R E F L E C T I O N S

(This shield looks like something from a science fiction movie!) I was looking up the shield designs of Roman soldiers when I came upon this interesting fact. When the Roman army went into battle they developed a strategy called, "Testudo" (it became known as the, ‘Tortoise’). The command, "As One" was given and each soldier would stand with his shield overlapping the shield of the soldier next to him. This made an near impregnable battle formation.  It crushed the front lines of the enemy. I've read that this locking shields strategy won many battles. I'll add more interesting posts about Ancient Rome from time to time. .

A wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, Rome's legendary founders. The legend: Romulus and Remus --The twin sons of the god of war Mars, were abandoned. --They were discovered by a female wolf who instead of eating them suckled them until they were found and reared by a shepherd. --They founded Rome in 753 B.C. --Romulus killed his twin in a power struggle. --Rome was named after him In a cavern 50 feet under the ruins of the palace of Emperor Augustus there is a domed ceiling decorated with colorful mosaics and seashells. At its center a painted eagle, a symbol of the Roman Empire. “This is one of the most important discoveries of all time,” said Andrea Carandini, a prominent Italian archaeologist. He has long held that the myths of ancient Rome could be true. He said he derived added satisfaction from the cave’s location. See complete article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/world/europe/21rome.html?_r=1 The symbol of Rome: Also the sy...

As I sometimes do, the other day I was thinking about the spiritual life.  I looked over some of the notes I've been making. I believe God must be experienced and not understood or explained : To experience God must be like experiencing something directly without thought, like a color or flavor or sensation. How can you explain the sensation of sweetness or the experience of the color red? To say consciousness of light is only sensory stimulation or a response to wavelength does not explain the consciousness experienced by the individual. This consciousness cannot be called merely subjective or irrelevant because it is the only way we can be aware of anything without being mindless chemical sacks. It is really the only thing we can be sure of without depending on thoughts which are often mistaken. But with God instead of being a physical sensation it must be a spiritual sensation or feeling even if it is experienced in a physical way. Just as the experience of the ...

A few months ago I was considering back surgery for terrible pain I've had for over a year. See my earlier post about this: http://johns-spot112948.blogspot.com/2011/04/back-trouble.html My wife saw a commercial for Cymbalta on TV.  I was sure it would not work. But I was desperate and willing to try anything. Now I am completely pain free. This sounds like a commercial but it was the only thing that worked for me. I recommend you try this before trying surgery. Surgery only works for 70% of the cases. For me it would have been: 3 days in the hospital on IV pain medication. 3 months recovery at home taking more narcotics Even then I might still be left with some residual pain. ____________ I've found two drawbacks with Cymbalta: 1. Getting used to the side effects which go away after a week. (Nausea, dry mouth, sleepiness, fatigue, constipation, dizziness, decreased appetite, and increased sweating). For me it was like a case of food pois...

Here's a funny story from. FRIDGE SOUP: Have you all seen this one? :

The other night I watched the 1994 movie The Professional on TV.  I thought it was an excellent gangster movie.  There could have been a better ending instead of the typical shoot out. You know the impossible scene with one man killing dozens of others in a prolonged gunfight:  -his bullets always hit their target -their's always miss -his gun never runs out of bullets -their guns jam -he's a clever acrobat -they are stupid and clumbsy Yet I still enjoyed it, especially the song they played while showing the credits.  It was "The Shape of my Heart" by Sting. Here is the song with its poetic lyrics:

I've read that schools may stop teaching handwriting! Cursive takes more room and is less legible than printing. But it is faster, has a personal style and is easier on the hand. Here is the link for the original blog post:  Thinking About Cursive