Nero was a Lyre. And so was history.

Today, the 18th of July, is believed to be the anniversary of the fire that burned Rome in 64 AD, while the emperor Nero supposedly played his fiddle. In fact, he wasn't in Rome. He was away at his holiday villa on the coast, and when he heard about the fire, he rushed back to the capital and took charge of the operations.

The rumors about his playing his fiddle probably came from people in the Roman military who did not approve of Nero's artistic leanings. He'd come to power at the age of 16. He was the youngest ruler in the history of Rome. He was more interested in music and poetry than in battling the barbarians. And he didn't play the fiddle; he did play the lyre. But his real passion was singing. He was also known to be a transvestite, which did not endear him to the soldiers.

One of the rumors being spread at the time was that Nero had himself started the fire because he was disgusted by the architecture in Rome and wanted to rebuild the city. And to bolster his own image against these rumors, Nero decided that the fire needed to be blamed on someone else, and he picked out the Christians who were generally loathed by Romans.

The religion of Christianity was only a few decades old when Nero singled it out. Nero rounded up Christians; they were covered in the skins of wild animals, torn to death by dogs, crucified, or they were burned at the stake.

Most Romans at the time despised Christians, but Nero's program of persecution went further than the people wanted. It had the unintended effect of making people sympathize with Christians. And a little more than 200 years later, the emperor of the Roman Empire himself converted to Christianity, and it became the dominant religion of Europe.

-- from G. Keillor
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Spinning 'n Weaving

I like the idea of blogging about facts and how folks sping them, weaving in and out around the facts. Reminds me of a favorite song from the 60's. Sing along if you remember the words.

What goes up must come down

spinning wheel got to go around

talkin' 'bout your troubles

it's a cryin' sin

ride a painted pony

let the spinning wheel spin
You got no money

you got no home

spinning wheel all a lone

talkin' 'bout your troubles

you never learn

Ride a painted pony

let the spinning wheel turn

Someone's waiting

just for you

spinning wheel, spinning true

Drop all your troubles by the riverside

ride a painted pony

let the spinning wheel fly

Takes us back to the time when everyone rode a painted pony, right? .... Wait a minute.

Dropping your troubles by the riverside is one thing, but it's about time for the spinning wheel to stop flying! And that's what this blog will be about -- facts, spin AND those who spin the facts!!