Loose Parts by Dave Blazek for February 21, 2023

Let there be light.

… You put your right foot out … And you shake it all about … You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself about – That’s what it’s all about.

I always thought that’s what they meant by the dark ages.

It was actually late February 997. It’s been debated for years by academics. There’s also the cohort pushing for the Julian/Gregorian calendar discrepancy to be taken into account. I personally blame Sosigenes for all this confusion.

That leg needs a shave.

Ugh, Sandals!

Totally agree!

Why, what happened then? All I can find online is a pope being exiled, among other things.

This is one of the problems I had with “World History” as I was taught it in grade school and high school: it’s NOT.

It is European history. There was some mention about the ancient Middle Eastern civilizations, but even these were more Eurocentric. Alexander the Great is noted for advancing Greek culture. However, he went east where all the action was taking place and not west.

While Europe was taking a 500-year “nap,” the Americas had booming civilizations and the Arab world preserved and advanced science and art and was trading with the empires in the Far East.

We were told that Vasco da Gama was the first person to go around the Cape of Good Hope in Southern Africa. The Chinese beat him to it by 500 years.

We most likely would not have heard of Genghis Khan except that he actually got as far as Europe.

One step for mankind….

Actually, it was April 12 @ 9:06 AM. I was just having my coffee and reading my paper, Then WHAM! This blinding light appeared over the pool!

Sometimes I think we are back in the dark ages, with everything going on in the world.

Glad he saw the light. Maybe our country can do the same.

And after that came the Dork Ages.

Show a little leg, you might get picked up.

Science and the Enlightenment arrived side by side.

Eroding science will push us back to the Dark Age.