Category Archives: England

The Champions Of Chastity

I love reading stories about those great souls who put the realm of the spirit first. Peter Ackroyd writes in his 2013 book Foundation: The History of England from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors: At a convent, near Watton … Continue reading

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The Balfour Declaration

Wikipedia says: “The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, then an Ottoman … Continue reading

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British Political Drama Tropes

I’m watching the new BBC drama series Shearwood and I’m recognizing some patterns in the genre: * In most British dramatic series about politics, there’s an old character who’s done terrible things who kills himself rather than reveals himself. Characters … Continue reading

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Fairness and Freedom: A History of Two Open Societies: New Zealand and the United States

Here are some highlights from this 2012 book by David Hackett Fischer: * When one compares these many accounts, one notices that the same language of description tends to occur. Karl Popper described New Zealanders as “decent, friendly and well-disposed.” … Continue reading

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Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America

Here are some of my favorite bits from this 1989 book by David Hackett Fischer: * Folkways in this normative sense exist in advanced civilizations as well as in primitive societies. They are functioning systems of high complexity which have … Continue reading

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