Clik here to view.
Post-Memorial Day Note: Another Kind of Service, in San Bernardino
"Keeping America Great in Manufacturing," one training project at a time. (Mobile Lab outside main site of Technical Employment Training in San Bernardino, California) (James Fallows) In previous...
View ArticleClik here to view.
American Futures Updates, from Mississippi to Arizona to California
Historical re-enactment by students of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. You heard about them today on NPR. (Deborah Fallows) Recent notes in the news: 1) The Mississippi School for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On the Frenzy Over Sidney Blumenthal
Sidney Blumenthal (Wikipedia) When David Carr of the New York Times died, shockingly, a few months ago, the journalistic world showed its collective grief. Understandably so: David Carr, whom I knew...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More on the Right Questions to Ask About Iraq
President Bush in October, 2002, signing the authorization for use of force in Iraq, which the Congressional leaders around him have just approved. What have our current candidates for the White House...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Now That O'Malley Is in the Race
Martin O'Malley and his family at his announcement today in Baltimore (Doug Kapustin / Reuters) Now that Martin O’Malley has officially entered the presidential race, I’m reposting an interview I did...
View ArticleClik here to view.
American Futures: The Pacific Northwest Edition
The road ahead, in the sky (Esri map) We’re in Chico, California, right now. Bonus points to those who have been following the saga and can figure out why. For the next three weeks, between now and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Just How Great a Threat Is China?
Xi Jinping and Barack Obama at what seems, in retrospect, the high point of their relationship, two years ago at Sunnylands in California (Kevin Lamarque / Reuters) It’s still June 4, the anniversary...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Language Mystery Redux: Who Was the Last American To Speak This Way?
George Gershwin, fancy-talker. (Wikipedia) Four years ago I mentioned a wonderful documentary called "Wings Over the Golden Gate," which was produced in the 1930s. The scenes of Depression-era San...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sports and Civic Life, Bend Elks Edition
Sports page of the Bend Bulletin on Friday, announcing the new season and new logo (see cap) for the Bend Elks (Bend Bulletin) One ongoing theme in our American Futures travels has been the presence,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
That Weirdo Announcer-Voice Accent: Where It Came From and Why It Went Away
Westbrook Van Voorhis, narrator of the March of Time radio and newsreel series, and the man whose voice epitomized 20th century Announcer Speak ( YouTube ) Thanks for the scores of replies that have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Rise and Fall of Announcer-Speak, Class War Edition
In the 1956 production of My Fair Lady, Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins tells Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle that if she changes her accent she can change her life. ( Wikimedia ) In our initial...
View ArticleClik here to view.
American Announcer-Speak: The Origin Story
George Caleb Bingham's Stump Speaking from the 1850s, when super-histrionic, hours-long oratory was a leading form of civic entertainment ( Wikimedia commons ) In the next day or two I’ll sort through...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Announcer-Speak: The Video Highlights Reel
Gore Vidal, foreground, and William F. Buckley before their famous 1968 television debates. ( Trailer for Best of Enemies film, at SXSW2015 via YouTube ) As promised yesterday, we’ve reached the point...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building for the Future, in California's Famously Failed City
San Bernardino's Dr. Bill Clarke (right), presenting 14-year-old Frank Le with a certificate of proficiency in operating an advanced Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine like the one...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Tell Oregon Apart From New Jersey
Service with an attitude in Bend, Oregon. (Deborah Fallows) Oregon, on the West Coast, and New Jersey, on the East, are the two states that don’t allow self-service gas pumps. Let’s not get into all...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Announcer Voice: Unified Field Theory Edition
Frank Sinatra at Liederkranz Hall in New York in 1947. Did improved microphone technology permit the more intimate, less histrionic singing style of mid-century stars like Sinatra and Bing Crosby? (...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Community College at the Center of an Oregon Recovery Story
Bend then and now: left side, when the lumber mills were running full tilt. Right side, today's restored Old Mill district (Historic lumber mill / Wikimedia; Current Old Mill District / James...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The San Bernardino Story: Fire Fighters Weigh In
In its heyday San Bernardino was a city of well-tended, modest family homes. One of today's nice neighborhoods on the north side of town. (James Fallows) Yesterday I kicked off our coverage of central...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Importance of a Careful Pre-Flight, Cat Fancier Edition
This version of a flying cat is extremely creepy. The one below is not. ( 17th century illustration from Athanasius Kircher’s La Chine, via Wikimedia commons ) Everyone in the flying world has seen...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Books by Friends: Skyfaring, America's Moment, Republic of Conscience
Henri Matisse, The Reader. Perhaps she is reading something written by a friend! ( Wikimedia commons ) As in several previous installments in this series, I disclose for the record that I have some...
View Article