Ship lift on the Yenisei River, Siberia

And they say everything is bigger in Texas!(From the Big Picture; click for a good look.)...

James Gelvin on Islamist politics and the Arab uprisings

A podcast by the author of the excellent textbook I use for Islamic Civilizati...

Carnival in the USA

Josh Marshall, editor of the political site Talking Points Memo, can be a thoughtful kind of a guy. Here is what he has to say about Black Friday:As I mentioned below we have our round-up below of all the craziest Black Friday behavior today. As I see this today and as it seems to have evolved over the last decade or so I’m starting to wonder whether Black Friday isn’t evolving...

The Grateful Dead Archive

Thanks to a fascinating article in the New Yorker, I am now aware of  the vast archive of Grateful Dead concert recordings at  archive.org.  Well over 2000 concerts exist, and a huge number are there, free for  the taking.I am astonished to think of the sheer...

Further to the Hostess Twinkie story: Brach's candy

From Driftglass:  All this has happened befo...

Serena Kataoka, "'Post-Darwin' Thinking: from Evolution to History," Friday, November 23

From Derek Neal: This week's History Seminar Series features Ms Serena Kataoka, who will address us on the subject of "'Post-Darwin' Thinking: from Evolution to History." Ms Kataoka teaches in Nipissing's Department of Political Science, and is also a doctoral candidate in Political Science at the University of Victoria.According to Ms Kataoka, the influential ideas of Jane...

Exciting news about Ramon Llull's Book of the Order of Chivalry

Have you been  waiting for 700 years for this classic work on chivalry to be available in a modern English translation?You know you have!Boydell is publishing it and Noel Fallows is the translator, and the book should be out sometime next year. Rumor has it that it will be very...

The real story behind the Petraeus scandal

Or one of them.Thanks to Making Light for the link....

Jefferson the Anglo-Saxonist

Jeff contemplates Jefferson at Williamsburg:Poring over a 15th-century legal tract, Jefferson encountered a modern preface arguing that a student should learn “Saxon” to understand the essence of English law. Already intrigued by languages, the young man was hooked; Stanley R....

Post-election thought: not a partisan message

Byron York talks to dedicated, long-time Romney supporters right after the concession speech: A few hours earlier, across the street at the Convention Center, the campaign’s supporters and volunteers fully expected Romney to be the nation’s next president.  Indeed, what was striking after Fox News called the race for Obama, at about 11:15 p.m., was how stunned so many ...

Pre-election thought: On civilization

One of the best things  I've said on this blog:The dfference between barbarism and civilizati...

Empire -- Lest we forget

Thanks to Nick Russon, this piece from the Telegraph:Every schoolboy used to know that at the height of the empire, almost a quarter of the atlas was coloured pink, showing the extent of British rule. But that oft recited fact dramatically understates the remarkable global reach...

Is this our fate?

I was taking part last night in a Wine Gala to raise money for the arts in North Bay. It's a regular event – and quite a bash.  These things usually have a theme, and this year's was "medieval and Renaissance."  A lot of people, both volunteers and patrons, were dressed...