SUNDAY REVIEW / TOYING WITH 100 YEAR OLD TREATISE "IS SEX NECESSARY?"

A necessary New York erection

First published in 1929, Is Sex Necessary? Or, Why You Feel the Way You Do remains a curious hybrid—part parody, part cultural snapshot, part literary time capsule. 

Written before either author had become an American institution, the book set out to mock the solemnity of the “scientific” works on love and sexuality popular in the 1920s. 

The era was thick with self-styled experts eager to catalogue human desire with charts, terminology, and pseudo-medical precision. Thurber and White turned this trend on its head. 

 The result is a string of essays, each adopting the voice of a knowing authority while advancing deliberately absurd conclusions. White’s prose is straight-faced and elegant, a perfect foil for Thurber’s wry interjections and his now-famous line drawings. 

Together they coin spurious psychological terms, recount case histories that never happened, and spin elaborate theories that collapse under their own ridiculousness. What makes the book still readable nearly a century later is the precision of the humor. 

Thurber’s drawings, with their skittish dogs and perplexed lovers, remain as sharp as his later New Yorker work. 

White, who would go on to write Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, shows here that his control of language was as deft in satire as it was in children’s fiction. The laughter comes not from crude gags but from the unerring mimicry of expert jargon and the universal folly of romantic behavior. 

 Of course, the social attitudes of 1929 are evident. Gender roles are painted in broad strokes, and the book assumes a readership comfortable with a certain urbane male point of view. 

Yet this context is part of its charm: Is Sex Necessary? is as much about the voice of the Jazz Age as it is about the ostensible subject. For readers interested in the early careers of two American humorists, the book offers an illuminating glimpse of their developing styles. 

For those who simply enjoy smart comedy, it delivers dry, sly entertainment that has not entirely dated. 

Now in the public domain, it is freely accessible online, ready to be rediscovered without the burden of permissions or price tags. Is Sex Necessary? never answers its own question. 

Instead, it leaves the reader with something better: the reminder that human relationships—whether in 1929 or today—are endlessly complicated, endlessly funny, and best approached with a sense of humor. 

COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / A SEASIDE OASIS NO MORE

Before

 ..."In a quiet corner of the cafe overlooking the sea, a Hamas operative, dressed in civilian clothing, arrived at his table, sources told the BBC. It was then, without warning, that a bomb was dropped by Israeli forces and tore through the building, witnesses told the press. 

 For decades, Al-Baqa Café sat on Gaza’s shoreline as more than a place to drink coffee. It was an open-air refuge where locals gathered for tea, sweet pastries, card games, and conversation with the sea just beyond the rail. 

In a city gripped by scarcity and uncertainty, it served as an oasis, a coffee house—one of the few public spaces where ordinary life could still be savored. 

Al-Baqa Cafe in ruins Summer, 2025

That ended on June 30, 2025, when a 500-pound Mark 82 bomb turned the café into splinters, smoke, and a crater in the sand. At least 41 people were killed, dozens more injured. Artists, students, journalists, families—gone in an instant. 

The blast erased not just a building, but the fragile normalcy it sheltered. 

Coffee houses the world over are meant to be safe havens, places where the air hums with espresso steam and quiet chatter. 

In Gaza, even that simple promise is vulnerable. Al-Baqa’s ruins now stand as a stark reminder: in war, no cup is safe from the shrapnel, and no sanctuary is within reach. 

Across the Border on October 7, 2023.

An Israeli civilian compound was leveled by Hamas.  The attack launched a bitter war that is still on going.  

FRIDAY IN FANDOM / VLADDY'S DAUGHTER RULES MR. TORONTO BASEBALL

Vladdy's a Great Daddy, too. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and daughter, Vlaimel work on making friendship bracelets at home. Vlaimel. Photo by Colton Hall/MLB 

GUEST BLOG / By Keegan Matheson, Major League Baseball--It's early August, and when you walk through the front door of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s home, you're hit with waves of sound, people and purple. 

Eight hours from now, he'll hit a home run into the second deck of Rogers Centre. He'll be the reason that 41,492 people roar as he rounds the bases (see image at end of this article), and the reason a few hundred thousand more will hear the stadium's foghorn moan and rattle through downtown Toronto. 

He'll round second, slow his trot, then skip into the air and begin again. He'll hold one finger to his lips to shush his third-base coach and the Blue Jays' dugout while he passes, then step on home plate while another howling sellout crowd watches every little thing he does. 

This is Guerrero's city. 

He's the biggest star on the hottest show in Toronto, but this all comes later in the night. 

First, he has afternoon plans. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his daughter, Vlaimel, make friendship bracelets. It's Vlaimel's birthday. Guerrero's daughter is turning 8 today, and on the table inside sits a floral cake bursting with every shape and color. 

There are balloons with "Princess" written across them, a big, purple bear and every candy you could imagine, mixed in with the purple streamers and purple confetti. Then comes the star of the show, Vlaimel, in her purple dress with a purple bow in her hair. 

Her mother, Nathalie, is smiling right behind her, getting everyone ready for the big day. Vladdy's moment is coming later tonight, but this one is Vlaimel's. Her father is sitting down by the pool, waiting for her. They're going to make friendship bracelets together. 

 

It's so quiet here. Look around, and you wouldn't know the address ended in "Toronto" at all. You can't see another house, no condo towers or cranes, only the trees and Guerrero's family all around him. 

Tonight, a million people will watch him, but this is where the other side of Guerrero lives. 

By the time Vlaimel bounces down across the lawn and jumps on her father, it's all laid out in front of them. There are spools of elastic string and trays filled with beads, letters, shapes, hearts and little baseballs. There's something so unique about the bond these two have. Guerrero says it's almost like they're brother and sister sometimes. 

He's still dad -- the man the entire Guerrero family and much of Toronto orbits around -- but in a way that just has to be seen and heard to really understand, they're in this together. 

When Guerrero is told that some questions will be coming in English today, Vlaimel jumps in. "I got it, I got it," she says, and she's already beaming. There are cameras to Vlaimel's left and right, but she's a natural with this. Besides, Vladdy has always credited Vlaimel for helping him with his English, which they speak at home with one another. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his daughter, Vlaimel, show off their special handshake.

Suddenly, sitting at this table in front of all of these beads, Guerrero has lost his home-field advantage. This isn't his game. Vlaimel already has 13 friendship bracelets running up her left arm. 

He's in Vlaimel's house now. 

Vlaimel has one word for her dad, and that's "fun". He makes her laugh, she says, and helps coach her in flag football and gymnastics. 

When it's Guerrero's turn, he says "love," then turns to Vlaimel with that bright, boyish smile we've seen in Toronto since he was a teenager. "I say 'love,' because every time I come home from the ballpark, no matter what -- even if I go 0-for-3 or 0-for-4 -- when I see her, my day changes," Guerrero says. "That's why I say 'love.' Every time I see her, I feel love in my heart. I thank God I have my daughter with me all the time." 

The two are unmistakable together. They have so many of the same mannerisms, the same eyes, that same smile that's a little mischievous. It's like they're always in on a joke together, always scheming something the rest of the room doesn't know about yet. 

 "Every time I see her, I feel love in my heart," Vladimir Guerrero Jr. says of his daughter, Vlaimel. "I thank God I have my daughter with me all the time." 

Vladdy Guerrero rounds the bases after hitting a second deck home run off of Kansas City pitcher Michael Wacha, August 1, 2025 in Rogers Center, Toronto.

THE FOODIST / WHAT WE FOUND ON THE WAY THROUGH COTTONWOOD, AZ…

Bing's

QUAINTER THAN SEDONA. BETTER LOOKING THAN JEROME AZ.

Sometimes the best part of a road trip isn’t the destination — it’s the treasures you find when you’re not looking for them. Cottonwood, in the heart of Arizona’s Verde Valley, has long been a crossroads town — the route between Sedona’s red rocks, Jerome’s ghost-town grit, and the rolling vineyards nearby. But lately, it’s been making a case to be more than just a pass-through. 

Main Street hums with cafés, antique shops, and tasting rooms. The Verde River runs green through the desert, feeding cottonwoods that gave the town its name. Hills nearby hide ancient Sinagua ruins, while the surrounding valley pours some of Arizona’s best wine. And for travelers just passing through, there’s a roadside classic that makes hitting the brakes worth it. 

 Bing’s Café: A Retro Roadside Classic 

You can’t fill your tank at the gleaming antique Gilmore pumps out front, but you can fuel up your tummy at Bing’s Café — a lovingly restored 1940s Atlantic Richfield gas station turned into a shrine to mid-century Americana. Owners Brent and Kara Knowlton have created a warm, nostalgic space filled with vintage service-station memorabilia — metal and glass oil cans, porcelain signs, and black-and-white photos of early road travel. 

Outside, a fire-engine-red 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe sedan looks ready to roll. The menu leans classic diner: hand-shaped burgers, grilled cheese, fresh-cut fries, and bottled sodas you haven’t seen in decades. 

You build your burger your way — 17 topping choices from avocado to bacon, plus eight sauces, including the secret “Bing Sauce” and a smoky chipotle avocado ranch. And the milkshakes? Old-school thick, made with real ice cream. Go malted if you like, or stir in candy or cereal mix-ins for an indulgent throwback. 

Travelers rave. 

One recent diner put it best: “This spot is a legit gem… Instead of pumping gas, they’re now fueling hungry adventurers like me with seriously satisfying food. My burger was cooked to perfection — juicy, flavorful, and held together beautifully in its sturdy bun. No mess, just goodness.” 

Bing’s a quick trip back in time, served on a sturdy plate. 

SIDEBAR: 6 Reasons to Stop in Cottonwood 

1. Historic Old Town – Restored brick storefronts, antique shops, boutiques, and wine-tasting rooms. Walkable, charming, and the perfect blend of old and new. 

2. Verde Valley Wine Country – Cottonwood sits in the heart of one of Arizona’s most surprising wine regions. Local tasting rooms pour award-winning reds and crisp whites grown in the high desert. 

3. Tuzigoot National Monument – Just outside town, this ancient Sinagua pueblo ruin offers sweeping views of the Verde River and a tangible link to the region’s deep history. 

4. Ay Chihuahua, West Side of Main – Solid pick for authentically flavored Mexican food in a relaxed, neon, fun environment—especially if you're into tasty margaritas, friendly service, and don’t mind a bit of vibrant energy when the cafe switches to a pub environment without notice. 

5. Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria – Just off Main Street, this sleek new tasting room pairs panoramic views of the Verde Valley with pours from some of the area’s most promising vintners — the perfect sunset stop. 

6. Crema Craft Kitchen & Bar – Known for hearty plates and bottomless coffee, this lively breakfast and brunch spot draws locals and travelers alike. Try the green chile omelet or cinnamon-swirl pancakes before you hit the road. 

 

Whether you come for a burger at Bing’s, a glass of Verde Valley wine at hilltop Merkin's, a hearty breakfast at Crema or Mexican cuisine and plates of atmosphere

 at Ay Chihuahua, Cottonwood has a way of turning a quick stop into a stop well spent — and probably your best highlight to or from Sedona AZ. 

DESIGN / STALIN ERA FLAT REMODELED IN KYIV

Photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko.

GUEST BLOG / By Tirthika Shah for Dezeen Magazine-- Ukrainian architect Nastia Mirzoyan has renovated an apartment in the historic centre of Kyiv, adding reflective surfaces and built-in oak furniture. 

The architect updated the two-bedroom apartment, which is within a Stalinka – a type of building characteristic of the architecture of the Soviet Union under the leadership of Joseph Stalin in the 1930s – to turn it into a rental property. Mirzoyan explained that the building's historical character posed certain structural limitations, requiring "careful planning to avoid compromising its integrity". 

Mirzoyan opened up the apartment, which was originally the client's family home. "To create a more spacious environment, we decided to merge the living room and kitchen into one common area," explained Mirzoyan. 

The team used partition shelves and built-in furniture to separate the spaces. A wooden shelving unit takes centre stage in the main space, dividing the living room from the kitchen. The dining table extends out from the shelving unit towards the kitchen. Cabinets and a countertop finished in polished stainless steel are fixed in the primary working nook of the kitchen.The kitchen cabinets and countertop are finished in polished stainless steel.

Near the entrance, the team installed a full-height mirrored closet, creating a distinct entryway. Leftover broken marble was sourced from a local supplier for the flooring of the entryway and the bathroom. 

The studio's colour choices were influenced by the fact that the apartment is oriented towards the northeast and receives limited natural light. "We opted for light and warm background colours to counteract this, creating a brighter and more inviting space," said Mirzoyan. 

The property is dotted with reflective materials such as mirrors and stainless steel, which were chosen to "enhance the perceived depth and brightness". The living room and kitchen are lined with French windows opening into a quiet courtyard. A warm and light colour palette is used across the apartment The use of materials such as wood and terrazzo across the space is a reference to the building's heritage, aiming to add a "sense of historical continuity". 

Mirzoyan's design philosophy is focused on striving to create "spaces that blend local history with contemporary elements, balancing eclectic decisions to produce environments that feel both timeless and modern". Owing to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the practice faced significant challenges in completing this project. "Sometimes builders simply could not come to the site, and sometimes they came and sat in a shelter for hours," Mirzoyan told Dezeen. "There were times when construction was halted for months, and the project budget was cut in half." 

"This experience has reinforced the importance of practical and durable design solutions that can withstand unpredictable conditions." 

Moreover, Mirzoyan foresees a trend towards "using locally sourced materials and supporting local craftsmen, contributing to the resilience and self-sufficiency of the community". 

Recently, Mirzoyan Studio also completed a hotel bar in Kyiv's historic Podil neighbourhood. Elsewhere in the city, Modektura has renovated an apartment featuring a balcony-turned-conservatory and Dihome has created a colourful industrial-style interior for a young couple. 

PROJECT IMAGES [Via Dezeen]: 

NO CONCESSIONS, NO CEASEFIRE: HOW PUTIN OUTPLAYED TRUMP IN ANCHORAGE

RUSSIAN BEAR STRIKES OUT BUMBLING ORANGUTAN, AGAIN! 

 GUEST BLOG / By Max Seddon, Anastasia Stognei for the Financial Times, UK--After returning from Alaska last Saturday, Vladimir Putin told top officials assembled in the Kremlin that his summit with Donald Trump had “brought us closer to the necessary solutions”. Those solutions, Putin stressed, involve Ukraine’s capitulation to the maximalist demands that prompted his 2022 invasion. 

“Settling these root causes [for the war] must be the foundation for a settlement,” he said. The extraordinary meeting at Anchorage’s Elmendorf Air Force base has ended Putin’s pariah status and brought Washington’s stance on the war closer to Moscow’s. 

 And Putin did not need to budge an inch. 

 “Before the summit Trump was giving Putin ultimatums and threatening consequences. In the end there were no consequences for Putin not agreeing to a ceasefire,” said Ilya Matveyev, an exiled Russian political scientist at the independent Public Sociology Laboratory. “Putin got what he wanted — to play for time and press his military advantage over Ukraine.” 

 Putin arrived on US soil armed with flattery. He repeated Trump’s frequent claim that Russia would not have invaded if he, not Joe Biden, had been in power. Trump nodded. 

 Trump later told Fox News host Sean Hannity that Putin had assured him that he was cheated out of the 2020 election. The Russian praised him for making the US “hot as a pistol”. 

 It was another display of Putin’s ability to enthral Trump — as he did during their 2018 Helsinki summit when the US president sided with him over US intelligence on Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election. 

 Trump railed against the “Russia hoax”, as he calls it, to Hannity. Now, just weeks after Trump threatened dire consequences if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, Putin appears to have swung the US president back into his camp. 

 “Putin felt a necessity to do something dramatic to flip that script without actually giving anything away, and he seems to have managed to do that,” said Samuel Greene, a professor of Russian politics at King’s College London. “The only gift Putin brought to Anchorage was a lot of praise.” 

 Trump rolled out a red carpet for Putin, laughed with him in the presidential limousine, and posed for pictures as US military aircraft flew overhead. The lavish welcome sparked a backlash in Washington — but celebration in Moscow. 

Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin spelt out the sense of victory. “Trump has restored [Putin’s] status as a world leader who can be dealt with,” he wrote on Telegram. “We won’t stop fighting the war because of this, of course, but it is a starting point.” 

Analysts say Putin successfully reframed negotiations so that a ceasefire is now the end goal rather than the starting point. Trump has endorsed Putin’s call for a comprehensive end to the war, posting on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that “the best way” was “to go directly to a Peace Agreement . . . and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up”. 

 There is little sense for Putin to agree to a ceasefire as long as his forces retain the upper hand on the battlefield, said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin. “The war is his main leverage,” he added. “If the war were going well for Ukraine, nobody would want a ceasefire. 

So the European and Ukrainian demand for a ceasefire looked pathetic and unrealistic.” The Russian leader also used the summit to spell out demands that Kyiv will find difficult to accept. Putin told Trump he would freeze the conflict along much of the frontline if his demands were met and if Ukraine withdrew from the Donbas, the vast eastern region Russia has tried to take over since 2014. 

He has also long demanded that Ukraine renounce its ambition to join Nato. 

 Putin’s demands would all but end Ukraine’s statehood in its current form and overturn the post-cold war security architecture in Europe while ceding key strategic positions to Russia. “Until Russia gets clear guarantees about that, you can’t talk about ending the war, because this was the reason for starting it,” said Vasily Kashin at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics. “That’s why Russia can’t agree to a ceasefire along the frontline, because we know they’ll stop taking us seriously the moment that happens.”

 The US told Ukraine and its European allies that Putin’s offer was a compromise. In reality, he has hardened his position from as recently as April, when he told Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff he would freeze the entire frontline in exchange for settling the “root causes”. 

 Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, said Trump had moved closer to Putin’s position. “Maybe giving all of Donbas is just a maximalist demand at the beginning of negotiations. But maybe not. Maybe it’s a poison pill that guarantees the war will drag on for a long time,” McFaul said. 

Putin did not get everything he wanted from the summit. He wanted to restore bilateral relations and both sides had talked up potential commercial agreements. But top Russian economic officials Kirill Dmitriev and Anton Siluanov, who flew with Putin to Alaska, did not join the presidents’ meeting. The US and Russia also remain divided on next steps. 

Trump has put the onus on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate a deal with Putin at a future summit. But the Kremlin, which has consistently rejected such calls, said this was not raised in Alaska. 

 Unresolved is how Ukraine’s western allies would guarantee its security if Kyiv were barred from joining Nato. “The issue from the Ukrainian position is not where the line is, but what guarantees their security after the ceasefire — who is going to start shooting back at the Russians if the Russians start fighting again,” Greene said. Russia might accept an equivalent to Nato’s Article 5 mutual defence clause, Kashin said, allowing western countries to come to Ukraine’s aid if attacked but not deploy troops or weaponry there beforehand. 

But that may be further than Trump is willing to go — and not enough for Ukraine. “Trump’s view of security guarantees has been: look, I have this relationship with Putin, as long as I’m in office, he won’t invade. He may believe that, but the Ukrainians and the Europeans don’t see it as sufficient,” Greene said. 

 Kyiv reels as Trump embraces Putin’s terms. Until these matters are resolved, the conflict rolls on, with Anchorage another tactical victory for Putin as he pursues his war aims. 

“The objectives of the ‘special military operation’ will be achieved either by military or diplomatic means,” Russian senator Andrey Klishas wrote on his Telegram channel. “There will be no ‘unconditional ceasefire’, even as the front collapses and Russian troops liberate more and more territory. The agenda is a new architecture of European and international security — and everyone has to accept it.” 

 SUMMIT TALLY: 

 Putin 2 (Helsinki, Anchorage) Trump 0. 

MEDIA MONDAY / YEP, TRUMP IS STILL THE MOST RACIST PRESIDENT OF THE LAST 100 YEARS

THE NEW REPUBLIC'S MICHAEL TOMASKY IS THIS CENTURY'S THOMAS PAINE. 

HERE'S HIS LATEST ESSAY FROM HIS WEEKLY COLUMN: FIGHTING WORDS 

Item one: His racism defines nearly everything he does. And it is making the United States of America a cruel, sick, mean place. You may not know the name Lindsey Halligan. She’s not a scholar. Not a Ph.D. She hasn’t written any books on history. She has, however, worked as an insurance claims lawyer. Her most celebrated achievement, apparently, was defeating a 2019 claim seeking $500,000 in damages from her client over a damaged roof. How she managed to join Trump’s defense team remains unclear, but she was called to Mar-a-Lago the day the FBI came in with its warrant to collect those classified documents. Once on the team, she did what they all do, namely, grovel—she made an appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast where she vowed to sue CNN for claiming that Trump was lying about the 2020 election results. Trump sought $475 million in damages in that case, but in July 2023, a federal judge dismissed it. 

Today, Halligan holds something few others in government probably do: a very fancy title that runs to a full 19 words (Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Associate Staff Secretary). She is overseeing the … what’s the right word here? There are so many to choose from … “reimagining” of the Smithsonian Institution. That’s right. An insurance claims lawyer is now in charge of making sure that the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, 21 libraries, 14 research centers, one zoo, and 157 million items and artifacts are brought into line with the wishes of the Mad King. 

 I see, looking back over them, that the tone of the above two paragraphs is a bit jocular. But this is no laughing matter. Forget Halligan. Maybe she’s smarter than I think, maybe she’s not. Maybe she’s a hardcore racist, maybe she’s not. But she’s not the point. The point here is Trump. He is not smarter than I think. I suspect he’s never read a history book in his life, and chances are pretty decent he’s never been to a museum, except to galas Ivana dragged him to back when. 

And about his hardcore racism, there is utterly no question. But we don’t talk about it enough. Trump long ago established to the satisfaction of everyone outside of MAGA world that he’s a racist to the bone. He and his father wouldn’t rent to Black people. He said those sick things about the defendants in the Central Park jogger case (they weren’t guilty). He said, “Laziness is a trait in Blacks.” He said some white supremacists in Charlottesville were “very fine people.” 

I could go on and on. Being long-established, Trump’s racism is not “news.” Regular readers of mine will know this is one of my longtime complaints about the nature and structure of the media. There are lots of things that aren’t “news,” per se, but are true, important, and defining of our reality. Trump’s racism is one of those things. 

It hovers over everything. It defines nearly everything he does. And it is making the United States of America a cruel, sick, mean place. 

 His racism is what’s propelling this edict over the Smithsonian. “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was,” he whined Tuesday on Truth Social. When he talks this way, he’s sending a much broader message that is widely understood, by both his political foes and (especially) his supporters. Each group knows it’s part of a broader attack that is designed to keep certain Americans “in their place.” 

It’s just that the latter group approves. His racism is what’s driving the presence of these National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. His motorcade, traveling from the White House to his Virginia golf club, passes a small greensward along what’s called the E Street Expressway where there are (or were) a few tents, and that’s probably how he got his entire impression of D.C. crime, along with the background knowledge that D.C. is a heavily Black city (Black residents are no longer a majority, but still a plurality). 

The troops aren’t even fighting actual crime. They’re mostly around the National Mall, where it’s as safe as Mayberry in the 1960s. The troops are just a symbol for white MAGA world that he’s cracking some Black heads. His racism is behind this sick redistricting madness in Texas. 

Nonwhite people make up 60 percent of the state’s population. By the time the Texas legislature is finished, the Texas congressional delegation will likely be more than 70 percent white and Republican. 

In Missouri, the redistricting under consideration would slice a Black Democratic district in Kansas City into maybe three different pieces. Republicans have done this sort of thing long before Trump, but under Trump, of course, it’s being taken to extremes because Republicans now know that anti-Black extremism on such matters is the only thing that gets the boss’s attention. 

 His racism is behind his talk about mail-in ballots and early voting and all his phony allegations about fraudulent voting. Everybody knows very well what, and whom, he’s talking about when he talks about such things. He means Black and, to a slightly lesser extent, Latino people. 

 His racism is the fundamental reason for these mass detentions. Would Trump, and the right wing in general, be this worked up about illegal border crossings if it was mostly white people doing it? Of course they wouldn’t. There would be no rhetoric about immigrants “poisoning the blood” of the nation. 

 Finally—although surely there’s more—it’s racism that animates a lot of his rhetorical attacks on individual Americans. It’s no accident that his recent targets prominently include Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King (her close friend), Beyoncé, Al Sharpton, Letitia James, and Charlamagne tha God. He goes after lots of people of all races, but Black people are disproportionately targeted, and it’s not an accident. 

 I have no idea where Lindsey Halligan fits in here. She’s spent most of her adult life thinking about hurricanes. She’s interchangeable with any other Mar-a-Lago sycophant who happened to be in the right place at the right time. But the fact that Trump put someone in charge of remaking the Smithsonian who’s totally unqualified is what’s important here because it tells us that the person is there solely to follow his orders. 

Trump’s orders will be based on his worldview. And his worldview is the most blatantly and openly racist worldview that’s been held by an American president since Woodrow Wilson. We need to remember this, even, or especially, when the media forgets. 

##

Sidebar by PillartoPost.org:

WOODROW WILSON'S STAIN

President Wilson’s Troubling Racial Legacy 

When Woodrow Wilson entered the White House in 1913, many African American leaders hoped the scholarly former governor of New Jersey might bring a spirit of fairness to Washington. 

Instead, Wilson’s presidency became a grim turning point in federal race relations, and his legacy in this area remains deeply controversial. One of the most damaging actions of his administration was the segregation of federal offices. Under Wilson, long-integrated departments such as the Treasury and Post Office were divided by race, with separate bathrooms, cafeterias, and work areas. 

Many Black civil servants were demoted or dismissed, reversing decades of progress. What Wilson’s defenders framed as “orderly management” amounted to a deliberate entrenchment of white supremacy in the nation’s capital. Wilson’s own words and writings left little doubt about his views. Even before his presidency, he described Reconstruction governments as corrupt and portrayed African Americans as unfit for full citizenship. 

These attitudes were amplified in 1915, when he hosted a White House screening of D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation. The film depicted the Ku Klux Klan as heroic saviors and Black men as dangerous caricatures. Though scholars debate whether Wilson actually said it was “like writing history with lightning,” his decision to dignify the film with a presidential screening gave it enormous legitimacy and fueled the rebirth of the Klan. The disillusionment was swift. 

Leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois, who had cautiously supported Wilson’s election, turned into some of his fiercest critics. Wilson’s racial policies became a betrayal not only of Black Americans but also of the broader promise of democracy he so famously championed abroad. Today, 

Wilson’s record forces a hard reckoning. He remains remembered for progressive reforms and his vision of international cooperation, but his sanctioning of segregation and tacit endorsement of racist ideology ensured lasting harm. In some circles, that history has made him less a reformer than a regressor—proof that even a president hailed as a visionary could also be blinded by the prejudices of his time.

SUNDAY REVIEW / HYPOCRISY: THE LAST BIPARTISAN TRADITION.

   

"Spieglein, Spieglein an der Wand, 

   Wer ist die Schonste im ganzen Land?" 

--Brothers Grimm, "Grimms' Fairy Tales," 1812 

Original Grimm illustration by Otto Kubel

GUEST BLOG / By Albie Frank, PillartoPost.org Essayist--It’s easy to spot hypocrisy in others—it flares like a neon sign in the dark. The politician caught bending the truth. The neighbor railing against gossip while spinning their own tales. The celebrity preaching moderation before hopping a private jet. We catch it, shake our heads, and feel righteous. 

But it’s harder—sometimes almost impossible—to catch ourselves in the act. Part of the reason is that our own hypocrisies rarely feel like hypocrisies. They feel like exceptions. The rules we believe in apply… except here, except now, except in this one little corner of our lives. We convince ourselves the gap between what we say and what we do is a special case, a justified lapse, a harmless contradiction. 

Consider the environmentalist who never misses a climate march but drives a gas-guzzling classic car on weekends because “it’s only once in a while.” The hard-nosed fiscal conservative who buys overpriced gadgets on impulse. The health-conscious eater who “cheats” on vacations. Hypocrisy doesn’t always look like villainy—it often wears the comfortable sweater of self-forgiveness. 

And in our current climate, it’s impossible to ignore the most volatile example of all—politics. Political hypocrisy might be the most radioactive kind, the one that turns holiday dinners into hostage negotiations and old friendships into cold wars. We’ve all seen it: people who demand integrity in “the other side” but treat the scandals, lies, and incompetence of their own party as minor blemishes—or, worse, justified tactics. It’s easier to believe that your team is flawed but noble while theirs is corrupt to the bone. 

 Admitting your political party is full of, well, “&((&^,” feels like treason not just to a political cause, but to your own identity. We choose silence over confrontation, ghosting over compromise, because politics today isn’t about issues so much as tribes. To concede your side’s hypocrisy is to risk banishment from the campfire, and no one likes being left alone in the dark. So we swallow our doubts, double down on the talking points, and avoid the uncomfortable truth that hypocrisy is a bipartisan pastime. We’d rather lose a friend or dodge a family reunion than look across the table and say, “Yeah, my side’s a mess, too.” 

And perhaps that’s the heart of it: hypocrisy, at its most common level, isn’t malicious. It’s human. We are all layered, conflicted, and pulled by competing desires. We want to be better, but we also want to be comfortable, admired, indulged, or safe. We live in a constant negotiation between our ideals and our appetites. 

Maybe the question isn’t whether we’re all hypocrites about something—we almost certainly are—but whether we’re willing to admit it. Admitting it is the only way to keep hypocrisy from curdling into something darker: cynicism. Once we acknowledge our own contradictions, we can treat others’ with a little more humility and a little less self-righteous glee. 

In the end, hypocrisy is less about being a fraud and more about being a work in progress. The trouble is, most of us prefer to be seen only after the work is done. 

And if that’s true, then maybe hypocrisy isn’t the flaw we should fear most. Maybe it’s the mirror we keep covered—because deep down, we know exactly who’s looking back.

COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / CAFE FOR ALL SEASONS

 

If you're the kind of traveler who believes a good cup of coffee should come with ambiance and a whisper of magic, Bonjour Café in Chișinău, Moldova is a must. Amid an urban forest on a pedestrian boulevard, this pint-sized outdoor kiosk might just be the coziest spot in town—no matter what season it is. 

At first glance, Bonjour Café looks like the set of a charming European film. The café is essentially a compact wooden kiosk with pastel shutters, surrounded by rows of folding chairs and flower-box tables. But what makes this place extraordinary isn’t its size—it’s its personality. 

Autumn nights at Bonjour come alive under strings of fairy lights, the kind that make your coffee taste a little warmer. You’ll see couples leaning in close, maybe over a croissant or mulled wine, while light jazz hums from a hidden speaker. 

Come winter, Bonjour transforms into a snow globe scene. Blankets of snow cover the wooden chairs, yet the café remains open, still glowing golden from within. Patrons line up under umbrellas and string lights, clutching hot drinks that steam against the cold. A life-sized teddy bear wrapped in a red scarf sometimes “keeps watch” at one of the tables—quirky, yes, but it adds a sense of whimsy that’s hard to forget. 

Spring and summer bring laughter, open shutters, and fresh-cut flowers in tiny jars. You’ll find tourists and locals alike perched outdoors, catching the breeze with a pastry and espresso, or photographing the café’s playful candy-cane decorations left over from winter, which somehow don’t feel out of place. 

The menu, while simple, does the basics right. Quality espresso drinks, flaky pastries, and in colder months, a soul-saving hot chocolate that’s better than it needs to be. 

If you’re lucky, there’s a seasonal special on offer—lavender lattes in the spring or spiced cider when the cold creeps in. 

Bonjour Café is a place to linger. Whether you're people-watching on a sunny afternoon or warming your hands by a paper cup in the snow, it feels like the café knows exactly what the day needs—and quietly provides it. 

In a city that’s changing fast, Bonjour Café has the rare gift of feeling timeless. A café for all seasons indeed. Located near the central pedestrian walkway, just off Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare și Sfînt. The café kiosk sits adjacent to the park entrance and is surrounded by trees, string lights, and seasonal outdoor seating. Easy walking distance from the National Opera House and City Hall. 

FRIDAY FUNNIES / MAGIC BALL LEADERSHIP

 

THE FOODIST / SAUCER RESTAURANT LANDS IN ISTANBUL

 WITH A SIDE DISH OF SWAGGER

It hovers above the water like it knows it’s being photographed. A silver-skinned disk, all poise and provocation, projecting out over the Golden Horn as if Istanbul needed another reason to turn its head. 

Foster + Partners calls it a restaurant. That’s like calling the Orient Express a commuter train. This is architecture with swagger. The saucer’s cantilever is pure power move—no timid columns to spoil the view, just a clean sweep of glass and steel, holding court over centuries of cityscape. 

Inside, the space is a cinematic ellipse, all panoramic glass, warm wood accents, and lighting that makes every diner look like they’re about to sign a movie deal. The setting is part of a larger Foster + Partners rethink of Istanbul’s waterfront—retail pavilions, shaded promenades, and leafy courtyards designed to lure people away from their cars and into the public realm. 

But the saucer steals the show. 

You don’t just eat here; you orbit. From the table, Galata’s tower cuts the skyline, ferries stitch across the water, and the city’s call to prayer rolls in like an ambient soundtrack. It’s both ultramodern and utterly Istanbul—a reminder that this city has always been about layering the old with the audacious. 

 Yes, there’s the usual grumbling about pricy exclusivity—whether this hovering halo will be a democratic perch or just another trophy for the well-heeled. But for now, it’s the boldest new address in town. 

And like any great seduction, it doesn’t ask permission—it just shows up, dressed to kill, and leaves you wondering what’s for dessert. And since you’ve asked, here’s a prime example: a plate of pistachio baklava, served warm, with clotted kaymak cream so rich it could fund its own startup. 

So, what's this space age marvel called? 

 No name yet. Waiting for galactic diner to clear customs. And, until they hire a PR type there's no news on ownership, menu or chef.

 No one asked our post for a name but we'd call it the Carl Sagan or in a nod to 2001 flick about Hal's Place? 

Dish: Holden DeMayo, PillartoPost.org daily online magazine's dining guru

ART DECO CENTURY / FASHION WORLD OF GEORGE BARBIER

 Art Deco’s Master of Fashion Illustration 

In the golden age of Art Deco, when modernism flirted with theatrical luxury, few names shone as brightly in the realm of fashion illustration as George Barbier. His work, often described as a perfect marriage of elegance and fantasy, defined much of the 1910s and 1920s visual style for haute couture, theatre, and the emerging cosmopolitan lifestyle. A master draftsman and a stylistic visionary, Barbier captured the sleek geometry and exotic influences of Art Deco while infusing his designs with wit, sensuality, and a deep understanding of how fashion could tell a story. 

Born in Nantes in 1882, Barbier rose to prominence in Paris during the years when the Folies-Bergère and the Ballets Russes were redefining stage glamour. His illustrations appeared in influential fashion journals like Gazette du Bon Ton and Journal des Dames et des Modes, publications that catered to an elite readership hungry for the latest Parisian chic. At a time when the Art Deco movement was reshaping architecture, decorative arts, and graphic design, Barbier gave the fashion world its own visual manifesto. 

The image above reflects three of Barbier’s most iconic contributions to Art Deco fashion: 

1. The Feathered Revue Costume On the left, a dancer’s outfit bursts with swirling beadwork and an extravagant plume skirt, crowned by a geometric headdress. This style nods to Barbier’s collaborations with the Folies-Bergère, where costumes were not merely garments but visual spectacles designed to shimmer under stage lights. His ability to integrate strong Art Deco shapes into the soft motion of feathers became a hallmark of the cabaret’s golden age. 

2. The Sleek Day-to-Evening Ensemble In the center stands a columnar dress with a stylized palm motif—one of Barbier’s favorite botanical designs. The garment’s clean lines, vertical emphasis, and restrained yet opulent ornamentation capture the quintessential Art Deco silhouette. Long gloves and a fur stole add a note of sophistication, evoking the Parisian woman who could step from a high tea at the Ritz directly into an evening gala. 

3. The Draped Evening Gown On the right, a figure in a wrap-draped gown demonstrates Barbier’s mastery of translating ancient classical influences into modern form. The intricate paisley-like patterning nods to Orientalist inspirations that fascinated many Art Deco designers, while the garment’s flowing geometry reflects the era’s love of balanced proportions and subtle drama. 

Silver Brocade Evening Dress and Wig, 1914

Barbier’s work was more than aesthetic flourish. His illustrations often functioned as cultural commentary, celebrating the independence and confidence of the modern woman. His heroines were never passive—they gazed outward with poise, as if fully aware they were shaping the new century’s style codes. This portrayal aligned with a post-World War I shift in women’s roles and mirrored the liberation found in shorter skirts, bobbed hair, and a growing public presence in social life. 

Today, George Barbier’s legacy lives on not only in the preserved prints and rare publications cherished by collectors but also in the way contemporary fashion still borrows from his vocabulary of bold geometry, exoticism, and refined glamour. His work remains a testament to Art Deco’s enduring power: a style that managed to be both of its moment and timeless, capturing the optimism, luxury, and theatricality of a world dancing into modernity. 

Barbier illustrations: above, AuRevoir, 1924; nude, below, 1914

BODY DYNAMIC / WHAT IS A CHARLEY HORSE?

How can a fictional horse cause so much pain? 

And What Causes One? 

A Charley horse is a sudden, involuntary muscle cramp—most commonly in the calf, thigh, or foot. It often strikes without warning, usually during sleep or after exercise, and can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. 

The muscle tightens painfully and may leave residual soreness afterward. 

Causes of a Charley Horse: 

• Dehydration: Low fluid levels reduce your body’s ability to maintain normal muscle function. 

• Electrolyte Imbalance: Deficiencies in potassium, magnesium, calcium, or sodium can trigger cramps. 

• Overuse or Strain: Prolonged exercise or muscle fatigue can provoke spasms, especially in athletes. 

• Poor Circulation: Reduced blood flow to the legs or feet—common in older adults—can increase cramp risk. 

• Nerve Compression: Spinal issues or pinched nerves can radiate pain or trigger muscle spasms. 

• Prolonged Sitting or Sleeping in Odd Positions: Limited movement or pressure on muscles during rest can bring one on. 

Though painful, most Charley horses are harmless. Stretching, hydrating, and massaging the muscle usually helps ease the pain. If cramps are frequent or severe, it might be time to consult a physician. 

Who came up with the Charley Horse? 

The term “Charley horse” originated in the United States in the late 19th century, and—like many colorful expressions from that era—its exact origin is debated, though all theories point toward baseball. Most accepted version: The phrase is believed to have been coined in the 1880s by baseball players, notably Jack Glasscock or Joe Quest of the Chicago White Stockings. 

Joe Quest

According to lore, Joe Quest (left)  once remarked that a teammate limping from a leg cramp resembled an old, stiff-legged workhorse named Charley that pulled a roller at the ballpark. The comparison stuck, and players began using “Charley horse” to describe leg cramps or stiffness. 

Originally, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a charley horse referred specifically to a bruised or strained thigh muscle, often the result of a direct blow. Athletes used it to describe the kind of deep, sudden dead-leg pain that caused limping and stiffness—not necessarily a cramp, but a contusion or muscle strain. 

Over time, though, the term evolved: 

• Then (1880s–1940s): "Charley horse" = thigh injury from impact—common among baseball infielders and football players. 

• Now (modern usage): "Charley horse" = any sudden, involuntary muscle cramp, especially in the calf or foot, usually occurring at night or during exercise. So both are correct, depending on the era and usage. The modern medical and layperson definition leans toward cramping, but the original sports slang absolutely referred to a thigh injury caused by trauma. Alternative theories: 

• Stable slang: “Charley horse” might have been stable jargon for a horse with a limp or muscular injury, later borrowed into baseball. 

• Veterinary use: Some suggest trainers used “Charley horse” to describe equine leg problems before it was applied to humans. When it entered popular language: By the 1890s, sportswriters were using the phrase in newspapers, and it quickly spread to the general public. 

Today, it's widely used in American English, while “cramp” remains the preferred term in British English. In short: a 19th-century baseball metaphor, born on the diamond, and limping into everyday speech ever since. 

________________

 PillartoPost.org's "Body Dynamic" series explores how our inner systems respond to the outer world—one heartbeat at a time. 

MEDIA MONDAY / REMEMBER THE ISRAEL - IRAN WAR?

With the world’s attention locked on GazaGate, EpsteinGate and Homeless DCgate, some critical international developments have slipped under the Persian carpet.    

Here’s the latest on the Israel–Iran War, 2025—a conflict whose fires may not be out just yet. The short but devastating war erupted in June 2025 when Israel launched sweeping airstrikes across Iran, striking nuclear facilities, military bases, and high-ranking IRGC targets. 

In response, Iran unleashed Operation True Promise 3, sending hundreds of drones and missiles into Israeli territory. For nearly two weeks, the Middle East teetered on the edge of a larger regional conflagration. 

The 12-day war ended in a tenuous ceasefire. But the damage was immense. Iran’s airports, oil refineries, and power grids lay in ruins. Oil exports fell by more than 50 percent. Civilian casualties climbed above 600, with thousands injured and dozens of senior scientists and military leaders among the dead. Many of Iran’s surviving nuclear scientists have since gone into hiding under heavy guard. The political fallout continues. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has dispatched officials to Tehran for the first time since the war, though their visit will not include inspections—only technical talks that Iran says will be “complicated” and tightly controlled. 

 Regionally, Iran’s defense chief is in Iraq pushing for a new security pact aimed at controlling cross-border militia movements and preventing future Israeli strikes via Iraqi airspace. Meanwhile, the United States is promoting a deal to disarm Hezbollah by year’s end in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon—a proposal Lebanon’s cabinet has tentatively endorsed, though Hezbollah itself remains defiant. 

 Tensions remain combustible. Political analysts warn that Israel could launch another major strike on Iran before December 2025—perhaps even this month—if intelligence suggests Tehran is rebuilding its nuclear capabilities or repositioning for retaliation. 

 The war’s military phase may have ended in June, but the strategic contest between Israel and Iran continues—largely away from the headlines, yet under the constant glare of satellites, spies, and the small cadre of diplomats still trying to prevent the next explosion. 

SUNDAY REVIEW / RALPH GIBSON'S PHOTOGRAPHIC ALCHEMY

WELCOME TO THE GEOMETRY OF DREAMS 

By all outward appearances, Ralph Gibson is a photographer. But to define him by that word alone is to miss the point. Gibson is a conjurer of shadow, an architect of intimacy, a minimalist with the soul of a surrealist. 

For more than half a century, he has wandered through the ordinary world with a Leica in hand and a cathedral in his mind, elevating the fragments of everyday life into a personal mythology of light and form. 

Born in Los Angeles in 1939, Gibson grew up amid the backdrop of cinema. His father worked as a technician on Hitchcock films, and young Ralph absorbed the grammar of suspense and silence long before he studied f-stops. It was in the Navy that Gibson first picked up a camera with purpose. Later, he apprenticed under Dorothea Lange and worked briefly with Robert Frank—two mentors who anchored him in humanism while he reached for abstraction. 

But Gibson never wanted to explain the world. He wanted to fracture it. He didn’t shoot scenes; he sliced them. A woman’s bare shoulder, the curve of a staircase, a black telephone dangling off the hook—these are not visual records but psychological artifacts. 

His photographs are less about subjects than they are about presence, tension, and the negative space that surrounds knowing. In 1970, unable to find a publisher who understood his vision, Gibson created Lustrum Press and released The Somnambulist, a slim, enigmatic book that would become the first of his celebrated Black Trilogy. It was a work of dream logic: noir silhouettes, limbs in motion, blindfolded eyes, cryptic signage. There were no captions, no context—just the implied rhythm of a man following his subconscious down a dark alley of perception. 

The trilogy continued with Déjà-Vu and Days at Sea, each book composed like a musical suite, where image followed image not by narrative necessity, but through intuition and mood. 

For Gibson, photography is less a way of looking and more a way of feeling. He trusts the viewer to make connections the same way a reader might interpret a poem—through inference, resonance, and silence. Gibson’s signature style emerged early and never diluted: high-contrast black-and-white, hard geometry softened by skin or fabric, compositions pared down until they hum like tuning forks. He favored strong diagonals and inky voids. 

His photos seem to flicker at the threshold of meaning, inviting you to step forward and fall in. As the decades passed, Gibson published more than 40 monographs, many through his own imprint, solidifying the photobook not just as a vessel for images, but as a work of art in and of itself. Syntax, Chiaroscuro, Infanta, Tropism—these titles reflect his poetic, almost cinematic approach to sequencing. In his hands, turning a page becomes a kind of descent into altered time. His work has been shown in hundreds of museums, collected around the world, and celebrated with awards ranging from the Leica Medal of Excellence to France’s Legion of Honour. 

But Gibson has always remained just outside the spotlight, content to inhabit the crepuscular zones he photographs so well. In recent years, to the surprise of his analog devotees, Gibson began exploring digital color photography. But the shift was not a surrender to modernity—it was another chapter in the same obsession. 

His digital work, lush with unexpected hues and chromatic tension, reveals that color can be just as surreal as shadow, if wielded with restraint. Now in his eighties, Ralph Gibson continues to photograph. He moves with the same silent authority as his subjects: elusive, elegant, unbothered by trends. 

His images—whether in black, white, or color—still whisper rather than shout. They still leave space for breath, pause, and doubt. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Ralph Gibson is that he has never once chased the obvious. 

He does not record. He reveals—through subtraction, through suggestion, through that uncanny sense of framing that makes the world feel half-remembered. A door ajar. A bare foot on tile. A shadow falling across a naked breast. These are not mere details. They are glyphs in his private alphabet, a language he’s been writing across decades—wordless, beautiful, and still unfinished.