Of all the pointless wars ever fought The Great War, or World War I as it eventually became known, was one of the most pointless. On the first Christmas Eve, 1914, during a lull in the fighting, with German troops on one side of the trench and French and British troops on the other, the … Continue reading How Do You Get To Silent Night?
History
Is the U.S. in Decline?
Comparing our era to the Gilded Age and highlighting the differences between Senator Bernie Sanders and William Jennings Bryan and then riffing on whether our country is on the decline—these are some of the questions that the electoral-vote.com site was answering during its Saturday Q&A, while the U.S. was experiencing its third No Kings protest. … Continue reading Is the U.S. in Decline?
The Subway Vigilante
When I was going to New York City fairly frequently during the 1970s and into the early 1980s to see Broadway shows, concerts, and operas, the city was going through one of its worst eras. Street crime was rampant and the murder rate was climbing practically every year. Two of the worst areas for crime … Continue reading The Subway Vigilante
August 6, 1930
Joe was born on January 5, 1889, in Easton, Pennsylvania, the eldest of four children of Irish immigrants. Educated at Lafayette College and Columbia University, Joe met Stella, who was married, but they fell in love and with his legal education, he helped her get a divorce, after which they wed. Joe began his legal … Continue reading August 6, 1930
How Did We Get To Be Here? Part 2
Two points before I begin. I expect most of my fellow country folks will know most or all of what I’m about to write, as my primary audience for this short series is the people in other countries who are wondering how this nation could have gone so mad. And as I was writing this … Continue reading How Did We Get To Be Here? Part 2
How Did We Get To Be Here? Part 1
A few months ago the Saturday Q&A at EV.com had a question about how and when did the racist bigots move from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, and I realized that I could answer that one, as I pretty much lived through the bulk of the shift. As it happened, the answer that … Continue reading How Did We Get To Be Here? Part 1
The Singing Herod II
According to the Gospel of Luke 23:1-12: 23 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.” 3 So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king … Continue reading The Singing Herod II
The Curious Thing About Sitcoms
Here are the climactic final minutes of the 17th episode of the first season of The Dick Van Dyke Show entitled “The Curious Thing About Women”. The story is about Rob basing a sketch on Laura’s habit of opening his mail and depicting her as a ridiculous snoop, so that even their neighbors are laughing … Continue reading The Curious Thing About Sitcoms
The Singing Herod I
According the Matthew 14:1-12: 14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put … Continue reading The Singing Herod I
Sam and Richard
I hadn’t planned on writing anymore about The Fugitive, but someone asked me whether the TV show was based on the Sam Sheppard case and, after giving my answer, I looked into it a little bit more. My answer hasn’t changed, but why waste that research? The short answer is that Roy Huggins, who created The Fugitive, … Continue reading Sam and Richard