11th Hour
We often speak of the 11th hour as being at the last minute. It can be traced as far back as the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard by Jesus 200 years ago, it can be traced back to any governor choosing to commute a death sentence at the last minute, or it can be traced back to the early part of the 20th Century. The centuries ( Read more... )

The Launch of Sputnik-1 (or, to be more correct, Спутник) occured on October 4, 1957.

NPR started talking about the "shock of the century" yesterday and I got thinking about the history of space exploration. And, to accompany me I've asked Tom Smith to join us. Tom? Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide ( Read more... )

The title of today's post comes from Carl von Clausewitz's "On War" and it was brought to mind as I was looking for what to do this weekend.

While I will grant that it is a three day weekend, it is not just any three day weekend but a time for Americans to remember those who have given their lives for us. This is something I have written about ( Read more... )

The WABAC machine is going to take us to April 18, 2003, for the Entry: Rube Goldberg LIVES!?!?! And he's kicking Harley Earl's butt!

Mainly because the video is now available on UTube.

Ironically, I was talking this over with a coworker last week.

Making of video

Ever had one of those days when you're tired? Maybe you've been doing something physical and your back and arms ache? You really want to just get home and relax. So, you let a full bus go by so you can catch the next one and be able to sit. The next bus comes along and you sit down and the bus moves on and another passenger gets on and demands you ( Read more... )

First, the current news:The Associated Press WASHINGTON: The FBI is warning police officials across the United States to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the popular reference books covering everything from abbreviations to weather trends could be used for terrorist planning. In a bulletin sent Christmas Eve to about 18,000 ( Read more... )

Something has been bugging me since my birthday. But I couldn't put my finger on it until just recently. You see, it starts with a document a couple of centuries old, predicated by the document it is attached to. That document would be the Bill of Rights and it is attached to the Constitution. More specifically, it would be the Fifth Amendment that ( Read more... )

I'm sitting in my cubicle just a few miles from the spot the bike shop stood that the Wright brothers owned and operated while they worked on revolutionizing the world. And, just a few minutes ago, the president finished his speech and someone attempted to fly a recreation of the original plane. I don't know if they did it or not, I'll find out ( Read more... )

To begin with, let me address the term, the Fourth Estate. The nineteenth century historian Carlyle coined the term while pointing back to the three estates defined by Burke:Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important than they all. It is not a figure of speech, ( Read more... )

It was quiet. People were moving about and the day was beginning much like any other day that had gone before. Men and women were going about their business, families were sleeping late. A typical day that reflected life in America as though we were looking into a large mirror. But it was a false mirror and it was shattered with brutal ( Read more... )