August 24th, 2013 → 5:40 am
“He doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.” – Julius Caesar
There’s an anniversary march in Washington, DC today, to commemorate the very historic civil rights march 50 years ago with Dr. King. The above quote just reminded me of the statue in honor of King that now graces the National Mall.
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians
April 10th, 2013 → 5:48 am
“Death, in thy possession lies
A lass unparalleled.” – Antony and Cleopatra
Whatever you think of Lady Thatcher, you have to admit that she was unparalleled. The first woman prime minister of the U.K., the longest serving British prime minister of the 20th century, driven, headstrong, path breaking… The above quote, as originally intended by Shakespeare, was used to describe Cleopatra – another unparalleled, path breaking, female leader.
Baroness Thatcher, rest in peace.
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians
December 23rd, 2012 → 6:03 am
“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
I’m reading Grand Pursuit by Sylvia Nasar right now. It’s not nearly as good as A Beautiful Mind, but that isn’t actually the point. The point is that I just read the passage (p. 245) where the British Prime Minister Lloyd George called the famous economist John Maynard Keynes “the Puck of economics” for being such a mischief maker during the Peace Conference in Paris after WWI. If only PM George had listened to Keynes, more than mocked him, history might have been so different!
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Politics/Politicians
November 28th, 2012 → 8:50 am
“O jest unseen, inscrutable, invisible,
As a nose on a man’s face, or a weathercock on a steeple!” – Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Onion did a satire on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, calling him the Sexiest Man Alive for 2012. But apparently, not everyone realized it was a joke! China’s People’s Daily newspaper picked up the piece and went with it. How funny!!
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People
November 26th, 2012 → 5:52 am
“My nearest and dearest enemy.” – Henry IV, Part I
I chose this quote because it is actually spoken by the king to and of his son, the future Henry V. Meaning, sometimes our closest friends, neighbors, and even relatives, can seem like our enemies – but they’re not. The future Henry V redeemed himself (at least in Shakespeare’s plays) from a scapegrace to a decent king. What seems like our enemy one day, may be our future the next. Who knows what this latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict will bring, but I continue to hold out hope that something good can eventually be worked out…
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians
October 21st, 2012 → 7:17 am
“All’s well that ends well; still the fine’s the crown.
What’er the course, the end is the renown.” – All’s Well That Ends Well
I don’t know anyone who can’t wait for this darn U.S. presidential election to be over with already (expect perhaps the pundits?). In the above quote “fine’s” means “end,” reiterating the point that the best thing now is for this all to be over with already.
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians
September 23rd, 2012 → 5:51 am
“Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once.” – Julius Caesar
When Nelson Mandela was a prisoner in South Africa’s notorious apartheid-era Robben Island prison, a Complete Works of Shakespeare was surreptitiously passed around under the guise of a bible. Many prisoners picked out favorite passages and signed their names by them. Nelson Mandela signed his name by this one on December 16, 1977.
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians
August 24th, 2012 → 6:00 am
“We have seen the best of our time.” – King Lear
A friend emailed me the other day asking if I thought the world was on the decline; if morals had been abandoned by politicians, if the current generation was excessively lazy, if entrepreneurs and businesspeople were unconscionably conniving. I don’t know, but the fear that we are on the decline appears to be a repeated one throughout history. Every generation seems to think the next one is lazier, the politicians even worse, etc. I know they are from his plays, but Shakespeare repeatedly has characters saying that this is it, but was it? We have a lot of problems in this world, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not so narcissistic to think MY time is the pinnacle.
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People
July 30th, 2012 → 8:05 am
“Thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.” – Hamlet
Last week there were more rumblings from Europe that the Euro will be saved! (This time from European Central Bank president Mario Draghi). All well and good, but to be honest, I kind of doubt it. I’ve already written a few blog posts about the poor handling of the Greek debt situation. Along with that goes a poor understanding of what it takes to really make the Euro work. If the singe currency doesn’t break apart in the next couple of years – and no reforms are done to better unify the European economies – then there will be more troubles in the years ahead and eventually the Euro will break down. Repeated “announcements” with no firm action are worse than useless.
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Politics/Politicians
May 26th, 2012 → 6:58 am
“Civil dissension is a viperous worm
That gnaws the bowels of the commonwealth.” – Henry VI
This quote seemed apt to the runoff elections that will now take place in Egypt, as well as to the U.S. presidential elections taking place this year. In both countries the campaigns seem particularly venomous, with really isn’t good for the body politic overall.
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians