I think I mentioned a while ago that I signed up for a few courses on Coursera, an site that has a multitude of classes available cheap as free. My first class, which started about two weeks ago, is History of Rock (Part One) taught by the University of Rochester's Professor John Covach. So far, … Continue reading Historical Subjectivity
Tag: History
Culture Defined by Pop
Alan Lomax was a folklorist who spent the majority of his life preserving small, local folklore traditions. He believed that globalization was encroaching on the traditions of countless subcultures and slowly but surely pushing them toward extinction. He was also, potentially, a manipulative, manifest destiny toting jack-ass, but that's not important here. The main crux … Continue reading Culture Defined by Pop
The Park
One of the most surprising things that I've read through-out my spring training, was that, prior to Henry, Werner and Lucchino buying the team, there was a lot of talk about abandoning Fenway and building a new park elsewhere. To me, even before I started my whole Baseball Project, this was unthinkable. Leave Fenway? But...it's … Continue reading The Park
The Lost
When learning about baseball's history, it is impossible to ignore the forty years that African Americans were not allowed to play, regardless of ability. Any attempt by a black american to play ball was rejected by Major League Baseball. They were shut out and forced to form their own leagues. There debates, even now, about … Continue reading The Lost
Book Review: Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen
I've never been a fan of the idea that the government is hiding space aliens from us. Partly it's because the people who espouse this particular brand of paranoia always strike me as two hairs away from batshit insane. Mostly though it's because I've never seen any good evidence for it. I haven't seen good … Continue reading Book Review: Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen
Beyond the Veil
Millenia ago, people believed that alongside our own world was another world. The worlds existed apart, but the borders between the two could wear thin and it was possible to cross from one t'other. It was said that in certain places, during certain times, going to the other world was as easy as crossing through … Continue reading Beyond the Veil
Set in Stone…Like Talc or Something
One of the more interesting and appalling aspects of history is its malleability. I constantly have to relearn what I thought I knew about history. For example, it's common knowledge that Egyptians used slave labor to build their pyramids, who were a bunch of sad bastards who were worked to death against their will. Except … Continue reading Set in Stone…Like Talc or Something
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