I confess that I had absolutely no interest in The Brutalist when it came out and I still have none. I know enough about the style of architecture that watching a movie centered on one of the men who promoted it holds no interest for me. Admittedly, I am somewhat surprised that Greg Owen says … Continue reading A Reflection on Obsession and Jealousy
The Aral Sea and Dark History
This is not what you learn in school, readers. Follow the link to discover more: Commie Environment Fails: The Aral Sea A great Soviet technical achievement in shameless deliberate environmental destruction Kathryn Zurmehly Dec 11, 2025 The free market (“Capitalism”, like using your enemy’s slur for your name, that) has gotten a lot of heat … Continue reading The Aral Sea and Dark History
A Meeting Between East and West, Take 2
This post has been begging me to write it ever since the original Asahi Shimbun piece went kaput. All the way back in 2020, I linked to an Asahi Shimbun article on a Japanese-made rapier here. Somewhere over the years, the link died, but the picture stayed (because WordPress kept it, augh), and most people … Continue reading A Meeting Between East and West, Take 2
Women in the Arena
Considering the desire for novelty, to quote J.R.R. Tolkien,* that ate up the Roman Empire in the latter centuries, this really is not a surprise. It is, however, good to have some someone passing along their research. Follow the link to learn more, readers: Female gladiators shocked the ancient Roman world — but not for … Continue reading Women in the Arena
Feral Tropes – A Listicle for Spotting Feral Tropes: How Fate Does Not Tie-in with Prophecy, Messiahs, Religion, and Romance, Part 10
Today’s post looks at the “fate” trope, which may be defined as either you can’t fight fate or you must just accept it. Yes, this includes “fated mates” – i.e. “soulmates,” “imprinting,” star-crossed lovers, or those who are fated/destined/what-have-you to be together forever no matter what they do or want, amen. I have problems with … Continue reading Feral Tropes – A Listicle for Spotting Feral Tropes: How Fate Does Not Tie-in with Prophecy, Messiahs, Religion, and Romance, Part 10
Review: We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida
Translated by E. Madison Shimoda, We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat* caught my eye when I was scanning my library’s new purchases on their website. I had spotted the cover – which is very different from the one below, probably because it is a large print copy – and moved on because I had something else … Continue reading Review: We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida
Mapping Waters….
This is interesting, readers. Check it out! Sonar equipment used to map 2012 Olympic water areas finds something extraordinary Mar 19, 2016 Ian Harvey Back in 2012, scientists were mapping parts of the English Channel in preparation for the beginning of the Olympics. During this mapping, something amazing was found; scientists discovered an ancient river bed … Continue reading Mapping Waters….
Cleaning Water
Holy cow, readers. If they can pull this off, it would be a game-changer indeed! Follow the link to learn more: Turning mine waste into clean water: Research shows promise for acid mine drainage recycling by Sarah McDaid, Heriot-Watt University edited by Lisa Lock, reviewed by Andrew Zinin December 3, 2025 Scientists from Heriot-Watt and the University of … Continue reading Cleaning Water
Eve of War Register
This is interesting. God knows how accurate it was – or wasn’t – based on the description of prior censuses, but even with that…. Wow. What a picture, readers: Britain’s Pre-WW2 Census Launched on Internet Nov 16, 2015 Ian Harvey In the days leading up to the Second World War, authorities in Britain carried out an … Continue reading Eve of War Register
Reposted: Weird Points of View
She makes a good point, readers. Check it out! Weird Points of View Blake Smith January 9, 2026 I recently wrote a mercifully short tale for my substack that was from a horse’s point of view. Sounds cutesy and twee, right? Except that horses think normal things like plastic bags are actually predators about to eat … Continue reading Reposted: Weird Points of View
A Song of Joy by Caroline Furlong 