Monthly Archives: May 2014

On The Right Side Of The Line For A Change

Posted on May 24, 2014 by nathanalbright

Earlier today I received a rather alarming piece of news from one of the supervisors at my job about the fact that Portland’s water system was on a boil alert thanks to concerns about e-coli [1], meaning that no one … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The Errors Are Still My Own, But I’m Working On Them

Posted on May 23, 2014 by nathanalbright

One of the conventions among writers of books is to have an acknowledgements section in them to give credit where credit is due to those who have provided help in research, editing, encouragement, and other related matters. Although for most … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Church of God, History, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: Falling Free

Posted on May 23, 2014 by nathanalbright

Falling Free, by Lois McMaster Bujold This novel is somewhat of an oddity within the Vorkosiverse [1], in that the events of this book take place about 200 years before the remainder of the series, and are of greatest importance … Continue reading →

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More Was Lost At Mohacs

Posted on May 22, 2014 by nathanalbright

In 1526, centuries of Hungarian independence were lost at the Battle of Mohacs, where their king and most of the nobility was killed in one fell swoop in ferocious combat with an Ottoman army. This experience, lamentable as it is, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, International Relations, Military History, Musings | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Crystal Visions

Posted on May 22, 2014 by nathanalbright

Over the past five days or so, I have had many opportunities to look at my right foot, with its shades of pale flesh, slightly pink inflammation, deep redness in some unusual spots that are only slightly sensitive to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Whiteface

Posted on May 21, 2014 by nathanalbright

For a long time in American culture, it was common for white entertainers (some of them who, like Al Jolson and Stephen Foster, had a great deal of cultural influence) to wear blackface as a way of playing up the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Musings | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Cantonization of India

Posted on May 20, 2014 by nathanalbright

The word canton, as a noun referring to a district of a nation, is best-known in the context of the Swiss cantons, which form the basis of the Swiss Confederation to this day. A complicated and organic history of these … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Caveat Lector

Posted on May 20, 2014 by nathanalbright

Those who are frequent readers of my blogs, especially my book reviews, will no doubt be at least somewhat aware that the FCC (one of the many components of American bureaucracy) requires a statement in a published book review to … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance

Posted on May 20, 2014 by nathanalbright

Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, by Lois McMaster Bujold The title of this book is a bit of a tease, which is not necessarily a bad thing, in that it refers to a marriage alliance made by Lord Ivan Vorpatril (best known … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Love & Marriage | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Murphy Was An Optimist

Posted on May 19, 2014 by nathanalbright

One of the themes of Spokesmen’s club today, at least for the outgoing president, was the outworking of Murphy’s Law. Murphy’s Law, of course, states that “The worst thing that can possibly happen will happen.” Then, there is Cohen’s Corollary, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Church of God, Musings | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments