Dog, I am a glad this baseball season is over. And not only because the Red Sox finished in last place.
Continue readingTag: history
Scripturient: Blog & Commentary: The Forgotten Gulag
In the introduction to Anne Applebaum’s Pulitzer-prize-winning book, Gulag: A History, she ponders why the “crimes of Stalin do not inspire the same visceral reaction to the crimes of Hitler.” Yet Stalin’s actions and policies killed millions more than the Nazis. Maybe it’s because the USSR wrapped itself in as
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: History of Racism – Heroine Dorothy Counts (1957)
Fifty seven years ago seems like a long time, but in term of changing cultural norms it was mere minutes, we still have such a long way to go. Three cheers for Ms.Counts and her steely determination, courage and perseverance in the face of such ugly human behaviour. In 1956,
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Amazing Discovery
Have you heard about the amazing discovery the Harper Government is responsible for? No, not the Franklin Expedition which remained known to the Inuit for almost 200 years through oral history, I’m talking about the discovery in Ottawa that the federal government isn’t maintaining important national landmarks related to science.
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: indian horse by richard wagamese, a must-read, especially for canadians
Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese, is a hauntingly beautiful novel about an Ojibway boy’s journey into manhood. It was the Readers’ Choice winner of the 2013 Canada Reads, CBC Radio’s book promotion program. But if you’re like me and don’t listen to the radio, you may have missed it. Don’t miss
Continue readingwmtc: revolutionary thoughts of the day: kareem abdul-jabbar, the new yorker, howard zinn
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has an excellent essay in Time, something only a big-name writer can get away with in the mainstream media. Abdul-Jabbar names the stark truths behind the uprising in Ferguson, Missouri. And the mere fact that this appears on Time.com is reason for hope. This fist-shaking of everyone’s racial
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: The First Dark Age
The causes of the first “Dark Age” have long been the topic of debate among historians and archeologists. Many ideas and theories have been put forward; none have found universal agreement. It’s commonly referred to in scholarly circles as “The Catastrophe.” Earthquakes, drought, migrations (or the more popular single-people migration
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Perks #nlpoli
A story in last weekend’s Telegram documented all the perks that former Premiers get. Aside from a severance package, a couple of extra months pay, and a government car allowance for three months, they also get a free game license (big, small, salmon) if they want one. Now truth be
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: America Is Shutting This Shit Down – John Oliver on Nuclear Weapons
The anniversary of World War I has been in the news as of late. Solemn words have been said, and in Canada, the funny idea that somehow it forged our nation from a quaint backwater into a respected player on the world stage. Sending people to die horrible deaths should
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: My Grandfathers’ War
One hundred years ago World War I began, a war that started as a clash in a tiny, almost unknown Balkan state and blossomed into a violent, gruesome war that spread across Europe, the Middle East and reached into Africa and Asia. Within a few years, tens of millions would
Continue readingwmtc: babe ruth was not a fat red sox: thoughts on historical fiction arising from dennis lehane’s "the given day"
I recently read The Given Day, Dennis Lehane’s novel about 1919 Boston, especially the Boston police strike, and the widescale rioting that followed. The book is an engaging hybrid of historical fiction and noir crime thriller. It deals with labour history, racial bigotry in both Jim Crow states and Boston,
Continue readingwmtc: nadine gordimer, 1923-2014
Nadine Gordimer was a great writer, and a steadfast voice for justice. Gordimer, a white South African, was a member of the African National Congress when the organization itself was illegal. Several of her novels, which explored the affects of apartheid on those who lived it, were similarly banned. Gordimer
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: Lawrence in Arabia
I recall with some vividness seeing David Lean’s masterpiece film, Lawrence of Arabia, when it was first shown in Canadian theatres. I was 12 and utterly astounded by the movie. Not simply the great, sprawling, adventurous tale that meandered through 220 minutes (plus the intermission), but by the incredible scenery. It
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: A Cup of Dragon Well
Legend has it that, in the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong (1711-1799 CE), the grandson of the Emperor Kangxi, went on a holiday to the West Lake district, in the Hangzhou area of Zhejiang province, China. He stopped at the Hu Gong Temple, nestled under the Lion Peak Mountain (Shi Feng Shan).
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Reflections On Canada Day: The Impact Of Canadian History
I’m writing this on the morning of Canada Day 2014, thinking about all the fascinating things I’ve read about and seen, and all the people I’ve met. One thing I’ve come across is all the different parts of Canadian history I’ve studied, and how they’ve tied into many of the
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Happy Canada Day – Have some Canadian History :)
Did you think Canada was all about the fun? Nope, nope, nope! Learning first, then fireworks and beer. 🙂 “The enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which confederated Canada, was celebrated on July 1, 1867, with the ringing of the bells
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Happy Canada Day – Have some Canadian History :)
Did you think Canada was all about the fun? Nope, nope, nope! Learning first, then fireworks and beer. 🙂 “The enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which confederated Canada, was celebrated on July 1, 1867, with the ringing of the bells
Continue readingAlberta Diary: On the centenary of Gavrilo Princip’s fateful shot in Sarajevo, let’s learn the right lessons from history
Gavrilo Princip under arrest. Below: Princip and the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Today is the centenary of the day Gavrilo Princip took his little Belgian pistol to Sarajevo and blew the heir presumptive to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire into history. As is well known, not long after young Princip
Continue readingTHE CANADIAN PROGRESSIVE: National Aboriginal Day Celebrated in Canada
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people from all backgrounds gathered all over Canada to celebrate National Aboriginal Day, which honours First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples’ invaluable contributions to our history and culture. The post National Aboriginal Day Celebrated in Canada appeared first on THE CANADIAN PROGRESSIVE.
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: The Hollow Crown: Henry V
As I started to watch the last film in the Hollow Crown series, I wasn’t sure whether Tom Hiddleston was up to playing the iconic role in Shakespeare’s most patriotic (and jingoistic) play. I thought Hiddleston’s Prince Hal in Henry IV had just a little too much of Loki –
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