  We show that the space R^n x gl(n,R) with a certain antisymmetric bracket
operation contains all n-dimensional Lie algebras. The bracket does not satisfy
the Jacobi identity, but it does satisfy it for subalgebras which are isotropic
under a certain symmetric bilinear form with values in R^n. We ask what the
corresponding "group-like" object should be. The bracket may be obtained by
linearizing at a point the bracket on TM + T*M introduced by T. Courant for the
definition of Dirac structures, a notion which encompasses Poisson structures,
closed 2-forms, and foliations.
