Filed under: Uncategorized , activism, oregon, video, war
October 6, 2009 • 8:10 pm 0
World War One
Clips from PBS, The Great War And the Shaping of the 20th Century (Vol.1 – “Explosion”)
Map illustrates the German empire. “Bismarck’s system of secret balancing alliances. Kaiser Wilhelm sends Bismarck into retirement, upsetting balance of power. German insecurity as France and Russia draw closer together, Austria remains sole ally.” (Clip also alludes to Kaiser’s psychology).
“Some damn foolish thing in the Balkans would ignite a major war… Tensions in Balkans in 1914… ethnic Slaves want to break away from Austria-Hungary and create a kingdom of Greater Serbia.”
“On June 14 1914 Black Hand assassinate Archduke and his wife. Austria needs to eliminate Serbia as a political factor. Brinkmanship, not national interest. Kaiser give Austria support. Alliance system had set a deadly trap as war between Austria and Serbia means war between all…. In a flash the whole continent was going to be at war.” (Illustrated with a Map)
part 4 – Willy/Nicky telegrams
“In desperation Nicolas and Wilhelm began a curious exchange by telegraph in order to prevent the war.”
“Russia had to mobilize its army. Tsar Nicolas held out. Hidden element in war crisis is ‘honour.’ It was in no great power’s interest to go to war… honor at stake.”
“Russian mob was just what the German general staff wanted… it was only responding to a threat. France followed…”
Clip from ABC’s No Man’s Land: The Great War
World War One and Kaiser Wilhelm
“No leader cared more about having an army that Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm… he assembles an army of over 5 million men…. Kaiser Wilhelm was physically and emotionally intellectually imbalanced….. He never got over that his grand mother didn’t love him… His cousins were so concerned that they formed an alliance against him.”
Filed under: Historical, video, war
September 23, 2009 • 11:57 am 0
Africa map
Handy in so many ways…
African Continent Line Map GIF
Filed under: Uncategorized
September 20, 2009 • 9:06 pm 0
What have the Roman ever done for us?
(In)Famous clip from Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
Along these lines, some dubious apologists claim that Western colonialism somehow benefited Africa. (“We built roads! And brought soap!”)
In my International Politics class we’ll be looking at why European colonialism decidedly did not “develop” Africa, Asia, the Middle East or Latin America. In fact, we’ll be looking at how colonial extraction led to the UNDERDEVELOPMENT of Africa.
Filed under: Uncategorized
• 1:49 pm 0
One in Eight Million: Cooking Liberian Food
Mrs Smith cooks Liberian food in her home in Queens.
From the New York Times’ One in Eight Million series.
September 9, 2009 • 1:28 pm 0
World’s best bus stop becomes world’s smallest cinema
This Shetland bus stop was turned into the “world’s smallest cinema” (and Britain’s most northern cinema) for the Shetland film festival.
Filed under: Random
August 19, 2009 • 12:13 am 0
Bretton Woods Project
I can’t believe it took me so long to discover the Bretton Woods Project. Phenomenal.
For a brief historical overview of BW, in the words of the late Michael Manley, I recommened this clip of the film Life and Debt.
Filed under: global economy, video
