Was chatting recently with my friend Pierce Tomas about some of the different labels that have been applied to what is officially called the U.S. Civil War. That prompted me to recall the following item, "A War of Many Names," which I wrote first for my Everyday Life During the Civil War and which currently appears in its successor, Life In Civil War America.
"Few wars have been referred to in
quite so many ways as this one, and its various names reflect a wide range of
attitudes toward the conflict. The official name given to it by the victorious
Federal government is, of course, the Civil War, a term that came into use in
1861. In the Southern states, however, the terms used in 1861 included the
Revolution, the Second War for Independence, and the War of Secession.
A variety of other names came into use
during the war and in the decades following it, most of which reveal partiality
to one side or the other, a tone of reconciliation, humor or an emphasis on
some aspect of the conflict. These include the Great Fratricide, the War of
Northern Aggression, the War for Constitutional Liberty, the War Between the
States, the War Between the North and the South, the War for Southern
Independence, the Second American Revolution, the War for States’ Rights, Mr.
Lincoln’s War, the Southern Rebellion, the War for Southern Rights, the War of
the Southern Planters, the War of the Rebellion, the War to Suppress Yankee
Arrogance, the Brothers’ War, the Great Rebellion, the War for Nationality, the
War for Southern Nationality, the War Against Slavery, the Civil War Between
the States, the War of the Sixties, the War Against Northern Aggression, the
Yankee Invasion, the War for Separation, the War for Abolition, the War for
Union, the Confederate War, the War of the Southrons, the War for Southern
Freedom, the War of the North and the South, the Lost Cause, the Late
Unpleasantness, the late Friction, the Late Ruction, the Schism, the Uncivil
War and, especially in the South in the years since it ended, simply as the
War.
Overseas, the conflict was given still
other names. For example, contemporary German writers refer to it as the North
American War."
Hopefully I have included some names for the Civil War that you had not yet heard before — and if you know of any that I have missed please add to the list by posting a comment here!
For a number of reasons I read very little purely for pleasure and most of what I am looking at any given time is vocational in some way and ties in with whatever I happen to be working on at the time. That is not to say that I do not enjoy those things, and often have a lot of selectivity with them, just that they tend to be fairly narrowly focused while I am involved in a particular project. Books I read or referred to before, during, or after my two-week trip to Ethiopia included: 
Following are events I have recently participated in, and which I am listing here with links back to archived editions of radio shows and webcasts, blog posts about them, etc. 
For the past several months I have been building a presence on Twitter and learning how to effectively use it as a tool for promoting my various projects, notably those with Skirmisher Publishing LLC, the d-Infinity game franchise, and the America's Haunted Road Trip series of travel guides. One thing that continues to strike me in the course of these efforts is how poorly a great many organizations manage their Twitter presences, even though it is clear that they want to use it as a tool. 
Vallebelbo's Moscato d'Asti is a deliciously sweet Italian white wine that prominently features flavors of fig and honey and has some trace bubbliness, which gives it a somewhat festive feeling. 
Was pleased to have achieved my goal of exercising outside every day, rain or shine, every day but one in January! For me that means walking a distance of from at least 0.6 miles on my worst days (i.e., just up to the mailbox and back) to as much as 3.25 miles on my best day, and generally with some sort of a load that might include a walking stick, messenger bag, and/or backpack and has thus far weighed up to 23.5 pounds total. February has, unfortunately, been a very stressful month and everything has been much more of a struggle. For the most part, however, I have largely managed to match the frequency if not the intensity of my walks. 
As far as I am concerned, there is no variety of wine that is generally better suited to pair with a steak than a red zinfandel, and the Oak Grove Vineyard Zinfandel 2010 Reserve is a very nice exemplar of the type. This pleasing, medium-bodied vintage has a velvety texture, rich color, an almost gummy viscosity, aromas and flavors that distinctly feature fresh plum, and hints of pepper. 
As its name implies, the Barón de Barbón Cosecha 2010 is nicely dry and somewhat tart medium-bodied Spanish red wine vinted from 100% Tempranillo grapes. It has an aroma suggestive of berries and vanilla, dark plum coloration, a pleasing viscosity, and a 13.5% alcohol content. 
Contained in a bottle that is distinguished on the outside by some fun and hip label art, the Blonde Bombshell California white wine within it is notable for full-bodied flavor that is fruity but not sweet and which has floral hints of melon and honey. On an intellectual level I was a little put off by not being able to find a year or grape type listed anywhere on the bottle but, admittedly, this did not affect my actual enjoyment of this wine at all. 
New Year's Resolutions tend to get a bad rap these days and be dismissed as somewhat anachronistic and not having much value. Suffice it to say, however, that I think there is something to be said for using them as a device for getting on track with habits we know or have decided are a good idea. 
