The Forge of War and The Fountains of Knowledge
I was overseeing a surgical procedure using one of my company's products today, and the doctor got everything right the first time (which is pretty rare). He turned around and looked at me and said "Hey, I'd rather be lucky than skilled any day of the week!"... Somehow, I hope my doctor is both lucky …
Continue reading Quick Hits: Lucky or Skilled?
People are continually shifting how they create and consume their media and information. Cave paintings were once the pinnacle of human media, but we've come a bit further since then... With each new iteration of media though, there is bound to be some criticism. Video games are for weak minded man-children that never grow up …
Continue reading Video Games, Film and Books: Criticisms of Media Mediums
Allegory is as popular as ever. Unfortunately, I think it is overused. In the latest article I talk about two authors who successfully wrote allegorical works, and why I think it resonated so well. Nowadays, most allegory is low hanging fruit. It's all "Drumpf is just like Voldermort!!" or "Muslim refugees are just like the Orcs …
One of my favorite books is The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It's an allegorical tale of his time in Vietnam, set in the "future" of 1996 (the book was published in the 1970's). A soldier goes on a journey through multiple planets, engagements and thousands of years to finally reach the conclusion of the war. …
Continue reading Criticism Through Literature: Science Fiction and a Combat Veteran Writer
Roman History is one of my favorite subjects. I have read about the Roman Legions, Caesar and the Republic since I was a boy. In college, I never really took any Ancient History courses, or studied Rome formally, but it is one of my favorite subjects to read up on and to write on. I …
I love boxing. Some of my earliest memories are watching Mike Tyson fights with my old man, or going to Atlantic City and watching fights with him too. The raw, unbridled nature of the sport attracted me, but as I got older I came to appreciate the rules and regulations of the sport even more. …
Continue reading Quick Hits: Violation of The Marquess Of Queensberry Rules
Anybody can become a youtube or instagram star these days. Countless folks write a status on facebook or shoot out a tweet to the void, think nothing of it and go to bed... only to wake up hours later and realize their post has gone viral. This is good and bad; the common people have …
Continue reading The Importance Of Books In The Digital Age of Partisan Politics
Augusto Pinochet Ugarte led the country of Chile for 17 years (1973-1990) and used torture, repression, and even political killings to keep a firm hold on power. His tactics show a clear example of state sponsored terrorism. Pinochet’s rule is a highly interesting one because of his outright use of terrorism to maintain control and …
Continue reading Augusto Pinochet: The Rise and Fall of a Right Wing Warrior
Last week I published an article about using arguments and different perspectives to write new and informative pieces on old subjects. I generally adhere to this idea and believe that having an argument or thesis is a good way to write an article, especially when it is a history related article. Modern politics and the garbage …
Continue reading Quick Hits: Sometimes arguing isn’t necassary
I am a huge fan of the Western Canon. It's a list of great books, authors, concepts and other important and classic ideas that have lasted throughout the century in the Western World. The Western World is usually considered places descended from Europe and the places Europe colonized. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle? Check. Voltaire, Bentham, Burke? Of …
Continue reading Great Books And The Eastern World: Why is there no requisite canon?
