“It is the morning of Imbolc, here in Ireland. We celebrate four times in the year; Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasadh, and Samhain. Imbolc is Brigid’s day and we know it by the blooming of the blackthorn that began just last eventide. It was as I dreamed it, for I am the one in my village who… Continue reading

January 30 I’m not sure how to put this delicately, but if you schedule something to start or end on January 30, you might be surprised, and it might not be pleasant. To start with, let’s have a look at the year 1661 in England. It was a couple years after Oliver Cromwell had passed… Continue reading

Today is the day, in 1980, that the Rubik’s Cube was introduced to the world. By the end of the year, it seemed like everybody had one. It was a full-fledged craze. The best-selling book just the next year was about solving it. By 1982 there was a world championship in cube-solving.  The thing was,… Continue reading

It’s Jackson Pollock’s birthday today. His paintings from his “drip period” are riots of disorganized organization. Small areas hang together, but seem completely unrelated to other sections. But then you see grand, galactic designs in there somewhere…somehow…tying things together. Connections appear and vanish, coincidences arise, and then as you move a few steps to the… Continue reading

I don’t know very much about Zen Buddhism, but I have heard of the “koan.” It’s a statement or question that doesn’t have an answer, but if you contemplate it — probably in a way I don’t really understand — your contemplation can eventually lead to enlightenment. I think. If I’m completely off base here,… Continue reading

O my Luve’s like a red, red roseThat’s newly sprung in June;O my Luve’s like the melodieThat’s sweetly play’d in tune. As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,Thee left in weather dry.And I will luve thee still, my dear,Tho’ thee take the name of Bly: All ‘round the world thou went, my dear,And the rocks… Continue reading

A lot of things happen over and over in history. There were violent sports well before American football came along. One example, from centuries ago in Europe, would be jousting. American football is a sport of plutocrats, at least at its professional level. Team owners tend to be billionaires, and star players become millionaires, often… Continue reading

January 22 is a date with some interesting juxtapositions, and some fascinating coincidences. Maybe the most notable juxtaposition happened in 1879, in Africa. The Anglo-Zulu war was in progress. It’s not one of the conflicts you’ve probably heard of, but it was fought between the British Empire (which you’ve heard of) and the Zulu Empire… Continue reading

Welcome to January 21. It’s a date that seems to sit slightly off to the side, just a little bit out of the spotlight. Some dates are like that; they don’t feature the main events, but the supporting cast. For instance, January 21 is the birthday of a central figure in the epic tales of… Continue reading

The twentieth of January has seen some “move-ins” as a new crew entered to try to control an established place. Remember back in 1997 when Great Britain returned Hong Kong to China after their 99-year lease expired? As it happens, there’s a lot more to the Hong Kong story. The English originally occupied the Hong… Continue reading