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A painting is withdrawn
Long-time Samizdata readers will know that one of my hobbies is to read The Times (of London) from a hundred years ago. It is often the case that the most interesting articles are also the shortest....
View ArticleOdysseus you say?
Christopher Nolan’s flick The Odyssey is probably a work of marketing genius, or maybe not, we will see. Many are now saying ‘based’ culture warriors and those repelled by certain very outré casting...
View ArticleSamizdata quote of the day – why Jane Austen matters edition
“The year 2026 brings four semiquincentennials that matter greatly to me, that I think are related to each other: the American Declaration of Independence; the publication of Adam Smith’s An Inquiry...
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“Anti-Trump sentiment being examined as motive for White House press dinner...
Yes, really. It’s in the Guardian: Anti-Trump sentiment being examined as motive for White House press dinner shooting Do you think they’ll find any? I’ve got a few ideas as to where the investigators...
View ArticleGovernment-funded comedy
“Comedians tell ministers lack of funding is no laughing matter”, says the BBC headline writer. Do not judge him too harshly; hanging would suffice. The article continues, Comedian Tom Walker, who...
View ArticleTragically Predictable: a review of ‘Goodbye, Jimi, The Truth Behind the...
You don’t love because: you love despite; not for the virtues, but despite the faults. – William Faulkner. It is breathtaking how much phenomenal music Jimi Hendrix squeezed into a recording career of...
View ArticleHow much should we “separate the Artist from the Man”?
For a record number of Americans in this ever more secular era, their real religion is politics, their faith is their political ideology, and their church is their political party. This seems...
View ArticleTo get ahead in poetry, feign being fein and a Nwankwo
“Straight white author’s career finally takes off after he tells woke publishers he’s gender queer Nigerian”, reports the Daily Mail. The artist formerly and now once again known as Aaron Barry is...
View ArticleSomebody took the larper seriously
“Kneecap rapper charged with terrorism offence over alleged Hezbollah flag at London gig”, reports the Guardian: Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs with the Irish rap trio Kneecap, has been charged with...
View ArticleEndgame in Afghanistan
Taliban ban chess being played in Afghanistan as it’s deemed ‘un-Islamic’ – Daily Star Since the Afghanistan government’s collapse in 2021, the Taliban movement have progressively worsened human rights...
View ArticleSamizdata quote of the day – beware of pretty fuckwits
The actual argument being made is that British actors, tax breaks, directors, scriptwriters, lovely Cotswold villages (and in the case of Bridgerton, the street outside my flat) are just such wonderful...
View ArticleSamizdata quote of the day – regarding a show about as funny as a washing...
Like most people, I haven’t tuned in to Have I Got News For You for years. But when I heard of a staggering omission in last Friday night’s edition, I just had to see it – or, rather, not see it – with...
View ArticleFairytale of Birmingham
In the comments to my previous post, Zerren Yeoville was inspired by the Pogues’ 1987 classic Fairytale of New York to pen the following lines for Birmingham in its current travails: ‘They’ve got rats...
View ArticleSnow White and the Two Reviewers
Robbie Collin in the Telegraph actually gave it three stars: Disney’s Snow White: Not too woke – and better than Wicked “And they all lived adequately ever after” is not the fairy-tale ending Disney...
View ArticleEvery breath you take, every stroke you make
Sometimes the Guardian shows flashes of its old persona as a guardian of liberty. Publishing this article by Apostolis Fotiadis was one example: The EU wants to scan every message sent in Europe. Will...
View Article“Climate justice” payments and the incentives of jizya
“PAY UP OR SHUT UP” – “TRILLIONS NOT BILLIONS” – “Global North, PAY UP!” These are some of the signs being held up by climate activists in a photograph taken at the recently concluded COP29 conference...
View ArticleThe Children’s Book Police make another arrest
I am not a huge fan of celebrity chef and food campaigner Jamie Oliver, nor of children’s books whose main selling point is a sleb’s name on the cover, but this is just cruel: Jamie Oliver apologises...
View Articlewhy does ‘diverse’ content spark backlash now when it didn’t before?
Several people have asked: why does ‘diverse’ content spark backlash now when it didn’t before? I think it comes down to one thing: removal. In the past, inclusionary moves didn’t try to clear out the...
View Article“03.26 BST: Trump makes another transphobic joke”
I have heard that Trump was quite entertaining at the Al Smith Memorial dinner, but this riposte from the Guardian’s Helen Sullivan displays true comic genius. Her effortless mastery of the role of the...
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Seth MacFarlane: An Apology
Dear Mr MacFarlane, In general, I am a fan of “The Orville” the soft science fiction series of which you are the creator and star. The other day I watched Episode 5 of Season 2, “All the World is...
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![Various Artists – Old School / New School [iTunes Plus M4A]](http://i.imgur.com/GEFz815.jpeg)
