When I was a newlywed my husband and I took a trip to Europe, spending most of our time in England and France. It was the 70s, and Europe (and the world) was a lot less crowded and traveling not … Continue reading →
I was raised by parents who were Democrats who venerated FDR, but the more I learn about FDR the more I don’t like many things he did. For years I’ve been reading the conservative point of view on the Great … Continue reading →
For absolutely no reason except curiosity I was looking up the Vikings the other day, and came across this: Spices were obtained [by the Vikings] from Chinese and Persian traders, who met with the Viking traders in Russia. I already … Continue reading →
Every now and then I’ve offered excerpts from the fascinating WWII-era memoirs of Victor Klemperer (see this for one of them, as well as an explanation of who Klemperer was). The following quotes are from his I Will Bear Witness: … Continue reading →
Weimar comparisons abound. You may need a good stiff drink when you’re done. When I think about Weimar compared to today, one of the biggest parallels I can find is the degradation of popular culture and also of what used … Continue reading →
[NOTE: Please read the ADDENDUM at the end of this post for some additional information I’ve seen that tends to support Trump’s account rather than the 2004 Time article. The information has to do with the timing of a video … Continue reading →
I’m going to keep posting this now and then, just as a reminder. This is not about Trump-fever in particular—it’s about what’s led to it, and where such feelings can lead in the very worst-case scenario. Trump, Sanders, or a … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a previous post that first appeared in March of 2013, repeated now for no particular reason except that I like it.] My mother’s very first memory was of being frightened by booming noises—guns? cannon? … Continue reading →
I think there’s something to this theory about Hitler, as described in an interview with Timothy Snyder, author of a recent book on Hitler, the Holocaust, and WWII (I haven’t read the book, by the way). I don’t completely buy … Continue reading →
There’s been a discussion in the comments section about the attitude of the Founders towards Islam, and how it relates to freedom of religion, and I thought I’d add some background. At the outset, when the principles of freedom of … Continue reading →
I’ve noticed the word “kapo” cropping up now and then in the comments section of this blog, to refer to someone Jewish who is seen as an underhanded betrayer of the Jewish people or Israel. Here’s a typical example, which … Continue reading →
In ancient history and the sack of Rome, lessons for today: Writing from the vantage point of the eighteenth century, Gibbon did not go into extensive detail of the Vandal assault, except to note that the Romans willingly opened their … Continue reading →