The Making of a “Great War”, Pt. II – The “British Technique”[1] of Propaganda

... by mus

Addressees, Institutions, and Goals of the British Propaganda To this day, 91 years after the end of hostilities, the First World War still holds a special place in the European Consciousness. The name was already coined during the hostilities, based partly on the enormous casualties, but also on the impression in 1914/15 that it would be “The War that...

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"Swine Flu", Fear, and the Middle Ages

... by mus
"Never confuse movement with action." - Ernest Hemingway[1] 'Tis the season of the flu, just like every year. But this year, there's something different. How different, you ask? Well, let's take a look at Ukraine:
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The Making of a “Great War”, Pt. I - Why Britain fought for France in 1914

... by mus
And I can't help but wonder, no Willie McBride, Do all those who lie here know why they died? Did you really believe them when they told you "The Cause?" Did you really believe that this war would end wars? - Eric Bogle: The Green Fields of France (Dropkick Murphys...
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History

Protein...evolution...

Fri, 02/12/2010 - 22:51

If you ignore for a second the constant forward-looking attention Internet news demands and stretch your mind back to the Mad Cow Disease scare of 2004, you might remember thinking "how strange that proteins can act as pathogens in the mammalian body!"

Mad Cow scares us because it's an enigma--a protein disease that acts like it has DNA. But now it's looking more familiar, as researchers prove it mutates very much like a DNA or RNA virus or bacteria.

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'A blaze of loyalty': The illuminations of Georgian London

Mon, 08/23/2010 - 10:33

Britain's only remaining illuminations (in the true sense) are in Blackpool, where they are associated with trams, tableaux and tackiness. But where did Blackpool, first lit up in 1879, get the idea for such a display? Georgian London of course.

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Friday the Thirteenth

Fri, 08/13/2010 - 15:22

“Some mathematicians believe that numbers were invented by human beings, others, equally competent, believe that numbers have a sufficiently independent existence of their own and are merely observed by sufficiently intelligent mortals”
E T Bell
The Magic of Numbers

‘The Magic of Numbers’ is still available today. Amazon bills it as:

“a stimulating account of the origins of mathematical thought and the development of numerical theory”

and

“… exploring the ways in which "number magic" has influenced the development of religion, philosophy, science and mathematics”

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The Pod Delusion #43

Fri, 07/23/2010 - 14:53
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[Review] The Sun Kings, by Stuart Clark

Sat, 06/12/2010 - 15:05

This is the first in an occasional series of posts based on the premise that people send me things for free, and I then review them. If you'd also like to send me anything for free, please get in touch.

Today's subject is a book called The Sun Kings, by Stuart Clark. It also has a subtitle, "The Unexpected Tragedy of Richard Carrington and the Tale of How Modern Astronomy Began." The subtitle is, I think you will agree with me, pretty crap, and the front cover is a dire mixture of red and greenish yellow that would look nice on the dinner plate at my local Indian Restaurant, but doesn't make the cover particularly attractive or easy to read.

Sadly, I expect most people's reaction in a bookstore these days would be "Who the **** is Richard Carrington?"

Your rating: None Average: 4.2 (5 votes)

The Giants' Shoulders #22

Fri, 04/16/2010 - 18:26

Welcome to the 22nd edition of The Giant's Shoulders, a carnival all about scientific research from days gone by, when you couldn't just look it up on Wikipedia and you had to scratch a wet stick across a bit of dead tree to get your point across and Pluto was still a planet. Ah, the good old days.

Anyway, on with the submissions!

  • JUST A MON explores how astronomy has been used to date historical events, and how the results may not always be as accurate as we might wish.
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Saving Georgian London: 76 Dean Street

Wed, 04/14/2010 - 08:18

On Saturday, during a conversation with the lovely Dan Cruickshank the chatter turned to the sad state of 76 Dean Street. It's a subject Dan is passionate about, and we came to conclusion that the parlous situation of this fine building has somehow, and quite wrongly slipped under the radar. Patrick Baty, everyone's favourite historical paint maven, suggested all the people he knows who should be contacted; you know, important people like The Georgian Group and so on, and I said I would blog, Facebook and Tweet about it. We can but try, and this building deserves awareness, if nothing else.

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Priests, Pederasts and Privilege

Mon, 04/05/2010 - 16:25

Henry II was regrettably given to childish tantrums during which his “grey eyes that glowed fiercely … grew bloodshot in anger”. He also fell to the floor and chewed straw.

Perhaps it wasn’t just emotional incontinence. He kept a large empire together in difficult times, expanded and, in many ways, improved it. It may not have been bad psychology for the people around him to fear his wrath.

Whether the rage was real, Henry’s contribution to standardising and centralising the law of his kingdom cannot be doubted. He energetically travelled miles to supervise legal proceedings, championed the use of juries and established the Royal Magistrate Courts. He also oversaw the decline in the outmoded use of trials by ordeal and combat.

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The Variegated Damsel and The Beautiful Spotted Boy

Sun, 03/21/2010 - 14:39

On the 12th of October 1736, on a Jesuit plantation in Cartagena, Columbia a little girl names Mary Sabina was born to the two negro slaves Patrona and Martiniano.

José Gumilla was a priest in charge of the sick on the plantation, and when Mary Sabina was about six months old, he happened to see her when she was with her mother. He discussed the child's extraordinary appearance with Patrona. Mary Sabina had piebaldism, resulting in the astonishing spotted effect visible in the two portraits of her in the gallery. Patrona put it down to the fact that she had a pet dog of black and white colouring of which she had become fond whilst pregnant. Gumilla recommended Patrona guard her baby very carefully lest some ignorant person cast the evil eye upon it.

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Princess Serafina: London's First Recorded Drag Artist

Mon, 03/08/2010 - 14:10

On the 5th of July 1732 Thomas Gordon was indicted for robbing one John Cooper, of Number 11, Eagle-court, the Strand. The two men had taken a walk together in Chelsea Fields 'to a secret place', and Gordon had threatened Cooper with a knife unless he gave up all his clothing and his jewellery and changed it with Gordon's. At first, it appeared to be one of those robberies that happens late at night on Clapham Common, between two previously unacquainted gentlemen. The vast majority of such crimes are never even reported let alone prosecuted even in these 'enlightened' times, so the fact that John Cooper brought this to trial in 1732 is quite astonishing. The trial that followed was to be even more incredible.

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