Dean Swift

The Mutiny on the Bounty

Capt. Bligh and his few loyal men set adrift in an open boat / en.wikipedia.org

Hollywood has attempted, once rather expensively, to tell us what happened on His Majesty’s warship Bounty in 1789. History books have joined Hollywood enthusiastically, making of Captain Bligh a kind of sea-monster – perfect casting for Mr Charles Laughton, who looked like one. Laughton’s Bligh (and Dirk Bogarde’s First Lieutenant in the movie HMS Defiant) are enough to stop all British naval recruitment dead in its tracks. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-10-04T16:50:23+00:00 October 4th, 2011|World History|0 Comments

American assassins

Booth, an undistinguished actor / findagrave.com

John Wilkes Booth

Acting professionally on the stage is not a normal introduction to the art of murder, but Wilkes is the man who killed President Abraham Lincoln of the United States. His brother Edwin was an actor, too, of considerable reputation as a tragedian. Both were sympathisers with the Confederacy. Edwin was not, like his brother, a participant in the small conspiracy to overthrow Lincoln’s victorious government in the closing stages of the Civil War (qv). (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-09-27T08:39:58+00:00 September 27th, 2011|US History|0 Comments

Cataluña and the Spanish language

The news from Cataluña is electrifying. A pride of politicians at the peak of politics have decided that education in Catalan schools shall be conducted in their regional language – Catalan or Catalá. Reading, writing and arithmetic; children of Catalans may learn English if they like, or German, or even Mandarin in the state schools. Catalan fee-paying schools (the almer mater of the pride of politicians) may continue learning the three Rs in Spanish as well if they like. At fee-paying schools it is the parents who pay who decide. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-09-25T12:14:03+00:00 September 25th, 2011|Today|5 Comments

Useful Latin tags

Rome, where all this came from…

From: John Charity Spring, Fellow of Oriel College, and Captain Harry Paget Flashman Esq, poltroon and coward, aboard the “trader” the Balliol College, as recalled in the latter Gentleman’s candid memoir “Flash for Freedom

Here are some easy tags or quotations, in every-day Latin, which may prove useful to the wise student.

Hiatus maxime deflendus (or) Hiatus valde deflendus = Want (or wish) greatly to be deplored.

Quidquid praecipies, esto brevis = If you are going to moralize, keepitshort.

Qui male agit odit lucem = A bad person hates the light.

Paucis carior est fides quam pecunia = Few do not set a higher value on money, than on good faith.

Pars sanitatis velle sanari fruit (pronounced ‘frewit’) = The wish to be cured is in itself a step towards good health.

Gravis ira regum semper = Anger of kings is always severe.

Qui mori didicit servire dedidicit (Seneca) = He who has learned to die, has learned how not to be a slave.

Quo quo, scelesti ruitis = Where are you rushing, fools? (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2017-07-24T13:24:04+00:00 September 24th, 2011|Philosophy|3 Comments

The British Parliament

The Palace of Westminster

Senior legislature in Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the Houses of Parliament comprises the Sovereign (Head of State), and the Lower and Upper Chamber, known as the House of Commons (or commoners) and the House of Lords respectively. Together, these chambers occupy the Palace of Westminster. The latter (in Parliament Square, London) may look medieval or Gothic, but it is a 19^th century building designed by the architect of St. Pancras Station. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-09-23T17:20:45+00:00 September 23rd, 2011|English History|0 Comments

The History of Social Security

William Beveridge wrote the Report that started Secoial Security in Britain / en.wikipedia.org

Otto von Bismarck first thought of it. . .

What is it?

A system of financial maintenance organised by a government to protect the population of a country against loss of earnings resulting from sickness, unemployment, old age or any other misfortunes; to meet medical costs, and provide support to families with children. Such a thing was rare if not non-existent of in the 19^th century, and the term social security covers both social insurance and assistance schemes. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-09-22T17:28:03+00:00 September 22nd, 2011|Today|3 Comments

Pompey the Great

Pompey / general-history.com

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus was that rare combination – a general and a politician. Good sense, courage and sense of planning are not always to be found in those who choose to promote themselves as politicians, whereas one needs all three virtues (plus good fortune) to become a general, unless one is a third world colonel winning a successful coup.

Pompey’s early career as a soldier was, as they say today, ballistic. In fact it was brilliant. The Roman Senate empowered him to combat Lepidus, who had not very quietly raised his own private army while he was proconsul. Virtually at the same time as he was dealing with Lepidus, Pompey was also fighting Sertorius, busy backing the Lusitani rebellion in Spain. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-09-22T07:39:51+00:00 September 22nd, 2011|History of Rome, World History|0 Comments

The Roman Empire (updated)

Octavian, later Caesar Augustus, first Emperor / blog.iese.edu

This phrase signifies the period when the Roman state and those overseas provinces it had formed were under the rule of an emperor. The first ‘Emperor’ was Augustus (27 BC), and the empire as such existed but not always flourished for nearly five centuries, until 476 AD.

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By Dean Swift| 2011-09-20T11:16:04+00:00 September 20th, 2011|History of Rome, World History|0 Comments

The Weimar Republic

The immediate predecessor of Hitler’s ‘1000-year Reich’ lasted from 1919 to 1933. It was formed in Germany after the end of the First World War, but still had to face the revenge of France and even the United States (who only joined the Allies in 1917) embodied in the Versailles Peace Settlement. The Weimar Republic was proclaimed on 9 November. Its first boss was a socialist (not always the best bet) called Friedrich Ebert. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-09-18T11:43:21+00:00 September 18th, 2011|World History|0 Comments

Figures in a Revolution: Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Louis (1754 – 1793) was the last (Capet) King of France. He reigned, not well but to the best of his limited capabilities, from 1774 – 92. He joins the list of European monarchs judicially murdered by his own countrymen for political reasons: he was married to an Austrian, Marie-Antoinette. Others on the list are Alexander II and Nicholas II of Russia, Charles I of England and Haile Selassie of Ethiopia.

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By Dean Swift| 2011-09-14T10:42:08+00:00 September 14th, 2011|French History|0 Comments

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