Weak Endnotes
Victor LaValle,"Bierced," The Nation, 23 June, argues that our era fits the talents of Ambrose Bierce. Thanks to 3 Quarks Daily for the tip.
Jim Lindgren,"Serious Questions About the Veracity of Michael Bellesiles's Latest Tale," Volokh Conspiracy, 9 July, follows up on Lindgren's earlier reading of Bellesiles's article in the CHE. Jim is the most scrupulous and tenacious peer reviewer I know of. If you have access to a copy of the Bellesiles's syllabus for his military history course at Central Connecticut State University in the fall of 2009, please make it available to Lindgren. Thanks to KC Johnson for the pointer.
After the scandal at the Smithsonian three years ago, you might have thought that managers of public history institutions would have learned a lesson. Some probably did. The folks over at Lawyers, Guns and Money, however, are shaking their heads over John S. Carter's mismanagement of Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum, the catastrophic decline in its endowment, the loss of major assets, and the failure of trustees to intervene. These stories suggest that the corruption is long-term and systemic. Thanks to Alan Baumler for the tip.