Category Archives: History

Trump and the Blood Libel

Posted on July 4, 2020 by The Academic Raven

I have said before that Trump has intentionally evoked thinly veiled white supremacist rhetoric. I’ll cover a few instances of this before noting what I found most disturbing in his speech from Tulsa, and what it has to do with … Continue reading →

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Losing Treasures; the Need for Cursive

Posted on April 9, 2017 by The Academic Raven

Article for the school paper, March, 2017 I have a treasure in my home, but I cannot access it. The treasure is a box of letters and postcards from grandparents, great-grandparents, great aunts, and others of my family. I am … Continue reading →

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The Mindset of the GOP & What it Means for the Future.

Posted on May 5, 2015 by The Academic Raven

A recent public opinion poll (released Feb 24, 2015) showed a couple of very scary points. There is a lot about favored presidential contenders (though none had yet announced), and some not very surprising assessments of public opinion regarding other … Continue reading →

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The American Dream: A cultural theory perspective

Posted on December 18, 2014 by The Academic Raven

I recently got chatting with someone I met on a political forum and found myself in a (surprisingly and pleasantly civil) political discussion. The other person and I tend to come from rather different views, but our discourse has been … Continue reading →

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Review: Constantine’s Sword

Posted on October 29, 2014 by The Academic Raven

James Carroll’s Constantine’s Sword, or Constantine’s Sword 2007, Storyville Films/First Run Features A historical documentary film on the relationship between the Catholic Church and Jews. Directed and produced Oren Jacoby, inspired by former priest James P. Carroll’s 2001 book Constantine’s … Continue reading →

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Review: The Black Death; A Personal History

Posted on October 27, 2014 by The Academic Raven

(John Hatcher, Da Capo Press, 2008) There seem to be two types of readers of history; those who love history, and those who tolerate it as a necessary evil. Writing for the first group requires thoroughness, organization, solid research, and … Continue reading →

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Another essay on the plausibility of Christianity

Posted on June 24, 2014 by The Academic Raven

I got into a (very civil, actually) discussion on FB about this. The other person began with a CS Lewis quote claiming that the statement: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his … Continue reading →

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The worst kind of violence

Posted on January 11, 2014 by The Academic Raven

In the last week or so, I’ve come across two largely unrelated news items that have gotten me thinking. I suspect they are not unique, nor are they the sort of headline that typically gets everyone talking. But I can’t … Continue reading →

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