Rich Birds

After WWII, the international community was ready for a global peacekeeper to come in and fix everything. Now, that's obviously me overstating things, but it is important to note that the formation of the UN looks a lot like the world taking a second swing at the League of Nations. As part of this new United Nations, respect for self-determination was heavily underscored. Buuuuuuut

Themes can be pretty complicated, and a complicated war like WWII is filled with them. Conflicts like Human v. Human... Human v. Society... Human v. Technology... and so many more animate the art inspired by this most terrible war. What does that art say? Well, it depends. Today I'm going to look at a few themes in some lesser-known WWII films: 2018's Overlord, 2008's Flame and Cit

WWI had been billed as the war to end war...the war to make the world safe for democracy. Those hopes were dashed as the world sunk into financial depression, fascists rose to power, and millions more people died. 

Here is a brief reason you should read more...and watch more tv.

The New Imperialism as it is sometimes called was motivated by power politics and money. I think those motives were thinly masked by the call to "moralize" and Christianize.

The term socialism is so often misused that it feels almost meaningless. Socialism is not communism, but communism is a form of socialism. Socialism can be revolutionary, but it can also be evolutionary. How about some utopian socialism? What about social democracy? Is anarchism socialism? Is Social Security socialist? Is public education? The fire department? Universal healthcare?

With vaccines in the news thanks to the mRNA breakthrough, I thought it would be a good time to talk about Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch. They didn't like each other very much, but both men made immense contributions to the development of the germ theory. Medical science has developed well beyond the work of these two men, but the world is still in their debt. Along the way, I am g

Who doesn't love when one word has multiple definitions? It makes things so sophisticated...so subtle...so...confusing. Of course, those different definitions are often significant. Am I talking about the tree's leaves or am I sad when the gardener leaves? Am I going to ship my dog off to obedience school or am I taking a ship to Puerta Vallarta? What about when a word has multiple

In the last episode of 2020, I read you an essay I wrote. I tell you how to deal with a primary source. I acknowledge that even for a survey class, we are asked to cover A LOT. 

Napoleon Bonaparte was the Corsican son of a minor noble who became an emperor. He was at once a man of the enlightenment and a ruthless despot. You might even call him an enlightened despot. He Tolerated different religions, Reformed laws, ruled with Absolute authority, and Patronized the arts (if you consider pillaging national treasures of conquered lands patronage).  Napol