How the goats got Jack Johnson
U.S. President Donald Trump announced in April he was considering a pardon for Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion. Published May 16, 2018
Michael Taube
Articles by Michael Taube
The lion, the witch and the children's book
Some people believe children's books are only written for, and read by, children. This couldn't be further from the truth. Those same children, when they grow up and become adults, often re-read their favorite stories to their children and grandchildren. Published March 26, 2018
The battle of the superheroes
One of my favorite childhood memories was going to Comics Unlimited, a now-defunct comic book store close to my high school. My friends and I would enthusiastically snatch up just about every new title before it was placed on the racks. Published February 22, 2018
Flying to save a young nation
When the State of Israel was founded on May 14, 1948, it was immediately under attack by its Arab neighbors. Published January 10, 2018
'42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story'
Jackie Robinson's inspirational story has long been immortalized in books and movie adaptations. He broke major league baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947. He played for the Brooklyn (now Los Angeles) Dodgers from 1947-1956. He won many individual awards, as well as the 1955 World Series, and is a member of the Hall of Fame. Published November 29, 2017
Fascists to the right, fascists to the left
If you look at a political spectrum, the far right is normally associated with the Italian Fascists and German Nazi Party. Yet, the former's leader, Benito Mussolini, started off as a socialist -- and the full name of Adolf Hitler's outfit, the National Socialist German Worker's Party, contained left-wing themes. Published October 1, 2017
The engaging mystery of Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer is regarded as one of the great 17th century Dutch painters. No visit to Amsterdam's Rijskmuseum, The Hague's Mauritshuis or Paris' Louvre, among others, is complete without an examination of his magnificent work in its permanent collection. Published July 30, 2017
The travesty of rewarding a terrorist
In July 2002, Omar Khadr was accused of throwing a hand grenade and killing a U.S. Army combat medic, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer, on the battlefields of Afghanistan. Khadr was ultimately captured, linked to al Qaeda (reportedly through his father's connections), pled guilty, and sat in a Guantanamo Bay jail cell before being repatriated by Canada in 2012. Published July 23, 2017
Faith made him stronger and a better ball player
Jackie Robinson's inspirational story has long been immortalized in books and movie adaptations. He broke major league baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947. He played for the Brooklyn (now Los Angeles) Dodgers from 1947-1956. He won many individual awards, as well as the 1955 World Series, and is a member of the Hall of Fame. Published July 9, 2017
When rock was (musically) progressive
Progressive rock, or "prog rock," was a unique, almost revolutionary form of modern music during the 1960s and 1970s. Its early adherents, including Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson and Yes, emphasized the desire to create an intellectually stimulating musical experience that was artistic, lyrical, creative and memorable. Published June 28, 2017
How the Chicago Cubs ended 108 years of futility
Baseball's modern World Series began in 1903. One of its earliest, and most successful, champions was the Chicago Cubs, winning in 1907 and 1908 against the Detroit Tigers. Published June 13, 2017
The Gipper in transition
When we think of Ronald Reagan, it usually involves either his two successful terms in the Governor's Mansion of California or the White House. What we rarely consider is the period when this great modern conservative figure was trapped in the political wilderness -- with a future that was far from certain. Published April 19, 2017
The libertarians versus the conservatives
While libertarians and conservatives have some similar outlooks on politics, economics and culture, many profound differences have kept them apart. Attempts to bridge this gap, including Frank S. Meyer's theory of fusionism (combining elements of libertarianism and traditional conservatism), have largely been unsuccessful. Published February 22, 2017
BOOK REVIEW: 'The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic'
Michael Medved is one of America's most successful talk radio hosts. An Orthodox Jew, he attended law school, worked as a Democratic Party aide and speechwriter, and eventually found a permanent home in the Republican Party. He's a member of USA Today's board of contributors, a former New York Post film critic, and has written books on everything from politics to Hollywood. Published January 25, 2017
BOOK REVIEW: 'A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of The Twentieth Century'
William F. Buckley Jr., the late founder of National Review, was one of the most talented and erudite writers the world has ever seen. Yet, for all that we have read and admired about his books, columns, reviews, essays and speeches, very little has been discussed about his mastery of a most difficult literary form: the eulogy. Published November 7, 2016
Tracing the rich history of the Olympics
David Goldblatt examines the stories, surprises, struggles and successes in "The Games: A Global History of the Olympics." With dashes of history, politics, ethnicity and popular culture, the well-respected sportswriter-author shows us how far the Olympics have come, and what the games' future might hold. Published August 16, 2016
Herbert Hoover in a new light
Herbert Hoover, the 31st U.S. president, confuses more historians than he inspires. Published July 6, 2016
BOOK REVIEW: 'Disraeli: The Novel Politician'
When Benjamin Disraeli was 12 years old, his family converted from Judaism to Christianity. Yet the Christian convert who became the United Kingdom's first (and, to date, only) prime minister with a Jewish lineage never truly abandoned his roots. Published April 26, 2016
BOOK REVIEW: 'Dinomania: The Lost Art of Winsor McCay'
There's an age-old thought experiment which goes like this: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Some people have created their own variations of this philosophical question, and here's mine: "If a cartoonist draws a comic strip that was never published, did it ever exist in print?" Published April 13, 2016
JFK's relations with Canada explored in 'Cold Fire'
Canada and the United States have historically been great friends, allies and trading partners. John Boyko, an author, historian and administrator at Canada's Lakefield College School, examines this unique relationship in "Cold Fire: Kennedy's Northern Front." Published April 5, 2016
