Xanadu II

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! A savage place! as holy and enchanted As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover! And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething, As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing, … More Xanadu II

Frank Furedi

Throughout most of the 20th century, therapy was advertised as both a cure and as an instrument for the construction of a happy society. It was promoted as a positive way of exploring and expanding the individual’s personality. From the perspective of today’s therapeutic ethos, therapy is much more a means of survival than an … More Frank Furedi

Xanadu I

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man     Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round; And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And … More Xanadu I

CIA field manual on sabotage

XI) General Interference with Organizations and Production (a) Organizations and Conferences (1) Insist on doing everything through “channels.” Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions. (2) Make “speeches,” Talk as frequently as possible and at great length., Illustrate your. “points” by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences. Never hesitate to … More CIA field manual on sabotage

La Louisiane

In mist on country roads from Maringouin I went to a meeting at Southern University in Baton Rouge, an interesting place I do not go often enough, and that is black and so gives relief from white fatigue. I had stopped on the way to get my yard sign that says JOHN BEL EDWARDS, GOVERNOR … More La Louisiane

Desk fantasies

Not that I can afford it, and not that I know where to put the bed it would displace, but here is a desk 28″ high. What do you think of it? Axé.

Flashback

This photograph, of my grandmother with the neighbor boys in the spring of 1955, in Arveyes, Switzerland (next to Villars-sur-Ollon). Axé.