I know it's not the weekend, but was sure this was an appropriately historical photograph.
Meander away.
I know it's not the weekend, but was sure this was an appropriately historical photograph.
Meander away.
Welcome to this month's reading group selection. David Von Drehle mentions The Melting Pot , a play by Israel Zangwill, that premiered on Broadway in 1908. At that time theater was accessible to a broad section of the public, not the exclusive domain it has become over the decades. Zangwill carried a hopeful message that America was a place where old hatreds and prejudices were pointless, and that in this new country immigrants would find a more open society. I suppose the reference was more an ironic one for Von Drehle, as he notes the racial and ethnic hatreds were on display everywhere, and at best Zangwill's play helped persons forget for a moment how deep these divides ran. Nevertheless, "the melting pot" made its way into the American lexicon, even if New York could best be describing as a boiling cauldron in the early twentieth century. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America takes a broad view of events that led up the notorious fire, not...
A little photographic history to go with it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/11/style/20091112-tin-slideshow_index.html
It appears that the 1890s must appear somehow idyllic after all we've gone through recently.
Fun photograph. Nice idea going back to "tintypes" for ad campaigns. Fits the Ralph Lauren image.
ReplyDeletenice pics - those dudes are sporting some cool duds
ReplyDeleteFinally received my copy of Zeitoun. Handsome little book. Anyone interested in joining me in reading it sometime soon?
ReplyDeleteDon't know why the blogs are not updated fully, but I've added new material to Vilnius Daze since 4 weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteGlad you all enjoyed this photo flash from the past. I really did fall for this one, assuming it was historical. Some of the others are obviously of this era -- in fact some seem downright campy. (Thank goodness puget isn't around to jump all over that comment!)
ReplyDeleteIn a true Sunday morning meander, it's very overcast and cold here this a.m. but the sun must have peeked through somewhere to the east of the mountains because the snow atop of snowbowl, the local ski hill that I see from my living room, just lit up a bright pink.
ReplyDeleteNow it's gone, but nice to know the sun is out there somewhere.
Hunger in America:
ReplyDeleteThe number of Americans who lacked reliable access to sufficient food shot up last year to its highest point since the government began surveying in 1995, the Agriculture Department reported on Monday.
In its annual report on hunger, the department said that 17 million American households, or 14.6 percent of the total, “had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year.” That was an increase from 13 million households, or 11.1 percent, the previous year.
The results provided a more human sense of the costs of a recession that has officially ended but continues to take a daily toll on households; it describes the plight not of a faceless General Motors or A.I.G. but of families with too little food on their children’s plates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/us/17hunger.html
An interesting debate on Afghanistan:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113735039
There's a link there for the debate as well as a transcript. I found it fascinating -- particularly since Steve Coll argues for staying there.
This looks like an interesting series. Haven't listened to this one, but might at some point, assuming I can stomach it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97752303
There's some funny things going on in posting order, throwing Mencken and Ragtime out of order, but I guess as long as the posts get on the screen thats OK.
ReplyDeleteThere were a couple of floating "drafts" that seemed to throw things out of order. I deleted them.
ReplyDeleteIf you are particularly bored this p.m., you can listen to the "debates" about whether or not to "debate" the health care bill in the Senate here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22886841#22886841
I'm sure CSpan is also carrying them live.
I've been listening to bits and pieces of the so-called debate until I can't stand it anymore and then have to hit mute. How in the world did these people get into such positions of power in this country?
Still posting out of order. Please take note of Jonathan Safran Foer's new book "Eating Animals." I updated the settings so will see if that does any good in the future.
ReplyDelete