Quick Hits: Lucky or Skilled?

I was overseeing a surgical procedure using one of my company's products today, and the doctor got everything right the first time (which is pretty rare). He turned around and looked at me and said "Hey, I'd rather be lucky than skilled any day of the week!"... Somehow, I hope my doctor is both lucky …

One Trick Ponies? Western Civilizations and Eastern Civilizations, a comparative view

Through sheer military might, pragmatism and some good stoic thinking, Rome managed to dominate the Mediterranean for centuries. The Greeks were an amalgamation of city states and philosophers that could campaign and do battle quite good, but were too fractured to be a complete and dominating power. Compare this to some of the dynasties in …

Terrain and War: Terrain as an “equalizer” and constant of war throughout history

Fighting a war in the mountains can be vastly different than fighting a war in a jungle. Some of the principles remain the same, like superior firepower, maneuvering into advantageous positions, and securing your resources, but the terrain and geography an Army fights in can dictate how  a leader goes about establishing and maintaining certain advantages …

Quick Hits: Living on the edge

In today's article, I talk about Communism. While my site does not cover modern politics (it's too much of an echo chamber for me), I do write and research different political methodologies and ideas that have developed throughout history. Today, I looked at communism and how marxist revolutionaries have a unique brand of hypocrisy about …

Quick Hits: Allegory and Writing

Allegory is as popular as ever. Unfortunately, I think it is overused. In the latest article I talk about two authors who successfully wrote allegorical works, and why I think it resonated so well. Nowadays, most allegory is low hanging fruit. It's all "Drumpf is just like Voldermort!!" or "Muslim refugees are just like the Orcs …

Criticism Through Literature: Science Fiction and a Combat Veteran Writer

One of my favorite books is The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It's an allegorical tale of his time in Vietnam, set in the "future" of 1996 (the book was published in the 1970's). A soldier goes on a journey through multiple planets, engagements and thousands of years to finally reach the conclusion of the war. …

Quick Hits: The Senate and People of Rome

Roman History is one of my favorite subjects. I have read about the Roman Legions, Caesar and the Republic since I was a boy. In college, I never really took any Ancient History courses, or studied Rome formally, but it is one of my favorite subjects to read up on and to write on. I …

Military Unit Organization And The Ancient World: Organizing Logistics ensures the Roman Way of War

In a previous article we looked at the Civil War and how The Union Army may have stacked the odds a bit in their favor by organizing their Army in a way that took distinct advantage of their superior numbers (both in men and material). This article will look at how the Roman Army kept …

Quick Hits: Violation of The Marquess Of Queensberry Rules

I love boxing. Some of my earliest memories are watching Mike Tyson fights with my old man, or going to Atlantic City and watching fights with him too. The raw, unbridled nature of the sport attracted me, but as I got older I came to appreciate the rules and regulations of the sport even more. …

Augusto Pinochet: The Rise and Fall of a Right Wing Warrior

Augusto Pinochet Ugarte led the country of Chile for 17 years (1973-1990) and used torture, repression, and even political killings to keep a firm hold on power. His tactics show a clear example of state sponsored terrorism. Pinochet’s rule is a highly interesting one because of his outright use of terrorism to maintain control and …

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