June 23, 2006--Fanaticism XL--Musee des les Pocketbooks
Sometimes on Fridays, the NY Times, or Herald Tribune offers up too rich a bounty of reports about items of fanatical interest to select just one about which to blog. Today is no exception. So allow me to write briefly about three—the first two are follow-ups to earlier commentaries, the third is new but in the same spirit. All are linked below.
I blogged just a few days ago about the decades-long debate within the International Red Cross about Israel’s application for admission, under its own emblem, rejecting both the Cross and Crescent as unacceptable to them. If Islamic countries can have their Red Crescent, why can’t Israel have a symbol of its choosing—a Red Star of David when functioning at home, but a red crystal or diamond when operating abroad. Well, it worked—they’re in.
But I failed to mention that even before this exception was made for Israel, the IRC had made one for the Shah of Iran—they were allowed to use a Red Lion. Of course we know what happened to the Shah and his lion.
Then there is a report from the front about the Foie Gras Wars. When I blogged about this a few months ago the battle that was raging was primarily confined to France, where the gravagists, or force-fed-geese industry was repelling the attack of groups who claimed it is inhumane to stuff plastic tubes down geese and ducks’ throats to fatten up their livers a few weeks before they are slaughtered. The farmers won a got the French Assembly to pass legislation declaring gravage to be a “national patrimony.”
But now, in the United States, God save us from ourselves, there is an attempt to get the US Department of Agriculture to declare foie gras “adulterated” food and thus ban it. But on the other side, marshalling his forces, Eric Ripert, executive chef of New York’s acclaimed Le Bernardin restaurant, said, “We can criticize how foie gras is produced, and be concerned about the health of the duck and blah, blah, blah. O.K., fine.” That about sums it up for me.
Finally, also in France, there is a problem on the Champs-Elysees about the “day-of-the-Lord” situation. There is a law that prohibits retailers from opening their stores on Sundays. Well, Louis Vuitton has a new 20,000 square-foot “shop” there, and with the rent they must be paying want to open for business on Sundays. But then there is the inconvenience of that law. So what to do? Brilliant, declare the place a “cultural center, which would make it exempt from the Sunday law, by sticking on the top floor, in 1,900 of the square feet, a space for “art exhibits” and a display about Louis Vuitton’s history!
Voila, a Musee des les Pocketbooks. Can’t wait to get in line to check it out.
I blogged just a few days ago about the decades-long debate within the International Red Cross about Israel’s application for admission, under its own emblem, rejecting both the Cross and Crescent as unacceptable to them. If Islamic countries can have their Red Crescent, why can’t Israel have a symbol of its choosing—a Red Star of David when functioning at home, but a red crystal or diamond when operating abroad. Well, it worked—they’re in.
But I failed to mention that even before this exception was made for Israel, the IRC had made one for the Shah of Iran—they were allowed to use a Red Lion. Of course we know what happened to the Shah and his lion.
Then there is a report from the front about the Foie Gras Wars. When I blogged about this a few months ago the battle that was raging was primarily confined to France, where the gravagists, or force-fed-geese industry was repelling the attack of groups who claimed it is inhumane to stuff plastic tubes down geese and ducks’ throats to fatten up their livers a few weeks before they are slaughtered. The farmers won a got the French Assembly to pass legislation declaring gravage to be a “national patrimony.”
But now, in the United States, God save us from ourselves, there is an attempt to get the US Department of Agriculture to declare foie gras “adulterated” food and thus ban it. But on the other side, marshalling his forces, Eric Ripert, executive chef of New York’s acclaimed Le Bernardin restaurant, said, “We can criticize how foie gras is produced, and be concerned about the health of the duck and blah, blah, blah. O.K., fine.” That about sums it up for me.
Finally, also in France, there is a problem on the Champs-Elysees about the “day-of-the-Lord” situation. There is a law that prohibits retailers from opening their stores on Sundays. Well, Louis Vuitton has a new 20,000 square-foot “shop” there, and with the rent they must be paying want to open for business on Sundays. But then there is the inconvenience of that law. So what to do? Brilliant, declare the place a “cultural center, which would make it exempt from the Sunday law, by sticking on the top floor, in 1,900 of the square feet, a space for “art exhibits” and a display about Louis Vuitton’s history!
Voila, a Musee des les Pocketbooks. Can’t wait to get in line to check it out.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
10:21 AM
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