Several historians are sharing their experience with us.

At Early Modern Notes, Sharon Howard and Chris Williams advise a prospective doctoral student about revising a research proposal.

At Blog Them Out of the Stone Age, Mark Grimsley and guestblogger, Steven Woodworth, discuss their research and writing practices.

Louise Mirror, president of the New York Historical Society, introduces us to her lovely home on Beekman Place in a video accompanying Penelope Green's"For a Museum's Chief, History at Home," New York Times, 21 August. Thanks to Manan Ahmed for the tip. [Read More ...]

Kevin Drum at Political Animal calls attention to a new ranking of American universities and colleges by The Washington Monthly. It aims to rank institutions by their value to the national community rather than by their value to the individual student applicant. Not too surprisingly, public institutions claimed higher rankings generally in this calculus than in the U. S. News rankings. California institutions claimed four of the top ten university positions. The rankings of liberal arts colleges are more surprising. After spending down its endowment and nearly closing, it is hard to imagine how any calculus would rank Fisk #5 among liberal arts colleges in the nation. But on this and other issues related to HBCUs, see: Benjamin Wallace-Wells,"The Case Against the Case Against Historically Black Colleges," Political Animal, 22 August. Thanks to Nathanael Robinson for the tip.

Finally, more wing-nuttery from Pat Robertson. Now, he's calling for an agent of the United States government to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. It isn't that Robertson's opposed to dictators. You may recall his defense of the Liberian dictator, Charles Taylor, on the grounds that Taylor was a Christian and his enemies were Muslims. This adds to the grist that went into the Wittenburg Door's conferring on Robertson its First Lifetime Loser Award.

Dale B. Light - 8/26/2005

I'm intrigued -- is Miss Jolie going to play Grendel's Mother?

Scott Eric Kaufman - 8/24/2005

Ah, that'll teach me to not read all the comments.

Scott Eric Kaufman - 8/24/2005

There's actually another Beowulf movie slated to come out...next month, and it looks to be far better:

http://www.beowulf-movie.com/

I've been excited about it for months. (That's what happens when you shack up with a medievalist.)

Timothy James Burke - 8/23/2005

I think it's great that Jolie has been cast as Grendel.

Rebecca Anne Goetz - 8/23/2005

Someone is making ANOTHER Beowulf movie? This one is premiering in Toronto in September...and was made by real, live, Icelandic folks.

http://www.beowulf-movie.com/