Picture of the Day

Very cool 1915 photograph of none other than Casey Stengel, patrolling the outfield for the Brooklyn Dodgers (wearing new fangled sunglasses no less!). Charles Dillon Stengel's nickname, by the way, came from the initials of his hometown, Kansas City, and has nothing to do with the poem, "Casey At The Bat."

Casey went on, of course, to manage the great New York Yankees during the Golden Era of baseball and became known as "the old professor." He guided the Yankees to 7 World Series Championships, including 4 in a row from 1950 through 1953.

The White House - December 1938

A beautiful, snowy day outside of the White House in 1938. President Roosevelt, in not the best of health, legs confined by braces, was likely inside contemplating the growing war in Europe.

Just ahead was a year to be filled with significant events such as the growing menace of Adolph Hitler in Europe, and on the home front the opening of the 1939 New York World's Fair, the premiers of both "Gone With The Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz", Al Capone's release from Alcatraz, Lou Gehrig's retirement from baseball due to his ALS, and the great thoroughbred racehorse Seabiscuit making the front page, above the fold, almost weekly.

As America continued to struggle through the Great Depression and confront major events, big change was around the corner for both the President and for all Americans.

Army/Navy - November 29, 1919

One of my favorite vintage photographs. The Army-Navy game at The Polo Grounds, Manhattan, NY, November 29, 1919.

Dignitaries shown here left to right: General Peyton C. March, Secretary of War Newton C. Baker, General John J. Pershing, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Admiral Archibald S. Scales, Superintendent of the U. S. Naval Academy.

Daniels was Publisher and owner of the Raleigh News and Observer, and was one of President Wilson's primary liaisons and links to the segregated south.

December 7, 2011 Reflection

It is a rainy December 7, 2011, a good day to reflect. 70 years ago today, World War II began for America, "a date which will live in infamy", said President Roosevelt. It was ironically this event that necessitated America finally getting involved in the war, precepitating the alliance between Churchill and Roosevelt, an alliance and relationship which likely saved Western Civilization.

Today is my in-law's 66th wedding anniversary. Andy returned from the South Pacific at the end of the war in 1945 and married Jean a couple of months later. They are 'hanging in there', still in their home of nearly 50 years. Bunny delivered breakfast to them this morning.

I reflect on, and pray hard for, my dear daughter Elizabeth, who is now pregnant with her first child, after a beautiful 2011 wedding to Brandon. I reflect on my man Rob, as he helps Nikki run the great state of South Carolina. I have so much to be grateful for and much to be concerned with..........as it should be.

I continue to reflect on my semester long series of classes at Elon this fall..........so much wisdom imparted. I especially recall, and like, the following two quotes shared by Dr. John Sullivan, Retired Professor of Philosophy, who coordinated the semester. The first one helped open the semester, the second one helped close the semester.

"We stand in the middle of 7 generations, three behind us, the parents, the grandparents, and the great grandparents, and three before us, the children, the grandchildren, and the great grandchildren. Everything we do and everything we say should be measured against, 'does it honor the ancestors and does it teach the children.'" ~Navajo Proverb

"We must look after the children, for they have a long way to go. We must look after the elders, for they have been a long way. We must look after those in the middle, for they must do the work." ~Nelson Mandala

Peace and Blessings of the Season

Powerful and Moving Photojournalism From 2011

A loyal military dog stays by his soldier. Click the link below to see 44 other emotionally powerful images from 2011.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-most-powerful-photos-of-2011

Picture of the Day

Great, old vintage photograph of Knute Rockne and Christy Walsh between Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who are flanked by three unidentified gentlemen. Walsh was a pioneer in the sports agent business. He coined the term "ghost writer". My guess is that the photo was taken in a hotel banquet room in the late '20s and was related to the publicizing of the Notre Dame / Southern California football game.

The Low Quality of 2011 GOP Presidential Candidates

I am concerned about the low quality of candidates which have emerged as standard bearers for the Grand Old Party. For the most part, they seem to have neither the intellectual capacity, judgement, values, nor experience we would hope for in candidates for President of the United States and leaders of the free world.

My theory as to why this is relates to the general very low regard that Republicans have for the concept government. This attitude began, in the modern era, as Ronald Reagan was advised by conservative "think tanks", to espouse "government is the problem, not the solution." As a result of this low regard for the public sector, the best and brightest of those with ideological views consistent with this attitude, modern day Republicans, want nothing to do with government. They do not believe in the power of government to help make people's lives better. They see government as an impediment. They generally do not believe in the concept of "community." Therefore, they remain out of government and in the private sector.

They generally believe that if Jim Bob, who has a machine shop around the corner, is just left alone by government, that the world will be just fine, regardless of who is occupying seats of power in Washington. They believe that the marketplace left alone, and a people free from the constraints of government (except for those programs dear to THEM), is all that matters.

Well, that is very far from reality. The next President of the United States, as with past Presidents, will determine the direction in which the world proceeds for years into the future. He will determine matters related to war and peace, to the position of America related to new, emerging economic powers, and he will represent America and her values on the world stage. He will set a vision and strategy regarding domestic issues such as health care reform, abortion, immigration policy, taxation, climate change, job creation, and more.

Republicans need to awaken to the fact the we live in an interdependent nation and world. They need to awaken to the fact that those who lead, who have vision and develop strategy, are very critical to our future and to our direction. They need to get serious about leadership. They need to develop a respect and a regard for the organizational structure of America, called government, which our founding father's established and which has resulted in the wealthiest nation, the most compassionate nation, and a nation with the highest standard of living, for the most people, in the history of the world.