2003-04-17 13:20 (UTC+1)
We've deplored travel, we've ambivaleted of the French but there's one
glaring as it were lacuna to be filled if this truncated Holy Week
edition of the bladet is to achieve microcosmicness, so give it up,
esteemed gennelpersons, for the gratuitous prinsessor
non-story
(and
it isn't Claire of "Belgium"'s big day, so there):
�tst�rningar har blivit rena "prinsess-sjukan".
Senast i raden �r
australiskan Mary Donaldson, 30. Bilder visar att hon tappat kraftigt
i vikt. Enligt tidningsuppgifter har hon g�tt ner �ver tio kilo det
senaste �ret. Och d� fr�n en h�gst normal viktniv�.
[Eating disorders have become a real "prinsess-sickness". The latest
in the series is Australian Mary "Knudella" Donaldson, 30. Pictures
show that she has lost a lot of weight. According to newspaper
sources she's shed ten kilos in the last year, starting from a level
at the top end of normal.]
(New readers: Knudella, or "Mary" as some newspapers still prefer to
call her, is the long-time girlfriend of Kronprinsfred of Denmark, and
it really is about time he made an honest prinsess of her and she
could tuck into a square banquet, poor girl.)
Apparently li'l Charlotte of Monaco has also been struck, and Vickan's
struggles with anorexia are well-documented (it's all in the past,
she's all better now, honest).
If the newspapers were to acquire enough of a sense of shame not to
lead with pregnancy rumours every time Mette-Marit eats a cream bun
that would certainly be a big improvement, but let's not hold our
breaths, eh?
[L�nken via the Danish Birgitte-in-Exile, tak igen.]
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2003-04-17 11:39 (UTC+1)
Plut�t que de parler de retour du religieux je parlerais de la fin
d'une parenth�se ideologique. Le XVIIIe si�cle avec l'id�e de
progr�s, le XIXe avec l'espoir scientiste ont intronis� des religions
s�culi�res. Nous vivons la fin de cette parenth�se, mais comme
les collectivit�s ont besoin de croire, je ne suis pas s�r que nous
changions d'�l�ment.
[Rather than talk of a return to religion I would talk of the end of
an ideological parenthesis. The 18th century with the idea of
progress, the scientific optimism of 19th century invented secular
religions. We're living through the end of that parenthesis, but
since communities need to believe I'm not sure that anything
fundamental has changed.]
- R�gis Debray, in conversation with Constantin von Barloewen (for it is
he!) in the Nouvel Obs.
I would urge you with some urgency to read the whole article if at
all possible - it is very good indeed.
Parenthetically
reason yields to religion -
cherry blossoms fall.
Blind Spacefish Tanaka.
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17-04-2003 10:11 (UTC+1)
(I apologize for the delay, but I had neither InterWebNet access or the
time to use it while I was on the road.)
The wedding was at a hotel in Bront� country, where the landscape can
certainly loom. I bought the groom a pint while we were waiting for
the ceremony, and thus it went.
Practically every residential building in Venice is currently
festooned with rainbow-striped flags emblazoned with the word
Pace (Peace), and I did get to go to work on a water-bus.
However, I did not see St Marcus's whatsit or the celebrated Basilisk
or the Dog's Palace (il grande kennel) or much of anything. I
did learn enough Italian to buy stamps and bus tickets in the
tobacconists next door without resorting to Eengleesh, and I have some
Dylan Dog horror comics (hoorah!) to practise with.
We left yesterday, just as the place started to be oppressively
crowded with tourists (mostly French, mostly speaking only French,
entirely surprised that this was not an effective communication
strategy) for the Holier End of Holy Week (it really is Holy Thursday
in Venice today).
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