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The Hollow Crown

Michael Wade, at Execupundit, reminds me I have this – The Hollow Crown – on DVD … and have only watched Ben Whishaw’s excellently foppish Richard II. Three more to go. And then, of course, there’s the second series. I need to block out some time and get my Shakespeare head on. You can, of […]

Our affinity for stories is deep-rooted

This is interesting. Jordan Peterson on perceptions of reality: Scientific truths were made explicit a mere five hundred years ago, with the works of Francis Bacon, René Descartes and Isaac Newton. In whatever manner our forebears viewed the world prior to that, it was not through a scientific lens (any more than they could view […]

Odysseus and his real-life friends – The Conversation

Researchers find that the relationships between characters in Homer’s Odyssey are more realistic than generally found in fiction, suggesting the epic is founded – at least in part – on historical events. Fascinating science reported on TheConversation.com, here, and coming to me via The Times, here: In fiction – the Marvel universe or Lord of […]

Ad, ab … odd. The lasting grip of Latin

The Economist’s Johnson column on the lasting influence of Latin on our language. Ad and ab are workaday prepositions in Latin, the former usually meaning “towards”, or “at” (think of ad hominem) and the latter meaning “from” (think abscond, abdicate and such). Iurare means “to swear”. So in Latin, adiurare meant to swear to do something, and abiurare meant to swear off it—the ab and ad clear as day to your average […]

Don’t say that!! – An official guide to profanity

The Inky Fool points us to telecom regulator Ofcom’s official, Quick Reference Guide to offensive language and gestures. It’s a strangely compelling, rather British, bureaucratic wonder… Ginger – Mild language, generally of little concern. Typically viewed as a humorous insult, however more aggression or specific intent to hurt heightens impact. God – Mild language, generally […]

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