A couple of weeks ago I had some fun with poetic voices of the past, and in the comments section “Beverly” alerted me to the fact that a recording exists of Alfred Lord Tennyson reading his poem “Charge of the … Continue reading →
While doing research on political assassins of the past for this PJ piece of mine, I looked up the case of Herschel Grynszpan, a Polish-German Jew who had shot and killed the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath on November 7, … Continue reading →
If I were Jimmy Carter, I think I’d keep my mouth shut on the subject of the current Egyptian unrest. But being Carter being Carter, that’s not happening: Former President Jimmy Carter said Sunday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will … Continue reading →
I’d heard this excerpt from the LBJ audio tapes before, but I forgot about it till Ed Driscoll reminded me. Here’s a man who pay attention to detail. So folks, does this qualify as civil discourse? Put This On: LBJ … Continue reading →
The sad news of the suicide in Boston of Alireza Pahlavi, the youngest son of the late and last Shah of Iran, is the most recent chapter in the sorrowful saga of the family. Here they are in happier days. … Continue reading →
A little interlude to note that the most expensive bracelet ever sold is pretty beautiful, and what a provenance! This is from a recent auction of Wallis Simpson’s jewels: This flamingo pin is pretty fine, too. The Duchess must have … Continue reading →
Most of us know about the famous July 1944 Hitler assassination plot that failed, led by Claus von Stauffenberg and code-named Operation Valkyrie. The co-conspirators paid with their lives, and their families were punished as well. I became interested recently … Continue reading →
It’s the 30th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon, and for the occasion, Rolling Stone has released the full text of an interview he gave three days before he died. It contains these ironic words: These critics with the … Continue reading →
We all know what members of the Secret Service do: they protect the President and First Family from attack. But we don’t often think about the details of what that actually involves. Here’s a very matter-of-fact narrative from Clint Hill, … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a partial repeat of a previous post.] Here are some of writer John Updike’s reflection on the JFK assassination, originally published at the time in the “Notes and Comments” segment of The New Yorker, and featured again … Continue reading →
It’s the 47th anniversary of the JFK assassination. The death of Kennedy marked an abrupt and hugely traumatic transition for all of my generation from innocence to experience. It’s hard to convey to younger people how surprising and shocking it … Continue reading →
Commenter “expat” points us to this article about Obama’s constant references to and reverence for Gandhi, expressed during his Indian visit, and the fact that this isn’t exactly reassuring to the present-day Indian government and business leaders. Obama is many … Continue reading →