Mr. Beck Goes to Washington – NYTimes.com
By Paul | August 30, 2010
“Now more than ever, Americans love leaders who seem to validate their way of life. This spirit of self-affirmation was at work in evangelicals’ enduring support for Bush, in the enthusiasm for the Dean campaign among the young, secular and tech-savvy, and now in the devotion that Palin inspires among socially conservative women. The Obama campaign raised it to an art form, convincing voters that by merely supporting his candidacy, they were proving themselves cosmopolitan and young-at-heart, multicultural and hip.”
via Op-Ed Columnist – Mr. Beck Goes to Washington – NYTimes.com.
Topics: Cleveland, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, history, Writing | No Comments »
Greyhound of the seas – Clipper ship
By Paul | August 26, 2010
“The clipper ship often shortened to clipper was a fast sailing ship that dominated the seas during the middle of the nineteenth century. It romanticized the seas and made pop stars of ship masters. Newspapers followed the voyages of the fastest of this fleet and bets were wagered on transit times. A true clipper had three or more masts and was square rigged. It had a sharp bow and fine lines, built for speed, not so much for cargo capacity. The design was partly influenced by the prevailing tonnage regulations. Measurement for tonnage on which taxes and harbor dues were based was calculated based on length at midship depth. Clipper ships were designed with additional length above this level, making that portion of the ship essentially tax-free. These ships came into vogue in about 1840, when fast voyages carrying tea from the Orient to Europe proved very profitable for their owners. Clipper ships hit their stride with the discovery of gold in California 1848 and in Australia 1851. Most clipper ships were built in the United States and the United Kingdom, but some were constructed in France, the Netherlands, and elsewhere. The most famous of the clipper ship builders was Donald McKay of Boston. Few American clipper ships were built after commencement of the Civil War in 1861. The clipper ship era largely ended with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. It was difficult for sailing vessels to transit the lengthy canal, dependent as they were largely on the vagaries of the wind. Steam ships had become almost as fast as clipper ships and were controlled less by the weather. Clipper ships ended their days carrying wool from Australia and New Zealand to Britain. The Cutty Sark in Greenwich and the Falls of Clyde in Honolulu are two of the few clipper ships that remain from that golden age, but the former suffered a major fire in 2007 and the latter is in such poor condition that it is no longer open to the public.” by Dennis Bryant
via Maritime Professional – Clipper ship.
Topics: Cleveland, Ohio, history, Maritime, Writing | No Comments »
Marines pour resources into mental health care
By Paul | August 26, 2010
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – They have been in harms way for years in two countries, in a branch of the military where toughness and self-reliance have been especially prized for generations. Now the Marines are struggling against an enemy that has entrenched itself over nearly a decade of war: mental illness.
via Marines pour resources into mental health care – Yahoo! News.
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Editorial Notebook – Say It Loud – NYTimes.com
By Paul | August 23, 2010
“The class assignment for the eighth graders deep in rural Appalachia was to stand up guilt-free about extolling the dialect spoken in their local mountain “hollers.” Sound forth; never mind the “hillbilly” stigma that can especially haunt teenagers. On a visit a decade ago to Ellenboro, W.Va., I delighted to hear Kyre Bartz tell a “handed down” story from her family that flowed with “crick” and “young uns” and “tomorry at sunrise.” It was a lyrical Appalachian aria. Kyre even noted “that ole woman stumblin’ up that there hill with a poke and a pig walkin’ right beside her.”
No one heard the performance better than West Virginia University’s resident linguist, Dr. Kirk Hazen, who has spent years roaming Appalachia to track its richly divergent dialects.”
via Editorial Notebook – Say It Loud – NYTimes.com.
Topics: Cleveland, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, Family, history, Political, Writing | No Comments »
Flight attendant describes full story with crying baby on Southwest Airlines jet | Dallas Morning News
By Paul | August 19, 2010
Brad Hawkins, a Southwest spokesman, could not provide details about training given to crew members to deal with such situations. He said they were “empowered to simply do the right thing and to maintain the security and the comfort of all customers.”
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First Amendment confusion in the Dr. Laura and mosque issues
By Paul | August 19, 2010
Dr. Laura’s shocking use of the N-word and racist attitude about inter-racial marriage is offensive. Her shocking lack of a basic knowledge of the First Amendment is, sadly, all too typical. Here’s what she says about why she is quitting her talk show:
“I want to regain my First Amendment rights. I want to be able to say what’s on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is the time to silence a voice of dissent and attack affiliates, attack sponsors. I’m sort of done with that.”
via First Amendment confusion in the Dr. Laura and mosque issues | OPINION Blog | dallasnews.com.
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Kilpatricks legacy of lyrical written treasures | Dallas Morning News
By Paul | August 19, 2010
What’s wrong with newspapers – my beloved if shriveling industry? I have a submission: What’s wrong with newspapers is the lack of people who can write like, or who approximate writing like, or who lazily think they might some day get around to writing like, the late James Jackson Kilpatrick.
Topics: Cleveland, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, Marketing, Writing | No Comments »
Judge Says Constitution Protects Right to Lie About Purple Heart | Threat Level | Wired.com
By Paul | July 26, 2010
Now this is an odd issue. As a writer I tend to be absolutist where the First Amendment is concerned, but as a US Marine, I respect any and all attempts to preserve the integrity of our Service Men and Women. I think I would have erred on protecting the Services but perhaps have moderated the punishment to something more reasonable.
Judge Says Constitution Protects Right to Lie About Purple Heart | Threat Level | Wired.com.
Topics: Cleveland, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, LinkedIn, Military, Political, Writing | No Comments »
Ford introduces new — and untraditional — Explorer
By Paul | July 26, 2010
“…there is also a trend away from the McMansions and big vehicles of the 1990s, when people measured their wealth by home and car size. ”It’s a different world. People are much more thoughtful about their consumption, and the new Explorer is in line with that,”….”
The quote above is from this article. It is so frustrating. I thought we had evolved away from that in the seventies and then, 198o launches us into twenty more years of massive consumption, and now we are even worse off. I wonder if this time, we will have learned our lesson or will we still find ourselves ten years from now buying the idea that big houses and cars are our American Birthright.
via Ford introduces new — and untraditional — Explorer- Yahoo! Autos Article Page.
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Motivational Posters from the Movies
By Paul | July 23, 2010
This site has quite a few great resources and this particular article is very funny. Have a great Friday all.
Motivational Posters from the Movies.
Topics: Cleveland, Ohio, LinkedIn | No Comments »