What Is Bread?

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Mulla Nasrudin's wisdom was legendary all over the empire. He excited the interest of the best philosophers, doctors and professors in the land, and one day they were all invited to the Emir's court to examine Nasrudin.   There was a serious side to this. Nasrudin had traveled from town to town telling the local people that these, 'so-called wise men are ignorant and confused.'     In fact, Nasrudin had been charged with, 'undermining the security of the State.' The scholars claimed Nasrudin was a heretic The Emir entered and studied those present. He looked Read more [...]

‘Only Shot Down Birds Tell of War’

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Everything seemed normal. A bus stop with people waiting, pensioners, schoolkids and shoppers. But the name on the front of the bus that gives its destination sent a chill down my spine. I looked at the driver and then back up at the name:                                                     'DACHAU' We boarded and drove away from Munich out into the suburbs. It was strange that a suburb with houses and families could have this name. You didn't notice it at first, so shocking is the site. But slowly you came to understand that the only sound was the wind. Strange. Read more [...]

Machiavelli Liked Whores

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In the spring of 1510 Florence's Otto di Guardia, home of the magistrate for criminal justice, received the following anonymous complaint: 'Lords of the Eight, you are hereby informed that Nicholò [sic] son of Bernardo Machiavelli, screws Lucretia, known as 'La Riccia,' in the ass. Interrogate her and you will learn the truth.' Niccolo Machiavelli, then in his thirties, made no secret of his love for prostitutes. In fact, he openly boasted to his friends about his antics with 'La Riccia,' a whore who had attained to a degree of fame in Florence. Letters to his friends are full of references Read more [...]

‘The Arctic Loneliness of Age’

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'Life is one long process of getting tired.'   Samuel Butler   It is only when a man passes so-called middle age that he begins to understand what has happened to him, the why and how of his life. He also starts to see what kind of people he has dealt with in the past, and, as a rule, he will not find that he has been among saints. For it is a general rule that as we grow older we will constantly lower our opinion of our 'fellow men.'   For this period of life is similar to the end of a bal masquè.  All masks are removed and we can see what people really Read more [...]

Crazy Charming

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  'It’s their eyes that are the most remarkable feature,” he said. “How they drill into you.' Robert Hare   Sociopath is a 'nicer' term for psychopath. The latter comes from 'psyche,' 'soul or life' and 'pathos,' 'disease.' As with many terms psychopath has evolved. Psychologist G. E. Partridge came up with the word in 1930. The term was watered down even more in 1958. The American Psychiatric Association called it 'sociopathic personality,' and in 1968 edition it became 'general antisocial personality disorder.'   For many people the term psychopath elicits Read more [...]