Dum Dum Bullets and Shoot to Kill

The Sisters of Mercy released Floodland in 1987, a record of industrial choirs and end-of-empire glamour. On Lucretia, My Reflection, Andrew Eldritch croons about dum-dum bullets and shoot to kill, not as moral protest but as soundtrack for dying empires. The reference wasn’t metaphorical. “Dum-Dum” was a real place: a British arsenal outside Calcutta whereContinue reading “Dum Dum Bullets and Shoot to Kill”

The Western Canon

It all started with an apple. Overlooked and uninvited to the wedding, Eris hand-grenaded a golden apple labeled “For the fairest” among the goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Each thought it was intended for her and, ever-competitive, they all demanded a judgement for the apple to be awarded.[1] Zeus, in his wisdom, was not aboutContinue reading “The Western Canon”

Demography is Destiny

When quarantine was still early, there were thoughts that because couples would be trapped inside with nothing else to do, a Covid baby-boom would result. With the lock downs starting around March 2020, the results should have been evident in December. National Interest Slate There may be a chance that January and February see aContinue reading “Demography is Destiny”