theDrahos

Half a century ago this summer, the Voting Rights Act was passed, propelled by Bloody Sunday at Selma Bridge. The previous summer, the Civil Rights Act became law on July 2. We are in the 7th year of the presidency of a black American who has named the first two black U.S. attorneys general. Yet race relations seem more poisonous now than then, when the good will of America’s majority was driving legislation. Today’s issue, however, is not voting rights, open housing or school busing. It is black vs. blue: African-Americans inflamed at what they see as chronic police brutality … Continue reading →

Simply put, alchemy is the study of the transmutation of base metals into gold or other precious metals. While alchemist have long been relegated to the fringe, modern scientists are finding that the alchemists were just a little bit right. Not all the way, because there are plenty of alchemical theories that, if true, would mean we’re living in an entirely different world. In some instances, though, historic alchemists did have a lasting impact on the world around them—just not the way they expected. 10 Zosimos Of Panopolis Zosimos of Panopolis lived around AD 300, and at the time, there … Continue reading →

As tensions in the South China Sea between the US and China continue to rise, the US Navy and Air Force are quietly gearing up to fight a war in the disputed region. If necessary, that is.  Both sides say they don’t want any military confrontation on China’s extensive coastal waters, but both are acting as if a military conflict is increasingly likely. Optimists say that a peaceful resolution of China’s rise as a great power is achievable.  The economies of the two powers are so enmeshed that a war sounds unthinkable. Such is the thesis of an important new … Continue reading →