Like everyone in the English-speaking world, my first encounter with George Orwell was in high school when I read both Animal Farm and 1984. Since high school reading lists contain probably the only great literature most people will ever read, a great deal of people who understand neither government nor Orwell are introduced to perhaps some of the ( Read more... )

I heaped scorn on romantic notions of history last week, but admittedly I have romantic notions about history as well, but I try to keep the separate from the actual facts. In the spirit of question, which was "choose", and the present is hardly a choice on any of our parts, I'd probably pick the Edwardian Period, partly for the romantic notions of ( Read more... )

I just heard back from the Halifax Citadel Regimental Association that they're going to give me an interview, after I passed the first stage of the process, the floor trial. On Monday I spent two hours learning Victorian military drill ca. 1868, being marked to see if I had any potential as a recruit for the 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot. As ( Read more... )

I had heard of the Passchendaele (check out the trailer) movie project a while back, but just recently I checked up on it. It's scheduled for release this November 11, although it may only get a Canadian theatrical release. It's directed by and stars Paul Gross of Due South fame and is a fictionalized account of his grandfather's experiences at the ( Read more... )

I was reading the cover article of the February 2008 issue of National Geographic when it started. Suddenly I found myself playing Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile, and finally I was baking bread (really easy and yummy recipe) after watching those productive Egyptians bake all their wheat into bread ( Read more... )

With such a short Christmas break this year, I've been hard pressed to see everyone that needs to be seen at this time of year. However I managed to see everyone, including a pop over to Sydney to see karenjeane and her parents, where we saw Charlie Wilson's War because Atonement wasn't playing. It was quite amusing with very sharp dialog, but it really ( Read more... )

Recently I've been reading several compilations of Commando Comics after a surprise find in a bargain bin at a book store. For those of you unfamiliar with Commando, it is Britain's sole surviving war comic and is still relatively successful even if its gung-ho sentiments are incredibly anachronistic. Perhaps its self description is most apt: ( Read more... )

On Remembrance Day (November 11), we finally got a chance to play Storm of Steel in full for the first time. Surprisingly the game ended in Autumn 1915 with the collapse of the Central Powers. Since then, the three of us have been discussing theories for such a short war, ranging from our own decisions to the nature of the rules themselves ( Read more... )

In the last days of August 1991, stray dogs slept on the front steps of the Communist Party's deserted headquarters. No-one could be bothered to drive them off. It was an ignominious end to one of the most important political movements of the last century ( Read more... )