Cats in Culture

A look at the cultural importance of cats to humans down through the millennia, examining what, exactly, the portrayal of cats says about us rather than vice versa. Released for International Cat Day 2021.

Caturday Special: The Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis

A look at one of the most beautiful coated cats in the world, the ocelot. Small, but not too small, these medium sized cats range from the USA to Argentina, making their living mostly eating small prey and hiding from just about anything else. An adorable cat that was once overhunted for its pelt or to be sold into the pet trade. These things are so damn cute.

Roman History in a Nutshell: The Pyrrhic Wars – Carthage and the Battle of Asculum, 279 BCE

A look at the middle portion of Rome’s wars with the Kingdom of Epirus under Pyrrhus. The involvement of Carthage makes the whole affair very interesting, and while Rome appears to keep losing, they do so whilst giving Pyrrhus and his forces a solid effort and taking out some key troops and generals. How long can Pyrrhus hold out fighting the Romans? What exactly will Carthaginian involvement be and where will this lead?

Caturday Special: Homotherium

A look at the lesser-explored but no less impressive sabre toothed cat genus Homotherium – with a wealth of evidence for a brutal, chasing hunting style, potentially pack hunting, almost certainly a social cat, Homotherium perhaps deserves a lot more care, attention and understanding than its more widely known cousin the Smilodon.

Also they butchered stuff…Awesome!

Noviomagus Reginorum: Roman Chichester

A look at the town of Chichester, its history, with particular focus on Noviomagus Reginorum, the old Roman town and the surprisingly key role it played in the invasion of Britain by the Romans.

Hated (But Misunderstood) Animals: Final Thoughts

A short summary of the work I did on learning about, and writing about the top ten hated species who really don’t deserve to be.

I reflect on my thoughts and feelings of what I’ve learned about different species, how I felt about it, what it has given me moving forward and give a little personal perspective.

It’s been a genuine project! I can’t even say I put this much effort in when I was an undergrad. And I am changed because of it.

The ‘Culture Wars’, ‘Attack on Britishness’ and the ‘White Working Class’ Problem

Some tell me there’s a ‘culture war’ going on and, to be perfectly honest I don’t know what that means. I can just as easily go buy fish and chips and see Morris Dancers as I can go buy pad thai and go watch a Swedish crime drama, or read a novel by a Japanese

Bad History: Presentism and so-called ‘Cancel Culture’ in History

Apologies for taking over from the previous writer of bad history, and particular apologies that my thoughts, ideas and notions will not be as reliably, academically informed. However, there is an on-going movement in history, as well as in culture, towards acknowledgment of ‘the bad’. The stuff people did wrong. All around the world, across

Silence is Golden: The Assassination of Sia’s “Music” – The Review

It shouldn’t take a political violence mastermind to tell you that when you are setting up an assassination attempt you need a ‘patsy’. Someone to take the fall for you so that you can get away with the ‘crime’ you are about to commit. Unless you want to set yourself up as a political martyr

The Sopranos Vs. Sex and the City

We can look at all art as valid, and ask what of ourselves, if anything, we see in it. If we see nothing of ourselves we can ask ourselves why.