This past week I participated in the museum donation process from the other side – the donor side. My father was donating some of the papers of his father and grandfather to a military museum, and my sister and I joined him. The initial meeting with members of the collections and research departments was relatively [...]
History in Films: X-Men First Class
Tonight I saw the movie X-Men First Class. What follows are some thoughts about the use of history in the film, all put behind a tag so that those who haven't seen the film can keep themselves spoiler-free if they want to. Before the cut, I want to state for the record that I am, [...]
Living with Hurricanes at the Louisiana State Museum
Last month I was in New Orleans for a joyful family occasion, and I had the chance to see a new exhibit at the Presbytere building of the Louisiana State Museum titled Living With Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond. I was intrigued by the exhibit to see how a museum in the heart of an affected [...]
Knights in armor and men with gonnes
Every year in the spring, my friends who are historical reenactors go to two events: Military Through the Ages, at Jamestown (MTA), and Marching Through Time, at MariettaHouse Museum in Maryland (MTT). Although the two events are quite different in scale and outward tone, the basic concept is the same. Groups that interpret military companies or troops from [...]
Museum on the Parade Route
I'm in New Orleans visiting my sister and her husband. It being Mardi Gras season, we've gone out to catch a few of the parades. Last night the Krewe of Bacchus rolled with the theme "Bacchus Salutes the Greatest Generation." It was a great theme, allowing for some fun floats, but also resulted in an [...]
The Revolution in Egypt
I have been wanting to write about following the events in Egypt, and how it made me feel connected to those observers who witnessed the French Revolution, as well as those who witnessed the American. I may still write a nice, scholarly post about it. This isn't that post. I read the news on Twitter [...]
Organizing the revolution
My alarm clock wakes me with the voices of the BBC World Service every weekday morning. These past few days, the news has been full of the tumult in Egypt, Tunis, and elsewhere in their region. This morning I heard that the Egyptian government had shut down the phone and internet networks; a reporter or [...]
No WalMart at the Wilderness
Today, the news came that WalMart had decided not to build on the disputed spot on the Wilderness Battlefield. I am cautiously optimistic. Back in May, 2009, I attended the hearing regarding the WalMart held by the County board of supervisors. I apparently didn't blog about the meeting afterwards, for which I apologize. Two statements [...]
The Wilderness and the WalMart
Just a quick note to say that today a judge in Orange County VA is hearing arguments about whether or not to take the issue of the proposed battlefield-sited WalMart to court. Please note that although WalMart and supporters say it's "not on the battlefield," they mean the battlefield as currently preserved by the Park [...]
Alternatives to Delicious
According the news, Delicious (an online bookmark manager) is being sent the way of the Dodo by Yahoo. I hadn't even realized that Yahoo had acquired delicious, which I've been using off and on for years now. So, the question becomes: if delicious is dead, what do we use instead? Suggestions thus far include: Licorize [...]