DANGER--CAUTION--BEWARE.What follows here is yet another commentary on this year's presidential election, Dear Reader.  Believe me, I am more than bored with this subject matter… Read More

 Beginning tomorrow, Dear Reader, I'm going to begin a tour of the Southwest (i.e. Arizona and New Mexico).  So, tune in tomorrow, same bat time--same bat channel, that is if you&r… Read More

 I had a death in the family this week. Will post again soon Read More

 Why do I even waste my time with this prick (see prior entries)? It's because he was responsible for more than Sand Creek, and it is a pain in my ass when current memory simply exclude… Read More

American white people I meant in the title;  circa WW2. Thus spake (title quote) Zarathustra, a.k.a. Mark TwainJimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani, Cemetery, Tule Lake, 2002, mixed media on p… Read More

Be Like the CactusLet not harsh tongues, that wagin vain,Discourage you. In spite ofpain,Be like the cactus, which throughrain,And storm, and thunder, canremain.Kimii Nagatahttps://japanesei… Read More

HERE'S ANOTHER WARNING, DEAR READER, I'M COMMENTING ON CURRENT POLITICAL EVENTS THIS WEEK.  PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU ARE BORED BY MY RANTS AGAINST A CERTAIN PERSON.  THANKS!!OK, if… Read More

Hey, Dear Reader, did you ever watch the original "Miami Vice" with Don Johnson? It was a show about vice cops in Miami (obviously), and was one of the more popular shows in the 80s and 90s… Read More

 I'm taking a break from Victoria, this week, to write about one of history's lesser brains, Mary of Scotland.  Her story needs a book, Dear Reader, so I'm gonna try and provide yo… Read More

 Did you know that Queen Victoria was 5' 1 1/4" tall?  It just goes to show you that, in the end, height means nothing.  She ruled England for over 63 years.  Victor… Read More

https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/art-and-healing-sand-creek-massacre-150-years-laterIt's really all about healing, isn't it? The question for me, becomes Dear Reader, how does on… Read More

What images come to your mind, when you dream of the American West, Dear Reader? Something like this?I know that this is one of the more recognized fantasies about the western experience.&nb… Read More

WARNING!! THE FOLLOWING ENTRY DETAILS HORRIFIC EVENTS.  I will be writing in my usual irreverent style, so if you're offended by my treatment of one of the worst events of WW2, THEN PLE… Read More

Hannah Arendt, who wrote an account of the trial of Eichmann in Jerusalem, characterized Nazism as "the banality of  evil."  What exactly does that mean? BANALITY:  "the quali… Read More

 He was an architect.  Well, sort of....A Nazi rally at Nurnberg.  Real.A site in Hitler's fantasy capitol, Germania (well, Berlin, actually).Not Real.Not Real.  In many… Read More

 Last week, I left you with Cpt. Lingerie.  This week, I'm gonna tell you how he committed the act.  Alright.  Here we go.The plot to kill a president reputedly began as… Read More

t.Well, not precisely spicy, but perhaps controversial, and most definitely irreverentADVISORY:This entry is about one of the sacred moments in American history--the murder of President… Read More

 What do you know about quantum physics? Astrophysics? String theory? Anything? Me neither.  I know someone who is studying to be an astrophysicist.  Impressive, right? D… Read More

It could happen, Dear Reader.******************************************Yeah, I guess it may be good to be the king;  or dictator as the case may be. OK. So who was Francois Duvalie… Read More

We were speaking, Dear Reader, of the Boer War....What about the Boer War? Sh&t.  Excuse me, the Second Boer War.  How did it start, and why has it been forgotten?  D… Read More

 OK, so who was Emily Hobhouse and why do we care? What was her role in the Boer War? What did this gal have to do with the British Empire, and why was she widely regarded (by the Engli… Read More

In light of my recent posts on a certain tangerine colored car salesman, I think you might be interested, Dear Reader, in learning about the dangers of putting the military in charge--I mean… Read More

Did you ever read The Illustrated Man?here's a link to the real work:https://archive.org/details/illustratedman0000bradThere was the universal, quiet conceit and easiness of men accusto… Read More

I am not a constitutional scholar.  Additionally, this document is sometimes troublesome, because certain passages are ambiguous--subject to varying interpretations.There is one questio… Read More

 I just have to start this entry with an obvious clip.  Don't play it if it offends, alright?Behold the Scientology twit! But, seriously, I just love that clip (although I hated th… Read More

What a collection of keystone cops.  And, we absolutely cannot forget this Cretan:Almighty Zeus, this is the face of the MAGA movement? Wow.  Just think about how these twin images… Read More

Do you remember this guy?  You know, Bugs, the Roadrunner, and Porky Pig?Yeah, well, Wile's IQ never did do him much good. Perhaps he was not a "super genius" after all--the poor guy k… Read More

 Footbinding.  Ewwwwwwwwww.  BEFORE WE BEGIN...THIS ENTRY WILL HAVE SOME EROTIC IMAGES, SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION.  EACH OF THESE PICTURES DO HAVE A PURPOSE, BUT HAVE… Read More

As the corset entered into the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, it became the essential female undergarment, until the 1960s. Ah, Bettie Paige.Ummm, so why are you wearing it?Let me tell… Read More

First, a note to you, Dear Reader;As you 'saw' with my last post, history is not just in writing, but is visual;  visceral.  Material culture as a form of historical analysis is ju… Read More

Women have a history, in the U.S., of being incredibly swayed by the images in the fashion pages.One of the ways some historians keep track of time, especially for American women, is to look… Read More

 Bless you Billie. Drugs certainly f$&(ed up your life. I know, we all hate the Food and Drug Administration.  But in the late 19th, early 20th centuries, the government a… Read More

This was a tragedy.  It was (is) also a story of blood, arrogance, and stupidity that ended in the needless death of a 14 year old child.Ever hear about these two wanna-bes? The two who… Read More

Let’s take a gander at a couple of dieties.  Uh, guys.  No, Prophets.  Sigh.  Use whatever label makes you comfortable, Dear Reader.A Near Eastern god, Mithra, was… Read More

 We were speaking of Scorsese’s film. The first three quarters are difficult to follow—I told you Dear Reader, that this is an intricate tale. Yet, I believe he did his best… Read More

                          We know that the white man does not understand our ways. One portion of land is the same to hi… Read More

 [email protected] Read More

Before I do my best to communicate the history of this icon, let me warn you, again, that I am an irreverent SOB, who doesn't subscribe to any belief system whatsoever.  So, if you… Read More

Ah, Caligula.  In recent times, historians have been revisiting the life and times of this controversial Roman emperor, trying to make some sort of narrative that might help rehabilitat… Read More

Norman Rockwell's vision of an American Thanksgiving.  I know, I know, not exactly realistic, maybe even racist, right?  Sigh.  How about a drumstick with your propaganda?This… Read More

NOTE to you Dear Reader:What follows is a tragic story, mostly for the victims of the SLA, and for the families of those victims.  To be clear:  this 'urban guerilla' organization… Read More

 OK  how much do you know about “Tanya”?  Shit I meant Patty-baby.  "Tanya" was her ‘urban guerilla’ persona. To understand Hearst’s jo… Read More

Have you ever watched "I Claudius" Dear Reader? Oh my, you should.  It's my absolute favorite of all time, and was chiefly responsible for my early corruption.  Here's a link, so t… Read More

 My apologies for missing you last week, Dear Reader, pressing family matters....This week, let us explore the life and times of Hypatia of Alexandria.Uh, who?Hmmm.  Conic sections… Read More

 Well, this was how he wanted to look.  Here is what Hoover actually looked like:Not such a bad, eh? But, oh, did he gain weight -- and jowls -- in later years....So, what were his… Read More

Who? No, she didn't write "Jane Eyre."  No, she didn't write "Wuthering Heights."  Those were written by her sisters Charlotte, and Emily respectively.Now, I like--no LOVE "Jane… Read More

So, who were the Clyde Barrow Gang, known colloquially as "Bonnie and Clyde?"  They were among a number of Depression Era gangsters, who were overly romanticized by the newspapers and r… Read More

 I will be still be on hiatus for another week, but rest assured, I am working on a meaty post regarding the life and crimes of J. Edgar Hoover, that I hope to have ready for you next w… Read More

 Notice to you, Dear Reader:I have a family emergency, so I'll be taking this week off...but will return next week! Be well Read More

 What I’m going to write about this week, is still in the recent past—the early 2000’s. It's about two forgotten people:  one a beautiful but unknown actress, and… Read More