In life, he was about as likely a Catholic hero as Pontius Pilate. Now, more than a century after his death, Oscar Wilde has been claimed by The Vatican as one of its own. Wilde, who died in 1900 after finding God and converting to Roman Catholocism on his deathbed, has long been regarded by the Vatican as a dissolute homosexual who was sentenced and imprisoned for acts of gross indecency over his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas. However in a review of a new study, The Portrait of Oscar Wilde by the Italian writer Paolo Gulisano, L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, said that Wilde was much more than "an aesthete and a lover of the ephemeral". He had been "one of the personalities of the 19th century who most lucidly analysed the modern world in its disturbing as well as its positive aspects", the review said.
In life, he was about as likely a Catholic hero as Pontius Pilate. Now, more than a century after his death, Oscar Wilde has been claimed by The Vatican as one of its own.
Wilde, who died in 1900 after finding God and converting to Roman Catholocism on his deathbed, has long been regarded by the Vatican as a dissolute homosexual who was sentenced and imprisoned for acts of gross indecency over his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas.
However in a review of a new study, The Portrait of Oscar Wilde by the Italian writer Paolo Gulisano, L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, said that Wilde was much more than "an aesthete and a lover of the ephemeral".
He had been "one of the personalities of the 19th century who most lucidly analysed the modern world in its disturbing as well as its positive aspects", the review said.
Unpronounceable phrases with arcane meanings, European debates are often marked by embarrassing moments when mumblers come a cropper on EU tongue twisters. But that is no reason not to try. At parties, tongue twisters are simultaneously ice-breakers and an indicator of how much someone has drunk. It's not just in beach bars that people wonder: Which wristwatch is a Swiss wristwatch? Another popular British tongue-twister is Red lorry yellow lorry red lorry yellow lorry. The Polish and French virelangue feature "Jerzy" and a hunter as their respective main characters: Idzie Jerzy i nie wierzy, że na wieży jest sto jeży i pięćdziesiąt jeżozwierzy (Jerzy goes and does not believe that there are 100 hedgehogs and 50 porcupines in the tower), and Un chasseur sachant chasser sais chasser sans son chien de chasse (a hunter who knows how to hunt can also hunt without his dog).
Unpronounceable phrases with arcane meanings, European debates are often marked by embarrassing moments when mumblers come a cropper on EU tongue twisters. But that is no reason not to try.
At parties, tongue twisters are simultaneously ice-breakers and an indicator of how much someone has drunk. It's not just in beach bars that people wonder: Which wristwatch is a Swiss wristwatch? Another popular British tongue-twister is Red lorry yellow lorry red lorry yellow lorry.
The Polish and French virelangue feature "Jerzy" and a hunter as their respective main characters: Idzie Jerzy i nie wierzy, że na wieży jest sto jeży i pięćdziesiąt jeżozwierzy (Jerzy goes and does not believe that there are 100 hedgehogs and 50 porcupines in the tower), and Un chasseur sachant chasser sais chasser sans son chien de chasse (a hunter who knows how to hunt can also hunt without his dog).
This morning, hundreds of Amazon Kindle owners awoke to discover that books by a certain famous author had mysteriously disappeared from their e-book readers. These were books that they had bought and paid for--thought they owned. But no, apparently the publisher changed its mind about offering an electronic edition, and apparently Amazon, whose business lives and dies by publisher happiness, caved. It electronically deleted all books by this author from people's Kindles and credited their accounts for the price.
But no, apparently the publisher changed its mind about offering an electronic edition, and apparently Amazon, whose business lives and dies by publisher happiness, caved. It electronically deleted all books by this author from people's Kindles and credited their accounts for the price.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has returned its first imagery of the Apollo moon landing sites. The pictures show the Apollo missions' lunar module descent stages sitting on the moon's surface, as long shadows from a low sun angle make the modules' locations evident.
Here's the picture of Apollo 11 site.
We'd all like to help the police to do their job well. They, in turn, would like to have a massive database with DNA profiles from everyone who has been arrested, but not convicted of a crime. We worry that this is intrusive, but some of us are willing to make concessions, on our principles, and the invasion into our privacy, in the name of preventing crimes. To do this, we'd like to know the evidence on whether this database is helpful, to help us make an informed decision.
We'd all like to help the police to do their job well. They, in turn, would like to have a massive database with DNA profiles from everyone who has been arrested, but not convicted of a crime.
We worry that this is intrusive, but some of us are willing to make concessions, on our principles, and the invasion into our privacy, in the name of preventing crimes. To do this, we'd like to know the evidence on whether this database is helpful, to help us make an informed decision.
EDITOR'S NOTE | 8:41 p.m. The Times published an article explaining that the Orwell books were unauthorized editions that Amazon removed from its Kindle store. However, Amazon said it would not automatically remove purchased copies of Kindle books if a similar situation arose in the future. This morning, hundreds of Amazon Kindle owners awoke to discover that books by a certain famous author had mysteriously disappeared from their e-book readers. These were books that they had bought and paid for--thought they owned. A screen shot from Amazon.com The MobileReference edition of the novel, "Nineteen Eighty-four," by George Orwell that was deleted from Kindle e-book readers by Amazon.com. But no, apparently the publisher changed its mind about offering an electronic edition, and apparently Amazon, whose business lives and dies by publisher happiness, caved. It electronically deleted all books by this author from people's Kindles and credited their accounts for the price. This is ugly for all kinds of reasons. Amazon says that this sort of thing is "rare," but that it can happen at all is unsettling; we've been taught to believe that e-books are, you know, just like books, only better. Already, we've learned that they're not really like books, in that once we're finished reading them, we can't resell or even donate them. But now we learn that all sales may not even be final.
EDITOR'S NOTE | 8:41 p.m. The Times published an article explaining that the Orwell books were unauthorized editions that Amazon removed from its Kindle store. However, Amazon said it would not automatically remove purchased copies of Kindle books if a similar situation arose in the future.
This morning, hundreds of Amazon Kindle owners awoke to discover that books by a certain famous author had mysteriously disappeared from their e-book readers. These were books that they had bought and paid for--thought they owned. A screen shot from Amazon.com The MobileReference edition of the novel, "Nineteen Eighty-four," by George Orwell that was deleted from Kindle e-book readers by Amazon.com.
This is ugly for all kinds of reasons. Amazon says that this sort of thing is "rare," but that it can happen at all is unsettling; we've been taught to believe that e-books are, you know, just like books, only better. Already, we've learned that they're not really like books, in that once we're finished reading them, we can't resell or even donate them. But now we learn that all sales may not even be final.
FRANCE: After studying a range of options, Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo has confirmed the preferred route for the proposed LGV Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur to Nice. This will follow the existing coastal railway through Marseille and Toulon rather than taking a shorter direct route east from Aix-en-Provence. The future 180 km high speed line will include around 60 km of tunnels to thread through a relatively densely-populated region. This will include a 10 km bore to take the route under the current Marseille Saint-Charles terminus. As well as Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Toulon and Nice, intermediate stations are envisaged between Les Arcs and Le Muy in the département of Var, and near Grasse.
FRANCE: After studying a range of options, Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo has confirmed the preferred route for the proposed LGV Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur to Nice. This will follow the existing coastal railway through Marseille and Toulon rather than taking a shorter direct route east from Aix-en-Provence.
The future 180 km high speed line will include around 60 km of tunnels to thread through a relatively densely-populated region. This will include a 10 km bore to take the route under the current Marseille Saint-Charles terminus. As well as Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Toulon and Nice, intermediate stations are envisaged between Les Arcs and Le Muy in the département of Var, and near Grasse.
This is some change from previous practice, when TGV lines were built almost without tunnels. However, it will (if it will) come at a price...
Railway Gazette: Coastal route for LGV-PACA
The total cost is estimated at between €11bn and €16bn, of which the state is expected to contribute €8bn, leaving the rest to be raised locally. A further €4bn would be required to extend the line to the Italian border at Ventimiglia. ...Construction would start before 2020, in line with government commitments under the Grenelle de l'environnement. This suggests that commercial services may not begin until 2023, which would be too late to support Nice's bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2018.
The total cost is estimated at between €11bn and €16bn, of which the state is expected to contribute €8bn, leaving the rest to be raised locally. A further €4bn would be required to extend the line to the Italian border at Ventimiglia.
...Construction would start before 2020, in line with government commitments under the Grenelle de l'environnement. This suggests that commercial services may not begin until 2023, which would be too late to support Nice's bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2018.
Would they have asked for some advice from ADIF in Spain, 2018 would be possible... *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
