Film, culture, history
On CNN, Timothy Stanely compared Bush Junior to Harry Truman. Both Presidents left office with low approval ratings, both supposedly fought what seemed like unpopular wars (Truman in Korea, Bush in Iraq), yet both had “a gentle, honest personality that voters looked back on with fondness.”
Really? Gentle and honest? Really? Continue reading “Will history be kind to Bush (Jr)?”
The Times asked historical novelist Philippa Gregory why British school children stop studying history the moment they have that choice.
Like one third of all British 13-year-olds, Ms. Gregory chose to stop studying history at GCSE level. It was as if her teachers ‘sat down and said “What’s the most boring thing you can possibly study to put people off studying history forever.”‘ Continue reading “History ‘is boring’, says bestselling historical novelist”
Some people will point to “progress” and show how technology (or legislation) has made certain jobs obsolete.
Me, I prefer to have a positive outlook, and see how the number of insults people throw at each other has diminished since the Reagan/Thatcher/Gorbechev era. So, here’s a list of five insults that were prevalent during the 1980’s, but no longer seem to mean anything.
I often wonder why the so-called tea party keeps talking about “the past 100 years.” Do they see Woodrow Wilson’s election as the beginning of the downfall of America? Or are they still talking about William Howard Taft’s election, four years earlier?
Whatever the case, 1912 was one of America’s most crucial elections. Had an ex-President not given a third party a fighting chance, history could have taken a very different turn. Continue reading “What if Taft had won in 1912?”
If you read British history magazines, you’ve probably read Andrew Lambert. He’s an academic who writes in a style that flows so well, you don’t notice the footnotes.
This is in contrast to the man who Lambert claims is the founder of modern naval history, William James. James, according to Lambert, didn’t just write stories, he examined sources. James’ writing is exhausting because its filled with numbers and data (what James’ detractors might call “lies, more lies and statistics.”)
William James had a special motive for writing his polemical “History of the British navy.” Continue reading “Andrew Lambert and the War of 1812”
It has been more than 500 years since the first Portuguese ship carrying envoy Duarte Fernandes sailed into Trangque, but the celebrations of the long lasting relationship between Portugal and Thailand continue.
The celebrations began a year ahead of time, in 2010 when a Portuguese training ship called the Sagres sailed into port to commemorate the long relationship.
(The Sagres was on a trip around the world at the time, but rather than taking Vasco da Gama’s famous route around the cape of Good Hope, it cut through the Suez Canal. The ships first such trip in over a decade, it selectively stopped at several countries with strong historical ties to Portugal.)
After sailing to Siam, the Portuguese exchanged some food ideas with the Thais. Apparently, the Portuguese introduced dessert into Thai culture, before the two countries met people used to just drink a glass of water after meals.
Well, today Portuguese people are being influenced by Thai culture, and learning a thing or two. Here’s a picture of Andrew, a Portuguese in Thailand who is learning to dance as the celebrations continue. (He’s at the Vira do Minho in the Siam Museum.)
Well, I’ve been getting a lot of pictures about these celebrations, but not much information.
For at least 200 years, Americans have had a national day of prayer. Ironically, this “day of prayer” tradition seems to have been started by a man who is known as a bulwark of the separation of church and state.
Once again, President James Madison seems to be a man of contradiction.
Continue reading “President James Madison and the National Day of Prayer”
An Indonesian man is facing prison for publishing a Facebook he doesn’t believe in God. He has been threatened with prison, but he has also found a large degree of support.
If you’ve been reading this blog, you probably know that 200 years ago, A British man named Daniel Isaac Eaton was sentenced to prison and the pillory for publishing a “Deist” track by Thomas Paine.
Continue reading “Is Alexander Aan “Daniel Isaac Eaton” all over again?”
James Madison is often quoted as having been against hand-outs,
“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.”*
Although these probably weren’t James Madison’s exact words, Congressman Madison probably said something similar.
Men will tell you that the Republic had no faith in God; but then, why were the churches in the Capital full that day?
Some may have been there to display their gratitude (to their fellow atheists perhaps), or to ask forgiveness (from a God who they apparently did not think existed).
Ernesto Malego was there out of habit. Continue reading “Covered (a tale of Caracas in 1812)”