Beware The Ides of March

Julius Caesar

Nothing to "Beware of..."  nothing to see...Just move along....

Of all the things Shakespeare wrote....that's the phrase everyone remembers best, even if they don't know what it means.

What the heck are IDES anyway?

Glad you asked, because I just looked it up.

According to the old Roman Calendar, they mean nothing more than "the middle of the month." There were "ides" in all the months....usually coinciding with the full moon. (Having spent many years in radio and TV newsrooms listening to police and fire radios....during times of full moons...well, that's another story. But I digress.)

Shakespeare's soothsayer who first warned Julius Caesar about those March Ides (March 15th and the seven days preceeding it) turned out to be right about Caesar's demise, but any self respecting soothsayer today would be advising Americans to "Beware the ides of APRIL!"  That's the 15th of April, when our income taxes are due!

Meanwhile let's enjoy one of the ides of March, on the 12th, at Jimmies of Mint Hill!

Jerry Gaudet Reports:

This month's "LDL" (Let's do lunch) will be held on

Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 11:30 AM

at "Jimmies" in Mint Hill.

Plan to join us. Spread the word far and wide! Invite other classmates to come! Even better, bring someone with you! Be sure YOU, come!

Hope you'll join us. You'll be glad you did!

-JG

(In the midst of the assassination of Julius Caesar, according to Suetonius, the famous Roman historian, Caesar resigned himself to die when he saw Brutus wielding a knife. Based on Suetonius' report, Shakespeare says Caesar turned to Brutus and said "Et tu, Brute," but this is not exactly what Suetonius wrote. Suetonius had written καὶ σὺ τέκνον;, which can be translated "And you too, (my) child?" Since it is widely thought that Brutus could conceivably have been the son of Caesar, Shakespeare's interpretation is well-reasoned.  -Wikipedia)
-Ed