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Rub It In: Love, Sex, And Money Luck
Who hasn’t believed in the supernatural power of a black cat as bringer of bad luck or a rabbit’s foot as saviour from unfortunate events? These beliefs hark to when the supernatural could not be explained, when a person fought one myth with another. With galloping developments in the sciences, and computer access, I’d expect Continue reading
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The Antimatter Wedding Anniversary
In reality, it’s called the Golden Anniversary, and I can’t imagine why. Half a century together deserves to be likened, if at all, to a substance more valuable than gold or merely golden. But do bring out gold coloured tat: balloon arches, ribbons and giant bows, dainty plastic forks and spoons, sparkly cakes, streamers, sequin Continue reading
American Gothic, Antimatter, Antimatter Anniversary, Can Can, CERN, Durian, Elon, Golden Wedding Anniversary, Granite Anniversary, Jakarta, Jogjakarta, Longest Marriage, Matter, Northeast Brazil, Oak Anniversary, Pearl Anniversary, Porcelain Anniversary, Ruby Anniversary, Shortest Marriage, The Kiss, Tin Anniversary, Upstate New York, Wedding Anniversary, Zermatt -
The Golden Phallus of Football: A Tale of Trophies, Triumphs, and Turmoil
He was full-blown on the telly: gloriously orange face and splendid platinum blonde hair that lent him a smidgen of gravitas for a fraction of a second. The Thingy (henceforth TT) sat at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, facing the camera that he so adores. I did a double take while TT spewed Continue reading
Brazil Football Champion, Canada, Chinese Football, Estadio Centenário, Fake World Cup Trophy, FIFA, FIFA Founding, FIFA World Cup, Football, Golden Phallus, Jules Rimet, Jules Rimet Trophy, Maracanã Stadium, Meso-America Football, Mexico, O Sole Mio, Pickles, Replica World Cup Trophy, Stolen World Cup, The World Cup, Three Tenors, USA, Winners of the World Cup, World Cup 1930, World Cup 2026, World Cup Audience -
Not for the Squeamish: Mummy Treats
Before Carter discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, and mummies took Manhattan in 2017, mummy-mania had attacked many a society. Before we screamed and hid behind the sofa when mummies scared us with their curses in literature and films, mummies were used for surprisingly beneficial and happy endings. Well, most of the times. Since the Continue reading
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Pedro II, the Magnanimous
You may remember D. Pedro I, the fickle-hearted emperor. Now we have D. Pedro II, who was Pedro I’s only surviving male son born in wedlock, who became the second emperor of Brazil. They say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but how did Pedro II fare? Pedro II, whose mother died Continue reading
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Welcome to Regina’s Rants
Welcome to Regina’s Rants, where I write about whatever tickles my fancy, for I have to keep up my reputation of being irascible. The idea of Regina’s Rants started as new things usually do: I had the flooring of my home changed and in the process of removing items from one room to another, akin Continue reading
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A Question of Language
The Portuguese female nurse on the other end of the phone was clear, “How come these people, who have been here for a dozen years, do not speak Portuguese? And you speak Brazilian!” I stopped my translation of a friend’s questions about her husband to the hospital nurse and her answers, and took a deep Continue reading
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The Pope’s Second Coming
Hide the Phallus and Your Wallet The Catholic world revolved around Portugal from 1 August, 2023, for five days. Pope Francis descended on Lisbon for the 37th World Youth Journey (Jornada Mundial da Juventude, JMJ), to perform an ultramarathon of a programme with 20 events, something I did not have the energy to do even Continue reading
Regina's Rants 