dungeon master or cosplay caliphate

Writing for the always provoking Æon magazine, pastor Benjamin Dueholm takes up the banner of fantasy politics—the sleeping hero, the once and future king with a parallel which stops necessarily short of the gruesome violence and vile pretensions that by its unsettling and discomforting nature may bridge that gap in trying to understand the allure that the would-be caliph has for his following.

The standard explanation usually repairs towards brainwashing, alienation, general listlessness and marginalisation of Muslim youth, but it is probably more productive to confront a prickly affinity even if in the end the comparison does not pan out—especially given that traditional accounts are not leading anyone anywhere. Going off to fight jihad is certainly degrees more radical than attending a convention, re-enactment not matter how devoted or die-hard the fan is, but the idea of role-playing and seeing the slumbering and legitimate liberator awake (and vanquish all the pretenders) is not so far removed from our shared cultural, literary and cinematic mythology. One finds other examples in Arthurian legend and the Matter of Britain, in Friedrich Barbarossa asleep under the mountain, as well as more recently renewed struggles, like the notion of a legitimate heir to all of Christendom. Instead of Romulans, sith, orcs, however, they target far less formidable and imaginative foes. Cosplayers, subcultures usually don’t become delusional in their pursuits and passions but tragic and catastrophic outcomes may follow when they do, and perhaps if anything can be gleaned from this analogy (though I feel that there is a lot there, which is also maybe too close for comfort), it is the ability to perceive—take to heart, when other members of the community say that their actions are not Islam. What do you think?

if art-nouveau and haight-ashbury had a baby or minis by max

Dangerous Minds curates a fabulous tribute to the haute coutre of prodigious and unsinkable (trends and fashions have regrettably moved on but this artist has remained active) Peter Max. Only knowing the Max license for his graphic arts, I was amazed to see this spread—much more at the link, and learn that there’s a whole syndicate of products, clocks, stamps, presidential portraits and even sliced-bread, that Max lent his name and signature style to, which compliment the causes that he has championed.

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turing compleat: two chat-bots chat each other up

field-shower: a wand for washing your dog from all angles at once

spoonerism and bowdlerize: unsung holidays and observances in July

sabbatic goat: Satanic Temple of Detroit to unveil its massive Baphomet (whom the Knights Templar, Masons and the Cathars were accused of worshipping incidentally) statue later this month and take it on the road

driving that train: the Pope will chew coca leaves on his visit to Bolivia to show his support for defusing the mission-spill of the war on drugs

choose wisely

While out on loan, the Nanteos Cup, conflated for around the past century with the Holy Grail, the was stolen last summer but is now returned almost one year later, reports the intrepid Atlas Obscura.
The wooden drinking vessel is reputed to contain a sliver of the True Cross and is imbued with miraculous healing properties and the Welsh Nanteos estate, which it’s named for, will lend it out freely to the sick in hopes of curing them. The Sturm und Drang of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle and Parsifal at the turn of the century was what benighted the cup and made it one more of the several hundred candidates (literal and abstract) found in Europe. Whatever the origin, it is nonetheless quite a treasured cup and a quite massive sting operation was launched in Wales, which led to its recovery, concluding with a shadowy, midnight hand-off.

eine milliarde dollar

As Germany pauses to recognise sixty years since its ascension into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the country’s ministry of defence is pledging to take on a more active role.

Acknowledging that security requires investment, although Germany insofar as being a reliable dues-paying member, protecting national interests could never be called a moocher, Germany will raise its pooled contribution to a billion euro annually, a round two percent of its gross-national output. It’s nothing to slouch at—the sum—of course, and it’s a matter of debate whether NATO remains divisive in a constructive way, but it does seem like a small ransom to bolster native industry, relatively. German maintains a separate, standing peace with the Bundeswehr as do most other coalition members, but such a budgeted outlay (notwithstanding collateral, hidden costs) makes me think of Doctor Evil from Austin Powers initially under-bidding his demands, embarrassingly, and only later to set a price more commiserate with the world after learning of the exponential inflation that had transpired. I suppose that such a commitment, no matter how it’s parsed, would play the same to the German public.

#grexit, #PRexit

Patriotism aside, the USA and the EU are in many ways organised around the same basic principles. Although I am sure that many would like to back away from such a comparison by pointing out important distinctions and the fact that the US is a more (or less, depending on one’s point of view) coherent bloc, despite or because of varying jurisdiction, taxes, etc.

The US cannot exactly boot out the recalcitrant and the under-performing and succession has been made an illegal-fiction—and while the fledgling EU has untried provisions to kick-out members or let them leave voluntarily, and perhaps more importantly, on balance with the insistence that this experiment will work, the ability to selectively invite new partners—which really isn’t a possibility for America—and the core of badly-behaving Europe achieve a new and hopefully better character in expanding its borders. Though many of the contiguous territory, in my opinion, are in far worse financial straits, the Colombian Union is baiting and beating up on one of its colonial outliers in insolvent Puerto Rico with mounting attention that may well match captivation that the Greek tragedy is providing.  Receivership does not seem like an option that will do anyone any good, other than the lenders of last resort.

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ephemera: MOMA acquires beautiful set of postcards advertising the inaugural Bauhaus exhibition

mincome going dutch: Utrecht will test out basic income plus a look at historical experiments with eliminating poverty

redrum: food decoration inspired by Stanley Kubrick classic The Shining, via the splendiferous Nag on the Lake

proud as a peacock: charming round up of railings against the US Supremes’ decision to ban state-level curbs on marriage

neapolitan: biography of Rose Totino, patroness, of frozen pizza—plus a selection of inventive advertisements made with stock-images