Browsing: Society

A Brief History On April 8, 2013, the Dawlat al-ʻIraq al-Islāmīyah, “Islamic State of Iraq” (ISI) claimed territory in the Levant and thereby became “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant”.  Now known as just “The Islamic State”, this so-called “caliphate” is arguably one of the most evil entities in human history.  This article lists some of the most horrendous crimes against humanity in chronological order. Digging Deeper 1.  Beheading Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), a militant Islamist from Jordan who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan, became known after going to Iraq and being responsible for a series of bombings, beheadings, and attacks…

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Digging Deeper On October 13, 1929, Joze Plecnik, Slovenian architect, revealed his memorial to Napoleon Bonaparte on the Square of the French Revolution in Ljubljana, Slovenia.  A major influence on the architecture of Slovenia, Plecnik was not a favorite of the communists after World War II and fell from influence.  Plecnik and others have left beautiful, imposing, or impressive memorials and monuments to remind us of those memorialized.  Here we list 10 of the author’s favorites, not necessarily the most famous or biggest, but the ones that touch or impress me the most. Digging Deeper 10. Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument,…

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A Brief History On October 12, 1216, King John of England capped off what had to be one of the least glorious chapters in the history of Britain by losing his crown jewels.  Conducting a campaign across his country in an effort to retain his crown, some of John’s baggage train was lost in “quicksand and whirlpools” of the “Wash,” an estuary in East Anglia (a squarish bay of about 15 miles by 15 miles into which 4 major rivers flow). Digging Deeper John and his brothers, including Richard the Lionheart, later Richard I, King of England, etc., took part…

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A Brief History On December 22, 1965, one more bit of personal freedom went the way of the passenger pigeon when a 70 mph speed limit was set on all British rural roads.  Prior to this law, there had been no speed limit in Great Britain, a country that had the most cars per mile of road than any other country in the world. Digging Deeper Before Anglophiles get all upset, this article is not a slam on the island of Great Britain or the country known as the United Kingdom.  It is merely a lamentation of some past glory that seems lost forever. A while…

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A Brief History On October 10, 1967, the Outer Space Treaty, formally known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (we will stick to the short version!) went into effect. Digging Deeper The treaty had been signed on January 27, 1967,  by the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom, while in the years since over 100 other countries have subsequently signed. The basic idea of the treaty is to declare outer space, the Moon and other celestial bodies (planets,…

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