Empress Maria Theresa in Pink

From Tiny-Librarian. Share

A King Sentenced and Executed

Remembering King Louis XVI. Via Tiny-Librarian.

More on the King's death, HERE. Share

Trolls on the Internet

I am so sick and tired on trolls on the internet. I complained to The American Spectator about some unpleasantness which I thought tarnished the quality of the discussion.

To the Editor, Sir:

I am really surprised that a clever and witty magazine such as The American Spectator, which I have enjoyed for many years, would permit such filth in the comboxes by an anonymous person called "Merkava." The links are below:

https://disqus.com/…/thea…/je_suis_charlie_et_je_suis_juif/…

https://disqus.com/…/theamericanspe…/maximilian_schell_rip/…

Comments from trolls like "Merkava" destroy all pretense of lively debate and any kind of intelligent exchange of ideas. I am also disappointed to see the verbal attacks aimed at R.J. Stove, a distinguished scholar whose books and articles I admire. I do not understand why the editors of The Spectator would permit trolls to sully the conversation by humiliating the readers, because I thought it was a sophisticated journal of culture and politics, not a college fraternity. Until persons like "Merkava" are banned from the combox, I will steer clear of The Spectator. Freedom of speech should not mean a license to be rude and crude.

With regrets,

E.M. Vidal

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Madame de Maillé

A portrait of Madeleine Angélique Charlotte de Bréhant, duchesse de Maillé, by Joseph Duplessis. Via Vive le Reine. The Duchesse de Maillé was one of Marie-Antoinette's ladies, a dame du palais. Her husband served the Comte d'Artois. The Duchesse showed great courage by staying at the Queen's side throughout the attacks on the palace until separated by imprisonment in August 1792. She escaped the guillotine only through the death of Robespierre, and lived to see the Restoration, dying in 1819. (More here.) Share

Flavanols and Memory Loss

They could reverse memory loss. From NIH:

As we get older, remembering new stuff—an updated computer password or the name of that person whom we met last night (or was it two nights ago?)—can bring a busy day to a head-scratching halt. But are these “senior moments” just something that we have to accept? Maybe not.

In a study published in Nature Neuroscience, a research team partially funded by NIH has provided evidence that changes in a specific brain region are associated with age-related memory loss [1].  And they found that they could reverse this loss by boosting activity in this part of the brain, called the dentate gyrus. What’s especially interesting is that this boost came from a drink that was specially formulated to be rich in flavanols, a group of antioxidant compounds found in cocoa beans. Sounds like every chocolate lover’s dream! But let’s drill down a little deeper.

The story of cocoa’s possible effect on cognition began a few years ago when Scott Small, a neurologist at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, set out to identify the source of normal, age-related memory decline. Observational studies from his lab and others [2,3,4] suggested that aging led to progressively lower activity in the dentate gyrus in various animal models, as well as humans. But no one had tried to reverse these changes in humans.

To take a closer look, Small used an imaging technique called functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of 35 healthy adults of varying ages. The scans measured blood flow in all regions of the hippocampus, which is the general area of the brain that contains the dentate gyrus. The imaging tests showed that older folks had less blood flow in the dentate gyrus than younger people. Small also compared his fMRI data with those from a previous brain imaging study of people in the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s disease. The comparison revealed that the brain regions affected by normal aging appear to be distinct from those affected in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. (Read more.)

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The First Princess Royal

From History and Other Thoughts. I love how her papa, Charles I, galloped along the white cliffs of Dover, waving his hat to her as she sailed away forever.

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Female Shell-Shock Victims of World War I

From the Atlantic:

During World War I, the relatively new field of psychoanalysis was full of possibility and, unfortunately, thousands of new patients. The war’s destruction was not limited to the physical; the psychological devastation was immense, and soldiers returned home from the front every day exhibiting a range of new symptoms, including "hysterical paralysis," deafness, mutism, arthritis, facial spasms, “fear, disgust, fatigue,” “delirium,” “suicidal thoughts,” “stammer,” and more. Though we now recognize many of these as symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, doctors at the time struggled to find ways to categorize the rapid and widespread breakdown of the British mind. The solution for soldiers was the invention of a new condition: shell shock. The diagnosis and treatment of similar traumas in women, however, has been largely unexamined by historians. (Read more.)

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Panopticon

An enchanting new blog by poet Mattie Quesenberry Smith. To quote:

Since I am not a physicist, I know the spheres in the universe are no accident, for they are remnants of something molten having been shaped and cooled by an invisible gravitational force.  I accept this and so many more invisible laws of nature, and I know they have made a difference in life—without us knowing or particularly caring—and we are likely to take them for granted, until somebody begins to think about laws acting in a universe of home canned green tomatoes, until something about their translucent nature spells want, even the gravitas of isolation engendering desire. (Read more.)

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Freedom of Speech for Religious Conservatives

Freedom of speech does not mean, and never has meant, the license to say whatever comes into one's head. The Founders never meant to give a free rein to obscenity and blasphemy. The principle of freedom of speech  was meant to protect those who ventured to offer a political opinion which differed from that of the ruling party. It meant that citizens could offer constructive criticism of the government. The idea that freedom means license leads to chaos and abuse. I think that a free people should be above mocking the religion of others, for it attacks the dignity of those who wish to have faith. A freedom that deteriorates into licentiousness is not freedom but a new form of slavery, for all human dignity is destroyed. Only a people of noble character are able to govern themselves, otherwise they set themselves up for tyranny. From Catholic Vote:

If we defend Charlie Hebdo for the baby Jesus in a toilet, can’t we defend pro-lifers promoting respect for real babies? Can sidewalk counselors be Charlie Hebdo?

Brendan Eich, a brilliant web entrepreneur, resigned under pressure as chief executive of Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox web browser, because in 2008 he had he donated $1,000 in support of Proposition 8, in which California voters defended the way every major religion and most of humanity defines marriage.

Charlie Hebdo magazine featured Pope Benedict elevating a condom instead of the Eucharist, and, later, Pope Benedict resigning to be with his gay swiss guard lover. They feature Pope Francis dressed like an erotic dancer in Rio, “soliciting the clients.”

Can Brendan Eich get as much respect as Charlie Hebdo? Can we defend his right to free speech, too? (Read more.)

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