.....March Madness now refers to the NCAA College Basketball Tournament designed to crown a national champion when all is over. The odds makers in Las Vegas pick Kentucky to win; so will I. Why should I think myself better at choosing a winner than the Las Vegas guys. So, Kentucky it is. But mark this: March 15, 44 B.C. was even more of a March Madness than this basketball tournament. Julius Caesar, who, like Gingrich, wanted to be a King, was warned about the Ides of March, but hubris caught up to him and he was assassinated on the steps of the capitol or whatever it was called back then; who can remember? Even as he was walking up the stairs, a blind seer warned him not to proceed, but Julie did not heed him; nor did he listen to his wife, Clementine; (I'm very bad with names) it's been so long, I don't recall her birth name, but I do like Clementine. At any rate, Caesar did what his wife told him not to do; namely go to the temple that day. She said "At least wait until March 16 when the Ides will be over." See what happens when you don't listen to your wife. And then while hovering over Caesarios body, Mark Antonio addressed the crowd who were on their way to the funeral, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." It's wondrous to think that hearing aids were all the vogue back then, and Mark apparently left his at home. What I write here is the real, honest truth. Shakespeare did not have the advantage of Google to get his facts straight. And I also have the benefit of Wikipedia.
.....Speaking of March Madness, a couple of other things come to mind. Son Joel celebrated his 60th birthday on March 10th. Practically the whole Ross clan was there at the Virginia party, that is: Joel and Barbara Ross, Thelma Ross (my ex) and her boyfriend, Harry, Robin Lee Ross Higgins, Bobby Lou Ross and his girlfriend, Bonny Sue Ross and her husband Don, Adam Nathaniel Ross and his girlfriend, Hannah Ariel Ross and her boyfriend, and Katrina Ross who was 25 on March 20th. And about March Madness, Katrina--Bobby's daughter--is pregnant which augers well for my becoming a great grandfather. I'm not sure what the "great" which precedes "grandfather" means except perhaps to load the kid with money. Of one thing I'm fairly certain; if Katrina sheds a boy there will be no "briss". But since the kid will not be birthed in March, there will be no madness either.
I think you must be right about the name of Julius Caesar's wife: "Oh ma darlin oh ma darlin oh ma darlin Calpurnia" just doesn't scan, does it?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the mighty Ross clan for all its wondrous achievements! Your humble cuzzin, Ruth xxx
If I were a cartoonist (I only do stick figures), I'd be sorely tempted to depict the current state of affairs vis the Ides of March, Republican style. Newt, Rick, Mitt in suitable business toga attire, in a 3 way daisy chain with each being impaled in the back by another, as the enfeebled odd man out looks to them. Caption: "Et tu, Ron?"
ReplyDeleteWarm Regards, Pete Kehrig
For everyone's information, I should tell you that Julius Caesar's last words were in Greek, not Latin! He said "kai su, paidion?" which translates roughly as "You too, kid?" There are actually at least 4 word for "child" in A/Gk: the ones I know are pais, paidion (the 2nd being the diminutive of the 1st,)teknon, and nephios. The last means "not-speaking" and corresponds to "infans" in Latin in meaning precisely. I have thought about why there should be so many. I have decided that it was because the Ancient Greeks considered childhood to be very important, much as we do today. It was during the intervening millennia that this emphasis got lost. Cuzzin Ruth
ReplyDeleteHuh?
ReplyDeleteBaron - the importance of childhood was never underestimated by Jewish people. Nor probably by a lot of other people too, informally. But if you look at mainstream European culture during the Dark Ages, and the mediaeval period, you'll see exactly what I'm telling you. Cuzzin Ruth
ReplyDelete