The World of Words

Stories from the Edge Blog

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History

9/11: 16 Years Later

The world changed 16 years ago today. As I write my annual 9/11 post, I’m sitting in the same room just a few feet away from when I first learned of a plane hitting one of the Twin Towers. I was talking with a friend on AOL Messenger. The conversation that day is unimportant, though I’m sure it had something to do with Xena: Warrior Princes. I remember looking at an article on AOL about the attack and seeing a photo. I remember saying to my friend: that’s not a small plane. That’s a big hole.

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Photos

Fireworks: September 2016

These are not my best fireworks photographs. I was combating two evils: a lot of light and a busted tripod. All in all, they could have turned out a lot worse, I suppose.

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History

Disney & World War II: Education for Death

Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi was one of two shorts released in 1943. The other was, Der Fueher’s Face. The latter was more satirical and made more of a mockery out of Adolf Hitler than the former, which hit audiences the hardest it featured the indoctrination of Germany’s youth.

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History

Analysis: One of Ours

In Willa Cather’s One of Ours, a complex picture of an idealistic young man troubled by his upbringing and quest to find his place in the world emerges through the back drop of World War I. Written in 1923, the book is just five years removed from the end of the war.

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History

They Used Cameras: The Story of Hollywood and World War Two

They were at the height of their careers. But they dropped it all to go to war. Their weapon of choice: their cameras. Five Came Back is the title of a new documentary series premiering on Netflix that tells the story of John Ford, Frank Capra, John Huston, George Stevens and William Wyler as they went into the service during World War II.

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History

Understanding History in Today’s World

History in today’s world requires an understanding of the past. Or as I like to say, context is everything when doing comparisons. My point is: avoid history books that condense down a subject or a historical documentary on a TV channel. Go to the source: read newspaper articles from the time period.

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History

September 11th: 15 Years Later

For my generation, the September 11th Attacks is our John F. Kennedy Assassination. It is a time where you remember what you were doing and where you were when you heard about the attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and the crash of United 93 in Pennsylvania. The world for thousands of families changed on that day. The world entire changed. Our nation changed and New York changed.

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Academics / History

Hollywood & the War

One of my areas of study is the cooperation between Hollywood and the government during World War 2. It is a fascinating area of study because hundreds of films were made between 1939 and 1945 that have in some way shaped the popular perception of the war.