Author: Quintus Curtius

François-René de Chateaubriand: The Apostle Of Romanticism

Quintus Curtius Literature ,

The nineteenth century literary, artistic, and intellectual movement we today call “romanticism” is not easily defined, but is generally acknowledged to embrace the following sentiments:  an idealized view of the past, the emphasis of feeling and sentiment over rationality, a preference for exotic locales and peoples, and the primacy of emotion.  One of the founders—perhaps the founder—of romanticism in French literature was François-René de Chateaubriand, whose memoirs I have just finished.  He titled his book Memories From Beyond The Tomb, since they were specifically intended to be published after his death.

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Joseph Persico’s “Infamy On Trial” (Book Review)

Quintus Curtius History ,

We live in an age of power without responsibility, an age where ambition and hubris are too often permitted to run roughshod over institutional controls and the dictates of common decency.  We are too often made to feel helpless in the face of power exercised so far beyond the reach of accountability that many of us have simply given up, and abandoned hope of calling to account those who abuse the trust of the people they were tasked with serving.

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Leadership Questions: Pulling The Trigger, And Dealing With A Passive-Aggressive Boss

Quintus Curtius Podcast , ,

Two different readers ask questions from their own personal experience:
1. One man is trying to overcome feelings of discomfort when ordering his men to go places where they may face certain harm.
2. Another man is trying to deal with a boss whose passive-aggressive comments may mean trouble for him.

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Machiavelli’s Principles Of Conspiracies

Quintus Curtius Thought ,

Machiavelli, in book III, chapter 6 of his Discourses, enunciates the principles of political conspiracies. He considers an understanding of them to be of primary importance.  I intend to paraphrase his relevant points here, so that readers without access to the original text may have a better understanding of them.  He begins with a point he considers self-evident:

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Sunday Movie Roundup (3/26/2017)

Quintus Curtius Film , , ,

Here are the latest results and post-mortems.  All in all, it was a great week.

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Making Jerky From Turkey Meat

Quintus Curtius Health & Fitness ,

I thought I’d post a short weekend culinary tip here.  Recently I wrote about making jerked meat.  Never having tried to make jerky from turkey before, I finally did it this past week.  I was at first skeptical that the results would be encouraging, but it all worked out well.  Here are the steps and the results.  The final result was delicious and practical:  you can take the meat with you on trips, for lunches, or whatever.

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Hit Them Hard

Quintus Curtius Podcast , , ,

When your back is against the wall, you need to fight back however you can.  Don’t allow society or other people to denigrate you.   Remember that the only one who cares about you is you.  Sometimes the best way to get people to listen is to force them to listen.  Hit them hard, and keep hitting them as long as necessary.

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The Maritime Adventures Of Philip Ashton

Quintus Curtius History , ,

In June 1722 a seaman from Marblehead, Massachusetts named Philip Ashton was aboard a vessel that entered the waters around Shelburne, Nova Scotia.  Ashton was a fisherman and had no experience with trouble on the high seas.  But this was to change very quickly.  As his shallop entered the waters of the harbor, it was spotted and boarded by pirates under the command of the notorious Edward Low.  The crew and its cargo were now under the control of Low and his men.

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Wise Sayings Of The Poet Al-Tihami

Quintus Curtius Biography, Literature , ,

The Arabic poet Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad al-Tihami (? – 1025) is said to have taken the name Tihami in one of two possible ways that may hint at his family’s origins, according to our trusted chronicler Ibn Khallikan.  Tihami was used both as an informal name for the city of Mecca, and as a name for the mountains between the Hijaz and Yemen.  But it is not clear which of these geographic references apply to our poet.

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