030423 • Thrift Store Finds

Finally landed a hockey jersey at a thrift! There is some yellowing on the “19” that is also ripping off, but I know where to get that fixed.

The Author of Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory mentioned in her intro that she had been contacted by many high-profile shows so that she could debate holocaust denyers, but she said “no” to all of these offers because just giving them a platform was giving their argument a level of merit that it didn’t deserve. In so many cases, this can be used to exclude views that need to be heard so that people can make good decisions on a topic, say, this candidate for president is the right choice, or not, but here, she’s right. Some things are proven fact, and this is one of them. Some things are not about “my truth” or a person’s “point of view”. It’s like debating someone who is of the view that Hitler was a nice guy. That is ridiculous, so don’t give them a forum for people who might be susceptible to such things.

She also details how this mentality began in World War I, when some scholars were in denial of Germany’s role in starting that war. There are all kinds of ways to look at how the war started, but Germany was no angel in it by any means. The Schleiffen plan, for example. That isn’t drawn up by military planners because they didn’t want to conquer their neighbors.

This is a link to Google Books so that you can give it a look for yourself.

I had to wait a week, but these two Blu-rays were still there, so I picked them up at half-off!

Kyle Mills Response on Facebook!

I recently re-read the twenty-one Mitch Rapp books by Vince Flynn, who passed away a decade ago. The Mitch Rapp books were continued under Flynn’s name by Kyle Mills, who just announced that after the new book, he’s passing the torch onto someone else. Good news and bad news, really, but the new guy sounds like he’ll do fine, and Mills is going to expand on one of his own books from before his Rapp days. Anyway, he responded to a post I made on Facebook about this! Pretty cool.

021123 • Thrift Store Finds

Pearl Harbor: The Story of the Secret War • This was published in 1947, so not that long after the actual event, and before so much more had been known. Books like this are interesting in part because they are fresh from the incident.

Herbert von Karajan: New Year’s Concert Vienna 1987 (DVD) • I don’t find these very often, but this is the third dvd like this and quite a good buy!

Civilisation • Looks like a National Geographic book, but it isn’t… always an interesting subject.

Above and Beyond • Accounts of heroism that most of us can’t comprehend.

The American Heritage History of the Making of the Nation • I keep passing on this, and the Book of Indians, but finally I bought them, in part to my growing interest in the old west and the American Revolution. I also purchased a great set of around twenty books on the American Indians about five years ago (It wasn’t easy to do, and I never saw this set complete, ever) for only twenty dollars, and these in addition to my Time/Life Old West set make for a great addition to my library.

Brassey’s Modern Fighters • I didn’t need this one, I have the older, out-of-date books on “Modern Fighters” everywhere! But it looks pretty good inside, so hey.

The Death of Hitler • A fairly recent book, so it was nice to find this one as I’ve read a lot on the topic, and actually started reading the well-regarded epic biography by John Toland last night.

Modern Air-Launched Weapons • Turns out, I already had this one. Grr.

History Channel: Civil War Combat • I’m going to watch this after I watch the Grant mini-series again.

Japan 1941 • Always an interesting topic.

020423 • Thrift Store Finds

Brandenburg Concertos • I easily have twenty or thirty different renditions of these concertos… but there is a reason it is such a staple of classical music. This two-disc set was in perfect condition, down to the booklet, and only a buck-fifty. It’s sad to me that nobody even knows what this is, and what is considered good music anymore.

Great American Showpieces • This is a timely find as I’ve been listening to a lot of American composers lately.

Not I • This author has written other books on the war, I’d thought he was just another historian, but rather, he’s a survivor of it. I’ve read another first-hand account from a young person’s perspective, it is a part of the war most people don’t even consider.

Mozart / Salieri Concertos • I used to not like the flute in orchestral or small group performances, but after John Williams’ “Rey’s Theme” from The Force Awakens (Never watching that movie again), that one piece changed everything for me. It’s amazing, the power one piece of music can have on one’s view of things.

012823 • Thrift Store Finds

A Touch of Gold • I like these compilations from piano competitions. I spent thirty minutes, using three different cd drives, but couldn’t get anything past the first six tracks to rip to my iTunes, so I had to re-buy this online. I found a shrink-wrapped, new copy for six bucks, which I would have paid anyway (this faulty one was $1.50). Once I listened to a few tracks, I had to do it.

Haydn: String Quartets • I have the other disc to this, so it was a good find.

Thompson: Symphonies 2 & 3 • After discovering the Sibelius symphonies, I’m now very open to new symphonies, especially from not-known-to-me composers. The initial listen was positive. Some of the best music I’ve ever heard, I didn’t like or wasn’t interested in on the initial listen, so who knows what I’ve got here!

The British Are Coming • I have Rick Atkinson’s three-book set on World War II, and this is the first (2019) in a set on the Revolutionary War.

Went to the ARC on 88th and Sheridan, and then to the Arvada ARC at 58th and Independence. Both were really disappointing, especially 88th. They didn’t have a lot of books or cds for some reason. Both stores had a lot of DVD, but there isn’t much I’m going to find in that format that I don’t have. What I am looking for in DVD, or what is left for me to find, isn’t something that would ever hit those shelves. Mostly looking for Blu-ray now. I did see a Blu-ray of Saving Silverman for $5, but with how busy it was, and since I have it on DVD already, it wasn’t quite worth it to go through the trouble to pay an online price for it, and find an employee to open the display case it was in. The Thompson Symphonies was all I bought at 88th, and I almost put it back.