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A Video Review Of My Translation Of Sallust
Literary critic and reviewer Andrew Vittoria today released a video review of my latest book (published in June), a new translation of the works of the historian Sallust, The Conspiracy Of Catiline and The War Of Jugurtha. I very much appreciate the time he took to put together this quite detailed review:
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Bequeath Your Problems To Those Who Deserve Them
There is an amusing anecdote related in Chapter 60 of Gibbon’s Decline and Fall. The author is describing an encounter between Fulk of Neuilly (d. 1201), a mendicant preacher trying to win support for a Fourth Crusade, and Richard I Plantagenet of England. Fulk had been shopping his plans to various European monarchs, most of…
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When Embarked On A Great Enterprise, Do Not Look Back
When you have begun a great project, press forward until it is completed. Do not look back; do not be distracted by the ambient noise of life, the doubting whispers of others, or the gnawing doubts that will inevitably bore their way into your consciousness. Nothing great was ever accomplished by half-measures; and the failure…
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Are Paranormal Phenomena Real?
Is there any truth to the proposition that paranormal phenomena are real? If so, in what way? Is there more to this world than just atoms and the void? And does science have all the answers? We discuss these issues.
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The Loss Of The Liner “Empress Of Ireland”
I have long had a fascination with nautical lore. It is one of these interests that comes as a residue from having spent much time–perhaps too much time–by the ocean as a boy, toying with sailboats and motorboats, quahogs, crabs, bluefish, and what lies beyond the surf. It is impossible for me not to be…
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Sunday Film Roundup (8/27/2017)
I haven’t done a film roundup in a while. As you know, the recent articles here have been focused on subjects of more gravity. The following represent the most recent “new” movies I’ve seen.
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What You First Create, You Must Then Defend
Some people think that one big home run will set them on easy street for life. They think that when they accomplish something, the game is essentially finished, and they can move on to something else. But the world doesn’t really work that way. Very often, the reward of labor is more labor: but the…
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Why Worrying Is Pointless
For a good part of my life I used to worry excessively about things. When I was in college I worried about keeping up my grade point average and being able to complete Marine Corps Officer Candidate School; when I was on active duty I worried about doing my job well; when I started my…
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“Italy Is Excellent In All Things”
The Roman engineer and architect Vitruvius believed that one of Italy’s special gifts was its geographical location. The nation was so situated, he believed, to combine the positive aspects of both cool and warm climates. In his treatise De Architectura (VI.11), he notes that
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The Continued Progress Of The Plutocratic Insurgency (Podcast)
This podcast accompanies my most recent article. In it, we explore two additional dimensions of the “plutocratic insurgency”: (1) the techno-palaces of the global elite, and (2) the creeping confiscation of public lands by private actors. The end result of these two trends is to accelerate the already destabilizing wealth imbalances in societies across the…
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“Dark Globalization”: The New Dimensions And Continued Progress Of The Plutocratic Insurgency
We have previous discussed in these pages a new and largely ignored form of insurgency warfare: the globalized elite’s coordinated, targeted efforts to dispossess the general public. Dr. Robert Bunker (on the staff of the US Army War College) and Pamela Bunker coined the term “plutocratic insurgency” to describe this novel form of warfare. In…
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They Stood Fast: The Loss Of H.M.S. “Birkenhead”
A reader of Rudyard Kipling’s collected verse may find his 1893 poem “Soldier an’ Sailor Too.” It contains the following lines:
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Getting A Point Across With Tact And Authority
One feature of great men is that they generally know how to handle themselves in a variety of situations. They tend to be flexible and agile; they will know when to scold, when to chastise, when to use the velvet glove, and when to use the hammer. Only the experience of life can impart this…
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Knowledge Cannot Be Confined Within Official Limits
Information is like a living organism; it expands to fill the container in which it is kept. Put some life form (it does not matter which) in some environment, and it will instinctively probe the outer limits of its habitat. Knowledge is like this, too. It can be suppressed for some time, but in the…
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The Legal Merits Of The Michelle Carter “Texting Suicide” Appeal (Podcast)
In this podcast (a companion piece to my article posted here yesterday), we discuss the legal merits of Michelle Carter’s appeal of her involuntary manslaughter conviction in the notorious “texting suicide” trial. What were the relevant issues in the case? Was the conviction proper? What is the likelihood of the conviction surviving appellate review?
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Steven L. Myers’s “The New Tsar: The Rise And Reign Of Vladimir Putin” (Book Review)
For many years in the West there has been a lack of understanding of Vladimir Putin and his policies. His personality, motivations, and objectives have been clouded in obscurity by the Western press, which almost always reverts to its simplistic “black and white” view of the world. Not all of the fault for this lies…
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How To Deal With The “Dirtbag Shuffle” (Podcast)
Our society seems to be producing more dirtbags than ever before. They’re everywhere, and they love to seek out people to take advantage of. We discuss how to spot a dirtbag, and how to deal with the common games (the “dirtbag shuffle”) that dirtbags love to play. The only person who cares about you is…
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Some Wise Sayings Of The Philosopher Al-Turtushi
Abu Bakr Al Turtushi (ابو بكر محمد بن الوليد الطرطوشي) was a political philosopher and doctor of the Malikite sect. He was but one of that avalanche of philosophers, poets, writers, scientists, and theologians produced by the energy and brilliance of Andalusian Spain in the medieval period. Many–probably most–of these Andalusian writers are completely unknown…
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Observations On Some Myths About War
The Army Times recently published a post discussing some comments by Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley on current popular myths about war. I liked his comments very much, and I take them as my starting point in this article. More than anything else, we should see his remarks as a warning. The United States…
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We Should Seize The Present Hour For Action
At the beginning of this month I bought the special director’s cut of the Michael Mann film Collateral. I don’t usually buy movies, having learned from past experience that it makes more sense to rent them. But every rule should have exceptions; and it is a good thing to collect those movies that transport you…
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A Few Traditional Irish Recipes
I recently picked up an interesting cookbook at a used book sale: George L. Thomson’s Traditional Irish Recipes. Thomson apparently traveled all over the country to select the most traditional representations of the nation’s cuisine. Hearty and relatively straightforward in preparation, many of these recipes make great additions to your kitchen arsenal. I’ve decided to…
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Never Sleep On Your Rights (Podcast)
When you are faced with a serious problem or issue, you need to spring into action to deal with it. Anyone who “sleeps on his rights,” and thinks the problem will go away by ignoring it, is in for a rude awakening. The “dirtbag shuffle” never works in the real world. Legal rights, once constructively…
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Theodore Roosevelt Brings Big Business To Heel
A central tenet of Theodore Roosevelt’s leadership was the idea that no one should be above the law. He was deeply troubled by excessive concentrations of wealth in the hands of a few; such a situation was, he knew, inimical to the interests of a democratic republic. He did not begrudge a man his wealth…
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On The Remaking Of Character
One of the apparent corollaries of the maxim that “character determines fate” is that character is static and unchangeable. In the majority of cases this is undoubtedly true; but this truth should not be used as a license for us to lie supinely on our backs and let the swerve of the atoms in the…
Original copy of Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) published in Holland in 1642. From the collection of Fortress of the Mind.
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