You know what they say: behind every good embroidered man, there’s a great embroidered woman. As the Bayeux Tapestry debuts in London, we’ve been hearing about how the story depicted in the world’s most famous wall hanging may never have even happened were it not for Matilda of Flanders, William the Conqueror’s wife. Matilda was rich, powerful and supported the many heroic endeavours of her husband of 30 years. In fact, she gifted him the best ship in his fleet, which was instrumental to his victory at Hastings. That ship is depicted in the tapestry but Matilda is not – so we thought we’d publish a written account of her life here instead. And since all Conversation content is free to read and share, you don’t need to line up for a ticket to discover this history.
I was informed by one of our business editors this week that I’m an accountant. That’s exactly the kind of thing a business editor would say, of course, but it turns out to be true. Now I’m here to tell you that you’re an accountant too. If the news is as surprising to you as it was to me, allow this article to explain. The word “accountant” has only relatively recently come to denote a qualified professional who balances the books. It used to have a far more sweeping definition, taking in all kinds of decisions we make in our daily lives and interactions. And understanding that can help us appreciate how we relate to each other. So accountancy is, if you will, more of a way of life than a job. And we’re all living it.
The business desk also brought our attention this week to the problem of drunk online shopping. A recent US survey estimated that intoxicated consumers generate $45 billion in income for retailers each year. Researchers who have investigated the economy of tipsy clicking say the whole system of online shopping – from saved card details to warnings that “other people are viewing this item” – makes it all too easy to buy things we don’t really want when our defences are down. And that’s an ethical issue for the people making the profit.
It turns out to be a myth that women living together will see their cycles align. But in the process of asking an anatomist about this matter, we were told that human bodies can and do sync up in a number of other ways. Our hearts can vibe with other hearts and our brains can tune in to other brains when we interact. Even our pain threshold can be affected by having other people around us.
Also this week, a Danish pastry paradox, a Canadian Brexit lesson and the life and legacy of feminist icon Gloria Steinem.
