Render Caesar 14 May 200818 Sep 2017 In a famous skit, Wayne and Schuster had Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife, saying “Julie, don’t go! It’s the Ides of March!” Now we can see why Julie went. He was old, and worried… This is a bust of Julius Caesar in his “old age” (old age be damned. He looks younger than I am) that has recently been found in the sediment of the Rhône River next to the Roman city of Arles, which Caesar founded. It is thought to be from life, and is the oldest bust of J. C. known. History
Evolution The new Darwin film 6 Sep 2009 From this review and several other things I have seen of it, The Creation looks to be a pretty sympathetic treatment of Darwin’s life and work. It’s a pity it’s based on a false premise: that Darwin was motivated by the death of his daughter Annie to become irreligious, or… Read More
Evolution Punnett on Mendelism and species 18 May 2009 The wonderful Project Gutenberg has just released a fully HTMLised version of R. C. Punnett’s (he of the famous “square”) 1911 book Mendelism, which shows how quickly the implications of Mendelian genetics, rediscovered 11 years earlier, were worked through. It’s a wonderful read, and anyone with a slight knowledge of… Read More
Evolution Taxonomists and bad history 21 Feb 200818 Sep 2017 In a recent paper on biological nomenclature in Zoologica Scripta, Michel Laurin makes the following comment about the stability of Linnean ranks: However, taxa of the rank of family, genus or species are not more stable. … This sad situation should not surprise us because the ranks, on which the… Read More
Mary Beard doubts it’s ol’ big-nose: http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2008/05/the-face-of-jul.html
Mary Beard doubts it’s ol’ big-nose: http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2008/05/the-face-of-jul.html
Mary Beard doubts it’s ol’ big-nose: http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2008/05/the-face-of-jul.html
Ahcuah, are you comparing one bellicose ruler who invaded a country for political gain and wiped out a large percentage of the population with another bellicose ruler who invaded a country for political gain and caused the death of a lot of the population? I’m sorry, I think the analogy is weak. 😉
I used to LOVE Wayne & Schuster. (I grew up near Detroit, so I could watch them on Ed Sullivan AND CBC.) This post prompted me to find some old clips on YouTube.
You can just see the immortal line written on that face: “Infamy, infamy! They’ve all got it in for me!”
You can just see the immortal line written on that face: “Infamy, infamy! They’ve all got it in for me!”
Appearances can be deceptive! This is not Gaius of the Julian Clan; it is of course Alf a much-loved Romano-Celtic cabaret artist who earned his living doing impersonations of Caesar in the Arles Arena in the breaks between the gladiators and the lions. He came to a sticky end one hot summer afternoon when the stagehands who, having heard his routine a couple of hundred times already, were bored and let out the lions in the middle of his act. The crowd loved it and saluted his demise with a standing ovation. The story was the sensation of an otherwise slow summer season and the souvenir sellers did a roaring trade in Alf busts with the tourist who took in the Arena on their trips to Arles.
Appearances can be deceptive! This is not Gaius of the Julian Clan; it is of course Alf a much-loved Romano-Celtic cabaret artist who earned his living doing impersonations of Caesar in the Arles Arena in the breaks between the gladiators and the lions. He came to a sticky end one hot summer afternoon when the stagehands who, having heard his routine a couple of hundred times already, were bored and let out the lions in the middle of his act. The crowd loved it and saluted his demise with a standing ovation. The story was the sensation of an otherwise slow summer season and the souvenir sellers did a roaring trade in Alf busts with the tourist who took in the Arena on their trips to Arles.
Appearances can be deceptive! This is not Gaius of the Julian Clan; it is of course Alf a much-loved Romano-Celtic cabaret artist who earned his living doing impersonations of Caesar in the Arles Arena in the breaks between the gladiators and the lions. He came to a sticky end one hot summer afternoon when the stagehands who, having heard his routine a couple of hundred times already, were bored and let out the lions in the middle of his act. The crowd loved it and saluted his demise with a standing ovation. The story was the sensation of an otherwise slow summer season and the souvenir sellers did a roaring trade in Alf busts with the tourist who took in the Arena on their trips to Arles.
To continue the Bush/Caesar analogy: – What was the Bush Rubicon with respect to invading Iraq? – At that point, did he actually realize it, as Gaius did? – Did Gaius ever make the mistake of saying “Mission accomplished”? I’m sure there’s much more…
Someone Gallic is playing political games. This fake bust is of George W Bush and not the Roman Emperor that invaded Gaul.
Someone Gallic is playing political games. This fake bust is of George W Bush and not the Roman Emperor that invaded Gaul.
Wasn’t he supposed to be bald? (I think his soldiers even sang about it) Are there any other angles of the sculpture (which, by the way, is beautiful) so that can be checked?
Wasn’t he supposed to be bald? (I think his soldiers even sang about it) Are there any other angles of the sculpture (which, by the way, is beautiful) so that can be checked?
Wasn’t he supposed to be bald? (I think his soldiers even sang about it) Are there any other angles of the sculpture (which, by the way, is beautiful) so that can be checked?
Wasn’t he supposed to be bald? (I think his soldiers even sang about it) Are there any other angles of the sculpture (which, by the way, is beautiful) so that can be checked? Maybe he instructed the sculptor to add a little something to his image. If so, he wouldn’t be the last powerful Italian politician to do so.
He really has a dramatic face. I think it’s the broken nose does it. I don’t know. “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your nose!” doesn’t quite work…
He really has a dramatic face. I think it’s the broken nose does it. I don’t know. “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your nose!” doesn’t quite work…
Pace Thinker (#8): – What was the Bush Rubicon with respect to invading Iraq? W.r.t. Iraq, the Atlantic might count. But since Caesar actually invaded the territories of Rome (attacking the city from the outside) when he crossed the Rubicon, it’s gotta be a river between where W came from, and the center of power. Doesn’t the Potomac sit right between Texas and Washington, DC? – At that point, did he actually realize it, as Gaius did? For Iraq? Nah … For DC? You bet! – Did Gaius ever make the mistake of saying “Mission accomplished”? Probably, Gaius was more adept at changing his “mission” in a plausible way when things went haywire, and thus never compelled to think about “accomplishing” it. Though, for the conquest of Gaul, he did write a propaganda piece on the Gallic Wars, which could count.
I had no idea the fame of W&S (who were, of course, a fixture when I was growing up) reached all the way to Down Under.
I had no idea the fame of W&S (who were, of course, a fixture when I was growing up) reached all the way to Down Under.
Everything gets to us eventually. That’s why I know W&S and Flanders and Swann, and Tom Lehrer and The Goodies… Actually it’s a wonder any Australian gets anything done, given the hosepipe of culture we get down here…
Everything gets to us eventually. That’s why I know W&S and Flanders and Swann, and Tom Lehrer and The Goodies… From your examples, it appears “eventually” means between 25 and 50 years? Let us know when Stewart and Colbert reach the Antipodes, will you? Unfortunately, their humour is rather topical, and will be somewhat dated by 2040. On the bright side, when “American Idol” shows up, you’ll be able to laugh immediately at all the winners who went on to be utter duds.
Everything gets to us eventually. That’s why I know W&S and Flanders and Swann, and Tom Lehrer and The Goodies… From your examples, it appears “eventually” means between 25 and 50 years? Let us know when Stewart and Colbert reach the Antipodes, will you? Unfortunately, their humour is rather topical, and will be somewhat dated by 2040. On the bright side, when “American Idol” shows up, you’ll be able to laugh immediately at all the winners who went on to be utter duds.
Actually I heard them all at the time they were popular. You do know I’ve been around since the 17th century?
Actually I heard them all at the time they were popular. You do know I’ve been around since the 17th century?
Thanks, although I was proudest of my work on universal languages, with my cryptography book a close second.
You do know I’ve been around since the 17th century? Right, I’d forgotten. I hear getting cut for The Stone was a real bitch back then.
You do know I’ve been around since the 17th century? Right, I’d forgotten. I hear getting cut for The Stone was a real bitch back then.