Sunday, June 16, 2019

Bertrand Russell on drunkenness

There's something liberating about not pretending. Dare to embarrass yourself. Risk.

“Drunkenness, for example, is temporary suicide: the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness.” Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness ... read more


$10,000 minimum chips: Chip shop swindler jailed for $300k of extra charges


A customer got suspicions after they checked their bank statement and discovered they had been charged $10,000 by Tim Brosnan’s Mount Waverley shop.

IF YOU DARE DISSENT FROM “ORANGE MAN BAD” YOU WILL BE DESTROYED:  Here’s a brave person.

Mascot Towers: Residents in limbo after 'persistent' cracks widened

Frustrated residents have been told they could be out of their homes for up to a week after they were suddenly forced to evacuate the building in Sydney's inner south on Friday.





Manet's final years were marked by syphilis, severe and chronic pain, and amputation of a leg. Also, some of his most remarkable paintings Remarkable Images 


NICK HALLETT. Christian persecution ‘near genocide levels’


The worldwide persecution of Christians is at near “genocide” level, a report for the British government has said.  The review, led by the Anglican Bishop of Truro, Philip Mounstephen, said Christianity is set to be “wiped out” from parts of the Middle East as people are killed or forced to flee.




Tobias Friedrich uses a specialized kit to make these great split shots — half underwater and half over — no need for stitching composites together in a digital darkroom.


Tobias Friedrich

Here’s some more info on split photography and the gear you’d need for giving it a shot. (via tmn)

       They've announced the shortlists for this year's Orwell Prizes, including the six titles shortlisted for the inaugural Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. 
       The winners will be announced 25 June. 




Why Customers Are Returning To Small Bookstores


When one small bookstore owner tells customers they could buy it cheaper if they ordered it themselves, she says they tell her: “Amazon doesn’t play with my kids; Amazon doesn’t bring authors to Bedford; Amazon doesn’t recommend books when my child is going through hell and needs something to lift them up.” – The Guardian



Why Are Book Subtitles Getting So Long?



“I don’t feel respected as a reader when I feel like the subtitle was created not to give me a feeling of what kind of reading experience I may get, but for search engines.”  – Washington Post


Anyone Can Write A Book. Doesn’t Mean Their Book Is True…



“People trust books. When they read books by experts, they often assume that they’re as serious, and as carefully verified, as scientific papers — or at least that there’s some vetting in place. But often, that faith is misplaced. There are no good mechanisms to make sure books are accurate, and that’s a problem.” – Vox

Highways and byways


The Washington Post will launch a new travel guide that's designed to feel like an insider's guide to 50 cities — and counting. 



(Photo courtesy of The Washington Post)

The Washington Post will soon launch “By The Way,” which the Post calls “a highly visual and thoroughly reported destination for travelers who want to experience cities around the world like a local.” Scheduled to launch June 18, it will offer insider guides to popular national and international locales written mostly by journalists in those cities.

Amanda Finnegan, who will be editor of “By The Way,” said in a statement, “We want to provide travelers with a deeper understanding of where they are visiting — the culture, the quirks, the customs — so they feel a personal connection.”
The site will include where to eat, what to see and where to stay, as well as travel tips and news that could impact travel to those cities. “By The Way” will debut with 50 city guides, including Barcelona, Hong Kong and Istanbul, and add more cities as time goes by. There also will be a weekly newsletter beginning June 20.