It Couldn’t Be Done, by Edgar A. Guest

Here’s some inspiration for you all:
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
on his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled [...]

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The Bookmeister: Recommended Readings (Lectures 2&3)

Here are some links to the recommended readings from Lectures 2 & 3 – Rise of Feudal Christendom, Part 1 (c.476-c.1066):
Emerton –Introduction to the Middle Ages: Books.Google.com. (Free on-line)
Adams — The Growth of the French Nation:Scanserver.ulib.org. (Free on-line)
Hollister — The Making of England: Ecampus.com
Menzies — History of Germany: Amazon.com 
Parmele — Short History of Spain: Amazon.com 
(According to [...]

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On This Day in History

On this day in history, 1698, Tsar Peter the Great’s program to “westernize” Russia underwent an important “surge.”  In a bid to force the nobility to abandon their eastern customs, Peter implemented a tax on beards! 
Considering how well Russia’s westernization went, and considering the historical record concerning non-bearded Muslim political leaders, I don’t think this [...]

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