Ryan Smith > Recent Status Updates

Unintentional funny line of the book: "The early third century brought classical jurisprudence to its peak with such great jurists as Papinian, Ulpian, and Paul."

"The momentum of the railroad regulation fight and the meat inspection amendment propelled the passage of a third important bill - the Pure Food and Drug Act - producing a historic session of congressional reform. Crusaders like Dr. Harvey Wiley, chief chemist in the Department of Agriculture, had battled unsuccessfully for over a decade to secure federal legislation requiring proper labels on food and drugs."

On the triumph of Aurelian in 270:

But every eye, disregarding the crowd of captives, was fixed on the emperor Tetricus and the queen of the East. The former, as well as his son, whom he had created Augustus, was dressed in Gallic trowsers*, a saffron tunic, and a robe of purple.

*The use of braccae, breeches, or trousers, was still considered in Italy as a Gallic and barbarian fashion.

“And to the far north were a people who did not believe that Oceanos’ river circled the earth, but instead it was a great girdling serpent, thick around as a boat and always hungry. It could never be still, for its appetite drove it ever onwards, devouring everything bite by bite, and one day when it had eaten all the world, it would devour itself.”

Jörmungandr reference!

Let's see how this goes. I am not super impressed thus far? But it's reading really quickly so that's something.

My bullshit detector is off the charts thus far.