Summer is a time for outdoor activity. Many of us will find ourselves hiking, camping, or just going on long walks. I thought this would be a good opportunity to make up a list of what I consider the most important things a hiker should have in his possession.
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This podcast discusses my new book, On Duties. It is the most explanatory, readable, and well-organized translation of Cicero’s classic that is available in English, and perhaps in any language. In this podcast, I provide the three reasons why this is so. I also discuss the great theme running through the book: the idea of greatness of spirit.
The stories of forgotten weapons make for interesting reading. One such weapon was Britain’s “De Lisle carbine,” which remains one of the more obscure small arms stories of the Second World War. It is perhaps the most quiet weapon ever produced. Very few of them were made, and its full service record will probably never be fully known. But it does have an interesting story behind it and deserves more recognition than it has received.
I’m proud to announce that my new book, an annotated, fully explanatory edition of Cicero’s On Duties, is now available for pre-order. The Kindle version is available for pre-order now (with an actual release date of July 1), and the paperback version will be available on July 1 as well.
A reader notes that the previous generations failed to prevent the corruption and decay afflicting the US in the modern era. How did this happen? The short answer is that wealth and ease breed laziness and corruption. Tune in for more details.
Director: Ari Folman
This is an Israeli animated film about the remembrances of veterans of the so-called “First Lebanon War” of the 1980s. For those who don’t know or don’t remember, Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982. The reasons for this are outside the scope of this review, but we can rudely summarize them by pointing to two objectives: (1) installing a client regime in Beirut, and (2) destroying the PLO as an organization. At that time, the PLO had basically formed a state-within-a-state in south Lebanon.
At the end of this month, I will be releasing On Duties: A Guide To Conduct, Obligations, And Decision-Making. It is an exhaustively annotated, indexed, and topically referenced translation of Cicero’s famous treatise, along with commentary and supplementary essays.
Australia’s Owen sub-machine gun is one of the little-known weapons stories of the Second World War. But the more we look at this story, the more we are amazed by its details. It was produced solely in Australia, and used solely by the Australian military. It was probably the best sub-machine gun of its era, and stayed in use until the Vietnam War.
Director: Kon Ichikawa
The year is 1945, and the setting is the (just barely) Japanese-occupied Philippines. Japan has been losing the war and its army has been reduced by lack of supplies and manpower. As things go from bad to worse, discipline breaks down too, and the army begins to resemble a gang of convicts more than a fighting force. Soon it becomes a brutish fight for survival.
A young man from Australia writes that he feels a general malaise and depression, and finds it difficult to get motivated. I offer some blunt talk to put things in perspective. I also provide some specific guidance on how he can break out of his old patterns.
Quintus Curtius 
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