Ancient Word of the Day: Lavender

If you think that humble fragrance of lavender is only loved by aromatherapists and older ladies with a penchant for scented drawer sachets – think again. Lavender was officially the scent of elicit medieval sex, according to History of Sex author Kate Lister! Unlike exotic and expensive perfumes, lavender grows wild and plentifully all overContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Lavender”

The Cult of Endless Growth and Late Stage Capitalism

I have paired some of quotes by philosopher bell hooks and psychologist Svend Brinkmann with some darkly funny photos from the Inhumans of Late Stage Capitalism page on Facebook. This has formed a disturbingly compelling and strange mashup! “Only robots always say yes.” ~ Svend Brinkmann “Confronting the endless desire that is at the heartContinue reading “The Cult of Endless Growth and Late Stage Capitalism”

The Pros and Cons of Moving to Aotearoa New Zealand 2021 Edition

Every country has its shadow side, dark secrets, embarrassing problems and PR nightmares that governments attempt to sweep under the rug and hush-up. Here are New Zealand’s. I’m doing this so that people who have this idealised, naïve view of New Zealand as some sort of Utopia actually come here knowing what to really expect,Continue reading “The Pros and Cons of Moving to Aotearoa New Zealand 2021 Edition”

Book Review: The Life Project: The Extraordinary Story of 70,000 Ordinary Lives by Helen Pearson

Genre: Non-fiction, social sciences, history, public health Publisher: Counterpoint Rating: 🌟 🌟 The Life Project is published by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books that focuses serious non-fiction from different realms like history, politics, science and philosophy. I really expected a lot from this book and it didn’t deliver. The Life Project is writtenContinue reading “Book Review: The Life Project: The Extraordinary Story of 70,000 Ordinary Lives by Helen Pearson”

Book Review: The Joy of Missing Out by Svend Brinkmann

This book could have become a shallow antidote to the internet term for FOMO or Fear of Missing Out. Yet the Joy of Missing Out is brimming with exciting, novel and interesting ideas. It’s a slender book of around 90 pages that’s jam-packed full of interesting concepts and insights which draw together psychology, economics, communityContinue reading “Book Review: The Joy of Missing Out by Svend Brinkmann”

How real women dressed over the ages

A lot of fuss and attention is given to how wealthy women dressed in ancient times. Yet for every affluent woman there would be 10 other women of more humble origins, toiling and working in low paid and thankless jobs. Here are some really incredible videos that showcase how these women dressed over time. WomenContinue reading “How real women dressed over the ages”

Book Review: Docherty by William McIlvanney

An epic story of a mining family at the beginning of the 20th Century by Scottish national treasure William McIlvanney. The Dochertys live in the fictional town of Graithnock in Ayrshire, Scotland. The clan are headed by Tam, a hard man but a good hearted one who lifts up his son on the day heContinue reading “Book Review: Docherty by William McIlvanney”