Curtis Allina died at the end of December 2009. For those who don’t know-he’s the guy who came up with the idea of putting famous celebrity heads on PEZ dispensers. Allina was born in Prague, in what was then the Czechoslovak Republic, and raised in Vienna, in what was then
Continue readingCategory: History
The Remagen Bridge
During our time in Germany and Belgium, the weather was usually less than great. ( Read: rainy and cold). However on the Friday before we left-the weather cleared for a few hours. We were lucky, we had planned to drive down to the Rhine River. There was method in my
Continue readingMore about Obama in Japan
And how much most Americans do not know about one of their most important allies. Item 1. The bow that has the citizens of greater wingnuttia so upset. Here’s a dose of reality from our British cousins: They were nothing of the sort: the handshake, though not strictly necessary, has
Continue reading9-11
I am over my crankiness of earlier ( well sort of….). So I spent some time with the S.O. tonight, because she deserved some attention and kindness. We watched the movie Sideways, so we could see where we had been last week. It all looks bigger in the movies. Today is
Continue readingThat did not take long……
For the usual suspects to hammer back at George Will The Fat Boy put down his cheeseburger long enough to weigh in. Bozo the Clown and William the Bloody are also heard from too. I take that as the best sign Mr. Will may actually be on the right track.
Continue readingClosing the book?
If you particpated as an aviator in Gulf War I, as I did-seeing this news brought a tear to my eye: The US military has found the remains of the last American still officially missing in action from the Gulf War. Capt Michael Scott Speicher, an F18 pilot, was shot
Continue readingIdle musings on the moon, America-and the death of optimism.
Today is July 20th. Only proper to write about the moon landings, right? Its being written over at plenty of blogs this day-and its is an anniversary of a great achievement. Except-as Tom Wolfe points out in a well written essay, its also the begining of the end of the
Continue readingA couple of days late……
From those America hating, liberal, sandal wearing, tree hugging, homo loving, folks at the Huffington Post. A reminder about American history. Repeated for your enjoyment: Ah, The Glorious Second! Today is the 233rd anniversary of the secession of 13 British North American Colonies from the Empire, thus creating the United
Continue readingEnd of an era
Alas, you can no longer buy Kodachrome: Eastman Kodak Co. announced Monday that it’s bidding farewell to Kodachrome, its oldest and the first commercially successful film. At first, it seemed like another moment to engage in brief, Pavlovian nostalgia of the rotary telephone or monophonic record album sort. There were pro
Continue readingUnderstanding the context
And remembering who the soldiers on the beaches of D-Day died for. They died for me and you. TEN THINGS EVERY AMERICAN STUDENT SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OUR ARMY IN WWII by Rick Atkinson May 2009 Rick Atkinson is author of The Army and Dawn and The Day of Battle, and
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