Resuming (as the New Year rolls in!)

For the first time since forever -- or so it seems -- I am pleased to add some content to this blog. I hope to see a few "followers" join in!

(1) First off, the Museum of Modern Arts presented a Pier Paolo Pasolini film retrospective that featured his 1964 opus, The Gospel According to Saint Matthew. I mention this primarily because the director's name is more explicitly connected to Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975). Salò is loosely based on de Sade's work (the subtitle), and reset (in a brilliant twist) to 1944. It follows the depraved orgies of four fascist libertines who have fled north to the area still nominally controlled by Mussolini at the time.

Despite all the "controversy" -- the film is still banned in many countries -- the work nevertheless garnered considerable critical acclaim. This fact, in turn, invites a reconsideration of de Sade's original.

(2) BBC Radio's "Hard Talk" program recently rebroadcast its October interview with Dr. Brooke Magnanti, a research scientist with an unusual career path. She had run out of money while completing her doctoral studies, so (to pay the bills) she became an escort -- and blogged about her "work" under the pseudonym, Belle de Jour. Eventually, she would publish several books under that pen name, although her most recent title, The Sex Myth, came out under her own name. Suffice it to say that she appears to have done quite well as an author!

(3) Finally, I note that the Harvard's Committee on Student Life has officially approved another student organization -- Harvard College Munch. The group is billed as "an informal lunch or dinner meeting for people across the kink community." I suppose this means recognition as an alternative lifestyle, or perhaps alternative lifestyles. Let's stay tuned.

In closing, let me append that it feels wonderful to blog again, although I make no promises as to how regularly I shall do so. Please feel free to contact me with questions and ideas for topics to discuss. Happy New Year!