Like most people, I have accepted the ‘given’ definition of Luddite as someone who fears technology. I even, being the word-geek that I am, knew the term originated from machine-breakers in the early ninetieth century. The reasons the Luddites broke new automated looms was because the feared and hated new devilish technology, right? Wrong. The… Read more I’ve been using the word “Luddite” wrong
I am working on my next book, which is requiring me to take a deeper look into Regency Era Britain. As a long-standing Austenite and reader of modern day Regency romances (many of which are VERY well researched in terms of mores, manners, and dress) I have had the tendency to look at 1811-1820 Britain… Read more The Regency Era
There’s been another random murder-spree shooter in America again. A monster named John Russel Houser entered a theater in Lafayette, Louisiana and murdered a 21 year old woman named Mayci Breaux and a 33 year old woman named Jillian Johnson, and wounded several others, before killing himself. He initially tried to escape, but when the… Read more A Shooting in a Lafayette Theater
A monster named Muhammad Abdulazeez murdered five servicemen last week. May light perpetual shine upon them. Was this a terrorist attack? Terrorism is “the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.” If Abdulazeez had a larger socio-political goal in mind (like starting a race war or a jihad) then it was… Read more Terror and the Lone Wolf
Mary I successfully overthrew Jane Grey, Edward VI’s legitimate and legal heir, and was officially declared queen of England on July 19, 1553. This is my article in this month’s Tudor Society Magazine (which you should totally subscribe to) about the historical rewriting of the legitimacy of Jane Grey’s reign. Sometime during the life… Read more Mary I, Usurper and Queen
MadeGlobal’s History in a Nutshell Series aims to give readers a good grounding in a historical topic in a concise, easily digestible and accessible way. In Thomas Cranmer in a Nutshell, Beth von Staats discusses the fascinating life of Thomas Cranmer, from his early education, through his appointment to Archbishop of Canterbury, his growth in… Read more Welcoming Beth von Staats, author of Thomas Cranmer in a Nutshell!
The vitriolic hatred toward Muslims and ignorance of Islam being spewed from the mouth of bigots upsets me. It upsets me because it is entirely too reminiscent of the ‘Jews are a sickness on the national body’ garbage propagated by anti-Semitic malefactors and other assorted scum in the past and today among the neo-Nazi and… Read more Terrorism and Representation
I support the European Union. I think it is a great idea. However, I think that predatory banking is loathsome and should be fought by all means. The Greek vote on Sunday both indicated that Greece was willing to stay in the EU but was not going to put up with any more austerity and… Read more Yay Greece!
Sometimes people ask me why I am so weirdly persnickety about my eldest daughter’s food intake. Why can’t I just let the poor kid have a piece of birthday cake? It’s one thing to cut back on sugar, but why don’t I lighten up on my Sherman-through-Georgia attitude toward wheat and artificial food colors? Why… Read more Asperger’s, Microbiota, and Food
As y’all know, I am an H.P Lovecraft fan. He is the father (Edgar Allen Poe is the grandfather) of the modern horror genre and he rocked it. One of Lovecraft’s most famous monsters, one beloved by geeks like me, is Cthulhu. As with anything beloved, parodies about it spring up like mushroom after it… Read more Parody: why choose the lesser evil?