Shorts & Briefs | 29 May 2016

100 years, 70 years, 50… Verdun, Hiroshima, Vietnam… it’s a busy time, and a busy week, for reconciling ourselves to one another on the planet, or doing so ceremoniously. We seem to choose nice round numbers—even decades are best.
I reckon in 2066, we’ll be joining hands with Syrians and Iraqis, who include Al Qaeda and Daesh descendants who have long since gone legit, and solemnly telling each other what a sad time this was, never to be repeated.

http://www.france24.com/en/20160529-hollande-merkel-remember-wwi-dead-100-years-after-verdun-battle/?ns_campaign=nl_quot_en&ns_source=NLQ_20160529&ns_mchannel=email_marketing&ns_fee=0&ns_linkname=20160529_hollande_merkel_remember_wwi_dead_100&f24_member_id=10118435365