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*Cypriot limestone hand holding a piece of fruit. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.*A photograph of unpeeled apples by Richard Tepe, ca. 1900-1930. The Rijksmuseum.*Bruised stone apple, from the archives of criticalEYEfinds.*"Apples," folio 48 (verso), from Florilegium (A Book of Flower Studies), 1608. The Cleveland Museum of Art.*Doris Ulmann, "Women Gathering Apples," ca. 1930s. Ogden Museum of Southern Art. *Italian marble half-apple bowl.*James Nasmyth,"Back of Hand & Shrivelled Apple. To illustrate …

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. ***This week in 1974, UK democracy finally got its bum in gear, as Britain, at last, managed to elect a government. That was all thanks to Harold Wilson's Labour Party winning the nation's second general election of the year, to become the new government with a walloping great three-seat majority in the …

My book Gobsmacked: The British Invasion of American of American English–which is of course based on this blog–has gotten a lot of nice attention in the couple of weeks since it’s been out. I plan to do a post with some of the links to articles, reviews, and podcasts soon. But the piece by The Economist‘s “Johnson” columnist–Lane Greene–deserves a post of its own. The title is “Americans Are Chuffed …

The Supreme Court is keeping busy on gun matters! It just granted S&W's petition for certiorari. The government of Mexico had sued a large group of gun companies over guns being smuggled in, the companies pled the Lawful Commerce etc. Act, but the First Circuit upheld the suit on the grounds that the Act doesn't protect aiding and abetting of crimes. The companies point out that aiding and abetting requires …

Even when the legal arguments in such lawfare cases are weak or absurd, the litigation itself can be of value to litigants who seek to utilise the court hearings to air a litany of real or imagined grievances. In the wake of a decision by the Council of Stellenbosch University to close its Wilgenhof Men’s Residence for one year in an attempt to bring an end to humiliating and exclusionary …

Dancer - Man Of Distinction/R.AGGS - Uncertainty Bloody hell, Dancer, they've only just on Friday released their split LP with Whisper Hiss and now here comes another split, this time a limited 7" with Ray Aggs of so, so many great things that's included in the price of their 30th November gig at Glasgow's The Old Hairdressers, though there will we're assured be a limited number otherwise available. Dancer's half …

WowHaus 1970s Alpine Lodge near Alford, Lincolnshire 1970s Alpine Lodge near Alford, Lincolnshire (image credit: Masons and Partners) You don’t need a time machine to go back 50 years. You need this 1970s Alpine Lodge near Alford, Lincolnshire, in your life. (image credit: Masons and Partners) I love this one, not just because it has that retro appeal if (like me) you love the 1970s. It’s also a substantial property …

Today I'm taking a look at new LEGO® chemistry set elements released in June 2024, which have just become available on the Pick a Brick service today along with some 900 other June elements. There are two moulds: a column of bubbles and a round-bottomed flask, each of which comes in two different colours. Continue reading »

Wash trading, election arbitrage, TreasuryDirect.gov, NDA waivers and investment banking hours.

our book has been out for one full week and so much has happened. I think I am supposed to feel nervous but it’s honestly been one long party, and I have had my film camera on me the whole week: 🍋 Alastair Sooke said the book was ‘excoriating and exuberant.’ You can read the full Telegraph interview here. He said Zarina was cautious and he said I was impish, …

Blackheath Village is set to get an Asda Express convenience store after Greenwich councillors agreed to give it an alcohol licence. The store had been hotly opposed by neighbours, with 72 individual objections received as well as one from the Blackheath Society, the local amenity group. But a panel of three councillors approved the licence, […] The post Asda set to open Blackheath Village Express store after winning licence appeared …

Did you know that the entire meal is American. That’s the dirty secret of Canadian Thanksgiving. It’s not even ours. Roast Turkey. Mashed Potatoes. Stuffing and cranberry sauce. Pumpkin pie. Food as seen on cable TV. At least I will have my own damn carrots like those up there. And my own beets. Hmm… if the menu was really Canadian what would it be? I dunno. A big ass butter …

Cardiff Garcia of the Economic Innovation Group interviews Paul Krugman at The New Bazaar website (October 9, 2024). The interview has a number of points of interest. Here are two themes that caught my eye. The study of “economic geography” focuses on why economics activity may tend to cluster, or to spread out, or to happen in certain locations. The general theory is that there are “agglomeration economies,” which refers …

Seen this morning at the Waller Street Skate Park: an in-real-life Cons pair: I looked around and saw a car but no obvious cdr, so perhaps this was a list of length one. (Sorry if this sounds confusing, but I hope it amused both LISP programmers in my audience.)

Carré d’Art in Nîmes, Foster + Partners Archiobjects Carré d’Art in Nîmes, designed by Foster + Partners and inaugurated in 1993, stands as an example of contemporary architecture embedded within a historic context. Located opposite the Maison Carrée, an ancient Roman temple, Carré d’Art presents a dialogue between the ancient and the modern, a recurring theme in Norman Foster’s design approach. The building […] The post Carré d’Art in Nîmes, …