BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Macbeth - "‘It's a play that is extremely concerned with liminality, with the relationship between between different things connected and divided. I think that's a critical thing. Liminality is a threshold, it's like a doorway. And so there's the space in between this liminal space in between, which makes it unclear whether you're inside or outside, when you're standing in your threshold of your door, where are you? Are you outside? Or are you inside? And I think the play is, is concerned at all kinds of levels, with this notion of a threshold, with this notion of permeable boundaries, but also boundaries that, that separate.’...
‘It's not quite clear at the beginning of the play, who you're seeing, it's not clear that they are witches. I mean, if you put them in pointy hats, then it's obvious they're witches. But I think the play want us to ask these questions.’
‘It’s not clear that they’re women‘...
‘That's exactly right. So what the play is doing is it's asking us to explore the threshold between the supernatural and the human, the threshold between the female and the male, the threshold between Scotland and England, for that matter. The threshold between the past, the present, and the future, the play is so much about being caught in the present, trying to go towards the future. And being unable to do that, in many ways... it's also related to the difference and the similarities between imagination and reality. And Macbeth is, is caught throughout the play in a situation where he actually can't separate his fantasies, his fears and reality’...
‘That's why it's a tragedy, if Macbeth was an evil person or the helpless victim of supernatural powers beyond his ken, it will just be, it wouldn't be a tragedy, it would be just bad luck, or it would be his just desserts. But the fact is that he has this potential to be a radically different kind of human being. And in spite of that, the poor fella, finds himself trapped in the role and the destiny of a murdering medieval warrior.’"
Thailand bans Macbeth film Shakespeare Must Die - "Thailand's film censors have banned an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, saying it could inflame political passions in a country where it is taboo to criticise the monarchy. The Thai-language film Shakespeare Must Die tells the story of a theatre group in a fictional country resembling Thailand that is staging a production of Macbeth, in which an ambitious general murders his way to the Scottish throne... The director called the ruling absurd and a reflection of the fear in Thai society. "I feel like we are heading to a very dark, dark place right now, a place full of fears and everyone has to be extra careful about what they say," she said, adding that the character resembling Thaksin could represent any leader accused of corruption and abuse of power. "When Cambodians watch this they'll think it's Hun Sen. When Libyans watch it they would think it's Gaddafi.""
From 2012
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Alan Turing - "‘Remember how large the working staff at Bletchley Park was, 10,000 or more people working on this system, that was an image and model of the kind of power that an electronic, programmable, internally stored, modifiable computer run by electronics could do. And perhaps most importantly, as Andrew has pointed out, the way in which Turing's combination of a penetrating insight into what electronics and digital electronics especially could do with the idea of what programs could do, especially if the machine could modify its own programs, all of that was being developed at Bletchley Park.’"
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Deism - "‘In 17th century England, the public hangman would burn banned books. He could warm his hands on anything published by deists. They were free thinkers who argued that God began the universe and then stood back. And people could only understand God by reason and not by revelation. It was part of an enormous wrench away from the church. Deists were attacked by clerics who dealt in revelation and by philosophers who thought that reason had its limits. But their ideas were influential, as the church began to lose importance in the state during the Enlightenment… since the Reformation, how free were people to think of a religion that was different from an established church?’
‘Well, they were free to think of a different religion, to live very limited extent, but they certainly weren't free to to publicize ideas about a different religion. And a fundamental feature of deism is that its writings are produced sideways, we might say. Irony, even sarcasm is a way in which religious ideas that are unwelcome to authorities are produced.’...
'Presbyterians are often particularly challenged by deism... Presbyterianism is a religion which which intensely values, the role of the pastor and also of the elders in a Christian community. And it's a it's a very communal religion, but it's also a religion that insists upon the importance of authoritative figures serving in a, in a disciplinary and in a pedagogic fashion. And they, the Presbyterians, therefore, clearly regarded deism as especially challenging to those honorable principles of their religion.'...
‘Part of what went wrong for deism in a way is that it a lot of its stronger arguments just got subsumed into into the fringes of Christianity.’"
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Mary Astell - "‘Just because a word doesn't exist in the 17th century, it doesn't mean that the concept doesn't. And it seems to me that if you take the view that feminism is the belief that women, as a class are oppressed, and that that's wrong, then I think that we can call Astell a feminist, it seems to me that she had a very rich, thick understanding, a structural understanding of the ways in which women were oppressed, not just through the kind of violence and force and clear government but also through language and ideas and norms and stereotypes’...
'Mary Astell invokes the status of a slave on behalf of aristocratic white women living in Chelsea, and, and that, you know, when there were chattel slaves from Africa, walking the streets of London at the time, and of course, subsequent feminists have, subsequent black feminists have precisely looked on in amazement at the way in which white feminists have gone on about marriage or slavery and thought: you have no idea.'"
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, The Zong Massacre - "‘It needs to be remembered that the Caribbean plantation colonies were the most profitable colonies in the British Empire, Jamaica foremost among them. So one thinks of, you know, the North American colonies, the 13 colonies and the British Empire, especially Americans think of it that way. But there were actually 26 on the eve of the American Revolution. And by far, the most profitable, the most militarily significant, the best politically connected of these colonies were in the Caribbean, with, again, Jamaica, being at the heart of it. As long as that trade remained profitable, as long as those plantations needed those laborers, there were going to be people who were going to profit by filling that need.’...
'Even after 1807, with the Abolition Act, the Navy are paid prize money for every African captive that they managed to, in inverted commas save from the slave trade. So even the abolition act uses the indexing of money to African life into the period of abolition. And I think that's something which we struggle today to reconstruct in our heads, but was very much central to British commercial practices, and British state practices regarding law, the use of the Navy, and warfare.'"
The 15th century poll tax was an indexing of money to British life. So presumably British subjects then were slaves too
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, John Wesley and Methodism - "‘John Wesley's upbringing was pretty unconventional because he was brought up in a tense and pretty insecure environment. This is partly because of his parents turbulent marriage, Samuel and Susanna Wesley fell out about politics in 1701. And they'd separated and lived apart for about eight months. But eventually they were reconciled. And in fact, Suzanna went on to have five further pregnancies, but their relationship was pretty strained… they fell out because Suzanna had become a Jacobite, she rejected the revolution of 1688 and didn't believe that, James II had stopped being king, whereas Samuel Wesley had accepted the revolution and regarded William III as the lawful king.’
‘How did it become so acute for that, them to separate?’
‘Well, it was a matter of their salvation. They believed that well, in Samuel’s case believed that he’d taken an oath to William III, and therefore, he was imperiling his salvation if he didn't hold firm to that. Suzanna took the opposite view and felt that because she had accepted James II as her king, she would imperil her salvation if she changed her king midstream, so to speak’...
‘Women outnumber men two to one in Methodist churches’...
‘Well, in some ways, of course, that's not unusual for minority religions. There's a common pattern there where women are often in the majority in emerging or minority religious movements. And one of the reasons put forward for that sometimes is that, of course, since they didn't often have a public or civic role, they had less to risk. So for instance, as a dissenter in this period, you couldn't go to university, you couldn't hold public office. Well, if you're a woman, you couldn't do that anyway. So for some, in some ways, you could say women were slightly more free to follow their conscience. But of course, in addition to that Methodism, specifically did offer them much more of an opportunity to contribute, because of the emphasis on lay participation. So it was true for both men and women that they were expected to recount their experiences, their conversion experiences as women was as valid as those of men. their day to day experiences and spiritual progress, were also as valid and needed the same analysis and careful attention. And that was very rare. There were very few opportunities in this period for women to hear their own voice, to have an opportunity to speak, even if it was in a, you know, a semi private forum of the societies. We shouldn't overstate this, of course, because it wasn't revolutionary in terms of giving opportunities for women. Most of the leadership roles went to men, and only very few women were allowed to preach in the 18th century and they had to be quite exceptional.’"
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Eclipses - "‘I suppose that the most famous biblical one at least is the whole question of the crucifixion, and the darkness at noon, and many artists have painted the crucifixion showing an eclipsed sun. But as Caroline said at the very start, that cannot have happened. The reason is that the crucifixion took place at Passover. And Passover is the time of the full moon. And at full moon, you can have a lunar eclipse, but not a solar eclipse. However, there are some records that claim that the night of the crucifixion, the moon rose blood red, and as we already heard, that is one of the signals of a total lunar eclipse. And you can have a lunar eclipse at Passover. And indeed, you do the calculations back and there was a total lunar eclipse on Friday, the third of April 33 AD, and it was just after sunset in what is now modern Israel.’"
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, The Great Gatsby - "'It's about sleaze and and you know, gangsters and it's about these kind of really tawdry people behaving badly. And these empty rich people. And and and they're all really vulgar. And so this was all stuff that you would have been reading about in tabloid fiction, you would have been reading about it in the magazines, and then the gossip magazines, the celebrity magazines of the day. So the analogy that I always use is imagine if if today somebody wrote an absolute masterpiece, but it was about the Kardashians, I don't think anybody would be able to see past the fact that it was about the Kardashians to recognize it as a major work of art, because the subject matter would be seen as so definitionally trivial, so definitionally tacky, that all of the quote unquote serious critics might say what's very well written, but why would you waste all of your energy writing so beautifully about the Kardashians? And and I don't think that we would have the capacity to see the way that it cuts through our moment and see something profound about our society. That it you know, that it that it pins to the wall, absolutely nails. And in this case, in the case of The Great Gatsby, is also hitting the hitting the core of of where American society was going. So it's something that has that has opened up for us through time.'"
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, The Plague of Justinian - "‘The problem with Procopius’s account are the numbers he ascribes to the mortality.’
‘He looked back to Athens in the fourth century BC, about 8 or 900 years earlier. And Thucydides’s description of that. What does he draw from that?’
‘Well, the first thing to say is that that's, that's an entirely normal thing to do for a highly literate, well educated person at this period. They're very keen to demonstrate their classical credentials, so to speak. And so using and quoting from ancient sources, is entirely normal. And so one would expect Procopius to do precisely that. But you're quite right that he does, indeed, take the passage written by Thucydides, about a plague outbreak in Athens, which almost certainly wasn't bubonic plague, although we don't know either way. And he elaborates on that and uses that as the basis for his account of the terrifying impact of this outbreak in Constantinople in 540.’"
Meme - Avery Edison @aedison: "every time i drink milk i remember my roommate who used to put powdered milk in his milk so he could drink "more milk per milk""
Open-Concept Living Space of... : "We're drinking 1 or 2% milk and he's out there drinking 115% milk."
Meme - "My old person trait is that I think a website should work in a web browser and not try to open an app"
"My old person trait is I think video games should work without needing access to the Internet"
"My old person trait is that I think when I purchase a product, that it should be complete and functional and also that I should actually own it."
"My old person trait is that I think I should be able to talk to an actual person in order to resolve issues with my bills without waiting on hold for 30+ minutes."
Giving the middle finger is a 'God-given right,' says Quebec judge - "Giving someone the middle finger is a "God-given" right that belongs to all Canadians, a Quebec judge said as he recently acquitted a Montreal-area man of criminal harassment and uttering threats. In his ruling, Quebec court Judge Dennis Galiatsatos wrote that not only was Neall Epstein not guilty, but the fact that he was arrested and prosecuted at all was a bewildering injustice... Naccache alleged that Epstein also made a throat-slashing gesture and said he feared Epstein would come back and try to kill him — claims that the judge did not accept. "On what basis did he fear that Mr. Epstein was a potential murderer? The fact that he went for quiet walks with his kids? The fact that he socialized with the other young parents on the street? If that is the standard, we should all fear that our neighbours are killers-in-waiting"... He called it "deplorable" that the complainants "weaponized the criminal justice system in an attempt to exert revenge on an innocent man." Naccache said he thought Epstein regularly and surreptitiously filmed him and his family. In reality, the judge concluded, it was Naccache who had been filming Epstein and other neighbours from cameras mounted outside the home in which he lived with his parents and brother. He also had cameras on his motorcycle and in his parents' cars... Galiatsatos wrote that he wished he could literally — not just figuratively — throw the case out of court. "In the specific circumstances of this case, the Court is inclined to actually take the file and throw it out the window, which is the only way to adequately express my bewilderment with the fact that Mr. Epstein was subjected to an arrest and a fulsome criminal prosecution.""
Honey Lemon Water: An Effective Remedy or Urban Myth? - "Honey has been linked to a few science-backed health benefits, but it’s important to note that most of these benefits are associated with the raw, unfiltered type. This is because high-quality, unfiltered honey has more beneficial compounds and nutrients than processed, filtered honey... In a review of 26 studies that included over 3,000 people, honey was more effective at healing partial-thickness burns than conventional treatments. Additionally, honey may be an effective treatment for diabetic foot ulcers... It is thought that honey’s healing properties come from the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds it contains. In fact, studies suggest that honey may have a protective effect against over 60 different species of bacteria... One study found that a dose of honey was more effective than cough medicine at suppressing coughing and improving sleep in children and teens with upper respiratory infections"
Meme - "*they used cgi to fake the moon landing*
cgi in 1996: *Lara Croft with pointy boobs*"
Meme - "Men dont have trust issues...we stick our dicks in a mouth full of teeth...if that aint trust..idk wat is"
Meme - "As I gazed into her eyes, my knees got weak and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. I knew right and there... I had roofied the wrong glass."
Meme - "When you miscalculate the dick to cheek ratio and realize you're not equipped for this mission *Donald Duck and Pig*"
Meme - "Tigers have "false eyes" on the back of their ears to discourage predators from attacking them from behind"
"I am slightly less terrified of tigers and 1000X more terrified of whatever the fuck a tiger considers a predator"
Meme - "The perfect keyholder doesn't exis... *Barry Wood sitting on a bed silhouette*"
Fendi Removes Scarf That People Say Looks Like a Vagina - "Fendi, for example, has designed a $990 pink circle scarf printed with the brand's signature logo and lined with brown fur. The "Touch of Fur" stole is available in blue and red, but online shoppers have stayed fixated on the pink version that's no longer available on the website."
Meme - "Sauce cat is now 7 sauces"
"Americans, they'll use anything but metric!"
Meme - "Pawn: reaches the other end of the board
King: I have decided I am now arab and can have more than one wife."
Meme - "Me: "Harder daddy"
Guy stabbing me:"
Meme - "TOYOTA FORTUNER
ANNEE 2013
AUTOMATIQUE ESSENCE
GRAND ECRAN PLAQUE RECENTE
106mil KM.
7PLACES
CLIMATISE
FULL OPTIONS
MUTE RECEMMENT
Conduite par un blanc"
Toddler laughs as five firefighters try to free him - "A laughing toddler in Cornwall was rescued by hero firefighters after they battled free him from a locked car while he watched from the driver's seat. Little 14-month-old Brandon Emery was seen bearing a huge, adorable grin as he clutched the steering wheel of his mother's Rover Streetwise after accidentally locking himself inside."
Headteacher took own life after hearing Ofsted were going to downgrade primary school, family say - "Ruth Perry, who had been principal at Caversham Primary School in Reading since 2010, took her own life in January this year, after being told the school was being downgraded from Outstanding to Inadequate. Her devastated family say the 53-year-old was left a 'shadow of her former self' as a result of the inspection, and that she had described it as the 'worst day of my life'."
On Facebook a lot of people were blaming Ofsted. If a student kills himself after failing his exams, we must abolish exams. If an employee kills himself after getting a bad performance review, we must abolish performance reviews
Meme - "WHEN THE WORK GETS HARD REMEMBER WHY YOU'RE DOING IT.
*strippers, cocaine*"
Meme - "Great run. You lost 79 kg *arm with smartwatch ripped off by bear*"
Being proud of Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win goes against religion, says M'sia preacher - "A preacher in Malaysia, known for his hardliner views, has hit out at actress Michelle Yeoh's historic Best Actress Oscar win. Celebrity Muslim preacher PU Syed Mohd Bakri Syed Ishak said it is wrong to be proud of Yeoh’s victory, and he is not walking back his words. He asked on Instagram: “How is winning an Oscar something to be proud of?” “How does it make Malaysia proud? What’s to be proud of?" “We cannot be proud of something that doesn’t benefit the faith,” he added. “Leave it to the faithless.”... He took to Facebook on March 3, 2023, to criticise Blackpink for hosting their concert amid serious floods that have hit the country. In 2019, he slammed K-pop boyband BTS as demonic and said their music would only lead Malaysians astray."
M'sia broadcaster censors Oscar presenters' bodies in news bulletin about Michelle Yeoh's win - "In a snippet posted on the Buletin TV3 official Facebook page, Jessica Chastain and Halle Berry, who were the Oscar presenters for the Best Actress category, were shown with their entire bodies blurred out leaving only their faces visible. For closed-up shots of the duo, only their cleavage was blurred out... But the practice of censoring bodies appears to be a longstanding one. One person on Twitter commented that men's bare chests were not spared from censorship either, suggesting that there is at least some equity... There have also been multiple reports in recent times of women being denied services at or entry to public places, due to the enforcement of dress codes, which can be arbitrary, and where women are expected to cover up in the name of maintaining modesty even when they were already properly clothed"
Major South Korean Broadcaster Removed 'Ladies' From Michelle Yeoh's Oscars Speech
A Korean speaker was saying this was because of translation issues and that the original could be justified
Meme - "Me paying the hooker with the money I stole from her kids piggy bank while she was in the bathroom shitting out my cum:"
Meme - "Safety WARNING! Opening this box will result in Death by Electrocution & a €50 Fine"
Meme - Jesus H Christ @ThatBloke_Jesus: "Remember when I wasted years of my life as a carpenter making tables and shit before I realized I could do magic"
Meme - "The safe word is Worcestershire."
"But I can't pronounce that."
"Exactly."
Meme - "Men...follow me for more parenting tips! You are welcome!
*changing baby's diapers by holding down his arms with dumbbells*"
Meme - "To whomever decided on the placement of the subtitles... HE'S A SAINT! *subtitles not covering breasts*"
Health, Sex and Dreams: Don't dream it's over - FML - "Today, I was cockblocked by a machine. I'm in the hospital so I'm attached to the typical machines that monitor vitals, including heart rate. I fell asleep and had a sex dream which made my heart rate go up, which set off the beeping from the machine monitoring my vitals. Bam, I woke up, sex dream over. FML"
Love, Pregnancy, Cheating and Miscellaneous: News to me - FML - "Today, my colleague rushed off to the hospital for the birth of his first son. Having met his wife at the Christmas party a couple of years ago, I called to congratulate her. Shame I didn't realize it was his mistress having the baby. Guess who broke the news to the wife. FML"
From France
Work: Work name - FML - "Today, I found out the girl my husband's been calling "Sister" isn't actually his sister, but instead a hooker whose work name is "Sister". FML"
Meme - "Her husband is blind *Indian woman with huge belly button*"
Meme - "Mary! I'm back from work.... *Dove silhouette banging woman's silhouette doggy style*"
Meme - "Omiya Station *bird changing 大 to 犬*“