Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Old Picture of the Day: Indian Cowboy
Old Picture of the Day: Indian Cowboy: We wrap up Hat Week with this picture of an Indian with a Cowboy Hat. I love the combination! The picture was taken in 1903.
Old Picture of the Day: Military Hat
Old Picture of the Day: Military Hat: Today's picture shows a man in a military style hat that I believe is called a Slouch Hat. The distinguishing feature is that the ...
Old Picture of the Day: Sombreros
Old Picture of the Day: Sombreros: Today we look at the classic "Sombrero", a favorite hat of the Mexican Revolutionaries. The picture above was taken in the e...
Old Picture of the Day: Stetsons
Old Picture of the Day: Stetsons: You did not think we would make it through Hat Week without looking at the much loved "Stetson" did you? Well, here is a pic...
Old Picture of the Day: Backwoods
Old Picture of the Day: Backwoods: Today's picture shows a gentleman from the Backwoods in the South. I have to say I love the hat. I am not sure what type of hat it...
Old Picture of the Day: Bowler Hat
Old Picture of the Day: Bowler Hat: Today we look at the Bowler Hat. To be honest, I do not care for this hat style much. To me, it is neither practical nor does it look v...
Old Picture of the Day: Hats
Hat week on this blog included some interesting photos, and give as the thread on hats and caps is the most popular one here on this site, I thought I'd link them in.
Old Picture of the Day: Hats: They say that the Hat Makes the Man, so welcome to Hat Week here at OPOD. We will be looking at various hat styles and see the things ...
Friday, January 17, 2014
A second state considers allowing its law-school grads to skip the bar exam
A second state considers allowing its law-school grads to skip the bar exam
From bad (UBE) to worse (no exam at all).
From bad (UBE) to worse (no exam at all).
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Radio
When I was young, my father listed to the radio a fair amount. What I really recall about that in particular is that he'd listen to Denver's KOA, which was an all talk radio station, but not like the ones we have now that are all right or left political talk. It had a lot of different radio programs, and sports. He particularly listened to the Denver Broncos and Denver Bears (their minor league baseball team at that time) broadcasts, and the radio shows that they had which discussed those teams. That certainly wasn't all they aired, however, and at one time, when I was fairly young, I used to listen to a fair amount of KOA myself.
The first radio tube, circa 1898.
KOA is still around, but those days are really gone, as are the days of all local radio. We picked up KOA here over the air, on AM radio, and we listened mostly to AM. FM doesn't travel far, and the big local station was also AM. FM started coming on strong for music locally in the late 1970s. Now, the radio scene is considerably altered, although the biggest local broadcaster, KTWO, remains the biggest local broadcaster.
But now radio must contend with satellite radio, which offers endless variety, just like cable television, and with the Ipod and Iphone, which can store so much music or other broadcast material that it would literally take years for many people to listen to their electronic libraries.
One of the things XM Radio, one of the satellite channels, has is Old Time Radio, which plays the serial broadcasts of the 1930s through the 1950s. It's fascinating to listen to, and really serves to remind a person of a completely different era in radio, when it occupied a major part of most Americans daily lives.
It's hard to imagine how much this was the case now. But radio occupied a central position in the homes that its not only lost, but which is pretty difficult to imagine for most people. Coming in for most right after World War One, and staying up through the 1950s, through music, news and serialized shows, radio offered at that time what the combined Internet and television industries offer today. And it had a similar impact. People took their news, and often their views, from radio.
And radio, as "low tech" as it might seem today, was really the pioneer for the home entertainment revolution that would come later. Prior to radio, which for almost all families was less than a century ago, at the end of a long day, people (well. . . men) went home to a house which only contained the noise that was animated by the lives therein. Sounds for the most part had a human, or perhaps, animal origin in the immediate sense. For many people, that meant a pretty quiet evening. If there was music, at that time, it might have been generated by a Victrola, but just as often it might have been played by the folks at home. An incredible number of people sang and played musical instruments prior to radio, and most particularly prior to television. But quite a few houses were no doubt mostly silent at night as well, with people reading for entertainment, or playing cards, if only solitaire.
After World War One, however, the radio was on. Shows like Cavalcade of America, Dragnet, The Shadow, The Whistler, and Gunsmoke played ever night on the radio, along with news and music. People rapidly acclimated to having the radio on in their homes, and even if they still read at night, a lot of time was spent listening, just as later a lot of time was spent watching. Truly, a revolution in people's daily lives.
And a revolution in connectedness as well. Prior to the radio, evens that happened far away were truly far away. A person might learn of them rapidly through the newspaper, but still they had a remoteness connected with them, if they were remote. Radio began to change that. For the first time disasters and happenings that occurred far away could be learned of nearly immediately.
And radio, as "low tech" as it might seem today, was really the pioneer for the home entertainment revolution that would come later. Prior to radio, which for almost all families was less than a century ago, at the end of a long day, people (well. . . men) went home to a house which only contained the noise that was animated by the lives therein. Sounds for the most part had a human, or perhaps, animal origin in the immediate sense. For many people, that meant a pretty quiet evening. If there was music, at that time, it might have been generated by a Victrola, but just as often it might have been played by the folks at home. An incredible number of people sang and played musical instruments prior to radio, and most particularly prior to television. But quite a few houses were no doubt mostly silent at night as well, with people reading for entertainment, or playing cards, if only solitaire.
Fancy radio, probably 1920s.
After World War One, however, the radio was on. Shows like Cavalcade of America, Dragnet, The Shadow, The Whistler, and Gunsmoke played ever night on the radio, along with news and music. People rapidly acclimated to having the radio on in their homes, and even if they still read at night, a lot of time was spent listening, just as later a lot of time was spent watching. Truly, a revolution in people's daily lives.
And a revolution in connectedness as well. Prior to the radio, evens that happened far away were truly far away. A person might learn of them rapidly through the newspaper, but still they had a remoteness connected with them, if they were remote. Radio began to change that. For the first time disasters and happenings that occurred far away could be learned of nearly immediately.
Mayor LaGuardia addresses New Yorkers on the topic of milk.
And for the first time, politicians could campaign nationally, or at least state wide, through a medium that didn't involve the written word nor the whistle stop.
Franklin Roosevelt addresses the nation in 1934.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Wednesday, January 14, 2024. Endless chain production and Out Of Africa.
Ford Motor Company introduced the endless chain for manufacturing vehicles, turning out a Model T in 93 minutes. It was already using the assembly line.
Karen Blixen arrived in Kenya and, on the same day, married her Swedish cousin Bror Flixen-Finecke, thereby becoming a baroness. She famously became the author of Out of Africa.
Blixen's father was a Danish army officer and parliamentarian who loved the outdoor life, and who authored a memoir featuring that which became a bit of a Danish classic, so she came by her writing skills naturally. Like her to be husband, he also was given to affairs and had a daughter from a pre marriage affair in the United States with a Chippewa woman. He suffered from having contacted syphilis in the United States. He killed himself following impregnating one of his household maids, at which time Karen was only 9.
Blixen is still widely admired for that writing, and Out of Africa is an excellent book which was turned into an excellent film, so it's hardly noticed what a symbol of late state monarchy and empire she was. A Dane who gained admittance to British Kenya, she did so only because she was a white immigrant at a time in which the benefits of flooding non-European lands with Europeans was not questioned. Her marriage was really one of convenience, and it did not last with her husband being unfaithful, something that was so common amongst nobility that it was practically expected, but which also resulted in her being infected with syphilis. Her farming activities were not really successful as much of the land that had been acquired was not suitable for it, with the original intent to have been ranching. The land actually belonged to a family corporation, and not to the couple individually.
Baron Bror Fredrik von Blixen-Finecke went on to marry three times, having asked for divorce from Karen and having obtained it against her wishes. He was an author in his own right.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Governor Hunt's World War Two Correspondence, Heart Mount Internment Camp
The American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming
has digitized Wyoming Governor Hunts papers, including correspondence he
received or sent concerning the Internment Camp at Hear Mountain.
Included in these, is a surprising example of somebody writing to the Governor to inquire about receiving a "Japanese girl" for work at her ranch home. She was willing to pay wages, but still, its not something I'd expect to have found anyone inquiring about. A surprising thing to read.
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