March 19 and, as Sartre said, “well then, let’s get on with it”: jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman born; Frederick III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor; and Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law a bill eliminating the requirement that 25 percent of US currency be backed by gold.

March 20, first day of spring and a good day for literature: Ovid was born and Ibsen too. But a bad day for royalty: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, is excommunicated and, pressured by disconsolate students and an incensed bourgeoisie, Ludwig I, King of Bavaria, resigns.

March 21, and I’ll make it quick: German novelist Jean Paul Friedrich Richter born; French mathematician Fourier too; and, in 1917, Czar Nicholas II and his wife are imprisoned by the provisional Russian government.

Rising to prominence in the 17th century, the Basohli School of painting is particularly known for its vibrant use of color and inventive textural elements — including iridescent beetle carapaces: publicdomainreview.org/collection/bas…

March 22, and Goethe died: "When the spirit of Goethe passed away, all Europe took note of the event, and pondered on those last words, 'Let the light enter.'

COMPACT celebrates its first year of existence today. Subscribe with the discount code "1YEAR" to gain a year of access to all of our member-only content for just $50. compactmag.com/subscribe

March 23, and on this day, in 1837, surgeons at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh were called upon to remove a small brass padlock from the bowels of a woman who had swallowed it "while engaged in some pleasantry." Also, the wonderful botanist John Bartram was born .

March 24, a day for producing "miracle mongers": Houdini was born, and Wilhelm Reich was too.

Every year the Rhodes Center hosts an annual lecture on the ethics (or lack there of) of capitalism. This year we are delighted to have David de Jong author of the fabulous book Nazi Billionaires, deliver this lecture at 4pm EST Tuesday 4th of April. Do join us if you can.

March 30: Maimonides, Goya, Verlaine, and van Gogh all born. Reagan shot by Hinckley, Jr.

Born #onthisday in 1746, the great Spanish artist Francisco de Goya. See his wonderful series of etchings depicting “the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilized society” — buff.ly/3weRfXo #otd

"...it may be that the most sensitive among us are also the most fine-tuned instruments for detecting the toxicity of new technological innovations that the more adaptable and resilient are better able to take for granted." On the brutal nature of AI, from justinehsmith.substack.com/p/gpt-4-is-rea…

It’s late in the day, but it’s still March 31: Octavio Paz and John Fowles born; and the wonderful Civilian Conservation Corps is born too, providing work for more than 3 million unemployed and underemployed people. Strange how we could once do such things…

#OnThisDay in 1815, Indonesia's Mount Tambora erupted: the most powerful in human recorded history. As well as killing 71,000, it led to Europe's "Year Without Summer", climate refugees, and the creation of Shelley's Frankenstein... buff.ly/3miOQX3 #otd

My book now has a face:

The Federal Art Project set out to create a more democratic and enlightened America -- and it's the topic of my latest post: theausteritykitchen.substack.com/p/art-could-ha…

My upcoming book Why Fast? got a nice mention in The Bookseller, which, I believe, is the British equivalent of Publishers Weekly. It's gated, though: thebookseller.com/login?Login=In…

Happy to see my book featured on this reading list from Food Waste Solutions

I was on TRE Talk Radio Europe early this morning (or afternoon, depending on where you are) talking about fasting:

Appeared today on Linda Pelaccio 's wonderful show, A Taste of the Past, to discuss Why Fast? Check it out: heritageradionetwork.org/episode/contor…