One hundred sixty-eight years ago today, France and Britain declared war on Russia, a conflict waged on the Crimean peninsula for three years. The causes of the war reflect a rapidly changing set of empires across eastern Europe, especially the… Read More ›
International Events
Not So Distant Comparisons
The verb “juxtapose,” meaning to place closely together for comparison, can prompt intriguing questions and thoughts about the matters in juxtaposition. The front page of a recent edition of The New York Times carried two items that, thousands of miles… Read More ›
Over Here, Over There
LATVIA Latvia is an exemplar of the proposition that political and moral courage are not defined by size. One of the so-called Baltic States, Latvia has a population of just under 2 million, about 80% of whom identify as Christian…. Read More ›
In the Garden (?) of Good and Evil
By Barbara B. Levine Watching the 1962 movie Cape Fear between visits to various news channels to keep abreast of the current Ukrainian tragedy raised troubling and difficult questions about the way a law-abiding society deals with pure evil. A… Read More ›
Where Are They Today?
MADELEINE KORBEL ALBRIGHT To begin with the headlines: In a New York Times article last week, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that “Putin is making a historic mistake” by invading Ukraine. She continued, “a bloody and catastrophic war… Read More ›
ICYMI………….March 7, 1876
One hundred forty-six years ago today, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for a new-fangled device he called a telephone. The first actual electronic call was made 3 days later in Boston when Bell delivered a message to his assistant… Read More ›
ICYMI……………..February 28, 1983
Editors’ Note: As this post goes to press, we mark the passing of Sally Kellerman, M*A*S*H’s “Hot Lips Houlihan.” May she RIP. A mere thirty-nine years ago today, the final episode of the smash TV series M*A*S*H played to the… Read More ›
Monument Men at VA Museum
Editors’ Note: Excerpted from The New York Times, February 25, 2022. By Graham Bowley For months before the bombs started falling, Hayden Bassett watched over the cultural riches of Ukraine — the cathedrals of Kyiv, the historic buildings of Lviv,… Read More ›