We are running another yet fantastic book giveaway for our subscribers. The prizes are copies of Keith Mexsom’s latest book Gas Pedal to Back-Pedal – The Second Century of Auckland Transport which is Part Two of a planned trilogy that builds on the founding and development of Auckland’s
As part of our drive to keep our comment section the best in New Zealand we showcase each week an example of a top-notch comment that adds value to The BFD. Today’s comment was written by Free to speak. Thank you Free to speak for taking the time
We are running another yet fantastic book giveaway for our subscribers. The prizes are copies of Keith Mexsom’s latest book Gas Pedal to Back-Pedal – The Second Century of Auckland Transport which is Part Two of a planned trilogy that builds on the founding and development of Auckland’s
“Lost cities” are an enduring trope of popular culture. The very name conjures visions of Lara Croft, Nathan Drake or Indiana Jones discovering vast ruins beneath the vines of steaming jungles. But lost cities are occasionally very real. Indiana Jones is in fact based on Hiram Bingham, who, while his
I often refer to Communist China as the Nazi Germany of the 21st century. This is not intended as mere hyperbole, but a solemn warning. A new book on Chinese history and Chinese Communist Party ideology lends weight to the warning. In the Politeia, Plato urged the Ideal State to
Lahma Bi Ajeen! Yah what? As promised in my last post, I am diving back into the Middle East and dusting off another obscure dish to whet your appetites with. The Ancient Kingdom of Aram is mentioned in the Old Testament, a kingdom that flourished around the same time as
We are running another yet fantastic book giveaway for our subscribers. The prizes are copies of Keith Mexsom’s latest book Gas Pedal to Back-Pedal – The Second Century of Auckland Transport which is Part Two of a planned trilogy that builds on the founding and development of Auckland’s
Every August we go through the same dreary ritual: a bunch of hand-wringing journalists and academics witter about whether the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were “justified”. To the people who lived and fought Imperial Japan, though, the issue was beyond question. For many of that generation, the
Keith Mexsom keithmexsom.pubsitepro.com Keith Mexsom has magazine and newspaper experience in both New Zealand and Australia as a publisher, editor, sub-editor, journalist, feature writer, and copywriter. He has a Graduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from Massey University. As history records, it took more than a century for
The idea of a “Deep State”, a cabal of state employees or other persons to manipulate or control the government outside of the accepted channels of leadership, is nothing new – nor is it conspiracy theory. In modern times, deep states have operated from the Soviet Union to Italy. But it
Dunedin Mum New Zealand schools will be introducing “Aotearoa New Zealand Histories” in 2022 to all schools and kura across the country. Be sure to get the name right. It’s Aotearoa New Zealand Histories, not New Zealand history. The “Aotearoa” part is important, as is “histories”, not “history”. As
In Art Spiegelman’s magnificent graphic novel, Maus, young Artie is crying bitterly over a spat with his friends. His father responds, “Friends? If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week – then you could see what it is, ‘friends’!” To those who’ve never
As part of our drive to keep our comment section the best in New Zealand we showcase each week an example of a top-notch comment that adds value to The BFD. Today’s comment was written by Ben Waimata. Thank you Ben Waimata for taking the time to craft
Jonathan Spangler Manchester Metropolitan University My research is based on the aristocracy of France and its neighbours in the 16th-18th centuries, and the notion of frontier identities. In particular, I am working on a new history of the Duchy of Lorraine, a formerly independent state between France and Germany.
A lot of languages sound better than English. English in all of its multiple colloquial forms seems less romantic/musical and not as pleasant to the average ear as Latin-based languages. It appears it has taken on board a little too much from the Angles and Saxons from the
Sean Lang Anglia Ruskin University The death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh marks the end of a chapter not just for the British royal family – but for European monarchy itself. Philip belonged to that cosmopolitan world of interrelated royals that had ruled Europe before the first world war
