Michael Bates: November 2024 Archives
Full article: Thomas Denton's Perambulation: Two Counties, Three Kingdoms, and Four Nations History?
Full article: Thomas Denton's Perambulation: Two Counties, Three Kingdoms, and Four Nations History?
"Thomas Denton's Perambulation of Cumberland, with additions on Westmorland, the Isle of Man, and Ireland, contains a wealth of evidence as to how a Cumbrian, English, and British subject integrated these elements [of county, national, and international identity] in this period. In addition to showing the assimilation of subjects within and across these boundaries, it equally reveals their differentiation and exclusion."
U.S. Senate: About Executive Nominations | Historical Overview
A misleading quote from this article has been circulated to suggest that Senate confirmation of executive nominations is a new thing, but the article cites several examples going back to the earliest days of the republic where the Senate rebuffed the president's choice: "Nevertheless, political and partisan conflicts between the president and senators have at times produced dramatic fights over cabinet nominees and led to their ultimate withdrawal or rejection. For example, when opponents of President Andrew Jackson gained a Senate majority in 1833, the Senate rejected Jackson's choice for secretary of the treasury, Roger B. Taney. When Vice President John Tyler became president in 1841 upon the death of William Henry Harrison, he clashed with Senate Whigs, who rejected Tyler's nominees to head the Treasury, Navy, and War Departments."
Elsewhere on the Senate website is a timeline of notable confirmations and rejections, the first of which occurred in 1795, when George Washington nominated John Rutledge as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. "Rutledge thus became the first rejected Supreme Court nominee and the only one among the 15 who would gain their offices through recess appointments not to be subsequently confirmed. In turning down Rutledge, the Senate made it clear that an examination of a nominee's qualifications would include his political views."
The U.S. Dialect Quiz: How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk - The New York Times
My dialect map pinpointed Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Wichita as the cities to which my dialect is closest (because of my use of the terms "crawdad," "service road," and "pop," respectively. I'm furthest from Worcester, Springfield, Mass., and Providence because I pronounce "aunt" as "ant."
A neat way of tracking her travels, going back to 2008.
Clinton Transition Left $15,000 Damage, GAO Says - Los Angeles Times
Remembering the petty vandalism of the 2001 "peaceful transition of power" from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush. "The GAO concluded that 'damage, theft, vandalism, and pranks did occur in the White House during the 2001 presidential transition.' The report stated that some incidents, such as removing keyboard keys, placing glue on desk drawers and leaving obscene voicemail messages 'clearly were intentional,' and intentional damage would constitute a criminal act under federal law. No prosecutions are planned, though."
Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
A tremendous resources that has been around since the early days of the World Wide Web, and continually expanded and updated. Great for visualizing political shifts over time. Please be aware that Mr. Leip uses the traditional convention of coloring the more socialist/leftist party red and the conservative/right-wing party blue, as he explains in the FAQ.
This end-times movie was a staple of 1970s Baptist youth group New Year's Eve parties. First of a trilogy continued by A Distant Thunder and Image of the Beast. There's no time to change your mind. The Son has come, and you've been left behind.
