Yesterday was the 323rd anniversary of “The Boston Massacre.” And here it is, presented by Walter Cronkite. And since I just read a biography of Sam Adams, this is pretty accurate — except that I didn’t know CBS was there…. Read More ›
History
TERRORISTS IN RED WHITE & BLUE
I figured it out. It took me all this time to see what has been right in front of me. Those far right-wing Republicans are not conservatives. They are not even Republicans. They are terrorists wrapped in red, white and… Read More ›
AN OUTBREAK OF PEACE – CHRISTMAS 1914
The Christmas truce (German: Waffenstillstand; French: Trêve de Noël) was a series of widespread but unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front during the Christmas season of 1914. During the days leading to Christmas, German and British soldiers left their trenches… Read More ›
INTOLERANCE: REEL AND REAL By GARRY ARMSTRONG
A friend today posted a review of “Schindler’s List” which he had just seen for the first time, 30-years after the acclaimed movie’s release. My friend talked about the film’s haunting power, its narrative about one man’s brave quest to… Read More ›
WHERE’S MY COFFEE?
We are sitting here in our living room watching “The Man From Laramie (1955),” Anthony Mann’s psychological revenge saga starring James Stewart. It’s one of Stewart’s grittier roles and the cast is A-list. It’s a good one. All of that being… Read More ›
HARVEST’S END
THE HOLIDAYS WHICH CELEBRATED THE END OF THE HARVEST It froze last night marking the first night of frost for this year — and the official end of harvest. Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest as well as the… Read More ›
TRUTH & MYTH: EARP, HOLLIDAY & BAT
Everyone knows the story of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the OK Corral. It’s possibly the most iconic story out of the “wild west.” But there are many more stories yet untold. I’ve been following the trail of this one for a… Read More ›
TIMING OUT
The joy and perils of vortexes and wormholes Time travel is the ultimate addiction. When I discovered the window in my bedroom had turned into a wormhole, I was thrilled, though a bit worried. Venturing out of current time and… Read More ›
WE ABOLISHED BOOZE IN 1919 & NO ONE’S HAD A DRINK SINCE
Once upon a time so many years ago, Americans had national fit of self-righteousness. We decided alcohol was the root of all evil. To rectify the perceived problem, the nation rose up on its collective hind legs and passed the… Read More ›
SLAVERY TO INDUSTRY: BORN ON THE BLACKSTONE
A Flashback Friday Post from July 29, 2020 You could say the Blackstone Valley was Alexander Hamilton’s dream come true. He wanted the U.S. to grow into an industrial and international powerhouse. This was the subject on which he and… Read More ›
THE UNITED STATES WILL SOON BE AT AN END.
Sean Munger’s History and Culture Dispatches Are we nearing our end? For real? Nearing the end? Sean Munger thinks so. I know we can’t go on like this. This is not the country I’ve always known. We’ve set up a… Read More ›
IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE?
Those are the fatal words. They are the equivalent of the personal “things couldn’t get any worse.” Things can always get worse. The minute you believe “it can’t happen here,” that is exactly when it happens. Here or there. For… Read More ›
READING A LOT MEANS A LOT
Blogging Insights — “Read a lot” Dr. Tanya dropped a wonderfully relevant quote today: “You need to read everything. Read fiction, non-fiction, magazines, newspapers. Read history, historical fiction, biography. Read mystery novels, fantasy, SF, horror, mainstream, literary classics, adventure, satire…. Read More ›
HE WHO TROUBLES HIS OWN HOUSE WILL INHERIT THE WIND
Fanaticism and ignorance is forever busy and needs feeding – Clarence Darrow
POSTWAR: A HISTORY OF EUROPE SINCE 1945 By TONY JUDT
It’s the truth. Not the truth we’ve been led to believe, but the truth every nation has tried to make sure we did not know. This books is not only history. It’s also culture and art. It’s 857 pages long… Read More ›
HOW THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY ENDS by SEAN MUNGER
Nationalization, expropriation and revolutionary violence will sweep away any semblance of an “orderly” transition to renewable energy. The global warming/climate change crisis is destroying our planet and our civilization. The fix is simple to understand: the fossil fuel industry must… Read More ›
SERENDIPITY: SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 