Inalienable rights cannot be extinguished. This modern version of feudalism is anathema to the idea of personal freedom.
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
September 21, 2023
November 10, 2020
Snob's Guide to New Zealand Making Comeback
My book on navigating around New Zealand society is undergoing a resurgence. When first released it was always top 100 on Amazon's Australian and Oceanian Politics category in both the physical and Kindle format. As a Kindle read it also rated highly within travel guides, a subject it does also address. But then it fell away, still selling but not enough to push it back into the limelight.
Recently readers have started borrowing the book from the Kindle Lending Library, which is new for me as in the past people bought the book. I know how much of the book gets read this way as I'm paid by the page through the Kindle Lending Library. My last two books get read completely when borrowed which I'm told is quite rare. Books are generally not read properly, readers skip pages, more than 20% of each book can be skipped through in fact. These readers later claim to have finished the book, when they haven't done that at all. So it's nice to know that my efforts are appreciated or at least hold the reader.
Why the comeback for Snob's Guide to New Zealand? I think the answer is twofold, people in the US are unhappy with the way things are headed there and maybe looking to escape. The other is controversy surrounding NZ's election and the possibility of electoral interference there as well. Readers are interested to know how the NZ system works, and exactly how its electoral system is flawed.
You can read my book by following this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J9XRCWK
It's an easy read, written in an accessible way, but it's not endless gush either, if you want to know exactly how NZ operates, this is your first port of call. You get the lowdown, need to know stuff.
November 05, 2020
UK Minister Destroys BLM
About time this was said by someone in authority. Shut down Black Lives Matter...
June 21, 2020
WWII: Pearl Harbor Civilian Pilots
A little history note, if you've ever seen the 1970 movie Tora Tora Tora, about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, then you may recall the scene early in the movie where a female flight instructor is teaching a male student how to fly in her trainer biplane, when what do you know, but Japanese warplanes heading in to attack fly right past them. The instructor takes control and dives the plane out of the way. Most of the scenes in the movie are based on fact, this scene is pretty accurate. There were actually two women flying that day, they and other civilian aircraft were attacked, you can read about it here:
https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/december/07/civilian-pilots-under-fire-at-pearl-harbor
https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/december/07/civilian-pilots-under-fire-at-pearl-harbor
August 10, 2019
Top 10 Greatest/Most Famous People
Here's my top 10 of the greatest and most famous people of all time. The criteria:
* No-one famous or great since 1900 - that's too recent
* Must have actually done stuff, not just talked about it
* Must have stood the test of time
* Must have instant name recognition
* Must have done something first, or started a trend, not simply followed on or built upon
* Ranked in order.
1. Julius Caesar
Pretty obvious I know, but truly great he is. You may argue that without William Shakespeare's play, he'd be far less known, maybe Pompey would be the one we'd all admire instead. However Caesar holds his own in any company. Today his place of cremation is a shrine attracting millions of people. What is it about him that pulls on so many heartstrings. He was betrayed, perhaps that's what it is. His accomplishments are many, and he had a capable team around him. But most importantly, his influence led to the founding of the Roman empire.
2. Marc Antony
Caesar's sidekick and one of few men Julius Caesar confided in. He wasn't as gifted as Caesar nor as lucky.
3. Cleopatra VII
Rounding out the top three, an argument could be made that Cleopatra VII deserves a higher place. However her kingdom was badly in decline by the time she came to power and her joining with Caesar and then Antony is simply clutching at straws. She was clever, no doubt about it, but doomed - sadly. Sidebar note: she was the mother of Cleopatra Selene II, wife of my personal hero Juba II, King of Numidia.
4. Alexander the Great
A warring tourist. He'd also jumped on the bandwagon started by his father.
5. Genghis Khan
He started something great, and established it, but the Mongols were based off a nomadic lifestyle that could not sustain expansion indefinitely. That's why the Mongol advance to Spain halted, the harvests back home had ceased, or were not as good, meaning families were having fewer children and so replacements were not arriving in sufficient numbers.
6. Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley)
'Old nosey' was the greatest defensive military commander of all time. Beat everyone up, never lost, started the Great in Britain, the world's biggest empire (and still is, suck on that). Then he became a statesman. He could be described as somewhat odd, and maybe a little daft. He used to say, when it was time to wake up, it was time to roll out. He meant it, sleeping in a small bed if he slept at all. In later life he'd give out little medals to the children who played on his estate. One girl he liked a lot and he told her he would arrange for a place at horse guards to be kept open for her. This either meant he didn't know she was a girl - horse guards were all men - or he was the first modern male. Maybe the latter as he was a loyal servant of Queen Victoria.
7. Giuseppe Garibaldi
Africa needs a Garibaldi. He unified Italy and had the sense to not place himself on the throne. Everywhere you go in Italy there is Garibaldi this and Garibaldi that. But he earns his place on my list because he was trans-continental, taking his ideas and 'freedom fighting' to Brazil and Uruguay. Special mention must be made of Anita Garibaldi, she makes makes my list of top women to follow.
8. King Henry VIII
Henry gets a bad press. He reformed institutions that led to the later rise of the British Empire, so a pretty significant figure then.
9. Aristotle
The father of western philosophy. You can't be logical without reference to Aristotle.
10. Leonardo da Vinci
A polymath, da Vinci was good at everything. He makes the list due to this sheer breadth of creative work.
* No-one famous or great since 1900 - that's too recent
* Must have actually done stuff, not just talked about it
* Must have stood the test of time
* Must have instant name recognition
* Must have done something first, or started a trend, not simply followed on or built upon
* Ranked in order.
1. Julius Caesar
Pretty obvious I know, but truly great he is. You may argue that without William Shakespeare's play, he'd be far less known, maybe Pompey would be the one we'd all admire instead. However Caesar holds his own in any company. Today his place of cremation is a shrine attracting millions of people. What is it about him that pulls on so many heartstrings. He was betrayed, perhaps that's what it is. His accomplishments are many, and he had a capable team around him. But most importantly, his influence led to the founding of the Roman empire.
2. Marc Antony
Caesar's sidekick and one of few men Julius Caesar confided in. He wasn't as gifted as Caesar nor as lucky.
3. Cleopatra VII
Rounding out the top three, an argument could be made that Cleopatra VII deserves a higher place. However her kingdom was badly in decline by the time she came to power and her joining with Caesar and then Antony is simply clutching at straws. She was clever, no doubt about it, but doomed - sadly. Sidebar note: she was the mother of Cleopatra Selene II, wife of my personal hero Juba II, King of Numidia.
4. Alexander the Great
A warring tourist. He'd also jumped on the bandwagon started by his father.
5. Genghis Khan
He started something great, and established it, but the Mongols were based off a nomadic lifestyle that could not sustain expansion indefinitely. That's why the Mongol advance to Spain halted, the harvests back home had ceased, or were not as good, meaning families were having fewer children and so replacements were not arriving in sufficient numbers.
6. Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley)
'Old nosey' was the greatest defensive military commander of all time. Beat everyone up, never lost, started the Great in Britain, the world's biggest empire (and still is, suck on that). Then he became a statesman. He could be described as somewhat odd, and maybe a little daft. He used to say, when it was time to wake up, it was time to roll out. He meant it, sleeping in a small bed if he slept at all. In later life he'd give out little medals to the children who played on his estate. One girl he liked a lot and he told her he would arrange for a place at horse guards to be kept open for her. This either meant he didn't know she was a girl - horse guards were all men - or he was the first modern male. Maybe the latter as he was a loyal servant of Queen Victoria.
7. Giuseppe Garibaldi
Africa needs a Garibaldi. He unified Italy and had the sense to not place himself on the throne. Everywhere you go in Italy there is Garibaldi this and Garibaldi that. But he earns his place on my list because he was trans-continental, taking his ideas and 'freedom fighting' to Brazil and Uruguay. Special mention must be made of Anita Garibaldi, she makes makes my list of top women to follow.
8. King Henry VIII
Henry gets a bad press. He reformed institutions that led to the later rise of the British Empire, so a pretty significant figure then.
9. Aristotle
The father of western philosophy. You can't be logical without reference to Aristotle.
10. Leonardo da Vinci
A polymath, da Vinci was good at everything. He makes the list due to this sheer breadth of creative work.
*********
A few names missing then, so to explain: Machiavelli and Sun Tzu are lionised by Americans but don't make the cut. Marco Polo too is not on the list. No idea why? They're largely only talking about things. And note, no Americans on the list either, the US hasn't been around long enough, George Washington was just a small-time farmer and Abraham Lincoln a small town lawyer. They wouldn't even make a top 100. Get over it.
Special mention must go to two outstanding historical figures. The first is Xerxes I the ruler of Persia 486- 465 BC who withstood Greek aggression and took Athens. Forget all the Hollywood movies portraying him as a psycho, Xerxes was bringing enlightenment to Greece and all who took his side. Think about his major engineering, the pontoon bridge across the Hellespont and when the first attempt failed did he take it out on the men? No, he flogged the water. A reasonable man indeed. And both modern and ancient historians try to describe Xerxes invasion of Greece as unsuccessful or a defeat. That he burnt Athens. No on both counts; Athens burned because the inhabitants ran away, leaving their fires burning, which resulted in part of the city burning down. And when Xerxes got to Athens he found the place a shithole and cold. He went home. That's what happened. The 300? That was 300 Spartans plus thousands of others, they don't tell you in the movies about Sparta only sending a small force as it was harvest time. Hmm?? But Xerxes doesn't make the list as hardly anyone knows his name in the West, due to thousands of years of propaganda. The reality is everyone took his lead and wanted to be on his side as he was a most reasonable man.
Then we have Vlad III Dracula, otherwise known as Vlad the Just, Vlad the Freedom Fighter, Vlad the Most Wise, Vlad the Prosecutor of Corruption. His enemies unkindly call him Vlad the Impaler. He probably deserves making a list of the most maligned and misunderstood. Vlad failed though, betrayed and assassinated by so-called friends. But he gave Romania its identity, still evident today.
Special mention must go to two outstanding historical figures. The first is Xerxes I the ruler of Persia 486- 465 BC who withstood Greek aggression and took Athens. Forget all the Hollywood movies portraying him as a psycho, Xerxes was bringing enlightenment to Greece and all who took his side. Think about his major engineering, the pontoon bridge across the Hellespont and when the first attempt failed did he take it out on the men? No, he flogged the water. A reasonable man indeed. And both modern and ancient historians try to describe Xerxes invasion of Greece as unsuccessful or a defeat. That he burnt Athens. No on both counts; Athens burned because the inhabitants ran away, leaving their fires burning, which resulted in part of the city burning down. And when Xerxes got to Athens he found the place a shithole and cold. He went home. That's what happened. The 300? That was 300 Spartans plus thousands of others, they don't tell you in the movies about Sparta only sending a small force as it was harvest time. Hmm?? But Xerxes doesn't make the list as hardly anyone knows his name in the West, due to thousands of years of propaganda. The reality is everyone took his lead and wanted to be on his side as he was a most reasonable man.
Then we have Vlad III Dracula, otherwise known as Vlad the Just, Vlad the Freedom Fighter, Vlad the Most Wise, Vlad the Prosecutor of Corruption. His enemies unkindly call him Vlad the Impaler. He probably deserves making a list of the most maligned and misunderstood. Vlad failed though, betrayed and assassinated by so-called friends. But he gave Romania its identity, still evident today.