History

Igne natura renovatur integra (Alchemical motto) Through fire, nature is reborn whole Recently a paper was published in a journal of evolutionary biology about the importance of mass extinctions to the development of "novel features and abilities in surviving lineages." While...

Historia est magistra vitae History is life's teacher Life, like any other game, contains a manifold of moves and pieces. Yet some are more likely to transpire than others and the variables, and the rules themselves, are not always clear....

This is an excerpt from a blank verse drama I started writing many years ago. The speech seems pertinent to the cause of life extension.

Gradatim ferociter By degrees, ferociously. (Motto of Blue Origin) The Japanese principle of kaizen comes to mind here. Small improvements quickly accrue, yet they are not terribly encouraging. In many endeavors one's progress is slow until something clicks. Thus it requires...

Faber est suae quisque fortunae (Appius Claudius Caecus) We are the artisans of our own fortunes. (Appius the Blind) Nota bene: this was written by a blind man. With the exception of Oedipus, blindness and other handicaps are generally thrust upon us. This...

The video can be found here. The Thirty Years War decimated the Holy Roman Empire. What began as a local conflict soon progressed into total war between all the major powers of Europe. Germany lost a quarter of its population,...

Latin proverbs with commentary...all beginning with the letter E.

Socrates bemoaned the lax ethics of Athenian youth. The Confucians lamented the lack of filial piety in ancient China. The Romans deplored the loss of their virtuous Republic a few fortnights after the overthrow of the last Etruscan king....

Damnatio memoriae Damnation of the memory. Winston Smith: Does Big Brother exist? O'Brien: Of course he exists. Winston Smith: Does he exist like you or me? O'Brien: You do not exist. Mockery can elicit sympathy for one's target. Persecution can turn scoundrels and knaves into...

Cacoethes carpendi The habit of finding fault A mania for finding fault  We have all met someone who constantly feels the need to point out minor flaws with a performance or person. Go to any Youtube video and you will find a...