Audrey Hepburn movies

Have been watching a couple of Audrey Hepburn movies –- Sabrina, Paris When It Sizzles and Funny Face. (taped from ABC Sat arvos). The idea of romance has changed so much –- all a bloke needed to do was kiss Audrey, which would suddenly induce dramatic conflict and soul-searching for her and a couple of scenes later she’d have changed her mind and be madly in love with him.

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Newtown’s soy milk blackmarket

A black market trade is operating in the banned soy milk Bonsoy in Sydney cafes, even though retailers face $500,000 fines if caught.

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Amish transcendentalism

Went to an inner-west party recently where late-night discussion turned to Thoreau and Emerson, rebellious utopian 19th-century communes, and Amish transcendentalism.

J wearing an authentic bonnet made by an Amish lady.

What keeps Amish society together? (from here)

Transcendence: making the individual feel like an integral part of the larger organisation.

Persecution strengthens bonds. Hostility from outside world increases unity.

“Worldy” people are thrown out.

Different language and dress increase isolation and separation.

Living in rural areas to be separate. Encouraged to feel fearful of the “evil world outside”.

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Tragic tale of first Aboriginal monks

I browsed the Yabun Festival stalls and found a fantastic book for $10, The Grand Experiment by Anouk Ride. It’s a true story of an Aussie journalist who saw an etching of two Aboriginal boys in monk outfits years ago in the New Norcia monastery, Western Australia. So she digs into the history and wrote this book.

The Aboriginal monks. Engraving: Pablo Alaborn, circa 1851, Benedictine Community of New Norcia Archive.

They were sent to Europe (by sailing ship) to learn Latin and Italian and English in Italian monasteries, and met the Pope. They travelled to England and France and South Africa.

One of them was very bright and learnt quickly but the other was homesick and hated it. The boys used to call letters “talking papers”, boats were “moving houses” and at first they thought boats were large animals.

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