I’m sure many of you have read Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. It’s an award-winning bestseller that garnered a lot of attention when it was published in 2017. If you haven’t read it, get it from your library, or
Continue readingTag: history
52 Ideas: Conservatives should search for a better analytical lens
As an Ideology, Conservatism tends to use already developed ideas. Conservatives tend to go back into the past and look for the best ideas to lead us in this time. These might be ideas that have been forgotten, ideas which didn’t work in an earlier time or ideas that were
Continue readingwmtc: rotd: the actual status of the poorest woman is the possible status of every woman
Revolutionary thought of the day: “The actual status of the poorest and most unfortunate woman in society determines the possible status of every woman.” From the mission statement of the Illinois Women’s Alliance (1888), quoted by Susan Faludi in “Feminism Made a Faustian Bargain With Celebrity Culture. Now It’s Paying
Continue readingScripturient: The Marionette and the Mediocrity
Councillors Mariane McLeod and Yvonne Hamlin have both filed their papers to run for the mayor of Collingwood after a mere single term serving in the least effective, most inept council ever, serving as loyal sycophants to the worst and most disliked mayor in the town’s history. What hubris! Aside
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: animal, vegetable, junk: a history of food, from sustainable to suicidal, by mark bittman
Mark Bittman’s Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal is a fascinating, readable, and wide-ranging nonfiction. With clear and simple language, Bittman unpacks the many threads that have determined, throughout history, how we humans feed ourselves. As an alternate subtitle, I might suggest “How Imperialism and Capitalism
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The DWR Friday Classical Documentary – Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809) was a genius and was celebrated during his lifetime – but to this day, he remains in the shadow of Mozart and Beethoven. Maybe that is because he lived a life without scandal or financial difficulties, so he did not fit the later picture of
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: say nothing: a true story of murder and memory in northern ireland
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland is without a doubt one of the best nonfiction books I have ever read. I’m in awe of Patrick Radden Keefe’s ability to weave together so many disparate and often contradictory sources to re-create a story that is incredibly
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: the turning point: 1851: a year that changed charles dickens and the world
The Turning Point: 1851 — A Year That Changed Charles Dickens and the World was written for me. I love Dickens. He’s among the core writers whose work means the most to me (along with Orwell and Steinbeck). Bleak House is my favourite of all Dickens. I wrote a mini-thesis on it
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. The post Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: four lost cities: a secret history of the urban age by anna newitz
Wmtc readers may know that I am endlessly fascinated with ancient civilizations. Allan and I will go anywhere to see ruins from antiquity or Neolithic sites. My desire to see the remains of ancient civilizations has driven much of our travel, and the list of places I still want to
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: gone to the woods, a riveting memoir by author gary paulsen
Gary Paulsen wrote some of the best children’s literature, most famously Hatchet. The tale of a boy who must survive on his own in the woods until he is at last rescued, Hatchet (published in 1986) is a go-to book for librarians facing the challenge of a reluctant reader, and many kids’
Continue readingThings Are Good: How Mangroves Manage Climate Change
Dense mangrove forests provide an ecological boost wherever they are found because they protect both land and sea species. They are really ecosystems unto themselves with nuance and each with their own history. That history can help us understand how the delicate forests will survive climate change, we know they
Continue readingwmtc: tom morello on the iww and the soundtrack to the good good fight
In October, The New York Times published this piece by musician and activist Tom Morello. I’ve read it several times, and shared it on social media, and still I can’t stop re-reading and listening. When something moves me like that, you know I have to preserve it on this blog. I
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: poisoner in chief: sidney gottlieb and the cia search for mind control — plus a few thoughts on conspiracy theories
Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction. It is impeccably researched — nearly every page yields another revelation — but written in a clear, accessible style, a true page-turner. The story it unfolds is utterly fascinating. It is also
Continue readingwmtc: 11.11 readers’ advisory meets "at your library" in the north island eagle
At Your Library by Laura Kaminker Celebrate and commemorate Remembrance Day with a good book or three Readers have told me they enjoy the themed booklists I’ve shared. Remembrance Day is an occasion to share another list. The Great War, as it was known at the time, has inspired countless
Continue readingThings Are Good: Historians and Farmers Working Together will Help Crops Grow
Food price volatility and production due to climate change is upon us already, and you’ve probably noticed it at your local grocer through increase costs. Farmers are grappling with climate change’s impact on predictable weather, meaning crops are have a harder time growing and farmers have a hard time planning.
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: On The Use & Abuse Of History
A typical account of history is presented in the video linked below, and here are some reflections on it, and on the general practice, or malpractice, of professional historians, and scholars and intellectuals broadly. As Noam Chomsky has said, the major media portray themselves as free and unbiased media, but
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: What side are you on? And are you sure?
I have always been, and always will be, on the side of the anti-fascists and anti-authoritarians. At present, in 2021, that represents about 30% of the people. That may sound like a small minority, until you realize that represents more than 500 million people in the Western world, in North
Continue readingwmtc: national day for truth and reconciliation: bearing witness, finding meaning
On September 30, many Canadians will have the day off in honour of a new holiday: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The holiday was created in response to the continuing revelations of mass graves located beneath the sites of the former concentration camps known as Indian Residential Schools. The
Continue reading