“The Devil wears PRADA” (2006) was a comedy-drama starring Meryl Streep and was loosely based on real-life Vogue Editor Anna Wintour. The title of this film could equally apply to Golriz Ghahraman. Recently resigned Greens MP Ghahraman was caught on camera playing the Devil in Scottie’s Boutique, Ponsonby, allegedly
Owen Jennings Owen Jennings is a former ACT MP. bassettbrashandhide.com It is worth stopping and thinking about the events around the 6th of February 1840. James Busby, a Scotsman was thinking about his 38th birthday, due the next day. More likely he was wondering if a large gathering of
Charles Krblich Chuck Krblich works in the insurance and reinsurance industries as a catastrophe manager. brownstone.org Il nous faut de l’audace, encore de l’audace, toujours de l’audace! (We need audacity, more audacity, always audacity!) Georges Jacques Danton Just a short time ago, on a Saturday, before
Harry Palmer Politicians, their associates and handlers can wield the power of life and death over citizens. Those in the UK and to a slightly lesser degree the USA are currently rattling their sabres; warning that a war with Russia is on the horizon and that conscription of innocent youth
Harry Palmer NZ’s newly elected government has yet to prove it’s different from the rest but look at the kind of politicians and ‘officials’ that are firmly embedded in power in Europe, the UK and the USA. They’re not going to be voted out because they’re
Marica S Tacconi Penn State theconversation.com Imagine Lady Gaga or Elton John teaching at an orphanage or homeless shelter, offering daily music lessons. That’s what took place at Venice’s four Ospedali Grandi, which were charitable institutions that took in the needy – including orphaned and foundling girls – from
Buzz The archbishop of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa*, the Most Reverend Donald Steven Tamihere, has spoken at the Kingitanga hui. @AotearoaLib on X had this to say. They were not his exact words but that was the gist: AotearoaLib (video). Let me clear one thing up from the outset
William Trollinger Professor of History University of Dayton It was Dec. 19, 1923 – 100 years ago. The first day of Christmas break at the University of Dayton, with fewer than 40 students still on campus. At 10:30 p.m., the quiet was shattered by a series of explosions, as
Lawrence W. Reed Lawrence W. Reed is FEE’s President Emeritus, having served for nearly 11 years as FEE’s president (2008-2019). Three years ago, I fished for barracuda and mahi-mahi off Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic (see below). I want to go back, not only because the fishing
Simon Black Simon Black, as James Hickman is more commonly known, is the Founder of Sovereign Man. He is an international investor, entrepreneur, and a free man. His daily e-letter, Sovereign Letters, draws on his life, business and travel experiences to help readers gain more freedom, more opportunity, and more
Baby boomers, of which I am one, have a lot to be thankful for. Looking at later generations, including the one immediately after (for which we must take some responsibility), are very different from ours. The generations prior to ours – involved in two world wars – were subjected to more horrors
Harry Palmer I paid a visit to Egypt and the Holy Land in April/May 2023, my third in around 15 years. After a stopover in Dubai – how much that place has changed since the days when I joined my ship there in 1965! – we flew to Cairo and my
Lowri Ann Rees Senior Lecturer in Modern History Bangor University South-west Wales was reeling in the wake of social unrest in November 1843. There had been a series of protests over several years by farmers furious at taxation levels, mainly attacking tollgates. Often, the men involved dressed as women and
Randolph Grace University of Canterbury Future historians may well regard 2023 as a landmark in the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). But whether that future will prove utopian, apocalyptic or somewhere in between is anyone’s guess. In February, ChatGPT set the record as the fastest app to reach 100
Lisa Smithstead Swansea University Vivien Leigh’s achievements in cinema were extraordinary. Known for her glamour and beauty, the actress rose from a bit-part player to become one of the most famous women in Hollywood, playing Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind in 1939. And November 5 marks
Catherine Wynne University of Hull Agatha Christie published The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb in September 1923, almost a year after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Her Hercule Poirot short story drew inspiration from the sensationalised folklore of the “mummy’s curse”
