Tag Archives: World History

Dark Ages Redux : Trickle Down Feudalism

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

Doge Enrico Dandolo preaching the Crusade. Gustave Doré (1832-1883) / Wikimedia Commons.The reincarnation of the Dark Ages:White evangelicals are the new Crusaders In place of mote-defended castles surrounded by thatched-roof shanties will be ‘gated communities’ (sporting high-tech surveillance to keep … Continue reading →

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Israel and Iran : A Countdown to Tragedy?

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

During Iranian street demonstrations this summer a protester displays a photo of Mohammed Mossadegh, deposed by the Americans and the British in 1953 and replaced with the much-hated Shah Reza Pahlavi. Photo posted on Daily Kos, June 19, 2009. Who … Continue reading →

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History as Politics : Remembering the Berlin Wall

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

Man straddles Berlin Wall in 1989. Photo from photosfan.com.History as politics, Politics as history: Remembering the Berlin Wall By Harry Targ / The Rag Blog / November 9, 2009 …you are Americans and are meant to carry liberty and justice … Continue reading →

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Matthew Hoh and Vietnamistan : Déjà vu all Over Again

Posted on November 8, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

A bright and shining lie:Hoh’s Afghanistan and John Paul Vann’s VietnamBy Richard Lee / The Rag Blog / November 8, 2009 I just got a copy of diplomat Matthew Hoh’s resignation letter from a friend in Canada. I don’t get … Continue reading →

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Storming the Bastille : Bidding Bipartisanship Adieu

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

“Prise de la Bastille,” painting by Jean-Pierre Louis Laurent Houel / Wikimedia Commons.Health care reform:To the barricades By Dr. Stephen R. Keister / The Rag Blog / August 31, 2009 I fear that the average American, including myself, has a … Continue reading →

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Washington in the Time of Cholera : A Pandemic of Ignorance

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

Graphic by Larry Ray / The Rag Blog. Health Care Reform: A Pandemic of Ignorance and Fear By Larry Ray / The Rag Blog / August 29, 2009 I have just finishing reading Naples in the Time of Cholera 1884-1911. … Continue reading →

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ART / ‘Man at Work’ Exhibition Has Lessons for Today

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

At the Grohmann Museum in Milwaukee: Frederick Arthur Bridgman, The Seaweed Gatherers, 1912 / MSOE.Workers Built the Modern World [The Eckhart G. Grohmann Collection ‘Man at Work,’ continuing installation of 700 paintings and sculptures spanning 400 years of history. Also, … Continue reading →

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Dr. Stephen R. Keister : Tell the Republicans: ‘Without Health Life is Not Life’

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

François Rabelais lisant, anon. drawing, early 17th Century / Wikimedia Commons. Rabelais: ‘Without health life is only a state of languor and an image of death.’ This reminded me of a painting of a 17th century hospital with its endless … Continue reading →

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The Many Faces of Terrorism

Posted on December 2, 2008 by Thorne Dreyer

The Muslim Indian Emperor Akbar was a champion of religious dialogue and tolerance. During his reign the Inquisition was happening in the West. ‘If we rid ourselves of every vestige of racism then we are confronted by the fact that … Continue reading →

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How Fascism Happens : That Hoary Truism About Learning From History

Posted on September 29, 2008 by Thorne Dreyer

Photo by basetree.Fascism: When bad things happen to good peopleBy Paul Fish / The Rag Blog / September 28, 2008 A good and recent read is John Dean’s Conservatives Without Conscience which is really a rather dispassionate and mildly scholarly … Continue reading →

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