Finally a worthy successor to Sophia Loren. Sort of.
A little more light reading these last few days of December
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| Sophia Loren wearing a leather coat by Balmain in the 1960 movie 'The Millionairess'. |
Nobody understands fashion better than Dutch. Millionaire women on the other hand? I'm well off and I know. Once or twice I dated a rich woman and the huge difference in wealth makes the outcome almost inevitable.
Because of my awesome grasp of fashion I simply know that leather looks good on women. Especially if they enjoy wearing it. The odd one out seems to be leather coats. The last one to wear it well was Sophia Loren in the movie 'The Millionairess'. I usually don't mistakes but this time I'm not sure. Is it the coat or is it Sophia Loren's personal gravity?
The 1960 movie is like Brewster's Millions in reverse. At the time it was hugely popular, these days the story of two people who cannot marry until each one proves to the other they can earn their own money, is regarded as something of a dud. If people remember it at all, it's because of Sophia Loren in that leather coat. And yes, it's magnificent.
It was the coat who turned me to lady Mephista's Twitter. A fortnight ago she posted a preview of her photo shoot with Matt Colombo. That's this image. Wow.
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| Preview of lady Mephista in her favourite leather coat. [image: lady Mephista on Twitter] |
Then something odd happened. That same image enticed me to read more of lady Mephista's tweets. Unlike many others, hers is a joy to read. Some truly gorgeous images, she is clearly passionate about photography. Also found out about several recent and upcoming books on femdom. Lady Mephista also advocates the rights of sex workers and is worried for good reason. Remember the four horsemen of the infocalypse? But what impressed me most is how she put into words so crystal clear what is happening in the world today. [2] "To be discriminated against under the disguise of protection" [of sex workers and others]. Nothing disproves the fallacy of you're only dominant when you're wearing leather more than lady Mephista. Still, it's an awesome leather coat.
The Millionairess was written by George Bernard Shaw, who won the 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature. Shaw acquired a reputation as the greatest dramatist in the English language during the first half of the 20th Century. He left us many famous quotes, including many on democracy. Here's a fitting one:
"Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books except the books that nobody can read."
That's [almost] all folks! I cannot help wondering how Myles Jackman is doing. Perhaps more on Britain's leading obscenity lawyer in the new year.
Face the music
Bette Middler's rendition of 'The Rose' is good but Christopher Maloney singing it in 2012 on the X-Factor UK blows you away. This is is how the song is meant to be.
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Christopher Maloney - The Rose [click to listen] |
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"Just remember in the winter"
"Far beneath the bitter snows"
"Lies
the seed that with the sun's love"
"In the spring becomes the
rose"
- Bette Midler - The Rose
[1] Here are some of the recent books I discovered through lady Mephista's Twitter.
- The Heart of the Dominatrix - Inanna Justice [link]
- Paradise Found - Betony Vernon [link]
- How Sex Changed the Internet - Samantha Cole [link]
- Power of Leather Book - Deni C [link]
[2] Three newspaper stories from last week that show how the world is swiftly changing. First a long article by Reuters on how police seize on COVID-19 tech to expand global surveillance.
- Shin Bet, Israel's the feared internal security agency is using mass surveillance technology mobilized for coronavirus contact tracing, against Israeli residents and citizens for purposes entirely unrelated to COVID-19.
- "In India, facial recognition and artificial intelligence technology exploded after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept into power in 2014, becoming a tool for police to monitor mass gatherings. The country is seeking to build what will be among the world’s largest facial recognition networks."
- "Australia’s intelligence agencies were caught “incidentally” collecting data from the national COVIDSafe app."
- "In the USA, documents obtained by the immigrant rights group Just Futures Law under the Freedom of Information Act showed that federal officials contemplated how to share data that went far beyond COVID-19. The possibilities included integrating “identifiable patient data,” such as mental health, substance use and behavioral health information from group homes, shelters, jails, detox facilities and schools."
Closer to home two stories on how the Netherlands is going bananas - and not in a good way. Pietje Bell: 20 years after its release the children's movie Pietje Bell was raised from suitable for all ages to 12 and up. All it took was one complaint. The change remains controversial and has no support among the Dutch
Earlier this week, the most read article in The Guardian was about the impromptu takedown of a painting at Leiden University. Whatever happens next, the damage is done. Even The Guardian now calls the painting controversial. And that's how you do it. Sorry lady Mephista.
[3] PS I've managed to write this entire post without once referring to the Leather Goddesses of Phobos. I'm so proud of me.
[4] Oops I did it again. And now I have to write about Britney Spears next year. Excellent idea if I may say so. I'm so proud of me.
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