Journeys of the Mind: A Life in History Reviewed by Michael Ledger-Lomas TOWARDS THE END of the first century AD, a Roman emperor met the family of Jesus Christ. Domitian had this failed Messiah’s relatives hauled before him while he was traveling in Palestine to make sure that they posed no threat to his power. They… Read More Tracing the Hard Edges of Religion: On Peter Brown’s “Journeys of the Mind”
Juan Cole / TomDispatch In early April 2003, as American forces sought to wrap up their conquest of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and take strongholds to its north, the Marine Corps formed “Task Force Tripoli.” It was commanded by General John F. Kelly (who would later serve as Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff).… Read More America’s War for Oil and the Great Mesopotamian Dustbowl
Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy: By Robin Waterfield DAISY DUNN Contrary to many people’s perception of him, Plato did not spend his entire life listening to Socrates philosophising in colonnades in Athens or writing dialogues meandering through complex ideas. He was once captured in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and put up for… Read More Was He Apollo’s Son?
the public is increasingly sceptical about the legal processes and their outcome. The press conference by four supreme court judges about the state of the apex court in 2018, the behaviour of former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi in the sexual harassment case against him, his eager acceptance of a Rajya Sabha nomination, the non-judicial rationalisations… Read More The political impact of Rahul Gandhi’s legal woes
Louise Pryke The world’s first known author is widely considered to be Enheduanna, a woman who lived in the 23rd century BCE in ancient Mesopotamia (approximately 2285 – 2250 BCE). Enheduanna is a remarkable figure: an ancient “triple threat”, she was a princess and a priestess as well as a writer and poet. The third… Read More Enheduanna, princess, priestess and the world’s first known author
Terry Bell Blanche La Guma who died on Thursday, aged 95, was one of the most unacknowledged veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle. A nurse and midwife, principled, dedicated and intensely loyal, she gladly lived in the shadow of her writer husband Alex who died and was buried in Cuba in 1985. One of her proudest… Read More Obituary: Blanche La Guma
NB: Congratulations, Bhimraj, for standing up to oppression and injustice. Human dignity can never be destroyed. Regradless of your admission to Oxford, you deserved just and fair treatment. Our university authorities need to understand that education is the awakening of the human spirit. Unfortunately they often behave as if they are aiming at the very… Read More From South Asian University Expulsion To Oxford Finally, I Can Tell My Story
Staement of Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Posting-Master at Sainte-Menehould, who captured the fleeing monarchs: Description: After a late start, the royal family followed a circuitous route through a series of small towns in the countryside. However, things started to go awry near the city of Châlons, where the loyal soldiers due to escort the royal family were… Read More The Flight to Varennes (21–23 June 1791)
Financial trouble at the company that supplies more than a fifth of the UK population with water has raised alarm about the dire state of an industry that delivers a resource people can’t live without. The problems are most acute at Thames Water, London’s utility, but the wider industry across England and Wales is struggling to deliver a… Read More Britain’s water industry crisis: Sewage spills, huge leaks and crushing debts
An initiative by Kabir Project to take the power of the mystic song to children and young people, Shabad Shaala is coming to Delhi in partnership with Manzil Mystics. This is a chance for the youth of Delhi (15-30 years) to learn bhajans, kaafis and baul-gaan from the great gurus of folk tradition, and also engage in reflective and… Read More Shabad Shaala in Delhi : An Initiative by the Kabir Project
