Monthly Archives: September 2025

The Kingdom of the Picts: A White Paper on Political and Military History

Executive summary From late Roman times to the mid-9th century, the peoples later called “Picts” forged powerful polities north of the Forth, culminating in the over-kingdom of Fortriu and a period of regional hegemony. Their ascendancy was punctuated by decisive … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Belt Economy: How Sanctioning Bodies Distort Competition and Enable Corruption in Contemporary Professional Boxing

Executive Summary Professional boxing’s competitive integrity is mediated—often distorted—by private “sanctioning organizations” (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO) that certify titles, levy fees, and police rankings. Their economic incentives (fee extraction tied to title activity and marquee names) and structural opacity (control … Continue reading

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White Paper: A Typology of Fruitful Areas of Conjecture and Theorem Generation in Algebra Using AI Methods

Executive Summary The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into algebraic research opens new avenues for conjecture and theorem generation. While classical mathematics has relied on human creativity, analogy, and intuition, AI models—especially those leveraging symbolic computation, large language models, and … Continue reading

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Album Review: Buckingham Nicks

Buckingham Nicks, by Buckingham Nicks For as long as I can remember, I have been a fan of Fleetwood Mac. Yet until a few days ago, this particular album was nearly impossible to find, having been out of print for … Continue reading

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White Paper: A Typology of Bloggers and Online Personalities Vulnerable to Restricted-Speech Risks When Traveling to the United Kingdom

Executive Summary Bloggers and online personalities increasingly cross borders while carrying a global archive of speech on their devices and platforms. In the United Kingdom (UK), several legal regimes intersect to constrain certain forms of expression and conduct—both online and … Continue reading

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White Paper: Courtroom Dynamics in Adversarial and Alternative Legal Systems

Executive Summary Courtroom dynamics vary widely depending on the underlying legal tradition. The adversarial system, exemplified by the United States and other common law jurisdictions, frames trials as contests between opposing parties before a neutral arbiter. By contrast, many civil … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Vulnerability of Law-Abiding Citizens to Harm from Illegal Aliens Obtaining Driver’s Licenses in Sanctuary States and the Implications for Interstate Comity

Executive Summary This paper examines the policy choices of states such as California and other “sanctuary jurisdictions” that extend driver’s licenses to individuals present in the United States illegally, including cases where those licenses are obtained through fraud or lax … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Political and Military History of Dál Riata

Executive summary Dál Riata (also Dalriada or Dál Riata) was a Gaelic overkingdom spanning northeast Antrim (Ireland) and the western seaboard of Scotland (Argyll, Kintyre, Islay, Jura, Mull, and adjacent isles). Between the sixth and eighth centuries it pioneered a … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Historicity of Tristan and Isolde: People, Places, and Sources

Executive Summary The legend of Tristan and Isolde sits at the confluence of Insular Celtic memory, Breton transmission, and Continental literary craft. While the fully developed romance—love potion, clandestine affair, and chivalric fatalism—reflects 12th–13th-century court culture, multiple early Insular references, … Continue reading

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White Paper: The Tragedy of the Emotionally Damaged Smooth Operator: Sade’s Archetype and Drake’s Adoption of the Model

Executive Summary This paper explores the tragic archetype embodied in Sade’s 1984 hit Smooth Operator—a figure of surface charisma concealing inner wounds—and examines the cultural and artistic consequences of Drake adopting this archetype as a model for identity and artistry. … Continue reading

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