I have no idea who I am — I hope there’s Indian blood
One of my favourite programmes on the teevee is Who Do You Think You Are?, a documentary that traces a number of poms’ family histories. I did not get the chance to see all the episodes this season, but I really enjoyed the Alistair McGowan episode (where I knew he was Irish before he did). My favourite, by far, was last night’s final episode, tracing Matthew Pinsent’s family history. I had no idea who he was, but now I know that he is a retired, multiple Olympic medal-winning rower, has twin boys, and is a direct descendant of William the Conqueror.
As Neil said, he has every right to go to Buckingham Palace, knock on the door, and say to the Queen, “Oi, Auntie Betty, this is my house.”
No mention of those dogs I read about… wait, that was made up?
Cool. ‘Turnable’ pages of Robert Hooke’s notebooks are online. I haven’t read the whole thing (although I’ve looked at all the pages), but what I’ve seen so far is pretty thrilling. Mainly because I’ve read the entire Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson and remember a lot of the real-life characters.
I wish Enoch Root was real…
Via New Scientist.
Pride comes before a fall
I forwarded this story about Korea and China’s unhappiness with Japan. It might get me lectured in the office for believing the biased foreign media, but whatever.
Overcoming the bitter memories of the 20th century’s wars and building a genuine partnership to ensure they are not repeated will require movement by both sides. Japan could withhold approval from school books that sanitise the awful truth about its wartime record; and it could offer more compensation to the victims of its past occupations. As for the Chinese, it would require a willingness to sanction a joint textbook commission in which historians would be free to examine the two countries’ past, a readiness to give up anti-Japanese propaganda, and a willingness to engage in serious negotiations about disputed waters.
I might be uncharitable here, but I doubt anti-Japanese propaganda, officially sanctioned or not, will go away while China still struggles with its economy, endemic corruption, and bank insolvency. China’s not alone in finding a convenient excuse when things are going poorly, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay.
But only one boat
The Iron Rock sailing crew in Xiamen will attempt to relive Admiral Cheng Ho’s voyage around the world, as documented in 1421: The Year China Discovered the World (well, sort of). But they’ll have GPS, cameras, radios, and walkie talkies to help them along.
Grrr! Gnash, gnash
New Dino Reveals Ancient Land Movements:
Found in Niger in 2000 in Cretaceous-age rocks that yielded a treasure trove of new dinosaurs, including the 40-foot-long crocodilian Sarcosuchus, also known as “SuperCroc,” Rugops’ skull belonged to a group of carnivorous dinosaurs called abelisaurids.
It would be so cool to be a paleontologist. See the world, dig up rocks and bones, wear khakis and big hats… I do wonder why we have such a great interest in looking at the past. I think it’s fascinating to see creatures that are long extinct, recreated according to our rules. We can guess how the earth became what it is today.
(Lord knows I spent an afternoon tearing around New York’s Museum of Natural History back in the summer of 2000 while my mate Jeff tiredly looked on - those dinosaurs are cool!)
In examining our planet’s ancient flora and fauna, we hope to be able to gain some insights into predicting the future. That’s the noble goal.
It’s dead fun to dig stuff up, though, I reckon.
Run up to D-Day
From The Scotsman (you might need to register to read the stories):
- ‘We must stop the enemy on the beaches’
- The date is set, the armies are ready
- An anxious wait for the storm to break
More from David Stafford’s Ten Days to D-Day.
Billmon’s Memorial Day post.
And in his latest bout of self-aggrandisement, Bush compares his wars with World War II (Fox News version - good Lord).