12/24/2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!
I had to get a bit in the spirit, I am sorry I have been a bit slack in posting.
So now, It is Christmas eve and I have some great people coming over and I am listening to classical renditions of favorite christmas songs.  I wish I could find Loreena Mckinnet live streaming, but alas... I can't.


Sooo....


I learned a valuable lesson after my last blog post, the Vampire story book that I featured is no longer with us... instead... THIS

Bowl full of innocence right here .... has her look of "I didn't do it" while hiding under a table... yes, the book has been eaten.
She loves books...




Today's Book...I absolutely Loathe!

I have never read a more contrived and bias book

If you want an honest look at the economics of slavery, this is not the book for you, IF you want someone telling you that slavery wasn't so bad...this is the load of bull that you need.  The research is bias, horribly done, and has more holes than swiss cheese.  We were actually assigned the book to know what to look for when things  go WRONG in a history title.  Man, I never have hated a book more...


So... I should give this to lizzie and tell her to chow down.


I am finally back into reading the John Brown book and I am really getting into it.  Horowitz is pretty scant in the reference department, and I would like to see more, but beyond that...its an amazing story and you start to get to know Brown and realize he wasn't just some slight radical, he truly believed that slaves should be free and that God called for it even if that meant the taking of lives.  He lived in a hard place during a hard time and after two of his children died of cholera, they had two more and renamed them the names of the dead and moved on.  Its an interesting perspective into this man's life, which at best can be called spartan.  

This Day in History


So for this day I wondered...what could I post, and there were two actually pretty relevant American things that happened on December 24th, besides the whole Christmas Eve thing which I could go into a history of Christmas and holiday customs but its been done.. alot.


So first of all, on this day in 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed, ending the War of 1812.  1812 is a war that a lot of Americans did not know about, but it was a pretty important war.  I hope with this being the 200 year anniversary of the war coming up, we get some really awesome books about it and more people read up on the  conflict with the British, but also the schism that began this early that would eventually lead to the Civil War and other big issues in the United States.  It was also the one and only time we invaded Canada...we failed, it was bad.


ALSO....


in 1865, the Klu Klux Kan was formed on December 24th.  A dark and dangerous group who would terrorize and murder many minorities throughout the south for 100 years more.  Such a dark and tragic part of our past...


I couldn't even THINK about leaving December 24th without mentioning one of the most amazing little War stories ever.  On December 24th, 1914... when the Great War still rallied the youth of Europe to fight the good and honorable fight, both sides along the trenches called a Truce and no one fought.  It was the only time it happened and it was an amazing moment.  


I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday and a Merry Christmas!!!