By James Aitchison The final two words of Omar Khayyam’s famous poem The Rubaiyat are inextricably linked with Australia’s most bizarre murder investigation. The Tamam Shud Case, often called the Somerton Man Mystery, presents a tangled thread of clues and…
By: Saunak Mookerjee Satya Chandra Mukerji was an undisputed leader among the Indian Members of the High Court Bar on the criminal side. He was a lawyer of great ability, experience, and learning and possessed amazing memory. He was well…
By James Aitchison Thomas Ince was the “Father of the Western” and made 800 silent movies. He pioneered the disciplined, assembly-line system of movie making. He was the first man who produced more than one film a week. He built…
By James Aitchison Once revered for its convenience, plastic is becoming a curse. Certainly, it was a curse for its inventor. He died a lonely eccentric, bitterly at war with his son. His wealth then became a curse for his…
By: James Aitchison Water: colourless, slippery, life-giving, eternal. Deserts: dry, gritty, hostile, awesome. Both the blue and desert humanities have diverse, textured relationships with humans. Why are we so drawn to both? From vast, turbulent oceans to the local fountain…
By James Aitchison Being branded a traitor is bad enough, but having your name used to describe one is another matter entirely. Today, dictionaries define a “quisling” as a traitor who collaborates with an enemy force occupying their country. Many…
By James Aitchison Psychotherapy and hypnosis had a strange genesis: the absurd quackery of Dr Franz Anton Mesmer. Like phrenology — the so-called science of reading lumps and bumps on someone’s head to determine their character — Mesmer’s theories would…
By James Aitchison When Hollywood was simply a dusty backwater of fledgling studios and orchards, and Los Angeles an uncultured outpost, America’s film capital was New York City. The great Broadway theatrical stars were simply a taxi ride away. Even…
By James Aitchison They called phrenology a science, but it was pure quackery, a pseudoscience that tragically labelled thousands of innocent people as criminals or mentally defective. By running their hands over a person’s skull and judging its shape and…
By: Christopher Johnson Glacial Park Conservation Area in McHenry County, Illinois–some 45 miles northwest of Chicago–is a stunning example of the Midwestern landscape. In the space of 3,400 acres, you hike through a restored prairie and past a bog and…