You've Got to Read George Orwell's Review of 'Mein Kampf'

You've Got to Read George Orwell's Review of 'Mein Kampf'

Here is something I did not know. I've read all the literary highlights by George Orwell, but I did not know that, in 1940, he reviewed the latest edition/translation of Mein Kampf for the New English Weekly. Needless to say, it is brilliant and scathing, not merely concerning Hitler, but all the forces who enabled him to rise to power, thinking his movement could be controlled. It is also prescient — not merely for 1940, but for 2020 as well. (Orwell predicts that, their temporary alliance notwithstanding, Hitler would get around to attacking Russia.) Here are some passages from the review. See if there are modern...er...applications.

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The Most Random Things On the Internet That Make For Great Holiday Gifts

I’ve spent a decade covering holiday gifts, and the selection of actually cool things can be bleak at times. Sure, get them a candle, some slippers, whatever and it'll work—but it won't blow them away. Lately, I've found that my gifting taste has taken a turn. When I can't sleep at night and I've had just enough doom scrolling, I find myself in an even deeper darker place on the Internet: Page 58 of Amazon Top Sellers. Some of the items on there seem so insanely random, but I do find myself thinking what great gifts things like an automatic bird feeder with a video recorder might be. This made me realize that the best gifts of all aren’t the basic ones you can read in every roundup you can find on Google. The best gifts are the quirky, eccentric things people don’t own and probably didn’t even know existed until you found it for them.

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The Hands-Down Best Bourbon Brands to Drink Right Now

These days, we take bourbon way too seriously. We argue incessantly about it on Twitter and Reddit. We tell people they are wrong for liking certain brands or drinking it a particular way. We spend exorbitant amounts on rare releases, then make fun of people for doing the very same. And we come to bars and liquor stores armed with a ridiculous amount of knowledge about the truth behind the stories distilleries weave. Some of this is actually helpful in understanding what's out there, while a lot winds up being useless bourbon bloviating. However, if you are in the market for a little guidance as to what might be a quality bourbon to try, one that you can actually find for less than $100 per bottle (and mostly much less than that), here is an updated list of twelve bourbon brands to drink now.

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