August 15, 2012 in General Topics
Chief among many classical philosophies is the idea that whatever object a person creates can be nothing more than something approaching what is desired. For example, a chair is not a chair — it’s the idea of a chair. The craftsman gets as far as possible, but is forever incapable of achieving the exact end-result he chases.
Fiction-writing, please report front-and-center.
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August 9, 2012 in General Topics
We’ve finally come to the last post in this series. We’ve seen a wide variety of conflicts, spanning multiple theatres and time periods, from medieval Japanese shores to the frontiers of Colonial America. And we’re going out with a bang. I’m pleased to bring you not one, but two final conflicts that are worth covering.
That’s what I do, here, folks – always deliver a little more than you expect.
Once more into the breach! Read the rest of this entry →
August 2, 2012 in General Topics
Well, look who’s back. Obviously you didn’t get enough military history discussion in our first blog post on great historical battles, and you want Part II. Very well, my friend, I’m glad to oblige.
As a reminder, we’re focusing on battles that meet your humble author’s three criteria: historical significance, amazing combat, and epic scope.
Now reload, and let’s hit the front.
Speaking of fronts, Hitler’s great gamble on the Eastern Front in WWII didn’t go the way he claimed it would. Envisioning a Soviet debacle-in-the-making, and selling the invasion of Russia as simply “kicking the door in”, Hitler directed vast numbers of well-trained troops — in three huge army groups — across Soviet borders in 1941. For a time, the Germans found great success.
For a time.
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July 28, 2012 in General Topics, Other Stuff
I watched The Haunting in Connecticut last week, and unfortunately the film reminded me how Hollywood ruins a good ghost story.
Set in the mid-eighties, the movie follows the alleged experiences of the Campbells, a family that buys a home in Connecticut in an effort to be nearer the facility treating their son, Matt, for cancer. Tired of hauling the ailing teen long trips to the hospital, mom finds a deal on a local house that seems too good to be true.
And of course it is, and the building has a dark history, and this is fine, because otherwise, there would be no story. It’s also fine — in principle — that the film says it is “based on a true story”.
What isn’t fine is what it does to that story.
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July 25, 2012 in General Topics
Today, I’m sharing the first of five historical battles that stand out, from my perspective, as exceptional for their scope, impact on history, and flat-out epic combat. If you’re getting the impression that your humble author is a student of history, you’re definitely following the right trench.
Fix bayonets. Here we go.
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