"I hugely enjoy writing a substack, but I think a break is probably necessary from time to time. In the distant past East Asian administrators would sometimes leave their positions to spend time contemplating in a monastery, a tradition which Lee Kuan Yew sort of followed by taking a sabbatical at Harvard (where he learned the valuable lesson that American elites believe all sorts of wacky stuff about the world)."
Another interesting East Asian tradition seems to be a fondness for hereditary succession among non-monarchical leaders:
"I watched the first De Gaulle film this week, a two-parter that has taken France by storm. I absolutely loved it, finding it both moving and at times very funny, in particular the relationship between the French and British leaders, played superbly by Simon Abkarian and Simon Russell Beale (mostly in French). But then, I am extremely sentimental about French patriotism and military dash, like many of my countrymen. I think this all stems from my parents forcing us to watch Casablanca as children, where they cried throughout the scene where ‘La Marseillaise’ is sung in Rick’s Café. Vive La France!"
It is a noteworthy fact that FDR hated De Gaulle because he saw him as a wannabe military dictator in the tradition of the Bonapartes or Boulanger or Latin American despots. Roosevelt even hoped to create a military occupation government of his own in France to prevent De Gaulle from having much of a role.
The Goethe Institute's land acknowledgment was gracious, humorous, and correct yet unpedantic. Everything Germans are not supposed to be. Completely unlike those strident, pseudo historical proclamations we have in the North America. (Oh, btw, I acknowledge and honor that I live, work, and write this on the Indigenous lands of Turtle Island, the ancestral name for what now is called North America.)
Wouldn't be surprised if we become Monkey Island soon, since we seem to be devolving.
Some of those ancient Slavic tribes settled in Central Texas, believe it or not, in Lee County. They had settled down by the 19th Century and their descendants, the Wends, were hard working, church going Lutherans who founded Concordia College in Austin. Why, I have even had Wend friends.
"Will AI discover animal language? I’m sceptical, but a very interesting idea."
I for one yearn to see when AI unlocks the secret of time travel or entering alternate realities.
I'm telling you within my lifetime, I expect to see what could only be described as Olympian capabilities become widespread from humans using abundant AI.
"I also wrote about Denmark, a country I hugely admire (free), although I should also give a shout-out to the marvellous Norwegian countryside. The view from the Oslo-Bergen train on its final approach really is heavenly."
According to my DNA sample, I am about 8% Norwegian. I imagine a lot of that was involuntary during the Norse raids during the Dark Ages.
"The last time I visited Dalmatia was in 1989, aged 11, too young to understand the danger the country was now in."
An interesting fact about Dalmatia is that it was technically a remnant of the Western Roman Empire lead by a former Western Roman Emperor, Julius Nepos, for four years after the "last Western Roman Emperor" in Italy had been deposed by Odoacer.
Good luck on your break, Ed (I assume you're standing in the Holborn and St Pancras Byelection and look forward to you being in Parliament soon(.
Your productivity the last few years has been insane, especially since the quality hasn’t dropped. Well earned break, enjoy
thank you, Conor
So thats it is it, I'm going to have to actually do some work at my job rather than sit around reading your substack, thoughtless.
I will miss your fascinating posts. Have an enjoyable, restorative sabbatical; I and all of your subscribers will look forward to your return.
I shall miss your posts hugely.
Enjoy your break.
Ed: you will be missed and your sabbatical will result in several large holes in my week. But there is always the archive . . .
Seriously, thank you for your energy, enthusiasm, wide-ranging rsearch and approachable yet impressionable writing style.
And, if you are anywhere near Carlisle, it would be great to meet you.
"I hugely enjoy writing a substack, but I think a break is probably necessary from time to time. In the distant past East Asian administrators would sometimes leave their positions to spend time contemplating in a monastery, a tradition which Lee Kuan Yew sort of followed by taking a sabbatical at Harvard (where he learned the valuable lesson that American elites believe all sorts of wacky stuff about the world)."
Another interesting East Asian tradition seems to be a fondness for hereditary succession among non-monarchical leaders:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Hsien_Loong
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Ching-kuo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hun_Manet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongbong_Marcos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiko_Fujimori
Ed is interesting even when he is writing about nothing, a real gift.
thank you!
"I watched the first De Gaulle film this week, a two-parter that has taken France by storm. I absolutely loved it, finding it both moving and at times very funny, in particular the relationship between the French and British leaders, played superbly by Simon Abkarian and Simon Russell Beale (mostly in French). But then, I am extremely sentimental about French patriotism and military dash, like many of my countrymen. I think this all stems from my parents forcing us to watch Casablanca as children, where they cried throughout the scene where ‘La Marseillaise’ is sung in Rick’s Café. Vive La France!"
It is a noteworthy fact that FDR hated De Gaulle because he saw him as a wannabe military dictator in the tradition of the Bonapartes or Boulanger or Latin American despots. Roosevelt even hoped to create a military occupation government of his own in France to prevent De Gaulle from having much of a role.
https://paw.princeton.edu/article/robertson-59-explores-roosevelts-plan-occupying-france
Bit of pot and kettle there!
Hope you enjoy your well earned break.
The Goethe Institute's land acknowledgment was gracious, humorous, and correct yet unpedantic. Everything Germans are not supposed to be. Completely unlike those strident, pseudo historical proclamations we have in the North America. (Oh, btw, I acknowledge and honor that I live, work, and write this on the Indigenous lands of Turtle Island, the ancestral name for what now is called North America.)
Wouldn't be surprised if we become Monkey Island soon, since we seem to be devolving.
Some of those ancient Slavic tribes settled in Central Texas, believe it or not, in Lee County. They had settled down by the 19th Century and their descendants, the Wends, were hard working, church going Lutherans who founded Concordia College in Austin. Why, I have even had Wend friends.
"Will AI discover animal language? I’m sceptical, but a very interesting idea."
I for one yearn to see when AI unlocks the secret of time travel or entering alternate realities.
I'm telling you within my lifetime, I expect to see what could only be described as Olympian capabilities become widespread from humans using abundant AI.
"I also wrote about Denmark, a country I hugely admire (free), although I should also give a shout-out to the marvellous Norwegian countryside. The view from the Oslo-Bergen train on its final approach really is heavenly."
According to my DNA sample, I am about 8% Norwegian. I imagine a lot of that was involuntary during the Norse raids during the Dark Ages.
"The last time I visited Dalmatia was in 1989, aged 11, too young to understand the danger the country was now in."
An interesting fact about Dalmatia is that it was technically a remnant of the Western Roman Empire lead by a former Western Roman Emperor, Julius Nepos, for four years after the "last Western Roman Emperor" in Italy had been deposed by Odoacer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Nepos
I will miss your posts especially Wrong Side of History over the next couple of months.
Do I take it that "Brahmins" is not going to appear?
It will definitely appear in some form, whether as a book or substack series!