Thursday, March 26, 2009

why medieval?

Sigh. The New Yorker runs to the obvious with the arrow story. Come on guys, bows and arrows have been around for 20,000 years. What is particularly medieval about them? Why not say "ancient" or "prehistoric"? People have been cutting town trees for awhile as well.

Had it been a crossbow, that would be another question.

One of my teachers, Prof. Joel Kaye, to the rescue:
Joel Kaye, a professor of medieval history at Barnard, said that he had not thought about the week’s news in the context of the Middle Ages, though he did point out that, suddenly, usury is a hot topic again. “I will tell you that I always bristle at the use of ‘medieval’ for ‘primitive,’ ” he said. “Modern people are not only doing the things that are called ‘medieval’ but doing them at times with gusto and greater will than they were ever done then.” Like what? “Murdering each other, starving each other.”

Friday, March 20, 2009

my childhood


h/t Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig

Bronze Age torque, Country Clare. From the National Museum of Ireland.

Too busy to write much else -- Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!

St. Patrick is my confirmation patron, and the patron of the archdiocese of New York. I will have Guinness today.

Slán leat!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

bad spanish can be so good..

"Todo es Mal" by The Slow Poisoners (h/t The Clockwork Cabaret).

UPDATE: The subject at hand is the song by the Slow Poisoners.