by Aashisha Chakraborty | Apr 15, 2025 | Essays
The writer recently returned from Greece sunburnt, overfed, and spiritually re-aligned by the hum of ancient stones and overly affectionate cats. Photo by Nikolay on Unsplash I stood beneath an olive tree outside the ruins of Delphi, not far from where Pythia, the...
by Jonathan Bennett | Apr 7, 2025 | Essays
A humorous reflection on life’s lowered expectations, fine dining dreams gone cold, and existential musings from an Arctic kitchen. There comes a point in every man’s life when he realizes that all the years of carefully curated knowledge, refined tastes, and grand...
by Nigel Scotchmer | Apr 2, 2025 | Essays
Indifference is not a response in unsettled times Love, not indifference, protects. Here is a Downy woodpecker by Maria Corcacas. This morning, as the ‘dim temple of the Dawn1’ paled the sky, our red-headed male downy woodpecker announced his return with his...
by Nigel Scotchmer | Mar 25, 2025 | Essays
Neolithic Man’s discovery, Rodin’s insight, and William of Occam’s wisdom Imagine Mankind’s awe, when, for the first time, he watched a rock melt in a fire, and out ran a liquid. When it cooled, he saw it was different, and he called it metal....
by Nigel Scotchmer | Mar 23, 2025 | Essays
I’ve walked many ancient sites, but Troy is different. Homer writes of ‘windy Troy’, and when I stood upon the ruined battlements, looking out toward the sapphire sea, it was constant and strong. I thought of exhausted sailors rowing past Cape Sigeion, and their...
by Zarinaya Hagana | Mar 5, 2025 | Essays
Be skeptical, and think afresh… Flying Fish Services Ltd. The Editor of The Ironist has long asked me for my views on the war in Ukraine. For me it is a long way to Europe – let alone across the Atlantic – as I haven’t left the Black Sea. But sturgeons live...