The Anti-Howard Zinn American History

I've seen a number of sites (like Cultural Offering) mention a new book by historian Wilfred McClay Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story. The book is positioned as a counterpoint to Howard Zinn's awful A People's History of the United States.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I think the a great counterpoint to Zinn's crap has already been written - A Patriot's History of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. The scholarship, facts and writing of this book are all topnotch and I'd heartily recommend it to anyone interested in the true history of the founding and growth of our nation.

Schweikart also collaborated with Dave Dougherty on A Patriot's History of the Modern World - a book I also recommend.

Meanwhile I'm going to put Land of Hope on my Wish List.

George W. Bush

George W. Bush is smarter than you. Many might not be able to accept that fact but as I've long said - history and future historians will be kind to George W. Bush.

Kentucky Derby

Today is Kentucky Derby day! The above image is sunrise over the twin spires of Churchill Downs via Darren Rovell.

The Kentucky Derby is one of the great American traditions. One of my favorite bits of Derby trivia is that Richard Nixon is the only sitting American President to ever attend a Kentucky Derby. One of the darker (no pun intended) aspects of Derby history that's stuck in my head is the fact that in 1911 the Kentucky Derby banned black jockeys after they won 15 of the first 28 Derbies. If you can't beat them - ban them I guess was the thought process.

Anyway - on to my picks:

Trifecta Box of - Nyquist (2-1); Destin (21-1) and Exaggerator (5-1)

I know Nyquist is the chalk choice but how foolish would you feel if he finishes in the top 3 and you didn't have him?

I am also taking long shot Majesto (was 30-1 but latest odds are 60-1) for a few dollars across the board.

Before following my advice please remember I'm just a casual observer of horse racing and that I'm the kind of person who thinks while watching the races about how funny it would be if  instead of elaborate hats - the ladies (and Johnny Weir) had to wear fake beards instead.

Good luck. May the odds ever be in you favor!

Mount Whoredom

Long before Archer had Whore Island there was an actual Mount Whoredom.

Prostitution was so rampant in Boston in the 1770's that a British military cartographer marked the red light district in Boston as Mount Whoredom. The American troops surrounding Boston back then may have been short of military dress and ammunition but they were drinking about a bottle of rum a day - apiece. Viva the American way!

This may be one of those historical facts that only twisted minds like mine find interesting.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If Peyton Manning changed his audible from "Omaha! Omaha!" to "Obama! Obama!" would he lose half of his endorsements?... Dumb wrinkle in Mass gambling law may kill big casino action... Growing up Catholic many of the nuns I'd run into would explain their celibacy by saying that they were "married to Jesus." I always wondered - if that is the case then how do priests explain their celibacy? Are they married to Jesus too?... Dick Winters and Easy Company at the Eagle's Nest - Hitler's mountain hideaway...  Big honor - Boston Bruins' captain Zedano Chara has been chosen to carry the Slovakian flag at the Olympics opening ceremony. Big honor! It would be cool if the Bruins played the Slovakian national anthem along with the US national anthem in his honor the first home game after his return from the games... 10 of Shakespeare's best dirty jokes...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- The Eiffel Tower lit up in the colors of the South African flag in memory of Nelson Mandela

- The Boston Celtics have to feel pretty good right now. They have Brad Stevens as coach (the anti-Jason Kidd) and then there's this coming up the next couple of years (speaking of Jason Kidd)

- This Iron Bowl call is pretty funny

- As a child of the 80's when you think Nelson Mandela you think Apartheid and then you think Artists United Against Apartheid and Sun City

- Is Jack Morris a Hall of Famer? The folks at Baseball-Reference.com don't think so.

- Awesome - Benedict Cumberbatch recites R Kelly lyrics

- Forgotten history - when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the lunar surface - the Russians crashed into the moon

- Heh heh - Clint Eastwood riding a miniature pony

- Spontaneous street pillow fights - fantastic!

George W. Bush's Legacy

Charles Krauthammer has a good look at what the Bush legacy will and has been. Krauthammer makes the comparison to Harry Truman which I've also made repeatedly.

One thing to point out is that Truman was followed in office by Dwight Eisenhower while Bush was followed by Barack Obama. That is bound to work in Bush's favor once the celebrity ga-ga over Obama is replaced by real historians looking at facts.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

The time Russia ran out of Vodka

FDR's Executive Order 9250 which tried to limit incomes to $25,000 per year

Interesting piece on Tim Tebow in NYC. It will be interesting to see how Tebow effects popular culture and morals in the city and vice versa.

I laugh at this hockey highlight every time

Cool - Voltron chess set

Real or photoshop? Scary either way. 

Chevy Chase vs Community show-runner Dan Harmon

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Fascinating look at poker prodigy and grinder extrodinaire Nanonoko (make sure to watch the video at the end)

- The SNL Weekend Update: Winners and Losers (Charlie Sheen edition) was pretty funny

- The story of menstruation; A Walt Disney Production - through the courtesy of Kotex Products (damn it - where are the dancing tampons?)

- Fascinating pictures of the American Frontier (including a number of Deadwood photos)

- Passenger crawls into airliner's cargo hold through the bathroom and steals $238,000

- Bill Simmons with an interesting take on NFL owners

- World's largest shark jaws up for auction

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Did you know that the first professional baseball player was Jewish? His name was Lipman Pike - you can look it up... Gene Hackman was original choice of the show's producers to play Mr. Brady on The Brady Bunch but the studio insisted on Robert Reed... The chief Norse God Odin had two ravens who sat on his shoulders - one was Hugin (Thought) and the other was Munin (Memory). They flew around the world of men to inform Odin of goings on... Did you know that Ted Knight was the narrarator on the Super Friends?... I think I'd rather have hot wax dripped on my genitals than watch the new CBS "comedy" Mike & Molly - seriously - hot wax on my balls... Did you know that Sarah Holcomb who played Maggie in Caddyshack also played the underage girl who gets pregnant in Animal House?... Robert Redford was in a movie called Havana and it wasn't half bad - Sean Connery was in a movie called Cuba that wasn't half good...

Button Gwinnett

An interesting name and more interesting tale. The second man to sign the Declaration of Independence and a man who died from wounds suffered in a duel just 2 years later. Button Gwinnett is one of the lesser known stories in American history. In a strange twist of fate - the autograph of Button Gwinnett is perhaps the most expensive (and among the most rare) of any American in history. Single autographs of Gwinnett have supposedly gone for as much as $150,000. The autographs are so valuable because there are so few (about 30) and many collectors want to have autographs from all 56 signers of the Declaration.