Some only like to explore the world with their feet. I also like to explore it with my mind. Here are a couple souvenirs from today's mind-expedition.
(accessed May 17, 2025).The first souvenir is a war dust-covered truth bomb
According to Jake Broe, a United States Air Force veteran who served as a Nuclear and Missile Operations Officer:
On May 9, Russia held an 80th anniversary Victory Day parade on Red Square.
But for Eastern and Central Europe, the end of World War II was not a victory.
For Eastern and Central Europe, the end of World War II was not a liberation.
The people of Eastern and Central Europe were occupied and brutalized by Germans during World War II.
The people of Eastern and Central Europe were occupied and brutalized by Russians after World War II.
Source:
Jake Broe, Fmr. Nuclear & Missile Operations Officer US Air Force, Russia & China solidify alliance with Xi visit to Moscow
Takeaway:
Like a person who escapes one abusing relationship to enter another, the people of Eastern and Central Europe swapped one occupier and brutalizer for another. For them, there was little, if anything, to celebrate.
The second souvenir comes from my mind-mapping the field of economics
Something odd (ocd?) about me that you may not know, is that I read everything inside and outside of a book, front matter included.
In the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics, published by the foundation Liberty Fund, I noticed a handsome design motif.
This design motif was explained in the book's front matter, specifically the page that also contains the ISBN; in other words, the part most people skip. This is what it said:
The design motif is actually a cuneiform inscription, and it is used as the logo for Liberty Fund, Inc.
This cuneiform inscription is the earliest-known written appearance of the word "freedom" (amagi) or "liberty."
This cuneiform inscription is taken from a clay document.
The clay document was written about 2300 B.C., in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash.
Source:
Henderson, D.R. (ed.) (2008) The concise encyclopedia of economics. Indianapolis, Ind: Liberty Fund.
Takeaway:
Do not skip a book's front matter. You might miss freedom's first receipt from 4,300+ years ago.
Eat your heart out, skip-readers!
Drops mic, vanishes into knowledge mist.