Jul 09 2011

A mockery of sainthood

2,000 Years of Popes, Sacred and Profane

By Bill Keller, July 7, 2011 … John Julius Norwich makes a point of saying in the introduction to his history of the popes that he is “no scholar” and that he is…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2011/07/09/a-mockery-of-sainthood/

Jul 08 2011

Not above dog-whistling

No Mistake: Why Michele Bachmann Is Trying to Rewrite History

By Spencer Critchley, 7/3/11 08:24 PM ET … The media have had a good time lately with Michele Bachmann’s double-down gaffe about how the Founding Fathers, including an eight-year-old…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2011/07/08/not-above-dog-whistling/

Jul 08 2011

Turning the sun backward

How the religious right distorts history

By , 01:31 PM ET, 07/06/2011 … On the Fourth of July, the Today show featured an annual ceremony at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home, in which hundreds of immigrants take the oath …  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2011/07/08/turning-the-sun-backward/

Jul 08 2011

The Wörgl experiment

Largely forgotten now (or intentionally ignored), this cautionary tale is excerpted from Silvano Barruso’s account of the amazing, audacious Wörgl experiment.  Had it been allowed to continue, the world today might be a radically different (and better) place.  As…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2011/07/08/the-worgl-experiment/

Jul 07 2011

The crazy bus stops here

A public service from Monsieur d’Nalgar:  I watched this codswallop so you don’t have to (you’re welcome).  This is the latest offering from the Garland County Tea Party: [tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQxe6nCcSbE[/tube] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQxe6nCcSbE Hi-fi version:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rGtnm0ThMM Monsieur d’Nalgar’s painstaking notes:
  • Garland County Tea
…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2011/07/07/the-crazy-bus-stops-here/

Jul 07 2011

One man’s terrorist…

Here’s a bit of modern Israel’s ancient history, excerpted from the August 13, 1949 issue of The New Yorker (thanks, Børre). This fascinating paragraph from “Letter from Tel Aviv” begins on page 59: … “The terrible thing about terror,” said …  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2011/07/07/one-mans-terrorist/

Jul 07 2011

Consent of the people

Monsieur d’Nalgar:  Think “Electric Slide” and you’ll get a sense of what the Dabke is to Arabs.  I don’t think the English subtitles convey exactly the graphic nature of the lyrics, but if your kiddies understand Arabic, you might want…  [more]

Permanent link to this article: https://levantium.com/2011/07/07/consent-of-the-people/