Book Review: The 1619 Project

From The 1619 Project, by Nikole Hannah-Jones:

Amazon

  Why hadn’t any teacher or textbook, in telling the story of Jamestown, taught us the story of 1619? No history can ever be complete, of course. Millions of moments, thousands of dates weave the tapestry of a country’s past. But I knew immediately, viscerally, that this was not an innocuous omission. The year white Virginians first purchased enslaved Africans, the start of American slavery, an institution so influential and corrosive that it both helped create the nation and nearly led to its demise, is indisputably a foundational historical date. And yet I’d never heard of it before."

Book Review: The 1619 Project: American history as it's rarely told, with the true story of what's been done by and to Blacks. With separate authors on chapters on democracy, capitalism, politics, citizenship, religion, music, healthcare, and more, its power builds relentlessly to a call for action at the end.

After the jump, my full review.

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Triangle of Sadness (2022): Satire of social class on a cruise for ultra rich. Catastrophe strikes, roles are reversed and the real makers and takers are revealed. The satire is too blunt. The ambiguous ending is a cop out. Overall, it's too shallow to be great. But it's fun. B-

POTD: Pfifferlinge

From 2022 07 11 Bamberg

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Bamberg, Germany. It shows golden yellow mushrooms (pfifferlinge) offered for sale in a street market in the center of this medieval town.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: River Regnitz through Bamberg

From 2022 07 11 Bamberg

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Bamberg, Germany. According to Wikipedia, Bamberg is "one of Germany's most beautiful towns, with medieval streets and Europe's largest intact old city wall, the old town of Bamberg has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993." This view is of the river Regnitz which runs through Bamberg close to its confluence with the river Main.

MLB Spring Training is Here

From MLB

I remember listening to spring training games on the radio from Wisconsin. I remember Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn, and, yes, Bob Uecker, who all played for the Milwaukee Braves when I was young. I'm that old. I remember shoveling snow from the grass in the yard to make enough room to play catch. I remember baseball.

David Letterman: "Is that right?"
Bob Uecker: “Whether it’s true or not, I’m going to tell the story.”

TIL: George Washington Burned New York

Source: Wikipedia .

General George Washington ordered the burning of New York City in 1776 after his retreat from the city before the advancing British. Well, that's not exactly historically proven. The headline in The Atlantic article by Daniel Immerwahr is less definitive: "Did George Washington Burn New York?" There's a lot of circumstantial evidence saying he did and he wanted his involvement kept secret.

What Immerwahr does make clear is that total war is a tactic as old as, well, war itself. And the side telling the story always blames the other side for engaging in it, never themselves. And that includes George "I cannot tell a lie" Washington.

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (TV 2022): Anthology of creepy stories with graveyards, rats, nightmares, haunted houses, etc. Most stories have a long buildup with little to no payoff. Spooky maybe, but no horror. No surprises in this old cabinet. C-

Cunk on Earth (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Cunk on Earth (TV 2023): Philomena Cunk, the fictitious host of this satiric documentary about the history of humanity, says outrageous things with such a deadpan delivery that it's hard to know how her interview subjects keep a straight face. Meanwhile, viewers at home keep thinking, "She's not wrong." A-

POTD: Würzburg Power Station

From 2022 07 10 Rothenburg and Wurzburg

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Würzburg, Germany. It shows a modern power station for the City. Normally, I take photos of historic sites and buildings. This one caught my eye because of the lone woman, barely visible, sitting on the steps down to the river. I thought the closeup of that made for an artsy photo. That photo is after the jump.

POTD: Alte Mainbrücke

From 2022 07 10 Rothenburg and Wurzburg

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Würzburg, Germany. That's the historic city center of Würzburg in the background. In the foreground is the Old Main Bridge (Alte Mainbrücke) over the River Main, built in the 15th Century.

Bonus photo after the jump.