Oh the year was 1778, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now,

When the letter of marque came from the King

To the scabbiest blogwatch I’d ever seen…

The Agitator: Statues of Lenin: Where are they now? Fascinating.

Amy Welborn and Dappled Things: Posting on Saint Augustine on his feast day. Amy’s right–Peter Brown’s biography is fantastic. (And, in an odd coincidence, the Confessions play a role in my current short story!)

Oxblog: How West Germany broke the Iron Curtain. Great stuff, with contemporary lessons. (Look for the unspoken lesson for the Iranian blogosphere!)