ROMAN CONCRETE
Roman concrete made the Colosseum possible. Inside the Colosseum, visitors have ample space to picture the roaring crowds of more than 50,000 that once thronged …
THE BASIC TENET OF AMERICA
The basic tenet of America is embodied in the U.S. Constitution, and it is out-of-date. That may seem like a sacrilegious statement but when analyzed …
HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS
The history of Christmas is an interesting study in cultural development. The idea seems to have originated in the 4th century, as a late addition …
KUNG-FU-TSU
I came across an article this week dedicated to Kung-fu-tsu, better known as Confucius. Re-reading some of his teachings and his philosophy, I thought they …
THE ISLAND OF FOULA
The Island of Foula is the most remote part of the Shetland Islands, which themselves are remote enough for most tastes. Foula is also the …
CONFLICT OR HARMONY
There was an interesting BBC article this week on whether conflict or harmony is the best way forward for societies. The article highlighted the traditional …
LUMINOUS WHITE LINES II
Luminous white lines II continues my investigation as to why this obvious safety measure is not implemented on all roads. My assumption is that, if …
GOLDEN FLEECE AWARD I
My first GOLDEN FLEECE AWARD goes to the Kraft Heinz Company for the development of a special “Ketchup” designed for production, and presumably consumption, on …
CRISPR TOMATOES
CRISPR tomatoes are at the forefront of a food revolution. No, this is not another Golden Fleece Award. It is a scientific project for here …
ANCIENT WATER GARDENS
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka’s ancient water gardens are located at the base of a 200ft ancient rock fortress and former royal palace, which date back to …