| You Should Be a Science Fiction Writer |
 And while you may have some problems being "normal," you'll have no problems writing sci-fi. Whether it's epic films, important novels, or vivid comics... Your own little universe could leave an important mark on the world! |
I'm taking advantage of time off from taking classes at FSU to get some reading done this summer. Not only did I read a few more of the books in the Aubrey-Maturin series while we were in Hawaii, but I finally read Raymond Feist's Serpent War series. It's the set of his books that I haven't read - for some reason the first time I picked them up a decade ago, they just didn't appeal to me. Having read them, some of the events of later books make a lot more sense. Continuity, what an idea...
From "fun" reading material, I've moved on to something a bit more educational in nature. My first serious summer reading was Richard Evans' The Third Reich in Power, which is a frightening view of how the Nazis ran things before the beginning of World War II. Among other things it shows the beginning of the concentration camps, the betrayal of working class that brought them to power, and the concessions they had to make in Bavaria to prevent revolt.
Staying with World War II, I moved to Anthony Beevor's Stalingrad. Beevor provides both the background to the German invasion of Russia, conflict between Wehrmacht Generals and Hitler over how and when to invade, the brutal tactics used by both the Germans and the Soviets, the grim reality of the siege of Stalingrad, and the horror inflicted by the Soviets on the trapped Germans after the Soviets finally counterattacked. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the Eastern Front, particularly the mass rape of German women by the Red Army, and Stalin's insistence on creating a buffer between the Soviet Union and Germany after the war...
Today, while resting an injured foot (don't ask), I finished Stephen O'Shea's The Perfect Heresy. What does this have to do with the World War II theme above? Not much. I just have this batch of 15 books to work through, and five of them are about the Albigensian Crusade. If there must be a theme here, you could say they are all about the persecution of an inoffensive religious minority. O'Shea gives a very readable and sympathetic account of Cathar religion, the culture of the Languedoc, the tactics used by the Cistercians, Dominicans, Popes Innocent, Gregory, and Benedict, and the French crown to crush the Cathar heresy, and to take over the independent realms of the region.
This evening I am starting on Victor Davis Hanson's A War Like No Other, which was a well-appreciated Birthday gift from Sam and Carolyn - I probably haven't thanked them for sending it, but I have been looking forward to it.
I'm sure that this is not the end of the story, but it's a start.
Although I agree that the academic issues certainly warrant firing Prof. Churchill, I can't help but feel ambivalent about the whole thing. After all, would anyone have even noticed if not for his absolutely asinine comments about the victims of the attack on the World Trade Center? Probably not. So, despite the well-documented academic misdeeds, the perjury in court, etc... I almost feel like there was the element of the witch hunt here.
Not that any of us will miss him much.
James Franklin posted a brief page with information and links de-bunking 10 popular myths regarding the Medieval period. While I haven't perused all of the links, the list itself is fairly entertaining.
Those Neanderthals could really flake an flint axe. This one measures a foot long, and is impressive work - sharp, well-shaped, and durable. Just the sort of thing for dealing with a really large hunk of meat....
Check it out here.
This article from the Jerusalem Post discusses the findings of some new research on the domestication of various grains in the Ancient Near East, Europe, and the Americas. Not only does it show that domestication of a particular crop might be started in one location (Turkey), and later (thousands of years) completed in a distant location (Central Europe), but that the process began much earlier than previously imagined. Two examples include fig cultivation in the Jordan Valley 10,000 years ago and 100,000+ finds of wild oats and barley near Jericho from 11,000 years ago.
I just haven't been inspired to write here lately. Although I had every intention of adding an article about our last magnificent day on Kauai, I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it. Beyond that, politcally oriented writing just doesn't interest me much at the moment (neither do political blogs, for that matter). I don't really want to mix the historical / education blogging with the older politcal items too much, due to the ongoing concerns in Academia that blogging has potentially negative effects for your career.
The career issue does affect all industries, however, there is so much competition in academia right now, it doesn't make much sense to call attention to things that might be damaging. I think that I will shut this place down this summer and setup a new history / academic blog that I've already reserved the domain name for. I expect to work on that in July / August, so stay tuned.
This years' World Cup has reinvigorated my interest in soccer in ways that our more successful 2002 run in South Korea and Japan did not. It may be that the time zone issue is more conducive to actually watching the games - although work does get in the way a bit, but it may be that I'm ready to come back to the sport more generally.
I was quite disgruntled that MLS closed the Tampa Bay Mutiny shortly after we moved to Colorado, and despite the profusion of Tampa associated players on the Rapids' side, I just haven't been able to attach to the local team emotionally. Part of it is that the Rapids' style is just a bit boring at times - I'm not into the traditional english longball method. I want passing, movement, and creativity - all of the things missing from the English World Cup squad, and the U.S. effort against the Czech Republic. I much prefer the style we saw Saturday against Italy, or displayed by Ghana against the Czechs.