Insight re Crusade and Jihad

There were plenty of religious rivalries before 1096, and a great many were  Christian v Christian and       Muslim v Muslim. Like Syria or Iraq tod...

Democracy in trouble

People in Egypt and elsewhere have expressed their concern about recent events in that country as indicating a breakdown in a commitment to democratic values and democratic institutions. The recent deposition of the democratically elected but increasingly autocratic president has divided Egyptians and observers alike. Was that deposition of Morsi necessary and justifiable or was...

More of the story of the Good Duke

Okay, when it came to writing down the story of the Good Duke decades later, who exactly was it who remembered that he took 2000 head of poultry and 200 pieces of salt pork on his expedition to Africa? And who thought it was interesting to include this material and w...

Michael the Syrian says

Concerning the War of the Birds. In 1434 of the Syrian Era [A.D. 1123], a great war of the birds took place. Cranes and storks assembled for many days in the country from Amida to Tellakum (T'lxum/T'e"lxam). Then they began sending emissaries back and forth for three days. After a good deal of this traffic, they commenced fighting from the third hour [g411] until the ninth hour,...

Wit and wisdom from Deep Space 9

Quark, a merchant and a predatory capitalist criticizes the chivalry of his time:Do you know what I like about Klingon stories?… Nothing! Lots of people die and nobody makes any prof...

It's not the Arab Spring, it's the French Revolution (1789-99)

 From Foreign Policy:This massive financial support follows on, and replaces, billions of dollars given by Qatar to the previous Muslim Brotherhood government. It is likely to prove equally ineffectual in delivering the desired payoffs, though. As Doha discovered to its dismay, money will buy only temporary love and symbolic returns. Whatever Gulf paymasters might hope, the...

Deadly economic myths

Over at Salon, Atkinson and Lind argue that simpleminded faith in economic myths is killing America.  I say, not just America.I particularly liked this passage:Myth 3: The economy is a market.In the world of Econ 101, “the economy” is usually treated as a synonym for “the market.” But an enormous amount of economic activity takes place outside of competitive markets dominated...

Funeral badge of the Black Prince, 1376

Thanks to Modern Medie...