Tea at Trianon: What's Lurking in the Water

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, September 19, 2024

What's Lurking in the Water

From Newsweek:

The clip begins with a scene of carefree summer fun, with kids paddling in a pond. However, this quickly turned into something a little more alarming when mother Alicia showed viewers a huge sturgeon swimming in the very same pond.

Alicia, who is known as @chickenlittles on TikTok, told Newsweek that the freshwater fish had been living in the pond since her family purchased the house.

"We aren't 100 percent sure how it got here. However, he is clearly thriving, so we have no plans on trying to relocate him," the mom of two said. Known for their size and ancient lineage, sturgeons are typically found in oceans and rivers, particularly in North America, Europe and Asia. Sturgeon can grow impressively large, with some species reaching lengths of over 18 feet and weighing up to 2,000 pounds.

Alicia told Newsweek that her children, Gage and Stormie, weren't intimidated by the prehistoric-looking creature as it doesn't have teeth. Sturgeon are what's called "bottom feeders," which means they typically feed near the bottom of a body of water. (Read more.)