The loss of a great love. The post “I’ve never admitted that”: The musician who broke Stevie Nicks’ heart the most first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

“Stripped: The U.S. and Israel’s Blow to Xi’s Strategy,” editorial cartoon by Shaomin Li for The American Spectator on March 4, 2026.

If reviews are any indication, one Mexican chain is unfortunately failing at the most essential task of all: serving consistently good chips and salsa.

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by Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D., Childrens Health Defense: Wireless radiation from power lines and tablets may increase children’s risk of central nervous system tumors, according to a peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Research. Central nervous system tumors, such as gliomas, are the “second most common childhood cancer,” the authors wrote in their report. The wireless radiation […]

by Rhoda Wilson, Expose News: For years, debates over hate speech laws have been framed as moral disputes about civility and protection. Increasingly, however, they are becoming legal and political battles over the limits of “free” expression in democratic societies. A report by the Future of Free Speech project, titled The Free Speech Recession Hits Home, […]

from Mark Dice: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

Unconventional, but irresistible. READ MORE...

  The Rosetta Stone is part of a larger ancient Egyptian stele. It measures around 44 inches tall, just under 30 inches wide, and around 11 inches thick. It weighs roughly 1,680 pounds and is made of granodiorite—a speckled, coal-colored, igneous rock. It was later repurposed as building material and lodged in one of Fort Julien’s walls in Rosetta (modern Rashid) in the Nile Delta. During Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt (1798 to 1801), French soldiers were fortifying this citadel when Captain Pierre François Bouchard found the stone by chance on July 15th, 1799. A moment of serendipity that would change history!   Inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone Bronze coin of Ptolemy V. Source: National Library, Paris, France   The Rosetta Stone itself contains only the lower part of a formal government decree. It is a proclamation by the priests of Memphis in 196 BCE. It commemorates and affirms the 9th year since Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes’s official coming of age and crowning. It would have been placed in an Egyptian temple in the region. This was common practice in ancient times.   The decree lists his contributions to the temples and priesthood, and mandates that his birthday be celebrated annually with processions and festivals. It also formally declares his divine status—a hallmark of Egyptian rulership.   The inscription held the stone’s true magic. It features three different ancient scripts: 54 lines of ancient Greek, 32 lines of Demotic Egyptian script, and 14 lines of Egyptian hieroglyphic script.   Ostraca with Demotic script via Field Museum, Chicago, IL, USA, by Paul Burley. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Ancient Greek was the language of the ruling Ptolemaic Dynasty and was widely understood by scholars when the Rosetta Stone was found. Demotic cursive script evolved from the more complicated Hieratic cursive script, which in turn had evolved from Egyptian hieroglyphs for everyday writing and administrative purposes. It was not fully understood or translated at the time of the Rosetta Stone discovery, and its relationship to hieroglyphs was by no means appreciated yet.   Hieroglyphs on an obelisk in Luxor. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Egypt’s sacred, formal, and symbolic hieroglyphs date back to around 3200 BCE. Early scholars had long (incorrectly) believed these images held secret meanings or magical powers, not language. It had remained totally unreadable for centuries.   As soon as scholars realized the Rosetta Stone held three versions of the same text, they saw the enormous potential of the stone for decoding the ancient Egyptian scripts. If they could match phrases and names across them using the known ancient Greek as an anchor, they could finally decode the unknown writing.   Lithographic prints and casts of the stone inscriptions were sent across Europe. This enabled scholars to study the inscriptions remotely, fast-tracking efforts to decode the texts. Even before the term existed, this was the real beginning of modern Egyptology.   Thomas Young: British Scientist and Linguist Portrait of British scholar Thomas Young. Source: Wikimedia Commons   A truly brilliant Renaissance thinker, Thomas Young, was a British physician, physicist, and linguist. He famously conducted the double-slit experiment in 1801, proving that light behaves as a wave, not just as a stream of particles. This shook the foundations of physics! He was also known for introducing Young’s modulus in 1807. It quantifies a material’s elasticity under stress and has become foundational in materials science.   Young’s Hieroglyph Decipherment Contributions Rosetta Stone, 196 BCE. Source: The British Museum   Young began studying the Rosetta Stone in 1814, after taking a keen interest in ancient Egypt’s history. He pored over copies of the stone, identifying cartouches in the hieroglyphs. He matched the name “Ptolemy” in the Greek text, giving him a working hypothesis that the symbols inside the cartouche must represent the sounds of that name. Then he isolated individual hieroglyphs and assigned phonetic values to them. He proposed sounds for 13 hieroglyphs.   Turning to Demotic script, he began comparing the shapes and sequences of its signs to those of hieroglyphs. He noticed that many Demotic characters were simplified versions of hieroglyphs. He looked at how signs were grouped and used in context, observing that specific ones appeared repeatedly where specific Greek words showed up. This helped him infer their meanings.   He compiled a list of over 200 Demotic signs and symbols. He also studied grammatical structures to explain more about how the language worked. He largely concluded his work on decoding the Rosetta Stone inscriptions in 1819. He published his findings, including a tentative alphabet, anonymously in the Encyclopaedia Britannica that year. He also suggested that Demotic was a simplified form of hieroglyphs.   Genius Jean-Francois Champollion Portrait of Jean-François Champollion, by Léon Cogniet, 1831. Source: Wikimedia Commons   A child prodigy, by age five, Jean-François Champollion had taught himself to grasp the phonetic system of written language. He had already mastered Latin, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Chaldean as a teenager. He was also fluent in Coptic (a descendant language of ancient Egyptian). He was appointed professor of history and politics at the Royal College of Grenoble, France, in 1809, at age 19.   Bas relief cartouche of Thutmose II from the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut housed in the Neues Museum, 1480 BCE, Berlin. Source: Wikimedia Commons   As a French philologist, historian, orientalist, and linguist, he started building upon Young’s Rosetta Stone hieroglyph decipherment work in 1820.   He compared the Greek and hieroglyphic texts line by line. He focused on proper names that appeared in both texts, like “Ptolemy” and “Cleopatra,” enclosed in cartouches. As he identified the cartouches’ Greek equivalents, he began assigning phonetic values to individual hieroglyphic signs. He was able to isolate recurring symbols and test hypotheses about their sound values using this comparative method. He counted over 1,419 hieroglyphic signs on the stone, far more than the 486 Greek words.   Sahidic Coptic script papyrus, 6th-7th century CE. Source: Wikimedia Commons   By matching the Rosetta Stone hieroglyphs to Coptic vocabulary, Champollion could infer their phonetic values. For example, when analyzing the name Ptolemy, he saw that the hieroglyphs for “P” and “T” corresponded to Coptic sounds. He extended this methodology to other cartouches and began building a phonetic inventory. Thus, he concluded that the script was a hybrid system of phonetic, ideographic, and determinative elements, and not purely symbolic.   He constructed a hieroglyphic alphabet using the phonetic values he had identified. He successfully extracted symbols for a, ai, e, k, l, m, o, p, r, s, and t. He also went on to develop a grammar system, identifying uniliteral signs (one sound), biliteral and triliteral signs (two or three sounds). He classified determinatives, the non-phonetic signs that clarified meaning, for example, a symbol for “place” added after a city name.   Champollion’s Breakthrough Richly illustrated funerary papyrus of Nany from the Book of Amduat, 1050 BCE. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York   Champollion’s most groundbreaking insight was that hieroglyphs could also represent native Egyptian words. This contradicted Young’s earlier assumption that phonetic hieroglyphs were limited to non-Egyptian names. He successfully read pre-Ptolemaic cartouches like Ramesses, Thutmose, and Sheshonq by applying his phonetic system for Egyptian names with no Greek equivalents.   Champollion successfully decoded Egyptian hieroglyphs in 1822. Legend has it that on September 14th, he burst into his brother’s office in Paris shouting “Je tiens l’affaire!”—“I’ve got it!”—before fainting from pure elation!   He published his findings that year in the Lettre à M. Dacier and expanded them in 1824 in his Précis du système hiéroglyphique. These works were the foundation for Egyptian grammar and syntax and allowed scholars to read full sentences and understand context.   British and French Decipherment Rivalry and Recognition Grandiorite statue of Hetep covered in hieroglyphs on display at the Louvre Museum, Paris. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Nationalistic tensions between French and British scientists created hype around the race to decipher the Rosetta Stone hieroglyphs. Young felt Champollion did not credit him enough, but Champollion’s fame far outweighed Young’s early work.   Beautifully carved hieroglyphs on the walls of Karnak Temple, Egypt. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Champollion is hailed by some as the father of Egyptology because his hieroglyph decipherment enabled the reading of thousands of temple, tomb, and scroll inscriptions. This revealed ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, daily life, historical events, and a treasure trove of information about this advanced ancient civilization.   The breakthrough started European Egyptomania—the intense fascination and enthusiasm for ancient Egyptian culture that swept through Europe after the decipherment. Droves of scholars and adventurers flocked to Egypt on archaeological expeditions to uncover and collect artifacts firsthand. Museums across Europe rapidly expanded their Egyptian collections with hieroglyph-covered statues, mummies, papyri, and other objects.   Egyptology Expands Into a Scholarly Discipline Diabase relief showing the royal titulary of Pharaoh Nectanebo I via the Museo Civico Archeologico, Bologna, Italy, 382-360 BCE. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Following Champollion’s breakthrough, Egyptology rapidly evolved from speculative archaeology into a formal and specific academic field.   By the mid-19th century, French researcher Emmanuel de Rougé produced grammars and annotated translations that clarified early dynastic history. This included royal titularies, successions, and temple administration. He also shed light on religious literature by decoding funerary texts, rituals, and theological concepts surrounding the afterlife.   Portrait of British Egyptologist Samuel Birch, 1870-85. Source: Wikimedia Commons   In England, British Egyptologist Samuel Birch systematically cataloged thousands of artifacts and recorded inscriptions in the Egyptian collections of the British Museum between 1836 to 1885. He was Keeper of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum during that period. He created an invaluable foundational reference archive for scholars.   British Egyptologist Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie introduced controlled, scientifically recorded excavations in 1880. He used stratigraphic analysis to study soil layers and artifact placement. He also developed a cultural chronology to date objects based on their style and archaeological context. This helped establish archaeology as a rigorous scientific discipline within Egyptology and earned Petrie the title of father of Egyptian archaeology.   Institutions like the Egypt Exploration Fund (founded in 1882) supported Petrie and other archaeologists’ fieldwork and publication. Formal academic training in Egyptology began at the University College London in the early 1900s. Academic programs in the subject had spread to other institutions in Europe and the US by the 1920s and 1930s.   Portrait of American Egyptologist James Henry Breasted. Source: Wikimedia Commons   In 1894, James Henry Breasted became the first American to earn a PhD in Egyptology. He led expeditions to Egypt and Nubia between 1905 and 1907. He published Ancient Records of Egypt in 1906. It is a monumental five-volume translation of hieroglyphic inscriptions that became the basis for modern historical analysis of pharaonic texts.   In 1919, Breasted founded the Oriental Institute, with a dedicated Egyptology division, at the University of Chicago. He began his Epigraphic Survey in 1924 to produce accurate copies of temple inscriptions to preserve deteriorating texts for future generations.   Today, Egyptology is a multidisciplinary field. Universities across Europe and North America offer specialized degrees.   Enduring Impact of the Rosetta Stone Philae Obelisk with ancient Greek and hieroglyphic inscriptions on display at Kingston Lacy Estate, England. Source: Wikimedia Commons   No additional parts of the Rosetta Stone have ever been found. But three other fragmentary copies of the same decree—known as the Decree of Memphis since the Rosetta Stone decipherment—have since been located. These include: the Nubayrah Stele found near Damanhur in 1891; the Philae Obelisk, discovered in 1815 at the Temple of Isis in Philae; and a less complete stela from Elephantine Island likely found in the late 19th century. These helped scholars reconstruct missing portions of the Rosetta Stone and confirm its content.   The name “Rosetta Stone” is used as a universal metaphor for solving complex systems. It established the approach of comparing parallel texts, which has become the blueprint for comparative linguistics. The Rosetta Stone remains the most visited object in the British Museum. Its continued display in London has drawn repeated appeals from Egypt for its return.

  In the early days of the Roman Republic, the main Roman army found itself surrounded, leaving the city of Rome itself vulnerable to defeat. In a state of panic, the Senate initiated an emergency clause in the new constitution. They appointed Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus as dictator with unlimited powers for six months to end the crisis. Cincinnatus rescued the army and restored stability to Rome. Immediately after, he resigned his position as dictator and left unlimited political power to quietly work on his farm.   Quick Facts About Cincinnatus Fact Detail Full name Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus Born ca. 519 BCE Family son-Caeso Quinctius Title Made consul in 460 BCE Role Made dictator of Rome in 458 BCE and supposedly again in 439 BCE. Achievements Rescued a consular army trapped by the Aequi tribe in the Alban Hills and (supposedly) checked the monarchical ambitions of Spurius Maelius. Legacy Praised as the embodiment of civic virtue for resigning his dictatorship and returning to his farm. His example would later influence George Washington.   The Beginnings of the Roman Republic Cicero Denounces Catiline, by Cesare Maccari, 1880. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Palazzo Madama (Italian Senate), Rome   Ancient Rome began as a small kingdom. According to tradition, after the founding of Rome, seven kings ruled the city until 509 BCE. In 509, the last king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, was overthrown and a republic established.   The reasoning behind the new Roman Republic was to have checks and balances on the government to prevent a return to authoritarian rule by kings. The highest level of power in the new government consisted of leadership by two consuls, which prevented either one from seizing power. The people of Rome voted yearly in elections.   In practice, however, there were limitations on participation in the Roman government: only free male citizens could vote. An advisory government body called the Senate, not elected, came to dominate Roman politics.   Roman Forum, by Anonymous, 17th century. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City   Early on, only the nobility could hold office. These noble Romans, called patricians, ran the Senate, as well as the elected bodies of government. The lower-class plebeians were effectively denied participation in Roman politics. Only over time did plebeians achieve a share of political power.   Further limitations on republican government could only be invoked by the Senate in times of crisis or emergency. In these situations, the Senate could vote to suspend government officials and replace them with what they termed a dictator. The dictator was one man who had unlimited power over the state for up to six months. After these six months, the law required the dictator to hand power back to the people.   This Roman city-state was fragile in the first few years. When a major crisis occurred, it wasn’t clear if the new republican form of government could survive and emerge intact. Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus emerged into public life during this period.   Early Life of Cincinnatus Cincinnatus Leaves to Become Consul, by Cornelis Cels, c. 1802. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Museum of Fine Arts Ghent   Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was born around 519 BCE into an old patrician family. His education consisted of learning the classics, governance, and military strategy. This prepared him for roles in public life. Indeed, Roman traditions emphasized duty and honor in the young man.   During Cincinnatus’ early life, the Roman Republic was full of political tensions and social strife. The primary internal conflict was the power struggle between the patricians and plebeians.   In 494 BCE, the plebeians of ancient Rome first went on strike to protest mistreatment and lack of political rights by the patricians. Known as the First Secession, a general strike was called, and the plebeians marched out of Rome.   The action led to negotiations and resulted in concessions to the plebeians in the form of political representation with the creation of the Tribunes of the Plebs. Interestingly, it appears that the staunch patrician Cincinnatus married a plebeian woman named Racilia, which was unusual for an aristocrat in that period.   Statue of Cincinnatus at his plough in Cincinnati, Ohio, photograph by Chris Light, 2009. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Much of our information about Cincinnatus comes from the Roman historian Livy. Livy mentions Cincinnatus in his History of Rome, written hundreds of years later, around the beginning of the Roman imperial period under Emperor Augustus.   Livy first introduces Cincinnatus in relation to his son, Caeso Quinctius. Caeso was known for tormenting the plebeians, often chasing them and their representatives, the Tribunes, out of public forums. Roman authorities eventually arrested Caeso and prosecuted him.   Cincinnatus defended his son at the trial, but the court ordered him to pay an enormous sum after his son fled Rome. The costly trial left Cincinnatus financially in debt. He went back to his farm to earn more income. During these years, Cincinnatus was elected for a one-year term as consul, which he served before retiring to his farm.   Military Crisis Dictatorship Offered to Cincinnatus by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1725-1729. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia   Since its founding, Rome had been fighting with neighboring cities and tribes. The kings of Rome had constantly been at war, and so too was the Republic. One rival faction was the Aequi tribe located in central Italy.   In 458, a Roman army under the consul Lucius Minucius Esquilinus Augurinus marched out of Rome to meet the Aequi. However, these forces soon found themselves surrounded by their enemy on Mount Algidus, in the Alban Hills. The other consul proved ineffective at relieving the trapped soldiers. Rome was vulnerable.   In a panic, the Senate convened and agreed to appoint a dictator as a last resort to save the Republic. The assembly decided to appoint Cincinnatus and sent out a delegation to tell the former consul.   According to Livy, Cincinnatus was on his farm ploughing a field when the delegation approached. Cincinnatus listened intently as the Senate’s representatives described the emergency and the dangers that Rome faced. With some hesitation, Cincinnatus accepted the appointment and then followed the delegation back into the city.   Ruins of the Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum, built early 5th century BC. Source: Humboldt University of Berlin   As dictator with unlimited power, Cincinnatus took charge immediately. He first ordered a suspension of all private and public business, with all shops told to close. Next, he requested all military age men in Rome to report to the Campus Martius (a floodplain of the Tiber River used as a military exercise ground) fully armed and ready for battle.   With his new army, Cincinnatus marched out to rescue the trapped Roman soldiers from the Aequi siege. Livy describes the action in some detail. In a very short campaign, Cincinnatus charged the Aequi lines, dismantling the siege and forcing their surrender.   Just 16 days later, Cincinnatus returned with the spoils of battle and received a triumphal procession through Rome. Immediately, the dictator resigned his position, giving power back to the people of Rome, and left politics to work on his farm once again.   A Second Crisis Roman Soldier by Khaerr, 2008. Source: Wikimedia Commons   According to the story, Cincinnatus was pulled away from his plow again in 439 BCE. This time, the crisis came in the form of the so-called Maelius controversy.   Over the previous year, a famine had plagued Rome. The Senate seemed incapable of supplying enough grain for the people. They appointed the former consul Minucius, whose surrounded army led to the first dictatorship, to distribute grain, but the famine continued.   Many Romans believed that a wealthy plebeian named Spurius Maelius had bought large amounts of wheat outside Rome. The fear was that Maelius would then sell cheap wheat to the people or even give it to them for free to win them over to his political ambitions. The patricians of Rome, including the Senate, worried that Maelius wanted to seize power and reign as a new king.   Another delegation from the Senate traveled to Cincinnatus’ farm to relay the message that he was appointed dictator again. In his new position, Cincinnatus immediately called for Maelius to appear before him in Rome to explain his actions, but Maelius refused the request.   Cincinnatus Chosen as Dictator, by Francesco Giovanni Romanelli, ca. 1625-1650. Source: Louvre Museum, Paris   It’s not clear whether Cincinnatus ordered the arrest of Maelius or commanded him to be put to death. One account suggests that an attempt to arrest the plebeian failed, and the struggle killed Maelius. Afterwards, Roman authorities sold Maelius’ personal possessions and distributed them to public funds for grain distribution.   According to Livy, Cincinnatus addressed the people regarding the death of Maelius. He stated that even if the wealthy plebeian was not guilty of trying to be king, his refusal to show himself after being summoned was a capital offense. His mission accomplished, Cincinnatus once again resigned his position and returned home to his farm.   Are the Stories About Cincinnatus True? Bust of Roman Historian Livy by Andrea Briosco, late 15th century. Source: Wikimedia Commons/National Museum in Warsaw   Modern historians debate whether there was a real person named Cincinnatus and whether the legends about his life are true. Unfortunately, similar to the early kings, the early Roman Republic lacks extensive written source material. However, Cincinnatus was most likely a real person who wielded political power.   On the other hand, many of the written accounts of the dictator, such as that by Livy, came centuries later. Livy’s writing often combined moral lessons and commentary with historical accounts. For instance, Livy presents the victory of Cincinnatus over the Aequi in 458 as overwhelming. However, Livy goes on to note that the Aequi continued to threaten Rome for several years after the win.   The specific details of Cincinnatus’ life remain obscure and mysterious. However, the influence of the statesman in Roman society was prominent throughout history and folklore. Many politicians sought positive comparisons with Cincinnatus.   It is important to note that while accounts portrayed Cincinnatus as a virtuous law-abiding citizen, he was not a populist. As a patrician, he symbolized the nobility and their natural right to rule. There were no known efforts by Cincinnatus to improve the political status of the plebeians.   Even less is known about Cincinnatus’s son, Caeso. Livy’s moral descriptions of Caeso are mixed. Evidently, the younger man caused many legal and financial headaches for his powerful father.   A Greek historian named Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who lived in the first century BCE, also mentioned Cincinnatus. Dionysius was a contemporary of Livy and witnessed the transition of Rome from a republic to an empire. Similar to Livy, Dionysius praised Cincinnatus as a model of civic virtue with his idealistic, selfless devotion to the Roman Republic.   Statue of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus in the Tuileries Gardens, Paris, photograph by Rudy Hertzog. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus died around 430 BCE. According to legend, he played a significant role in Rome’s early history. More importantly, people remembered Cincinnatus for his willingness to relinquish power and return to civilian life.   This tribute was in stark contrast to later Roman leaders, such as Julius Caesar, who appointed himself dictator for life. When 18th-century George Washington retired to civilian life on his farm after two terms as president of the new United States of America, positive comparisons to Cincinnatus prevailed.