Enjoy the Ides of March...

Those who want the Government to regulate matters of the mind and spirit are like men who are so afraid of being murdered that they commit suicide to avoid assassination. - Harry S Truman, 1884 - 1972

I've always liked Truman, one of the few figures of American history whom I know anything much about, thanks to an undergraduate seminar course. His only flaw is/was the difficulty of spelling his name.

The quotation was part of the Quote of the Day list, the theme today being the assassination of Julius Caesar. Caesar is another of my favourite historical figures - smart, effective, and sexier than Truman. Another of the quotes was a rather flip comment by Barbara Tuchmann:

Rome had Caesar, a man of remarkable governing talents, although it must be said that a ruler who arouses opponents to resort to assassination is probably not as smart as he ought to be. - Barbara W. Tuchman, 1912 - 1989

To which I would answer: self-preservation should be a low priority for a statesman; Caesar's successes were largely because he didn't put his safety first. Avoiding risk was not a highly-regarded trait among Romans.

Besides, we should all act according to our best judgement, not according to our fears.

Torchwood: Hopes for next series...

Things I would like to see in Torchwood series two:

1. More of Captain Jack. More of his past. More of his relationships with his Torchwood team, individually. More of his thoughts and commentaries on life. More of his ridiculous anecdotes of Lovers I Have Known.



2. Better, tighter writing. Better plotting. More wit. ( More cohesion... )

What mythological creature am I...?

Surely not! I mean - I'm an introvert. Mostly. Sort of. A sociable introvert. This really doesn't sound like me.

( I'm uncertain what a chimera even is...! )

More on the death of Caesar...

Making me laugh. First, a Will Rogers quote, nicely followed by a Doctor Who quote.

Love it.

A con by any other name...

I was reading the entry on Captain Jack Harkness at The Doctor Who TARDIS Index File wiki and enjoyed it very much, despite the typos. (I'd love to go in and fix them but don't have the time. Maybe later.)

I came across a detail I hadn't seen before, under the heading "Behind the Scenes": Jack Harkness' first name was originally "Jax".

What's the source for that?