POTD: Three Views of the Colosseum

From 2024 12 22 Rome

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Colosseum in Rome. According to Wikipedia, "It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world, despite its age. Construction began under the Emperor Vespasian (r. 69-79 AD) in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir, Titus (r. 79-81)." The Arch of Titus is near the Colosseum. So, two of the most memorable buildings in ancient Rome today are connected to the emperor Titus, whose reign lasted only two years.

Two bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Arch of Titus

From 2024 12 22 Rome

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Arch of Titus in Rome. I've seen photos of this arch in travel books and history books my whole life, but I've never learned its own history. It's a history that reverberates down to today's headlines.

More text and a bonus photo are after the jump.

Exterritorial (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Exterritorial (2025): German. Mildly entertaining action thriller. Ex-soldier with PTSD hunts for her young son who vanishes inside a US consulate where the whole movie takes place. The plot is full of convenient occurrences and unexplained elements. C+

Netflix

Book Review: South of the Border, West of the Sun

From South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami:

Amazon

"We were, the two of us, still fragmentary beings, just beginning to sense the presence of an unexpected, to-be-acquired reality that would fill us and make us whole. We stood before a door we’d never seen before. The two of us alone, beneath a faintly flickering light, our hands tightly clasped together for a fleeting ten seconds of time."

Black Sails S01 (TV 2014)

Rotten Tomatoes

Black Sails S01 (TV 2014): A prequel to Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, with pirates, prostitutes, Spanish treasure, and sea battles. It took me a few episodes to figure out all the characters. There's more gratuitous sex and violence than in the books. C+

Netflix

#VeryTardyReview