The Ides of March

Some Thoughts

Caesar getting the "point"
on March 15, 44 B.C.E.

Ides simply means middle in Latin but today what is interesting is that the only ides that people remember are the Ides of March and just why is that?

Dog in a Barrel

Diogenes the Bum

Diogenes in his Barrel
With Dogs

Most people if they have heard about Diogenes at all will have heard the story of him lighting a lamp in the day and looking for a good man by its light.

The Aztec Writing system

Something New in Something Old

Two generations ago a great many Archaeologists / Anthropologists and Historians would have agreed that there was a lot we didn’t know about the Pre-Columbian civilizations of the New World although the amount that we did know was large.

Shang Dynasty

A Note

Detail of a Shang Bronze

The History of China is surprisingly well known far back. Reasonably accurate records go back to 1600 B.C.E., with the establishment of the Shang Dynasty.

Henry VIII’s

First “Divorce”

Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

When Henry VIII decided that he needed to get a "divorce" from his wife Catherine of Aragon so he could marry his mistress Anne Boleyn he, at least at the beginning, did not intend to cause profound changes in English society and church he simply wanted to “divorce” Catherine so he could marry another women so that he could have more, preferably male children.

The Lord of the Rings Movies

Part I

The Fellowship of the Ring

Movie Poster

Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films based on Tolkien’s three part series is undoubtedly one of the most successful movie franchises ever and not just from a financial point of view. For to a surprising extent the three movies are artistic successes and are excellent examples of successful epic movie making that works artistically.

“Conservative”

Revolutions

Working peasants
By Van Gogh

The Twentieth century was the age in which the over 10 thousand year reign of Peasant has the perennial human archetype came to an end.

The MIA Myth

MIA / POW Flag

More than 20 years ago many in America believed with utter sincerity that there were hundreds or indeed thousands of American POWs being held in Vietnam. This myth affected US foreign policy and became a staple of American popular culture.

The fact that the myth was and remains almost totally bogus.