Back in 1914: Henry Ford, unlike his current day counterparts, recognized that a well-paid workforce made for better workforce-and more consumers. So wages were doubled from $2.40/9-hr day to $5.00/8-hr day. George Reeves, the actor who would play Superman in the 1950’s was born. So too was Nicolas de Staël, a French-Russian
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Countdown to Catastrophe
2014 will mark 100 years since the start of World War I. I recently finished a book entitled 1913: The Eve of War by Paul Ham. The book recounts the year before the beginning of the World War and how the powers were anticipating even then the idea of going to
Continue readingNelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95 yesterday. Clearly, the world has lost a great man. He was great not just because he struggled against apartheid -but when the tables finally turned; he did not give in to the instincts to take vengeance on his oppressors-but to seek
Continue readingPeople who always f*ck you over.
Today is the 25 th of October. And I can't think of a better reason to celebrate this day than it is the annversiary of another excursion into futility-namely that of the Charge of the Light Brigade! As is my custom, I repost an analysis I did here, many yeasrs
Continue readingI want 2000 back.
Yes, today is the anniversary of 9-11. Today will be filled with eloquent memorials, so I will not try to repeat them. All I know is I wish the day had, never, ever, happened. You don't know how I hate the fact that this date is forever fixed in the
Continue readingThe best favor we could do for ourselves.
Get the hell out of Afghanistan-as fast as we can. I would love to see that happen. If we can't afford to pay our employees their full salary, can't afford to buy the things the nation needs, can't afford to do the things the nation should be doing-then we don't
Continue readingThe real Petreaus problem.
"The issue at Tailhook is not that we took a few liberties with our female party guests. We did." Just have to do one more Petraeus post. And its not to condemn him for slicing off what appears to be a fine hunk of tuna. I don't condemn him for
Continue readingThe Charge of the Light Brigade
As is my custom, I am reposting this post I first did in 2005. Given the current state of events in both the US and Afghanistan these days-its important to remember this exercise in futility. Background: "The war is popular beyond belief" Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians
Continue readingSaburo Sakai
Today is the birthday of Saburo Sakai. For those who don't know him or of him, he was a Japanese Fighter pilot and a great warrior. He had a wealth of harrowing experiences during the war and after the war became became a Buddhist acolyte and vowed he would never
Continue readingThe trouble with the tea party
My Canadian counterpart has been writing some really insightful posts about the morass that is the GOP these days. You should head on over to his site and read his stuff. First off-he points out expertly what a complete idiot Allen West is, and how once again-for a supposedly educated
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