Week of May 6, 2013
Up Front
 The Politics of Mother's DayRebecca Jo Plant The originator of Mother's Day would be appalled by the commercialization of a "holy" day. Tags: Mother's Day, radicalism, Anna Jarvis, commercialism |
 HNN Book of the Month: Sensing the Past by Jim CullenTags: books, Book of the Month, Jim Cullen, Sensing the Past |
News at Home
 The NYT Ignores USDA DiscriminationPete Daniel The USDA discriminated against minority farmers for decades, but critics of the repayments program seek to rewrite history, and the Grey Lady is helping. Tags: Pigford v. Glickman, discrimination, NYT, USDA |
News Abroad
 And Then There Was OneTom Engelhardt Imperial gigantism and the decline of planet Earth. Tags: climate change, empire, Soviet Union, United States |
_and_Lieutenant_General_Nguyen_Van_Thieu_(South..._-_NARA_-_192496.tif__0.jpg) Yet Another Reason Afghanistan is Like VietnamJeremy Kuzmarov U.S.-fueled corruption based on heroin a staple of both Vietnam and Afghanistan. Tags: CIA, Hamid Karzai, heroin, Vietnam |
 Keeping Him Upright...Josh Brown's Life During Wartime Tags: Life During Wartime, Hamid Karzai, corruption, drones |
Historians & History
 Trashing Keynes for Being Gay is Nothing NewDavid Austin Walsh Niall Ferguson says J.M. Keynes's theories are flawed because he was gay. This argument is surprisingly common amongst conservatives. Tags: economics, homosexuality, John Maynard Keynes, Niall Ferguson |
 Getting Beyond the "Clash of Civilizations"David Cannadine Samuel Huntington's famous thesis appeals to pundits, but it ignores the nuances of history. Tags: clash of civilizations, global history, Islam, Samuel P. Huntington |
 May 8: Victory in Europe DayRobert Huddleston Celebrating the final triumph over Nazism with a personal story of the last days of World War II. Tags: fighters, He 162, planes, VE Day |
 George Washington: The Forgotten EmancipatorThomas Fleming The first president wanted to end slavery, but preserving the Union was more important. Tags: American Revolution, Civil War, George Washington, slavery |
 It's Not You, Stonewall, It's MeWallace A. Hettle An open letter on breaking up with Stonewall Jackson. Tags: Chancellorsville, Civil War, Confederacy, Stonewall Jackson |
 Philosophy Matters, Because When It Goes Wrong...Yvonne Sherratt Philosophers are an oft-ridiculed bunch, but philosophy is dangerous in the wrong hands. Like the Nazis. Tags: democracy, humanities, Nazism, philosophy |
 No Kinky Porn, Please -- We're EnglishRobin Lindley Julie Peakman's research on eighteenth-century English erotica reveals a surprisingly vanilla attitude to sex. Tags: England, erotica, interviews, pornography |
Education
 The Problem with School "Accountability"Robert L. Urzillo The education reform movement's obsession with metrics ignores other factors. Tags: education, education reform, teaching, tests |
Culture Watch
 Play Ball, JackieSteve Hochstadt How Jackie Robinson captured the heart of Jewish Brooklyn. Tags: 42, African American history, baseball, Jackie Robinson |
 A Loving Trip Back to a Different AmericaBruce Chadwick A Trip to Bountiful serves a healthy dose of nostalgia. Tags: 1947, plays, Texas, theater reviews |
 Who are You Calling Nancy Boy?Bruce Chadwick Nathan Lane is a delight in The Nance, the story of 1930s Broadway camp. Tags: Nathan Lane, plays, The Nance, theater reviews |
Books
 Review of Michael J. Gerhardt's The Forgotten PresidentsJim Cullen A dry book for dry presidents, but useful nonetheless. Tags: executive branch, Forgotten Presidents, Jim Cullen, Michael J. Gerhardt |
 Review of Edward Achorn's The Summer of Beer and WhiskeyMurray Polner How an unscrupulous German tavernkeeper made baseball America's pastime. Tags: baseball, beer, Missouri, St. Louis |