Honoring One’s Word, And The Power Of Fate

Quintus Curtius Literature , ,

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The minister Al Rabi’ Ibn Yunus (الربيع بن يونس) lived from about A.D. 730 to 785 and served the Abbasid caliphs Al Mansur and his successor Al Mahdi.  Amusing and instructive anecdotes have come down to us from the medieval Arabic historians about the interactions of the minister with his sovereigns.  We will relate two of them here, acknowledging our debt to Ibn Khallikan’s Biographical Dictionary (وفيات الأعيان وأنباء أبناء الزمان).  The stories illustrate the importance of honoring one’s word as well as the power of Fate.

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An Epitaph For Fidel Castro: The Failure Of Self-Mastery

Quintus Curtius Biography, History , ,

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He was from youth a strong-willed and charismatic man, certain of the correctness of his ideas and the importance of his mission. It is probably true that in the beginning he genuinely wanted the best for his country, and he was possessed of a burning desire to right the wrongs he saw all around him. Cuba under his predecessors was little more than a huge plantation, exploited at will by corrupt elites and foreign powers.  His certitude gave him a charisma which the credulity of the commons mistook for leadership.

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Homesickness And “Saudade” (Podcast)

Quintus Curtius Podcast ,

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We deal with two related subjects in this podcast.  One is the topic of homesickness.  What is it?  How can it be dealt with?  We also discuss the elusive concept of saudade, and how it can be a powerful emotional force.

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An Unexpected Consequence Of The Crusades

Quintus Curtius History , ,

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On the subject of the results of the Crusades, much has been written.  The effects were profound and stimulating, practically too numerous to be mentioned here.  At that time, Europe was behind the East in arts, knowledge, and refinement.  Edward Gibbon tells us:

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The Three Things That Deflect Us From Love

Quintus Curtius Thought ,

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Several days ago I received a warm email from a young guy in Brooklyn who had read one of my recent articles here.  The story, told in the form of a fable, underscored the importance of taking the initiative in matters of love.  His questions were these:  How do I know when to take the initiative?  How can I develop my “initiative-taking” spirit?

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The Fate Of A Collaborator

Quintus Curtius History , ,

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At one point in the Gothic War during the reign of Justinian, the Romans (or as we would now call them, “Byzantines”) under Belisarius were besieging a Gothic garrison at the town of Osimo in Italy.  The blockade of the town was very effective, and the inhabitants had been reduced to eating almost anything to stay alive.  But they were hoping to get some relief from the siege; their plan was to beg the Gothic commander Vittigis at the city of Ravenna to come to their aid.

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A Bit Of Bedroom Wisdom

Quintus Curtius Literature, Thought , ,

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The biographer Ibn Khallikan tells the following amusing anecdote about the Abbasid caliph Al-Mu’tadid (المعتضد بالله).  He lived from about 860 to 902 A.D.  The story makes the point that one must be decisive in matters of love and seduction.  To hesitate with a beautiful woman can be ruinous.

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Herman Melville’s “The Confidence Man: His Masquerade”

Quintus Curtius Literature ,

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The Confidence-Man was Herman Melville’s last novel.  By some weird cosmic joke it was (perhaps suitably) published on April Fools’ Day in 1857.  It is a difficult and in some ways ambiguous work, but yields up rich rewards for those willing to stay in the race to the end.

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Unusual Battle Injuries In Ancient Combat

Quintus Curtius History , ,

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The historian Procopius relates some unusual combat injuries of the Gothic War, which took place from 535 to 554 A.D. as part of the emperor Justinian’s attempt to bring back the Italic peninsula and its environs back into the Roman fold.  A few incidents stand out as worth of relation here.  In our modern age of firearms and high-velocity projectile weapons, we forget that battlefield wounds from swords, javelins, and spears had their own bizarre qualities.

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Sunday Movie Roundup (11/13/2016)

Quintus Curtius Film ,

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I didn’t post any reviews last week because I didn’t have any time to watch movies.  I did have some time this week.  Here are the results.

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