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Ancient codes, or sets of laws, have been written down since around 2000 BC.  Many of these laws were harsh and would be seen as barbaric compared to our current laws, but many of them were actually just as compassionate and fair, and sometimes moreso, than the laws we have now. 10.  Animal Rights The [...]

The image of the knight holds a particular fascination in the modern imagination as the embodiment of the independent warrior, privileged member of society, romantic adventurer, backbone of medieval armies, and a station notionally accessible by the lowest classes through dutiful service and hard work. He is at once the hero and the underdog, with [...]

After an interesting response from my, “Top 10 Reasons not to live in California” list, we now turn our attention to other spots around the nation that one might not want to call home. Moving all the way across the country to the east coast, we find one of the original states of the great [...]

The practice of binding books in human skin, also known as anthropodermic bibliopegy, is not just the stuff of dark legends and horror fiction.  It was a real technique which, although frowned upon and considered ghastly by today’s standards, was officially practiced since the 17th century.  The technique gained considerable popularity during the French Revolution and among [...]

Crime does not pay, so the old saying goes, but take a look at the top ten crimes in the world today and the amounts involved and you have to admit why some decide it is far too lucrative to be bad. There are some illegal activities you will not find surprising, such as the [...]

Let’s face it; in a world that is heavily reliant upon technology, especially the Internet, none of us are entirely safe from running into an online scam. There are literally thousands of them, and even though you may consider yourself “e-smart,” the people who set up these scams may be looking to target those who [...]

The internet is truly the wave of the future for all people, but then we have to include scammers and “matchstick men” into that equation. Scammers have used the same “patterns of hustle” since antiquity, but now they’ve taken a new form: a virtual one. There’s almost no greater way to bilk someone out of [...]