Protection a default feature, Apple continues to pile privacy-focused features into its Safari browser, and people are more aware than ever before of the sort of information they can reveal every time they set a digital footprint on the web. If you want to push back against online tracking, you’ve got several options to pick from when choosing a default browser. These are the browsers that put user privacy high on the list of their priorities…”
FRANK DISCUSSION: Michael Walsh caught
candidly discussing why public servants find it hard to be so candid in public.
It’s Time to Switch to a Privacy Browser Wired – “There’s a new battleground in the browser wars: user privacy. Firefox just made its Enhanced Tracking Protection a default feature, Apple continues to pile privacy-focused features into its Safari browser, and people are more aware than ever before of the sort of information they can reveal every time they set a digital footprint on the web. If you want to push back against online tracking, you’ve got several options to pick from when choosing a default browser. These are the browsers that put user privacy high on the list of their priorities…”
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