Tag Archives: history

Pakistan: Blasphemy and Bombs, Death and Dalits; and History

I’ll be talking about today’s Pakistan: particularly what it’s like being a Pakistani Christian, Hindu or Sikh. Or, for that matter, the ‘wrong’ sort of Pakistani Muslim. The list of at-risk Pakistanis depends partly on who’s talking. A few weeks … Continue reading

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Independence Day: America and Acting Like Love Matters

(From Balon Greyjoy, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)(Prometheus sculpture for Rockefeller Center’s lower plaza. (Paul Manship, 1934)) It’s been 246 years since a bunch of disgruntled colonists decided that they’d had enough of transatlantic micromanagement. There’s more behind the … Continue reading

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History, Viewpoints, Narratives and Ancient Rome

(From Giovanni Paolo Panini, via Staatsgalerie, Stutgard/Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)(Giovanni Paolo Panini’s “Ancient Rome” — an 18th century view. (1754-1757)) “…Naiad airs have brought me homeTo the glory that was Greece,And the grandeur that was Rome….”(“To Helen,” Edgar Allen … Continue reading

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Wagner, Servant of Faustus: What’s He Doing in the Play?

I’d like to say that my ‘Marlowe’s Faustus’ series follows some grand scheme, marching down a well-organized path toward a profound conclusion. But it doesn’t, so I won’t. I started re-reading Christopher Marlowe’s “The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus,” a … Continue reading

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Curiosity and Science, Intent and Wisdom 11:22

(From Bonhams auction house, used w/o permission.)(Louis William Wain’s “A curious cat.” (ca. 1930)) As a behavior, curiosity is part of being a rat, a cat, or a human. In humans, at least, it’s also an emotion. Whether the decline … Continue reading

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