We don’t learn from history. Seriously, we don’t. It’s pathetic how stupid we really are. Of course there are numerous examples we could use, but by now people should know I’m always going to refer back to the ancient world. Back in the year 146 BCE, Carthage, the ancient trading super power of the western Mediterranean was razed to the ground and literally ceased to exist (of course there are always pockets of resistance, but they died out eventually). Its capital city, Carthage of course, was completely plundered, looted, burned, destroyed, razed and use another adjective you would like to add in there. Who were the perpetrators? The civilization we base our culture on at its very roots, the Romans. We have many things to thank the Romans for. Like our government, our laws and religious beliefs were given birth in the Roman world in some way, shape or form. Of course there is another art that they were the first to truly perfect, GENOCIDE! But that’s not what this blabber is about. It’s about how today’s situation in Iraq ( or I-RaK in American) is all too similar to the third Punic war that started in 149.
To truly grasp the situation I’ve got to tell you guys a bit about the great Carthaginian Empire. According to the Romans (winners write history), the city of Carthage was founded by queen Dido. Originally a Phoenician princess from Tyre, she was exiled after her husband was murdered. She soon quickly escaped from Tyre (basically today in Lebanon, if I’m not mistaken, I’m trying to avoid Wikipedia). From there on, Dido and her “entourage” founded Carthage in 814 BCE, about the time of Homer if it’s any help. Carthage, basically today’s Tunis in Tunisia, was amazingly well placed for trade across the Mediterranean being at the tip of North Africa. For almost 450 years Carthage was top Dog in the Mediterranean. They were distantly placed away from the Greek, Macedonian, Persian conflicts in the east and so prospered because they had no competition. The situation in the world was Greek/Persian in the east and Carthage in the west. This worked out fine until the Romans finally truly came on the scene in the 270’s. The Romans had just come off defeating the Etruscans, Samnites and of course, Pyrrhus and so had the entire Italian Peninsula under their control beneath the river Po.
Now, I’m not going to get into detail about the first two Punic wars because they are lengthy and don’t have much to do with what I want to say. To sum them up I will say Rome won the first by sea battles (which surprises everyone since the Punic fleets were considered to be the best at the time). The second Punic war is the most well known because of two men, Hannibal Barca and Scipio Africanus. These two men probably rank as the best generals of all time, certainly my top ten. This war ended with the defeat of Hannibal at the battle of Zama in 202.
So to get to my point, the Romans put a series of serious diplomatic measures after the victories over Carthage. This included reparation payments, the seizing of territories such as Corsica and Sardinia and the reduction of Carthage’s naval capacity. After the second Punic war the Romans made it so that Carthage would have to pay Rome a certain amount of Gold every year, for 50 years. (I forget how much). After a few years of saving, Carthage offered to hand the entire sum due in one year, but Rome refused. They wanted Carthage to have the constant reminder that Rome was her superior.
For half a century Carthage made her payments and never was late on them either. Things were very peaceful between the two empires for a long time. This was the case until Rome received its last payment in 152 BCE. The Romans became instantly worried that Carthage would strike back for her revenge. This really wasn’t true. The Punic civilisation was in no condition to fight the now mighty Roman republic that now had territories in Greece, Macedonia and Anatolia (Turkey today). The Carthaginians had no interest in renewed military activity. They just didn’t have the means to do so. The Senate was aware of this and wanted to keep their prestige over that of the Carthaginians. Since the payments had stopped the senate felt that Carthage no longer considered itself to be under the dominion of the Republic. This was not the case; Carthage was a broken city that had lost almost everything in which it had 50 years previously. The people were only now coming back on the rise as a society. Still, the Romans did not like this.
Carthago delenda est! (Carthage must be destroyed) was the famous calling card for the third Punic war. The man who made this comment was none other than Cato the elder. In today’s standards Cato would be considered a conservative. He was well aware that a rising Carthage was a blemish on Rome’s image and therefore wanted it to be dealt with. But the trash that he and his supporters/comrades put out was that if Carthage would be on the rise they would pose a threat to the roman people (which is total bullshit) and soon enough the call to war was made in 149 BCE. Now this is where the comparison starts. We all know of the “They have weapons of mass destruction” B.S. that was splattered all over the media at the beginning of the decade. This was the doing of the president Chaney and his bitch, George Bush. We all know now that there were never any WMD’s. Thousands of people have lost their lives to a very pointless war like what happened in North Africa 149 -146 BCE. The superpower of the time walking into a broken defenceless country and just deciding to ransack it because they fucking feel like it! I have no problem with war. War is a justifiable means to an end in my view, but what happened in 146 BCE and 2000 years later is not war. Its needless massacre for no good reason at all. We don’t learn from history, but then again coming from the Bush administration now that I think of it, it doesn’t surprise me. People died to suit someone else’s very stupid needs The Republic’s “image”, or.... or.... I really don’t know what was happening in the heads of southern friends a few years ago.... oh I forgot OIL!!!
Well that’s it, forgive me for my rant and for my lack of knowledge of all this modern world stuff, but I like to always make a historical reference to something when I have the chance.

I went to the World Press Photo exhibition recently and I wasn't dissapointed it was actually quite interesting. I had to do this next thing for school,but I think everyone should take a look at it.

The photograph that I chose at the World Press Photo exhibition was that of a young Angolan fashion designer. The title of this picture is Focus Photo und Press Agentur. The photo was taken by a Brazilian named André Vieira. The photo is of designer Shunnoz Fiel who is part of a new generation of individuals in his country interested in design and fashion. The picture depicts him sitting on a green briefcase in front of a rack of cloths while holding several books on his lap. As the picture description explains, he is part of a generation that is profiting from the newly acquired “peace” in Angola along with its oil based economic boom. Angola over the past quarter century has been involved in bloody civil war ever since the country received its independence from Portugal in 1975. This short paper will examine how the World Press Photo takes the story of the young Angolan Fashion designer depicts Angola’s relation with common themes of the 20th century. These common themes include fights for independence, civil war and economic success.
As previously mentioned, Angola received its independence in 1975. Decolonization and independence are major themes in the 20th century. The Portuguese had control of Angola for almost five hundred years before letting go of it. During this time span the small Portuguese population ruled over the larger African population. The elite would often take advantage of the weak. An example of this would be forced labour even though slavery had already been abolished. When the breaking point of colonialism arrived the first independence movement occurred in 1961. By 1975 Angola had managed independence from Portugal. This is a theme that is heard loudly in the 20th century. The most famous case for independence comes from India and Gandhi’s non-violent protest movement against the British. The decolonization of countries and territories may have hurt the power of the colonists, but it gave new hope to those who were freed. This is depicted by Shunnoz following his interests in fashion and not being suppressed to do what the colonists have approved to be appropriate for the people of his country.
Civil war is a common theme throughout history in its entirety. Some of the most famous examples of civil war are that of Julius Caesar’s march on Rome and the war fought between the Union and the Confederacy for America in 1861. Civil wars of the 20th century include the Russian Revolution and the Chinese civil war that put Mao Zedong into power. The civil war fought in Angola was a product of an already ongoing war between the two superpowers of the time, the United States and the Soviet Union. The three groups fighting each other reflected the cold war and even though they had done their share in achieving independence for Angola, they could not coincide. The MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) took control of the country in 1975. They were backed by the communist States of Cuba and Russia while after the dissolve of the FNLA (National Front for the Liberation of Angola) only UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) was left as opposition. Before it fell the FNLA was supported by the United States and now UNITA, the sole opposition, was supported by South Africa. The civil war went on until it came to an official end in 2002. The war lowered the quality of life in Angola for 27 years. That is why the picture of an Angolan fashion designer is so powerful. Being able to enjoy the luxuries of the first world is a privilege that he and his generation are experiencing for the first time in his country.
The last reason that Shunnoz’s picture in World Photo Press is representative of Angola’s relation with common themes of the 20th century is the economic boom his country has experienced. Angola’s major economic growth over the past decade can be attributed to the oil production that accounts for 85% of its national GDP. Beforehand, during the country’s colonial period it was known as one of the major food exporters in Africa. The transition of industrialization and development is a common theme during the twentieth century. Two premium examples would be India and China, which after they gained complete control of their respective governments began economic development. It is evident that when a country’s economy become more successful the standard of living rises for most of the population. Economic expansion is another common theme in the twentieth century. The most prominent example is the United States. With the exception of the stock market crash of 1929 and the depression that followed it, the United States has been overwhelmingly successful economically. The country is seen by many, including themselves, as setting the bar for the standard of living. Angola’s economic success allows its people to follow a standard of living somewhat similar to that of a first world country. This allows individuals like Shunnoz for example, to follow their dreams and enter into the fashion industry.
In conclusion, the picture of Shunnoz Fiel sitting on a brief case in front of some simple cloths says much to the viewer. It has much to say about how Angola’s recent history is tied in with general 20th century history. The story of independence from Portugal is one that many countries around the world have experienced; the civil war is a misfortunate event that many other nations have had to go through and the economic turnaround is the mark of progress that others have aspired for in the twentieth century. This short paper has examined examine how the World Press Photo takes the story of the young Angolan Fashion designer depicts Angola’s relation with common themes of the 20th century.

Buddhism

Buddhism first arose around the sixth century B.C.E. and its popularity grew because it was seen as a safe haven or escape of the harsh reality of the times. Buddhism which grew out of Hinduism was an attractive faith or way of life for those who wished to leave the life of warfare and ritualism that a growing Hindu empire was giving to them. Although Buddhism does share similar concepts with Hinduism such as karma and dharma, the main difference between the two is that Buddhism rejects the worship of a panoply of gods, but does reaffirm monotheism.
Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born around 563 B.C.E in the foothills of the Himalayan in Nepal and was the son of a minor king. He married at the age of 19 and had a son. After years of teaching and acquiring disciples, he died at the age of 80 somewhere between 485 and 480 B.C.E. This is all that is known for certain about Gautama Buddha. The legend has it that after seeing how miserable life can be for some individuals, Buddha left his family and riches behind in order to find the truth of why things were the way they were. In order to do this he owned nothing but a wooden bowl and a rag for clothing, he fasted and meditated often under a great tree. After 49 days of intense meditation he attained the truth of enlightenment.
Buddha spoke of the four noble truths (1) life is filled with pain and sorrow, (2) it is all caused by desire and wanting, (3) to end suffering one must become desireless and (4) desirelessness can be gained by the eightfold path of right conduct. These accounts of Buddha’s teachings were recorded in a collection of texts called the Tripitaka. Buddhism for its first centuries of existence remained a minority religion, much like Christianity, but soon began to expand from India to the rest of Asia.

Daoism

Daoism is considered the second moral/religious philosophy of China. Daoism is hard to define because it values silence and inaction. To a Dao believer the observable human world is not what matters because what truly matters is the far greater cosmic world of nature. It is from the cosmos that Daoists believers must receive their guidance, but for here in this world Daoists receive their guidance from the DaoDeJing, the main text of Daoism. It is a collection of mystical remarks whose meaning even in Chinese is hard to decipher. The famous opening line of the text is “The name that can be named is not the eternal name”, which could possibly mean that truth cannot be put into simple words. Much of the content of the DaoDeJing can be attributed to Laozi. Although the present texts had several contributors Laozi is said to have debated with Confucius himself and to have later on disappeared at an old age.
While most Confucians have to attempt and improve the state of things, Daoists tend to “go with the flow”. In other words not try to do too much, just let things happen, be as natural as possible. As Daoism grew, it merged with folk beliefs, animism, worship of natural forces and belief in the supernatural. The development of priests, temples and monastic orders followed soon after. After the Han dynasty, Daoists began to practice magic and alchemy in pursuit of the elixirs of immortality. This varied experimentation with medicinal herbs contributed immensely to the growth of Chinese medicines and discoveries.

Confucianism

Although Confucianism is debatably not a religion, it can be seen as a set of ethical values and moral philosophies. Confucianism does avoid theology and the issue of the afterlife, but most individuals from China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam have supplemented their own religious diets into Confucianism to provide what’s left out. Confucianism has had more impact on belief and behaviour than any of the great religions because most East Asians accept and follow teachings more thoroughly the ethical teachings of other faiths. Confucianism contains much knowledge about common sense, human relations, values, norms and socio-political patterns.
Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, was born in 551 B.C.E. and was the son of a minor official. He became a teacher and advisor to various rulers. Several students of his became disciples, and after his death they wrote down his teachings and expanded on them. The most famous of his followers was Mencius, who lived in the warring states period and sought after a solution to restoring order and social harmony.
According to the teachings of Confucius, people are born naturally good, but need education to stay that way. A quote from Confucius shows this idea, “Learning without thought is useless. Thought without learning is dangerous.” To continue, Confucius emphasized human-heartedness, benevolence, respect for superiors, loyalty and education. In a period were wealth and birth right decided the social status of an individual this was a view that was greatly progressive. It also reaffirmed the right of people to rebel against immoral and unjust rulers who had forfeited a mandate of heaven. But this cause a dilemma with the fact that Confucianists had to respect superiors.
In all, Confucianism was very much human centered and life-celebrating. Teachings say to take the natural world as a model, because it runs by rules. When asked about heaven and the afterlife, Confucius merely pointed out that we have more issues to deal with now that are more important than thinking of the afterlife.

Hinduism

The next few posts are some old material from my Asian civilization course. I've been keeping them on my computer for future reference if ever a situation should arise where I could use these articles, here we go! Since I like posting actual stuff people can learn from and not " Oh my day went so horribly, blah blah blah, I ate a sandwich, blah blah blah" in short, trivial stupidities. Personally, I found it to be a break from the usual Muslim/Christian crap we always hear about and it also made me read up a little more on the topics. The first one on my list is Hinduism. Keep in mind these are not research projects just short summaries of 400-500ish words each.

Hinduism is the oldest of the world’s main religions, and is still quite healthy today with more than 800 million followers. Hinduism has no single founder or single doctoral text, like the New Testament for example. It developed over time mostly in part from the Indus civilization. The gods of Hinduism come from many different cultures which include the cult of Shiva who worshiped none other than the god Shiva, creator and destroyer. Other adopted gods include the war god Indra and the fire god Agni who were worshiped by the Aryans.

Vedas, the world’s oldest religious texts, were the first texts composed by the Hindus. They were first orally spoken out then were written down between 1500 and 600 B.C.E and were used for spells and rituals used at sacrifices. Hinduism’s main ethical text came later; the Bhagavad Gita was composed around the second century C.E. In it, are the concepts of dharma, the selfless execution of one’s earthly duties and karma, the consequences of one’s actions. Both of these concepts work together in such a manner that keeps moral behaviour the attainable goal for Hindus. Faithfulness to one’s dharma (earthly duties) produces good karma (consequences). This is also what keeps the caste system alive today, because it encourages the status quo, so it has been heavily criticized

The karma produces in one’s mortal life determines the rebirth the soul. Hindus believe in reincarnation after death and believe that karma is the deciding factor. It decides whether the soul will be reborn into a being of higher status or an animal. This is the concept of samsra, the endless cycle of life. Since, one’s family member or loved one may have been reincarnated in an animal or insect Hindus encourage the appreciation for all life. This is why most Hindus are vegetarians.

Shiva is the most celebrated god of the Hindu religion. He is the creator and destroyer, hence is celebrated at the beginning of life and at death. He is comparable to Christianity’s Christ, who represents death and eternal life. Hindus accept the fact that humans are a mixture of good and evil and that they must come to terms with their own nature and the nature of the cosmos. This is why Hinduism, unlike western religions (Christianity, Judaism) does not encourage guilt for negative actions done in one’s mortal life. Another difference from western faiths is that there is no set holy day of the week or set formal service. Hindus just perform a simple prayer in front of altars found in nearly every home once daily.

Battle of Thermopylae (300)

So, I just finished watching the movie 300 for like the 4th time. I can’t help it. It’s an amazing movie and it just gets trashed too often ex: Meet the Spartans. On the other hand, it has gone down in today’s popular modern culture. I’m sure everyone has screamed out THIS IS SPARTA!!! at least 489o7 times so far. Anyways, this isn’t about the movie or it’s reviews, I want to talk about the historical significance of the Battle of Thermopylae. What are the facts and why is it so important to us even today.

First, let’s get the facts straight. King Leonidas just didn’t go off to battle with 300 men to face what the modern estimate of the second invading force from Persia was, about 300,000. (1st was defeated at the battle of marathon by the Athenians.) In reality Leonidas had organized an allied force that added up to about 7000 including his own Spartans. Second important fact to get is that the Spartans did not do it alone; the Athenians played a crucial role with their armada of ships. It’s because the Athenian fleet defended their ground so well against the Persian ships that king Xerxes was forced to through the pass at Thermopylae.

Now, as for the rest the facts are ok within the movie, minus the monsters of course. For example, the battle was three days long, Xerxes got pissed (in reality he actually left and went home even thought the Greeks were defeated because he was so discouraged), the Greeks were betrayed, etc. We still must keep in mind the film is based upon the comic book version of this story.

Why is this battle so significant? There are a lot reasons. I will list them below:

1. The battle, even though the Greeks had no chance to win it, served as a delaying device for populations to evacuate cities and towns so avoid being caught into slavery and death.

2. It allowed the rest of Greece that was not under Persian influence to accumulate its forces for a counter attack. (This comes in the form of lesser known battles, but eventually leads to....

3. Phillip 2nd, King of Macedonia, to take over all of Greece (A unified Greece*) and organize a counter attack on Persia and king Darius 3rd. Unfortunately, he is murdered just before, so his son must take up the reigns.

4. Of course, any noob would know that his son is Alexander the great. I Don’t need to go into details here.

5. Alexander brings the Greek way of life to the known world, and leaves behind perhaps one of the greatest legacies of all time. He also a great influence to later generals like Napoleon for example.

6. We all know that ancient Greece is the foundation of today’s western culture; no one needs to told that. If Persia would have completely taken over it would have perhaps ceased to exist and the course of history would have taken a much different path.

7. An example of this is that the Greeks had a huge influence on the greatest empire of all time, Rome of course. Romans would stretch this influence from York, England to Baghdad, Iraq at its peak. And of course the renaissance was very much influenced by ancient Greek minds, not exclusively, but in large part yes.

If Persia had taken over none of this would have happened. Now, I know I didn’t say everything and not everything is 100% fact checked, but it’s a general scope of things!

If there's one thing about history that I find absolutely epic, It's famous quotes. The kind you just read and have a WHOA reaction because you gotta think about it for a while. Anyways, here's a collection of Roman quotations I really like.

Scipio Africanus (Defeated Carthage in second Punic wars)

-It is the part of a fool to say, I should not have thought.
-I'm never less at leisure than when at leisure, or less alone than when alone.

Augustus(First Emperor, although he never claimed to actually be emperor his entire reign. Also the month of August is named after him)

-I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.
-I like treachery, but I cannot say anything good of traitors.
-Well done is quickly done

Marcus Aurelius

-A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions.
-Aptitude found in the understanding and is often inherited. Genius coming from reason and imagination, rarely.
-Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible for anyone to accomplish.
-Death, like birth, is a secret of Nature.
-Confine yourself to the present.

Julius Caesar

-Cowards die many times before their actual deaths.
-Experience is the teacher of all things.
-I came, I saw, I conquered.
-In war, events of importance are the result of trivial causes.
-No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected.
-The die is cast.

Horace

-A picture is a poem without words.
-Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.

Cicero

-A friend is, as it were, a second self.
-A home without books is a body without soul.
-Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error.
-Cultivation to the mind is as necessary as food to the body.

Justinian (Byzantine, but whatever)

-Rather let the crime of the guilty go unpunished than condemn the innocent.