Alloys: Electrum

Start your mornings right. Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrP4lTlYUM4

Amid Global Electric Car Buzz, Toyota Bullish on Hydrogen

Authored by the Associated Press

At a car factory in this city named after Toyota, the usual robots with their swinging arms are missing. Instead, workers intently fit parts into place by hand with craftsmanship-like care.

The big moment on the assembly line comes when two bulbous yellow tanks of hydrogen are rolled over and delicately fitted into each car’s underside.

Read more: https://www.rdmag.com/news/2017/11/amid-global-electric-car-buzz-toyota-bullish-hydrogen

Published on #FITSO Motivation

http://goo.gl/ervKg

‘Caroline’ rapper Aminé using his national television platform effectively

By all means break the rules, and break them beautifully, deliberately and well.

Robert Bringhurst (via narnia)

3 ST∆TES

Got this image before sleep last night. How I presume my body is divided.

Using Historical Reference Points to Raise Your Consciousness

I still remember learning about the Coliseum and Circus Maximus in middle school social studies. I found it amazing that a society 2,000 years ago could build stadiums that were just as big as the ones in use today. My teacher also explained that, just like modern professional athletes, top chariot racers and gladiators often became household names whom young boys idolized while growing up. This aspect of Ancient Rome fascinated me, since it seemed so similar to the 21st century.

I can still recall a question about Roman culture on a test during the Coliseum unit. We were asked to write an essay regarding the role of “Bread and Circuses” in Roman society. If your memories of Middle School history are a bit foggy, here’s Wikipedia’s summary of the term:

“Bread and circuses” … is metonymic (figure of speech) for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the generation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace, as an offered “palliative.” (1)

Basically, my teacher explained that the Roman games were used to distract the common people, while those in government worked on projects outside of public notice. After finishing the test something struck me. If so many parallels exist between modern-day sports and the Roman games (both feature large stadiums, high stakes competition, masculine idols, etc.), then isn’t it likely that American sports also have a “Bread and Circuses” element?

This question seemed especially relevant since the United States was in the process of invading Iraq at the time. There were widespread protests against U.S. imperialism, but of course professional sports were as popular as ever. In fact, my favorite teams would often honor veterans and ask the crowd to Salute our troops. Our whole culture was starting to seem quite Roman….

Body

So I brought this question up during the next class. “Aren’t the NFL and NBA a modern day version of ‘bread and circuses?’ I mean they’re similar to the Roman games in every other respect.” I don’t remember the exact conversation that resulted, but I know it was inconclusive. People seemed unwilling to even entertain this idea, and would use simple phrases (like “No, America is a free country”) to try and disprove it.But this idea kept coming back to me throughout high school. The US was fighting battles in Iraq, and there I was watching a baseball game. Was I living in Rome 2.0?

Comparing modern-day sports to the Roman circus is a great intellectual exercise. Personally, it forced me to begin thinking critically and to reassess what I consider “normal” in every day life. Synthesizing historical facts with modern day trends also helps you become more objective (and less biased) about the era you happen to be born into.

For example, no one would disagree that Rome was an Empire between 27 BC and 395 AD. This nation was called the “Roman Empire” because it:

Had a massive military.

Conquered foreign lands.

Maintained a strong central government with little input from the public.

Amassed great wealth.-

 Etc….

If all these factors made Rome an Empire, why wouldn’t they also make the United States an Empire? We do all the exact same things as Rome, but use different words to describe our actions. Let’s compare the two:

“Had a massive military”

- We spend more on our military than the next 9 countries combined. (2)

“Conquered foreign lands”:

- The US has 800 military bases in 80+ foreign countries. This is thought to be the most bases a nation has ever possessed in history. Many of these bases are clustered in countries we conquered on the battlefield (especially Japan and Germany.) (3)

“A strong central government with little input from the public”

- A Princeton/Northwestern University study of 20 years worth of data states point blank: “The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.“ (4)

“Amassed great wealth”

- The United States is the richest country in History.

The point here is that the United States more than fulfills the traits of Empire we attribute to Rome. How, then, can we call Rome an Empire and not the United States? To do so is to live in a paradox, and to be trapped in illusion..

Counterpoint

A common rebuttal to my argument is to point out the differences on paper between each form of government. Rome had a single emperor, whereas the United States has a president who (in theory) is checked by the court system and Congress. When you analyze governments, though, all that really matters are their actions. Everything else tends to be official-sounding hot air. As the Bible says, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?” Do peace-loving democracies bomb 32 countries in 55 years? (5)

In retrospect we can confidently say that Rome became an "Empire” in 27 BC. However, from the average Roman’s point of view, things wouldn’t have appeared so cut-and-dry. It took centuries for the Emperor to consolidate power, and the Senate never formally disbanded. The Emperor was also checked by various sources - without support from the Praetorian Guard (the elite military unit that provided protection for Roman emperors), rulers had no chance of maintaining power. Throughout much of the Empire’s history, the Senate also “technically” had the power to appoint new Emperors. I’m sure there were “Blue Pill” Romans who would’ve scoffed at the notion that they lived in an Empire. In a funny parallel to today’s pronouncements that we need to “make the world safe for democracy,” Roman leaders often talked about using their massive military to maintain Pax Romana (or Roman peace.)

Yet, historians can confidently say: 

“No, Rome was definitely an empire. The Senate was mostly symbolic, and the military really ran the country.”

In other words, we look past the biases that may have clouded the average Roman’s view of his own government at the time, and make an objective statement about how the country really functioned. This is easy to do when the events and people in question expired thousands of years ago. The question is: can we bring this same discernment and objective attitude to the modern day?

Conclusion

By comparing modern day trends that seem “normal” (for example, sports and U.S. foreign policy) to established historical reference points, you can start to see your own time period with more objectivity. This can be very hard to do, since it calls into question much of what we are taught from a young age. For those courageous enough to take the leap – I absolutely guarantee it’s worth it. In time you start to see all of the parallels between modern societies and those of the past. You stop blindly falling for propaganda and distractions, and look out at the world with a much clearer perspective. Best of luck.

SOURCES:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_circuses

2. https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/us-military-spending-vs-world/

3. https://www.thenation.com/article/the-united-states-probably-has-more-foreign-military-bases-than-any-other-people-nation-or-empire-in-history/

4. http://www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congress-doesnt-care-what-you-think

5. https://wikispooks.com/wiki/US_Bombing_campaigns_since_1945