Reflections on 2011

Brian Ulrich reflects and analyzes developments in the Arab countries over at Brian's Coffeehouse.  This particularly caught my attention:One framework we have seen the past year is that "the nation," meaning the people, is rising up against internal oppressors so as to establish a new government on its own behalf. One question now is how the "nations" will be defined, or...

More from Moscow

From msnbc.com:For many protesters, the animosity goes way beyond Putin the candidate. Vasily's father, Fyodor, now 50, says he watched in shock as the Soviet Union fell 20 years ago, then in horror as Russia passed, rudderless, through a decade of economic collapse and war. And then came Putin. Stability. Prosperity. "All over the country there was a scream of joy when we got...

As in Cairo, so in Moscow

From today's Globe and Mail, a report of an activist named Navalny speaking at a huge anti-Putin rally:“We have enough people here to take the Kremlin,” he shouted to the crowd. “But we are peaceful people and we won't do that — yet. But if these crooks and thieves keep cheating us, we will take what is our...

Crushing the revolution--but at what price?

From Arabist.net, an essay by an Egyptian novelist, who argues that the Army's efforts to preserve its position in the Egyptian state is destroying the Egyptian state. Goodbye to Military RuleBy Ezzedine Choukri-Fishere, al-Tahrir, 20 December 2011...What the Military Council has not realized is that the explosion in January was the outcome of a blockage in the regime’s arteries,...

Ron Paul, dishonest segregationist creep

When you are trying to get into a meditative state and all you can think of is how contemptible Ron Paul is, it is time to LET IT OUT!Ron Paul seems to be this generation's Eugene McCarthy, a politician brave enough to oppose American imperialism and denounce its destructive effects, who has attracted a deal of support from young people, and who otherwise has a rather eccentric...

Tournaments on TV -- and YouTube

Here's a 2008 BBC Timewatch episode on William Marshal and the 12th century melee tournament. It is good, they talked to the right experts and took the cameras to Interesting and relevant locations.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0LamXQ39EQ&feature=youtube_gdata_pla...

Matthew Gabriele's book reviewed in The Medieval Review

Gabriele, Matthew. An Empire of Memory: The Legend of Charlemagne,the Franks, and Jerusalem before the First Crusade. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 2011. Pp. xii,  202. $90.00. ISBN: 9780199591442. Reviewed by Thomas F. X. Noble     University of Notre Dame     tnoble@nd.edu"Charlemania" has been a growing industry in...

The History of White People, by Nell Irvin Painter

I am in the middle of this very interesting book. You might expect that the book would have a lot to say about the history of dividing black from white. But there is much more about American theorizing about the differences between the various "European" races, and about which were superior or inferior. I was not completely unaware of the disapprobation of "native" (white) Americans...

6th century names that start with G

Gallomagnus, Galswinth, Garachar, Gararic, Garivald, Germanus, Godigisel, Godomar, Gogo, Goiswinth, Grindio, Grippo, Gundegisel, Gunthar.Not to mention Gregory.In other letters, let's not forget Chramn, Chundo, and Chup...

Muhlberger covers the war in Iraq, 2006-2011

The war in Iraq is over, at least the American part.  Who knows what turmoil, even civil wars may follow?  But almost all the American forces are gone.This is practically a non-story in the American and international media. [Or so I thought.  See the first comment...

A delicious passage from Gregory of Tours -- or rather translator Lewis Thorpe

Here's the Latin from Histories (or The History of the Franks) 7.2: Quibus discedentibus, coniuncti Dunenses cum reliquis Carnotenis, de vestigio subsecuntur, simile sorte eos adficientes, qua ipsi adfecti fuerant, nihil in domibus vel extra domus vel de domibus relinquentes. Thorpe's...

The literary art of writing final examinations

On Monday I gave a final exam in my Crusade and Jihad course.   It required the students to write two short essays, which I had told the students in advance.Chatting  with the students before the exam began, I was apprised of a curious fact:  a prof in another...

What is it about Toronto, anyway?

Or Ontario? Or Canada?Phil  Paine recently wrote an essay on the theme, "Nobody [today] is likely to laud Toronto as the exemplar of anything." I bumped into a business traveller, recently, from the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh.  After discussing Andhra, he asked...

A great site for historical pictures of Toronto

Here's the link, and a couple of samples.  Thanks to Andrew.Yonge Street in the 70s:Chorley Park, an official residence of the Lieutenant Governor, 191...

Iceland's president explains -- democracy was on the line

  In the financial crisis of 2008-, Iceland refused to saddle its citizenry with huge debts incurred by private banks, despite tremendous pressure from European governments and institutions.  Today the president of Iceland described the danger to democracy at that time...

It's not cannon law, people

It's more like this...

Best cover on an early medieval book that I can recall...

...goes to this beauty:As someone who studies formal combats, I should probably have a look at a book called Morality and Masculinity in the Carolingian Empire. Don't you think?Update:  Another candidate in the same catego...

End of term anxiety? and historical movies

Today was the last class meeting this term for my course on the History of Islamic Civilization.  It was the due date for a term paper, too.  So many students had asked for one or two day extensions that I rather expected a very low attendance and very few papers handed...

Nestar Russell speaks on the Milgram experiments and the Holocaust, Dec. 9, 2 pm

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Mixed feelings about this

Comments welco...

My characterization of Pope Innocent III

He was determined to rally Christendom to discipline the whole disobedient wor...

Hard times in Attawapiskat and the government blame game

In some peculiar way, I think of Attawapiskat,  a First Nations reserve, as a neighboring community, even though it is a fly in community way up on James Bay, and I can drive to Toronto or Ottawa  easily on reasonably good roads.  Why? Because we share the same regional...

Quoting well--another useful guide

From the same website that tried to save you from glaring usage errors, some guidance on the use of quotatio...