The Tweets from those who ardently believe the end of times is upon us would be high comedy, if it weren’t so damned tragic. These people believe they are going to heaven in a month. I think there are going to be a lot of pissed off folks on May 22nd. Then again, they’ll believe their snake oil preachers who say “oops sorry… we misread the scriptures” and reset the date. Many of us who will most definitely be waking up in our own beds on June 1 wonder if we should stock up on marshmallows when the fires of Hell rain down upon us. Nothing better than a good old fashioned marshmallow roast to keep up the spirits.

In the meantime….

I’d like to draw your attention to the nifty little Pay Pal donation window in the right hand column. If you are one of the “believers”, feel free to leave me all your worldly wealth with one quick little click of your mouse. All credit cards accepted. Cash is welcome. I’d be happy to spend your money when you leave for the afterlife. Just remember, no refunds in the event reality really does suck.

Click on the image for the large view but in short the fellow wrote: I am not law enforcement so do not ask or I won’t respond, & by contacting me you are agreeing that you are not affiliated with any law enforcement; this applies to any/all subsequent correspondence.

I’m not sure if this was a joke post or not, but when you consider AK47s are being given away with new truck purchases in Florida, well, anything is possible.

Wonder how this sells to the religious right? After all he is marrying a female so that should be cool with them.

…. now if he’d fallen for a cat, I may have understood.

It is our aim to bring you a bit of actual history behind the men who fought against the “Bolshevik scourge”; volunteers who came from the various Northern European countries allied with Hitler’s Germany who only had a desire to see an end to Soviet Communism. As we do more research to bring you an accurate portrayal (and build the rest of this website!), you will see more and more content.

Nice way to avoid the reality of the Waffen SS’ actions. Let’s whitewash everything and turn them into heroes! Fine upstanding “Commie fighters”. As long as they were fighting Communism, everything is good. I’ve been reading a number of people bray “but they were never accused of committing any atrocities”. Oh, then that makes being a member of the SS all better now, doesn’t it.

That isn’t what really appalled me. Ohio Tea Party GOP Candidate Rich Iott is a member. He says he joined it as a “as a father-son bonding thing.” Ever heard of camping trips, Rich? Before anyone starts screaming it’s his “Constitutional right” to do this, I’ll counter with – yes, if you insist, he has a “Constitutional right” to be an idiot. His membership displays an appalling lack of understanding about both his position in the political world and what the SS symbolise. Pretending they were fearless fighters for freedom is a lie. No amount of pretending will turn them into heroes. He is either incredibly naive, or got caught showing his true colours – take your pick. On the Wiking website they state: “We honor the men (and women) who really experienced the war, and we salute their courage and loyalty to put their lives on the line in defense of their native soil, no matter what nationality or government.” So treason is okay, just so long as the Tea Party okays it.

The Atlantic
Talking point
Toledo Blade

What is one school that Mary 1 Queen of England attended?
She didn’t attend schools. She was taught by monks. Most of her early life was spent in exile away from court because she was considered the illegitimate daughter of Ann Boleyn. Even if she had been at court she wouldn’t have gone to a school as we know it. Women and girls were not allowed in schools and often it was only noble boys who gained education.

Yup… trolling for trouble at my favourite playground. This was posted by a supervisor who was a teacher, PhD and a brain that is “a data bank of facts and they just seem to stick in my brain especially in history and arts.” I think some of it came unstuck on this one. Can we spot the errors? Other than the obvious one about Ann Boleyn? Mary was an educated woman who’s first tutor was Thomas Linacre, humanist, scholar and well certainly not a monk.

Ohh a double header for you:
What were the symptoms of the plague in 1665?
There was no plague in 1665
In the Middle Ages universities formed to do what?
The educational system in the middle ages didn’t exist and there weren’t universities. 90% of the population couldn’t read or write and the nobility that could read were tutored by monks as children
Seriously, what history did this person study? Mars? Pluto? Certainly not earth history.

What was Christianity in the Middle Ages like?
Everyone was Catholic.
That takes care of those pesky Orthodox Churches and heretics. Just pretend they never existed.

The life of a bottler in medieval times?
There wasn’t a person who was a “bottler” in the middle ages. The ability to bottle, store and keep items in bottles will come much later in history.
38 seconds worth of searching popped up 3 excellent descriptions of a bottler.

Why did towns begin to grow around ad1000?
People began to learn how to plant crops and when that happens the following of animals is no longer needed so they build a house of some sort and stay. Pretty soon another groups come along and they stay too. Soon there are several houses and crops. When this happens people make rules for living together and begin to create a soceity.
Thousands of years of human growth struck off with a wave of the keyboard. Good answer, wrong question.

What floor did servants live on in a castle? (listed under Henry VIII and Middle Ages)
There wasn’t servants in a castle. The needs of the Queen or King were met by the use of young nobles who took care of them and their wardrobes. This was considered to be an honor and they wanted to be there. The young people were looking for a husband and wife among the nobles that were there so they could gain power or land for their family.
Somehow I can’t quite picture a young noble working in the kitchen washing up and turning the spit. Are you getting a delightful image of shenanigans in the pantry.

What was a Porter’s job in medieval times?
There were no porters in the middle ages.
What an baffling vision of life in the Middle Ages. I can’t quite figure this out. Once again, 38 seconds found a list of Medieval jobs, including “The janitor, or porter, was responsible for the main castle entrance and for the guardrooms. The porter also insured that no one entered or left the castle without permission”.

What were the main themes in literature during the middle ages?
Any thing written was religious…
I don’t think the Wife of Bath is an homage to God.

Was there missionaries in the middle ages?
No. Everyone was Catholic in Europe and people didn’t travel outside Europe until the late 1400′s so there were no missionaries needed.
Wtf? Everyone was Catholic? Moors in Spain, Jews, Cathars, Orthodox, Marco Polo, Silk Road …

I go on about this because I get stressed over the blatant disregard for the facts. It is so easy to look up reliable sources. If in doubt, look it up. But therein lies the problem – you have to have the confidence to say “let’s take it moment to double check”. This doesn’t happen. Don’t muddle my mind with facts, I have a mission to spread my personal view of history to the world. A completely wrong and slightly bizarre view, but hey… it’s a free country.

History, it’s dangerous. Don’t cruise the Internet alone.