One hour in a time machine. All of history, past and future, is open to me. Where would I go? I wouldn't be like the amateur time travelers of Desmond Warzel's short story "WikiHistory" where, as BigChill says in the story, "everybody kills Hitler on their first trip." Honestly, no interest in that. I'd wantContinue reading “On Personal Travels Through Time”
Category Archives: History
On Veteran’s Day
Ninety-two years ago today, from the English Channel through the fields of Flanders, across the French frontier and into the Alps, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. World War I, one of the great follies in human history, came to its bitter end. As Garrison Keillor might say on The Writer’s Almanac, twoContinue reading “On Veteran’s Day”
On the Tea Party and Their Place in History
Just when I think politics can’t get any stranger, a Congressional candidate in Alabama seems to be advocating armed rebellion. What bothers me is the bewildering lack of historical understanding on display here. Railing against a progressive income tax? Thomas Paine was in favor; read The Rights of Man where he devotes an entire chapter.Continue reading “On the Tea Party and Their Place in History”
On Historical Musings and the Grand Union Flag
I receive interesting mail on occasion. Recently, I got a letter from George W. Bush’s Presidential Library. That went in the garbage. That was followed by a letter from John Boehner; he thinks taxes are too high, when the federal tax burden now is lower than at any time in the last fifty years, goingContinue reading “On Historical Musings and the Grand Union Flag”
On Creativity, Comic Books, and TR
I have been feeling creative of late. More creative than I’ve felt recently. A number of projects that were running in background processes and had begun to come up “Not Responding” on the mental Task Manager have started running again. And I’ve realized I’ve not put together the “Yankees Suck” sign yet; I need toContinue reading “On Creativity, Comic Books, and TR”
On the True Tale of St. Patrick’s Day
A year ago, I sent my niece a St. Patrick’s Day card. She was just four months old, so it wasn’t as though she could read it, but she’s my niece, I only have the one, and she should get cards from people who are related to her but who don’t feel avuncular. I wroteContinue reading “On the True Tale of St. Patrick’s Day”
On Veteran’s Day
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie InContinue reading “On Veteran’s Day”
On xkcd and the Voynich Manuscript
Today’s xkcd webcomic is about the Voynich Manuscript. No one’s really sure what it is, except that it’s a guidebook of sorts to Europe of the High Middle Ages. It’s written in no known language, using no known alphabet, and it’s illustrated at length. Judging by the illustrations it covers a wealth of scientific knoweledge,Continue reading “On xkcd and the Voynich Manuscript”
On Celebrating Scottish Heritage
Today, April 6th, is celebrated as Tartan Day. This holiday commemorates America’s Scottish heritage, from the colonization of the New World to the Declaration of Independence and beyond. I first learned of Tartan Day some years ago at the North Carolina Renaissance Faire, and the idea intrigued me. If the Irish get St. Patrick’s Day,Continue reading “On Celebrating Scottish Heritage”
On Ari Fleischer’s Revisionism
Years ago, when I read The Dark Knight Strikes Again, there was a line near the end of the third issue where George Bush’s Press Secretary, Ari Fleischer says “The President doesn’t have to say dick to you media pansies.” As satirical as Frank Miller’s story was, Miller hit really close to the mark; theContinue reading “On Ari Fleischer’s Revisionism”