Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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How Theatre Helps Develop Essential Life Skills
Theatre is often perceived as merely an art form or a means of entertainment. However, my personal experiences in theatre during high school and college have taught me invaluable lessons that have shaped me into a better professional and leader. The skills I acquired through theatre have been invaluable in my journey as a successful…
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March 20th – 47 Ronin
The 47 Ronin, Warriors of Ako, committed seppuku on this day, March 20. The story began in 1701, when the Lord of Ako, Asano Nagamori, attacked the Chief of Protocol, Lord Kira within the grounds of Edo Castle, for which he was ordered to commit seppuku. Asano’s lands at Ako (now part of Hyogo Prefecture)…
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New rules around Special Purpose Acquisition Companies
The recent SEC rule changes for SPACs have sparked conversations across the investment landscape. While some view them as a blow to these “blank check companies,” I, like many others, remain optimistic about the future of SPACs as a valuable tool for entering the public market. The new focus on enhanced disclosures and stricter projection…
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The Last Samurai
While I am a big fan of the film, the last samurai, while watching it, there were a lot of parallels between history and real life, I was curious about the link and dug a little further. The Meji restoration in Japan was an interesting historical point in Japan’s history. The story of the last…
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Getting Inked? The history of Tattoos
In 1961, it officially became illegal to give someone a tattoo in New York City. But Thom deVita didn’t let this new restriction deter him from inking people. This ban existed till 1997. What is the earliest evidence of tattoos? In terms of tattoos on actual bodies, the earliest known examples were for a long…
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What is a Hamburger?
The hamburger is one of the world’s most popular foods, with nearly 50 billion served up annually in the United States alone. Although the humble beef-patty-on-a-bun is technically not much more than 100 years old, it’s part of a far greater lineage, linking American businessmen, World War II soldiers, German political refugees, medieval traders and…
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Window Tax- aka- Daylight Robbery
It was interesting to learn about the etymology of “Daylight Robbery”- it really prompted me to dig deeper. When William III was short of money, which he attempted to rectify by the introduction of the much-despised Window Tax. As the name suggests, this was a tax levied on the windows or window-like openings of a…
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How the Swiss Ruled Chocolate
I came across this exercpt from a very interseting article. You can read the article here: The Unfinished Dream Behind Amul’s Foray into the Chocolate Industry (thewire.in) Theobroma Cocoa, food of the gods, had been consumed in Latin America since the Aztec and Mayan times in liquid form, it was the making of the…
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Salary = Salt
A while ago I heard about the history of the word “Salary” being linked to Salt, and so I checked it out- Well – Being so valuable, soldiers in the Roman army were sometimes paid with salt instead of money. Their monthly allowance was called “salarium” (“sal” being the Latin word for salt). This Latin root…
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Searching for John Doe
Originally, John Doe was a sham name used to indicate any plaintiff in an action of ejectment (a legal action to regain property) in civil court. Richard Roe was the counterpart, to indicate the defendant. These fake names were used in delicate legal matters, a practice that was abolished in English law in 1852. Since…
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