Harry and Meghan have announced that they’re returning—by the end of this month—with their children (who have been registered into school) to the UK: Harry and Meghan Plan Move Back to Britain. Royal sources tell me that they’re working on a new movie: The Uselessey. In the Greek retelling, it will be known as The Idiossey. Its… Continue reading The Uselessey (Greek Version, The Idiossey)
Category: History
Happy “Over-The-Hump” Day!
July 2 is the 183rd day of the year. Fewer than 30 minutes from my clicking “publish” on this post, I’ll be half way to the end of the year. And it’ll be downhill from that point on. Lordy me. I’ll be closer to next Christmas than I am to this last New Year, and… Continue reading Happy “Over-The-Hump” Day!
“Because It’s There”
The post title is a quote from George Mallory, English Mountaineer, who disappeared--along with his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine--on his attempt to summit Everest in June of 1924, almost three decades before the first confirmed summiting by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and local Himalayan Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, on May 29, 1953. The debate as to… Continue reading “Because It’s There”
Dracunculiasis–Guinea Worm
For those who don't know, guinea worm is a parasite which lives in contaminated water, and has long been a scourge of West African nations, a parasite which invades and infests its hosts via the digestive tract, and eventually migrates to extremities like the lower leg, blistering and bursting painfully before the worm gradually emerges--just… Continue reading Dracunculiasis–Guinea Worm
Happy 16th Amendment Day! 😬
271 years ago today, on April 15, 1755, Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language was published. It was groundbreaking, the first attempt by an individual to round up and define the words that--themselves--defined us as Englishmen: Camelopard, noun: An Abyssinian animal, taller than an elephant, but not so thick. He is so named, because… Continue reading Happy 16th Amendment Day! 😬
“In Hoc Signo Vincible”
Of course, the title of this post is a misquotation of in hoc signo vinces, a motto dating back to Roman times, to an advisor to the Emperor Constantine, and a phrase which has--over the years--been attributed as the source of numerous miraculous visions prior to important battles, usually with Christians on the one side… Continue reading “In Hoc Signo Vincible”
Operation Iraqi Freedom–Twenty-three Years On
Well, it's twenty-three years ago today since President GW Bush announced it: https://youtu.be/FuwZSAmZ5G0 An unequivocal response to what was, at the time, thought to be a great evil which must be confronted. I'm not sure the reasons for it were wrong, and I wish that the West had dug in, had not lost its nerve,… Continue reading Operation Iraqi Freedom–Twenty-three Years On
Rest In Peace, Space Shuttle Astronauts
Twenty three years ago today, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up just minutes before it was supposed to land, killing all seven of its crew members. I say their names. They were: Rick Husband, Commander William McCool, Pilot Michael Anderson, Payload Commander Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist David Brown, Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, Mission Specialist Ilan… Continue reading Rest In Peace, Space Shuttle Astronauts
“St Agnes’ Eve–Ah, Bitter Chill it [Is]!”
Lordy me, it's cold in Western Pennsylvania, this January 20th, 2026. Accuweather (which is quite good at telling us what's actually happening at the moment, but is less good at predicting what might be happening three or four hours from now, let alone next week or next month) says it's 12F/-11C outside; however, a thermometer… Continue reading “St Agnes’ Eve–Ah, Bitter Chill it [Is]!”
Celebrating King Canute!
On this day, 1009 years ago, November 30 1016, Cnut of Denmark (his name was anglicized to "Canute" somewhere along the way) claimed the throne of all of England following the death of King Edmund, known as "Ironside" for his valiant resistance against the Danes. Canute was 22 at the time, and a couple of… Continue reading Celebrating King Canute!