A crystal Faberge egg studded with diamonds commissioned by a Russian tsar that sold for a record £22.9m ($30m) at auction in London. I think it looks like a soap dish with a "Wade Whimsy" inside!
It's another snippets post, dear reader:
- Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion news: Prada has bought Versace (for a knock-down price), bringing two major Italian luxury fashion houses under one roof. Prada has leather handbags. Donatella has leather skin. A perfect match!
- Oops news: Contractors working for Ealing Council cut down a perfectly healthy and beautiful flowering cherry tree - on the correctly-named street, but in Richmond, the completely wrong borough altogether!
- Inevitable festive-related fluffy animal news: A reindeer that escaped from "Santa's Enchanted Forest" in Formby, Merseyside (on the grounds of good taste, no doubt) was found curled up asleep on a nearby beach.
- Fun before the internet news: The decorative Golden Hare that was the prize in the early 80s treasure hunt phenomenon Masquerade [the ornately-illustrated book that had millions across the globe gripped by solving its puzzles and riddles to find clues] has sold for £82,000 at auction.
- Party animal news: A drunk raccoon was found passed out on the floor of a liquor store in Virginia after breaking in and ransacking the shelves. My kind of vermin!
- 20-foot erection news: A giant golden statue of a naked Roman gladiator nicknamed "Golden Balls" by local people has been returned to its rightful place outside an antique shop in Wigan, after a dispute with the local council led to him being banned.
Wise words
- And, finally - literature: I recently stumbled across an interview from 2021 with the legendary US gay author John Rechy (who was 94 earlier this year), and was particularly taken with a couple of quotes...
- "It [the phrase “sex worker”] drives me mad. A sex worker takes the prostitution out of the thing. I remember when a collection of my essays was being published and they referred to me as an “ex-sex worker” and I said, “No way, no way, please. Call me a whore, a prostitute, anything but sex worker.” It disrespects the proud tradition of whoring."
- "I will never call myself a queer. That word is one of the things that I detest that has happened, and it’s almost being forced now. For me, you cannot separate that word from the hatred and violence that once accompanied it. When I read it being used in The New York Times, I think, “It’s their word and they can fucking have it all they want.” I will never use “queer.” It’s an ugly word."
- "It [the phrase “sex worker”] drives me mad. A sex worker takes the prostitution out of the thing. I remember when a collection of my essays was being published and they referred to me as an “ex-sex worker” and I said, “No way, no way, please. Call me a whore, a prostitute, anything but sex worker.” It disrespects the proud tradition of whoring."
Amen to that:
Yes, Sir!
And the weather? Pissing down again.
A naked statue?!? Gasp! What will those perverts do next? David bare naked with his slingshot? Anyway, I looked. He doesn’t really deserve the name Golden Balls. Nothing to speak of in a statue that size.
ReplyDelete"Golden Peanuts", more like. Jx
DeleteThat Faberge egg does look naff, doesn't it. It's like something that the paper shop here used to sell in the early 80s (I may have bought an equally naff soap dish as a Mother's Day gift once...).
ReplyDeleteIn other news, I might have to give this Homosexuality thing a try. All the men look so happy and content!
From all the various treasures of the Romanoffs that I have seen over the years (not in person, I might add), I have come to the conclusions that the Russians have no taste whatsoever.
DeleteOh, I think you should join that there Homosexuality club, Mr DeVice! You get to wear extreme facial hair and leather chaps and everything. It's like the Scouts, but with less - erm - knot-tying? - nope - umm - outdoor pursuits? - nope - camping? - sigh... You know what I mean!
Jx
I totally agree with John Rechy
ReplyDeleteI cannot separate that word from the hatred and violence that once accompanied either.
It is as offensive and aggressive as the 'N' which I would never use.
It's a word I always associate with hate and fear, too. I despise the fact that gay men and lesbians are conflated under that "LGBTQIA+" banner, as well. "Gay" will do nicely, thank you. Jx
Delete