The Origin of the Rule With an Iron First Idiom

September 17, 2025August 18, 2025Leave a comment

The phrase “rule with an iron fist” is often associated with Germany, when a knight lost his hand in a sword fight and was given a prosthetic which was taken from a suit of armor. This iron replacement not only restored Götz von Berlichingen zu Hornberg’s physical presence but also became a symbol of his unyielding authority and harsh governance. Although the phrase itself likely originated in early 17th century England, the image of the iron hand gained symbolic power through Berlichingen’s legacy. Over time, the image of the iron fist came to represent a style of leadership marked by authoritarian control, discipline, and often fear, in which decisions were made with little tolerance for dissent or protestment. Berlichingen zu Hornberg’s reputation for ruling with uncompromising strength helped drive the iron fist phrasing into common use, eventually evolving into the idiom used during the modern day to describe political leaders who maintain power through rigid enforcement and authoritarian tactics

The Reason Residents of Western Countries Struggle More Than Residents of Eastern Countries to Maintain a Healthy Body Mass Index

January 31, 2024December 12, 2024Leave a comment

The average person in an industrialized country takes in 50% of the amount of fiber which they need, with this intake increasing in more impoverished nations which do not have access to high fat, low fiber food resourecs, as diets are primarily plant and animal based in indigent states, with very few processed foods being consumed. This is one of the most influential reasons as to why western countries, specifically in terms of culture (e.g. the U.S., the U.K., Australia etc.) typically posess larger, more unhealthy populations than their eastern counterparts. It should be noted, obesity does not have a singular causation other than over consumption and increasing ones fiber intake should be considered as a single step upon the long and winding path of human health and wellness

The Medical Technology of the International Space Station

January 24, 2024January 6, 2024Leave a comment

The International Space Station has a laboratory referred to as “Microflow1” which is no bigger than a toaster and analyzes blood, urine, and saliva to create an instant analysis of what is ailing an astronaut. These results and sent down to Earth in real time so that a physician can review the analysis. Microflow1 uses fiber optic technology to look for everything from high cholesterol to cancer

The Etymology of “Seal Team 6”

December 6, 2023December 2, 20242 Comments

When former U.S. Naval Commander Richard Marcinko developed the concept of the U.S. Navy Component of the Joint Special Operations Command Seal Team 6, it was only himself and another person he had recruited personally. The specific intent of this decision was designed to cause enemy combatants to become confounded as to where the 4 additional members of the 6 person team were located after a mission had successfully been accomplished or discovered, failed, and aborted (e.g. enemy combatant discovering evidence of tampering with equipment therefore reviewing security footage etc.). This purposeful misdirection of information has proven to be an incredibly beneficial strategic tactic for the U.S. military as the psychology of war at its core is primarily the withholding of true information and the spread of false propaganda

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May 21, 2021October 23, 2023Leave a comment

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The Ancient Roman Mile

November 19, 2018November 17, 2025Leave a comment

The Ancient Roman mile was 1481 meters in length. The Ancient Roman’s believed that walking 2 of these Ancient Roman miles constituted the perfect amount of exercise needed by the body on a daily basis

The Rationale For the Iconic Green Color of the U.S. Military

November 9, 2018November 7, 2025Leave a comment

The decision of the United States military to design equipment with its iconic green shade was made during the 19th century. It was during this time that European chemists developed a new type of paint which could rustproof iron. This new creation happened to be green which is why the U.S. military continues to use that particular shade. Technology has long allowed for the advent of rustproofing materials in any color imaginable but because the color originally used works well with camouflage, it is still in use

Shipping Freighters Flying Flags of Convenience

October 22, 2018April 22, 2023Leave a comment

The flags flown atop ships are also known as a “flag of convenience” as the owners of shipping companies and shipping vessels often fly a flag different from that of their own nationality or where their business is headquartered. Nations have 19 kilometers of territorial water which is considered part of their land, 322 kilometers of an exclusive economic zone in which countries can pull in ships for inspection and seize their goods or extract resources from the sea bed, and the high seas which belong to nobody. Ships are subject to the laws of the country of the flag they fly however most Greek, Japanese, Chinese, and German ships are registered in Panama, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, or Mongolia, slipping away from the laws of their country of origin, a move which can be very financially rewarding. Doing so allows companies to dodge taxes, safety standards and requirements, labor codes, and minimum wages. This method can reduce shipping costs by up to 65%. Countries promote the efficacy of flying their flag at large gatherings in an attempt to entice large shipping magnets into utilizing their flag which is a mutually beneficial endeavor as the country on the flag gets to collect taxes for its development and the company using the flag gets to save a lot of money, funds which would have been paid out in higher tax brackets had they used the flag of a wealthier nation. On top of all of these perks, most flags of convenience guarantee anonymity to their clients which helps ensure the entire industry is difficult to track and regulate

The Vancouver, Canada Housing Market and the Greater Fool Theory

October 16, 2018October 15, 2025Leave a comment

The Fraser Valley is the fastest growing suburb in Canada. The housing market in Vancouver, British Columbia is by far the most expensive in Canada, even more so than in Toronto, Ontario which for a long time was the most destabilized market in Canada. The most expensive region of Vancouver to live in is West Vancouver. 65% of residents of Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Area which includes the Fraser Valley are homeowners. Fundamentally, the Vancouver housing market is easy and cheap income, and from that, lots of it. The chasing of returns on a speculative basis has no basis in reality in terms of what an assets (e.g. a physical property) true valuation is but it is justified on the notion that it does not matter what a buyer pays now, as another buyer will pay more in the future. This is referred to as the “Greater Fool theory” in that the next person will cover the cost of the last person. This model is for obvious reasons unsustainable

The First Ancient Greek Polymath

October 12, 2018October 10, 2025Leave a comment

The Ancient Greek philosopher Thales, considered the world’s first philosopher by Aristotle, used geometry to calculate the distance of ships from the shoreline, the height of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, was the first person to predict a solar eclipse, and posited a cause for earthquakes. Thales perceived that the earth floated upon water like a giant raft which of course was wrong, but his scientific inquiry into the reasons as to why things occur rather than attributing it to the god’s was the first glimmering scintillation of a revolutionary way of thinking. Thales inspired more great minds like Pythagoras who developed the concept that numbers and mathematics could explain the universe, and Hippocrates who developed an ethical code for practicing medicine

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The Origin of the Rule With an Iron First Idiom

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The Reason Residents of Western Countries Struggle More Than Residents of Eastern Countries to Maintain a Healthy Body Mass Index

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The Medical Technology of the International Space Station

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The Etymology of “Seal Team 6”

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The Ancient Roman Mile

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The Rationale For the Iconic Green Color of the U.S. Military

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Shipping Freighters Flying Flags of Convenience

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The Vancouver, Canada Housing Market and the Greater Fool Theory

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The First Ancient Greek Polymath

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