Cato the Elder (234-149 B.C.) is one of those legendary figures in early Roman history. Known for his stern, uncompromising vision with regard to personal morality, rules, and social obligations, his treatise On Agriculture (De agri cultura) constitutes the earliest complete Latin prose text that has survived.
A subject not often discussed is the topic of how to repair strained or broken relationships. It is one that comes up in everyone’s life, so it will be useful to make a few suggestions about it here. We will talk about relationships involving friends, family, and lovers.
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In medieval times there was a Syrian poet known for his acrid wisdom in verse, as well as for his distaste for dealing with nonsense. Time and convenience has mercifully shortened his lengthy name (which we will not trouble the reader with here) to Ibn Munir al-Tarabolusi, or more commonly Ibn Munir.
Once again, it’s time to make the donuts. Here’s a view of what’s come across my field of vision this past week.
A reader talks about how he is having issues with keeping his confidence up.
We offer some suggestions that provide practical ways to overcome fears and self-doubt. Time and experience are the keys here.
Readers may be familiar with the Seinfeld television show episode where the George Costanza character resolves to do the opposite of everything he normally does. The idea actually has a legitimate pedigree, at least with regard to ancient medical science.
When we feel something passionately and sincerely, we have an urge to express this emotion to the objects of our affection. If the feeling is reciprocated (or at least acknowledged) by the beloved, we feel pleasure. But if the feelings are not returned, we will initially feel the sting of rejection.
The outlines of the following story appear in Procopius’s Wars (II.12.8).
The Assyrian king Abgar V governed a region that had its capital at the city of Edessa. The exact dates of his birth and death are not known, but he apparently ruled from around 4 B.C. to 7 A.D. and again from about 15 A.D. to 30 A.D. He was an ally and friend of the Roman Empire; the emperor Augustus knew him well and valued his counsel on Near Eastern affairs.
Directed by: Kevin MacDonald
This is a joint Canadian-British production based on the post-apocalyptic novel of the same name by Meg Rosoff. I had low expectations going into this movie, imagining it would be another stock teen-romance with some derivative end-of-the-world drama thrown in for good measure. But this one actually is oddly affecting, and worth watching.
There are some weapons that have become so identified with an era or organization that one only needs to lay eyes on them to be reminded of the same. The Soviet PPSh-41 is one such weapon. Its ribbed, chromed barrel, drum magazine, sturdy wooden stock, and downward sloping muzzle are all instantly recognizable. If an historian had to pick one infantry weapon to symbolize the Red Army of the Second World War, he would unhesitatingly pick the PPSh-41 (affectionately known as “Pah-pah-sha” to its users).
Quintus Curtius 
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