Herb Stempel passed away – now he can have a rematch with Charles van Doren.
Tag Archives: history
King George VI: VE Day Speech
VE Day 75
In honour of the date, an article about the last Nazi message decoded by the British.
Also – this is in French – a tribute to a French Holocaust survivor who passed away on May 1st.
And I would like to redirect all of you, my dear readers, to my other site, where I post the war letters – and other memorabilia – of my uncle.
Israel at 72
Plus ca Change
As I have posted previously, we listen to a lot of Pepys in this house, especially on lengthy car rides (though it has been a while since one of those). A quote from the diaries seems a propos in 2020:
On hearing ill rumour that Londoners may soon be urged into their lodgings by Her Majesty’s men, I looked upon the street to see a gaggle of striplings making fair merry, and no doubt spreading the plague well about. Not a care had these rogues for the health of their elders!
Easter
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Please read my “Series of Unpleasant Experiences.”
Greece vs. Rome
So I posted earlier about how we like to listen to Pepys while we are in the car. But this Christmas, driving back to Toronto, we listened to Boris Johnson versus Mary Beard in a debate about which ancient society was better – Greece or Rome. It was informative, fun, funny and I like both debaters immensely. It certainly goes without saying that those who compare Boris Johnson to Donald Trump are mistaken. I cannot imagine Trump – or, for that matter, Justin Trudeau – being in Boris’ intellectual league.
JFK
Sad anniversary. Easy to see why this man so appealed to people; easy to see why, as my parents told me, not only were they crying on November 22nd, 1963, but they saw more people crying in the streets that day than there had been on VE Day.
Also, interesting piece about C.S. Lewis, who died — along with Aldous Huxley — on the same day as JFK.
Remembrance Day
A day late but always important to mark this date. Please see my other website and enjoy this song, “The D-Day Dodgers.” It is sung to the tune of “Lili Marlene” and refers to the dismissive attitude so many had toward the Allied Forces in Italy. With the “glamour” and headlines of June 6, 1944, they were overlooked, though their sacrifices were every bit as extraordinary, their battles as harsh, their courage as strong. (My uncle, in his letters, refers several times to his friend George Yente/s – or Lente/s – who was sending him letters from the front in Italy.)