To Simonne d'Ardenne. March 13, 1936. "The political situation is dreadful... I have the greatest sympathy with Belgium -- which is about the right size of any country! I wish my own were bounded still by the seas of the Tweed and the walls of Wales... we folk do at least know something of mortality and [...]
The current massacre of Iraqi Christians by adherents of Radical Islam has caused a great deal of speculation about what kind of religious believer could commit such acts. Whenever I have been asked this question, I am forced to remind people that it has happened before -- almost a century ago and in the same part [...]
The news is now spreading, and causing great excitement throughout Middle Earth fandom, that a long lost recording of J.R.R. Tolkien's voice has surfaced in The Netherlands. In 1958, the creator of Middle Earth made his first and last visit to a "Lord of the Rings" fan convention in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. Unbeknownst to [...]
It is far from uncommon to find admirers of both the House of Romanov and of Tsar Nicholas II. He is seen as a loving family man and a well meaning, but ineffectual ruler. As this post shall reveal, however, there was also another side to the personality of the Last Tsar. Throughout the Great War, [...]
Whether or not the Disney film "Frozen" is acceptable for Christian families has caused a great deal of controversy, some of which has even spilled over onto The Ink Desk. For this reason, I have decided to give both sides the opportunity to laugh at "Frozen." The following video is therefore highly recommended. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=j1gE4kF0-k4
In keeping with the recent upsurge of interest in the Great War, I have decided to post the following video, which memorializes the German soldiers who fell under the Kaiser's banner. It consists of the song, "Ich hatt' einen Kameraden," which dates from the Napoleonic Wars and which is still played at the memorials for German [...]
It is now often forgotten that, before 1918, the Kaiser's Germany held colonies in Africa, China, New Guinea, and the Samoa. One of these Colonies, German East Africa, is clearly meant to be the setting of this interesting tribute to the Kaiser's global empire. The song which accompanies it, "Heia Safari," was written before the Great [...]
Tragically, "The Ink Desk," carried no reminder that June 22nd was the Feast Day of Saint Thomas More. For this I share the blame. Although my tribute to him is now somewhat tardy, I shall post a Kipling poem which, despite its not having been written with More in mind, contains a perfect description of his character. May his sacrifice [...]
In memory of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife, Sophie Chotek, the Duchess of Hohenberg, on this the one hundredth anniversary of their assassination near the Latin Bridge in Sarajevo.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the assassinations of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the Duchess of Hohenburg. In their memory and of those many families which endured the horrors that ensued, I am posting the following link: http://magyarnews.org/news.php?viewStory=1416 My deepest thanks go to Erika Papp Faber, both for translating her aunt's memoirs and [...]
