I'm not a river or a giant bird
That soars to the sea
And if I'm never tied to anything
I'll never be free
I wanted magic shows and miracles
Mirages to touch
I wanted such a little thing from life
I wanted so much
I never came close, my love
We never came near
It never was there
I think it was here
Nicholas Hewitt, Wicked Sydney City: The Many Cultures of Sydney and Marseille. Every city should have a good book about it, and now Marseille does. I would say you have to already know the city, however, to appreciate this one.
In The Guardian they present: "six novelists telling fresh stories about Europe", in 'My family are too frightened to read my book': meet Europe's most exciting authors.
The only one of these authors under review at the complete review is Hassan Blasim -- his The Madman of Freedom Square -- but I do also have copies of Three Apples Fell from the Sky and All About Sarah (well, They Say Sarah, as the US title has it), and should be getting to them.
CHROMOSOMAL PRIVILEGE! Scientist may have figured out why women live longer than men
'I'm much slower than a car, but I'll get there': Hiker to map 'top-secret' track for Google
A New South Wales woman with a taste for risky, solo hiking is about to complete a spectacular journey for the tech giant, wearing a custom-made backpack with 360-degree camera.
Presidents and their books. Thomas Jefferson was more of a reader than a writer. John Adams couldn’t stop writing Presidents
Ma’am,” he called. “Just so you know: this is private property, and I’m not what you call a public fellow. If you’re selling, I’m not buying. If you’re interviewing, I’m not talking. And if you’re campaigning, I don’t vote. But if you’re lost, I will happily give you directions, and a glass of water,” Mr. Hunter writes.
I’m not lost, Mr. Swagger — Sergeant Swagger. It took me days to find out where you lived. I know you don’t like interruptions, and there’s no reason you should, but I would claim the right to a hearing because of the circumstances”
“Well,“ he said, thinking, oh, Lord what now?
… BOOK REVIEW: 'Game of Snipers: A Bob Lee Swagger Novel' - Washington Times.Why French Conedy Has A Political Edge
“Politics has always been present in French humour. But standup brought forward a whole population left out by the system – the poor, uneducated sons and daughters of immigrants.” – The Guardian
Freedom House – A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy – “Democracy and pluralism are under assault. Dictators are toiling to stamp out the last vestiges of domestic dissent and spread their harmful influence to new corners of the world. At the same time, many freely elected leaders are dramatically narrowing their concerns to a blinkered interpretation of the national interest. In fact, such leaders—including the chief executives of the United States and India, the world’s two largest democracies—are increasingly willing to break down institutional safeguards and disregard the rights of critics and minorities as they pursue their populist agendas. As a result of these and other trends, Freedom House found that 2019 was the 14th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. The gap between setbacks and gains widened compared with 2018, as individuals in 64 countries experienced deterioration in their political rights and civil liberties while those in just 37 experienced improvements. The negative pattern affected all regime types, but the impact was most visible near the top and the bottom of the scale. More than half of the countries that were rated Free or Not Free in 2009 have suffered a net decline in the past decade…The unchecked brutality of autocratic regimes and the ethical decay of democratic powers are combining to make the world increasingly hostile to fresh demands for better governance. A striking number of new citizen protest movements have emerged over the past year, reflecting the inexhaustible and universal desire for fundamental rights. However, these movements have in many cases confronted deeply entrenched interests that are able to endure considerable pressure and are willing to use deadly force to maintain power. The protests of 2019 have so far failed to halt the overall slide in global freedom, and without greater support and solidarity from established democracies, they are more likely to succumb to authoritarian reprisals…” 
The paradox of authenticity: In order to reap the benefits of feeling authentic, you may have to betray your true nature Pair of Doctors