I cannot tell a lie. Cultures create and believe myths of founders and heroes to refine their national identity.

Held in private hands for 700 years, “institutions will have an opportunity to buy the work, which has never been publicly exhibited or comprehensively studied…”

Books in brief 📚 Vanishing tongues and life on Mars go.nature.com/4v5nTIo

This is 'Sunhenge', one of my series of watercolour paintings on hand made cotton rag paper that are inspired by folk art and ancient megaliths. The original artwork is now available on my Etsy shop here: shorturl.at/HDzSI #StandingStoneSunday

Today, Vesek (Buddha Day) is celebrated among Buddhists in the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Vietnam, and in those communities in other countries. It celebrates the birthday of Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha), traditionally around 563 BCE.

The chair of US Commission of Fine Arts, in approving the proposed triumphal arch in DC, claimed that opposition to it was "due to a lack of understand<ing> about the history of such triumphal arches" Bit of an insult to those of us who really do know about triumphal arches!

ChatGPT: “You’re right to be annoyed. I gave you conflicting information.” Another day, another goof.

Why leave a book review? It benefits both the author and potential readers. For the author: Each book review brings awareness to that book. For the reader: They want to know what you thought about the book.  It's easy and takes a few minutes. Consider leaving a review for the last book you read.

Born #onthisday in Edinburgh in 1859, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Watch a rare filmed interview with him from 1927 in which he speaks about his greatest literary creation, Sherlock Holmes, and his work in spiritualism: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/sir-arthur-conan-doyle-interview-1927 #OTD

This day in literary history.

Some stunning Smithsonian photographs of Morocco, which I really hope to visit someday. www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/from-...

“In a groundbreaking global exploration of the ideas that drove the American Revolution, a prize-winning historian shines a light on the defiance of marginalized peoples all over the world.”

46 years ago today my favorite of all the Star Wars movies was released. I was warned by the evangelical church I attended that Star Wars is "of the Devil" because it promotes Eastern mysticism. I didn't care. I went to see it multiple times.

How I’m helping my son pick a degree that’s safe from AI

“When people don’t understand why things are the way they are they reach for myth. We like to have an idea that nothing happens for no reason. We love to impose agency on events.” podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

New and Noteworthy non-fiction at Barnes & Noble

“The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country.” -Thomas Paine

I’ll also be taking some books with me.

As a lifelong Sci-Fi fan, I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that I am just now reading this classic novel. I really grok it.

It’s weird that Helen of Troy being played by a black actress is a problem, but most of the rest of the Mediterranean, Greek and Turkish characters being played by incredibly fair and blond haired people of British, Irish and Scandinavian descent isn’t. And by weird, I mean entirely predictable.

For today’s day of “Rededication” I’m rededicating myself to dog.

My point of these posts is that there are a plethora of gods and divergent beliefs and disbelief. There are over 340 million people in the U.S. Only 62% identify as Christian. 28% of us are "nones" (attached article). www.pewresearch.org/religion/202...

#4. The Rigveda, 2nd millennium BCE.

Some people need to understand and comprehend government and history.

Book banners and book burners aren’t the good guys.

#3. Selections from the Amitāyus Sutra, important in Pure Land Buddhism.

This would probably be a great addition to your itinerary if you’re planning a trip to Northern Virginia or Washington, DC. www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-g...

No Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Jains or Wiccans are on the list of participants. There appears to be one Orthodox Jewish Rabbi. No Native Americans. apnews.com/article/trum...

Looking for classroom resources for courses in African American history? Check out these videos from The Future of the African American Past, a landmark 2016 conference co-hosted by the AHA & the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture that brought together 60+ scholars. 🗃️

Post 2 for the “National Jubilee Of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving.” Sappho to Aphrodite.

Since this Sunday has been declared “A National Jubilee Of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving,” in the U.S., I’ll be posting a series of prayers/recognition for various deities who have served the human race across the past few millennia.

For Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1922 that Takao Ozawa was part of an ‘unassimilable race’ and, therefore, could not become a naturalized citizen (Ozawa v. United States).

“Rededicate 250 will be rooted in giving thanks for God’s presence in our national life throughout 250 years of American history.” I wonder which aspects of slavery, genocide, land theft, discrimination, and oppression God was present for. freedom250.org/celebration/...

This is a great museum in Philadelphia. “Discover the stories, resilience, and living traditions of Native peoples through an in-depth exploration of our new Native North America Gallery.” www.penn.museum/calendar/tal...

History is not age-inappropriate. Discomfort is not the same as harm. Whether it is a book removed from a library shelf or a plantation tour that skips the slave quarters, the effect is the same. #CivilWarMemory 🗃️ kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/banned-boo...

Not a political post. A history lesson.

A story about the contributions of Asian-Americans and the discrimination they have faced and still face. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

On a weekly basis I have an argument with ChatGPT on a factual matter and finally get it to admit that it’s wrong. They should change the name to ChatDAABOH dumb as a bag of hammers).

For Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Roger Shimomura was born in Seattle in 1939. His grandparents immigrated from Japan in the early 1900s and his family was incarcerated after the attack on Pearl Harbor. That experience influenced some of his art.

Some good news. A US District Judge has ruled “that the mass termination by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) of more than 1,400 grants to support scholars, research institutions, and humanities organizations was “unlawful, unconstitutional, ultra vires, and without legal effect.”’

If you are in DC this Saturday (16th at 12.00), I'm talking at the NGA with Kaywin Feldman about Classics & why we still engage with the ancient world. It's free, but you need to register. www.nga.gov/calendar/boo...

Book burners are never the good guys. This date in 1933: “Nazi university students destroyed books that they labeled “un-German.” …books by Jewish authors; pacifist works that criticized war; and works praising or promoting leftist political movements…” encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/a...

“People given general anaesthesia fall into a coma-like state in which their memory and perception of pain are switched off. But new data reveal that the hippocampus — a deep brain structure crucial for memory — remains remarkably active.”

Well hello, there! As a way of introduction, here’s our indie bookstore search tool ☺️ www.indiebound.org/indie-store-...

For Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Hung Liu was a Chinese-American painter who immigrated to the U.S. in 1984. She created around 80 paintings during her lifetime. Paintings: Chinese Profile II; Happy and Gay; Boys and Birds (hungliu.com)

Remembering Keith Haring on his birthday (4 May 1958) who highlighted the AIDS crisis, among other things, through his art.

False stories of ‘porn in schools’ are decoys for book bans We have found that, overwhelmingly, books wrongly identified as porn represent gay and transgender characters and themes thehill.com/opinion/educ...