Nice move there, Google – celebrating the Olympics with the rainbow flag. That’s the Russian search-page. Here’s the one in Jamaica – another country riddled with pathological homophobia. And the Ugandan and Nigerian versions. If you think I’m over-reading some simple coloring, the quote on each page makes the intent clear:
“The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” –Olympic Charter
Well played.
Today I wondered if Clinton fatigue could worsen; mused if the pursuit of wealth through work is now in conflict with the deeper American principle of the pursuit of happiness; and mourned an epic beard.
I also appreciated the defense of French as integral to a proper education. It was the one foreign language I actually mastered. It enabled me to read Camus, Mauriac, Baudelaire, Constant, Flaubert, Tocqueville, de Maupassant, and above all, Pascal and Montaigne in the original. It’s up there with my Oxford entrance-level Latin as a foundation for my entire intellectual life – even though it could be described as useless as a practical endeavor. But the life of the mind is not a practical endeavor; and one good sign of the value of the truly great things in life is their “uselessness”.
The most popular post of the day was Clinton Fatigue? Next up: Sarah Palin’s baked Alaska.
Our renewal revenue is now 106 percent of the original revenue this time last year. 106 percent.
See you in the morning.
The Dish 