The phone rang. The caller ID flashed, showing one of Boston’s two major newspapers. I figured it was the sales department. I handed the phone to Marilyn. I heard Marilyn respond “yes” several times and was puzzled. We didn’t need… Read More ›
American history
NO ONE HAS HAD A DRINK SINCE 1920
Once upon a time so many years ago, Americans had national fit of self-righteousness. We decided alcohol was the root of all evil and to rectify this catastrophe, we rose up on our collective hind legs and passed the 18th… Read More ›
LESSONS FROM THE LOCKDOWN
5 Things Tuesday on Wednesday — 5 Life lessons you’ve learned during the lockdown. I learned that we weren’t all that outgoing before the lockdown, so I suspect being locked down was less difficult for us than for others who… Read More ›
AFGHANISTAN: ANOTHER HISTORY LESSON FROM WHICH WE FAILED TO LEARN by SEAN MUNGER
We were doomed to fail in Afghanistan because we had no idea what we were really doing there. Yesterday, August 15, 2021, the Taliban recaptured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, after a lightning offensive that followed the withdrawal of U.S…. Read More ›
HARD DAYS FOR A CONSCIENCE
There are a lot of things we don’t know about the people who came before us. We don’t know how or why they dressed and spoke and related to each other as people in their society. We are fuzzy about… Read More ›
HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, AND TRUTH
I love history and I read a lot of it. My first reading choice is usually fantasy and/or time travel, but after that? History. Lately, I’ve been reading serious biographies of people I have always admired and in whom I… Read More ›
TRUMAN by DAVID McCULLOUGH
It’s almost embarrassing. I bought this book more nine years ago with every intention of reading it. It’s a very long book. Modern American history is not my favorite subject, but I feel compelled to read it anyway. At 1102… Read More ›
A MINI HISTORY FOR NON-AMERICANS
Like most wars, our Revolutionary War was about money and land — pretty much like every war. The money part was about taxes — especially on tea, which was very big until America discovered coffee — and who should pay… Read More ›
A GOOD AMERICAN
Civics 101 by Rich Paschall Most of us are Americans because we were born here. We did not have to meet any special requirements. We did have to learn about our history and our government, however. When I was in… Read More ›
TIME AND REMEMBERANCE – MEMORIAL DAY 2021
Memorial Day (formerly Decoration Day) is observed on the last Monday of May. It commemorates the men and women who died in military service. In observance of the holiday, many people visit cemeteries and memorials, and volunteers place American flags… Read More ›
NO LONGER WILL THEY COME
AMERICAN SOIL IN A FOREIGN LAND – RICH PASCHALL A few years ago on V.E. Day, Armistice Day for the end of World War II in Europe, I visited the American cemetery at St. Avold. It is the final home… Read More ›
FLASHBACK FRIDAY FROM 4/2/2020 – WHY COVID 19 IS AN HISTORIC TURNING POINT
A major sea change: why COVID-19 is a turning point in history. So, it is the end of March 2020, and many of us are sequestered in our homes, trying not to get the virus that’s now sweeping the globe… Read More ›
