What If History Really Did Repeat Itself?

The ides of any month falls roughly around the middle -- either the thirteenth or the fifteenth, depending on the old Julian calendar. In a world before printed and standardized calendars, this was the day of each month from which all other dates in that month were calculated. The term has a very sketchy etymology, but it was probably Etruscan in origin.

Political leaders around the world would probably do well to check their surroundings today. The Ides of March, and all that.

On the other hand, this day has to do with: a) warnings; and b)history. No politician I know has ever heeded a warning of any kind when he's got his "eye on the prize." And not many of them give a damn about history, either.