Sanaa, Yemen

Source: Bigstock

Oh well, seeing some of these disgusting species walking around in this peaceful Swiss village can be character building. One learns restraint. Bringing up the subject at a chic dinner party the other night almost ended in tears. When a tiny Brit art dealer of Jewish descent excused the camel drivers, I became Orlando Furioso. But as he correctly pointed out, if Prince Charles bows down to them, so can the rest of us. So I’ll change the subject and go on to far more pleasant matters than Saudi scum.

Two loyal Takimag readers have contacted me and sent me goodies. Andrew Johnston is the managing director of Quiller Publishing, and he sent me a book, The Enigma of Kidson, about an Eton beak known for being rude, insulting, eccentric, and completely non-PC. He was also adored by his students, and he mentored and guided many of the well-known establishment names of today. It’s a great read about a great man, and I read about some good friends in their youth. I thank him and also Dr. Ian Olson, a poet and author of Facing the Persians, in which Dr. Olson begins to root for Athens vs. Sparta but finds himself wondering about what veterans of Thermopylae would have been thinking as they stood before the Hot Gates. I loved the poems and found myself thinking how, 3,000 years later, we have regressed. I thank both senders very, very much. Buy both books and see for yourselves what a mess we’ve become.