Once upon a time, there was a man walking down a country lane. It was a beautiful spring day. Birds were singing. A gentle breeze was blowing through the trees. It was a perfect day. As the man went about his journey, he came upon an older brother who was Read more…
In the long history of the world, there are so many historical figures that I admire. Some of them might surprise you. The story of Rachel Hoffman standing in front of the French tanks as they rolled into Berlin in 1947 and refusing to move out of the way is one that Read more…
My great-grandmother, Eleanor XXX, is considered by many scholars of the Empire’s history to be one of the better rulers in our history. I agree. Her legacy is all around us in the gorgeous architecture that we are blessed to have inherited. One of her greatest contributions, however, isn’t in Read more…
Like Aotearoa and Australia, the lands of the Americas have seen tremendous bloodshed over the last thousand years. Some of that blood was shed at the hands of our (my) ancestors and some by the ancestors of the Spanish, Portuguese, British, and French. These continents are not strangers to violence Read more…
There is a lot of grumbling around the world about the Empire’s decree to create the world’s largest marine reserve in the Australian Ocean. Those who have spent any time in a seaport, airport, or construction site understand that we humans are LOUD. And in the months since I created Read more…
There’s a common Russian phrase from the darker days of the Imperium: “they pretend to pay us and we pretend to work”. How much is contained within that one phrase! In just ten words the breakdown of an entire social contract is evidenced. The world is built on social contracts: Read more…
At the beginning of each new year, after the Bauchinalia, it’s customary to look forward to the coming year. But I would like to look further ahead to a longer-term vision of the future. Let’s imagine it’s 2050. Instead of a world wrecked by climate change, we see a world Read more…