February 4, 2010

 

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Love him or hate him, it was this day in 1969 that Yasser Arafat took over the Palestine Liberation Organization.

 

Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Arafat As Qudwa al-Hussaeini was born on 24 August 1929 in Cairo, his father a textile merchant who was a Palestinian with some Egyptian ancestry, his mother from an old Palestinian family in Jerusalem. She died when Yasir, as he was called, was five years old, and he was sent to live with his maternal uncle in Jerusalem, the capital of the British Mandate of Palestine. He has revealed little about his childhood, but one of his earliest memories is of British soldiers breaking into his uncle's house after midnight, beating members of the family and smashing furniture.

After four years in Jerusalem, his father brought him back to Cairo, where an older sister took care of him and his siblings. Arafat never mentions his father, who was not close to his children. Arafat did not attend his father's funeral in 1952.

In Cairo, before he was seventeen Arafat was smuggling arms to Palestine to be used against the British and the Jews. At nineteen, during the war between the Jews and the Arab states, Arafat left his studies at the University of Faud I (later Cairo University) to fight against the Jews in the Gaza area. The defeat of the Arabs and the establishment of the state of Israel left him in such despair that he applied for a visa to study at the University of Texas. Recovering his spirits and retaining his dream of an independent Palestinian homeland, he returned to Faud University to major in engineering but spent most of his time as leader of the Palestinian students.

He did manage to get his degree in 1956, worked briefly in Egypt, then resettled in Kuwait, first being employed in the department of public works, next successfully running his own contracting firm. He spent all his spare time in political activities, to which he contributed most of the profits. In 1958 he and his friends founded Al-Fatah, an underground network of secret cells, which in 1959 began to publish a magazine advocating armed struggle against Israel. At the end of 1964 Arafat left Kuwait to become a full-time revolutionary, organising Fatah raids into Israel from Jordan.

February 3, 2010

 

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Jean-Baptiste Biot was educated at the college of Louis-le-grand in Paris, then after graduating he joined the army in 1793. He was then a pupil at the École Polytechnique in Paris where Monge realised his potential. There was an attempted insurrection by the royalists against the Convention and Biot took part. He was captured by government forces and taken prisoner. Had it not been for Monge, who could not see someone with such talents remain in jail, or even die, pleading successfully for his release his promising career might have ended. He became Professor of Mathematics at the École Centrale at Beauvais in 1797. Three years later he became Professor of Mathematical Physics at the Collège de France, an appointment which was due to the influence of Laplace. 

In 1803 Biot was elected to the First Class of the Institute. Three years later he went with Arago to Spain to complete earlier work begun there on calculating the measure of the arc of the meridian. In 1809 Biot was appointed Professor of Physical Astronomy at the Faculty of Sciences. Biot studied a wide range of mathematical topics, mostly on the applied mathematics side. He made advances in astronomy, elasticity, electricity and magnetism, heat and optics on the applied side while, in pure mathematics, he also did important work in geometry. He collaborated with Arago on refractive properties of gases. 

Biot, together with Savart, discovered that the intensity of the magnetic field set up by a current flowing through a wire varies inversely with the distance from the wire. This is now known as Biot-Savart's Law and is fundamental to modern electromagnetic theory.For his work on the polarization of light passing through chemical solutions he was awarded the Rumford Medal of the Royal Society. Another of his important works was Mémoire sur la figure de la terre (1827) which describes the shape of the Earth. 

He tried twice for the post of Secretary to the Académie des Sciences and to improve his chances for election to this post he wrote Essai sur l'Histoire Générale des Sciences pendant la Révolution. However he lost out in 1822 to Fourier for this post, then again when Fourier died he applied only to lose to Arago.

St Beuve says that Biot

was endowed to the highest degree with all the qualities of curiosity, finesse, penetration, precision, ingenious analysis, method, clarity, in short with all the essential and secondary qualities, bar one, genius, in the sense of originality and invention.

A contrasting comment by Olinthus Gregory in 1821 is:

With regard to M. Biot, I had an opportunity of pretty fully appreciating his character when we were together in the Zetland [= Shetland] Isles; and I do not hesitate to say that I never met so strange a compound of vanity, impetuosity, fickleness, and natural partiality, as is exhibited in his character.

 

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The First Court
The Supreme Court was first called to assemble on Feb. 1, 1790, in the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City, then the Nation's Capital. The first Supreme Court was made up of:

Chief Justice:
John Jay, from New York
Associate Justices:
John Rutledge, from South Carolina
William Cushing, from Massachusetts
James Wilson, from Pennsylvania
John Blair, from Virginia
James Iredell, from North Carolina

Other than establishing it, Article III of the U.S. Constitution spells out neither the specific duties, powers nor organization of the Supreme Court.

"[t]he judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish."

Instead, the Constitution left it to Congress and to the Justices of the Court itself to develop the authorities and operations of the entire Judicial Branch of government.


The very first bill introduced in the United States Senate was the Judiciary Act of 1789. It divided the country in 13 judicial districts, which were further organized into the Eastern, Middle, and Southern "circuits." The 1789 Act called for the Supreme Court to consist of a Chief Justice and only five Associate Justices, and for the Court to meet, or "sit" in the Nation's Capital.

In 1791, the Court joined Congress and the President in Philadelphia; it heard discussions of lawyers' qualifications but little else. Still, other duties exhausted the Justices. The Judiciary Act of 1789 required them to journey twice a year to distant parts of the country and preside over circuit courts. For decades they would grumble, and hope Congress would change this system; but Congress meant to keep them aware of local opinion and state law.

Stagecoaches jolted the Justices from city to city. Sometimes they spent 19 hours a day on the road. North of Boston and in the South, roads turned into trails. Justice Iredell, struggling around the Carolinas and Georgia on circuit, and hurrying to Philadelphia twice a year as well, led the life of a traveling postboy. Finding his duties "in a degree intolerable," Jay almost resigned. Congress relented a little in 1793; one circuit trip a year would be enough.

February 1, 2010

 

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Born out of a need for a national police force to implement the law in Canada’s newly acquired western territories, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was established on February 1, 1920

The Roots of an Institution

In May 1873, the Parliament of Canada established a central police force. One hundred and fifty recruits were sent west to Manitoba. The new police force gradually acquired the name North-West Mounted Police (NWMP).

In July 1874, the 275 mounted police officers marched west, headed for southern Alberta, where American whisky traders were operating among the Aboriginal people. A permanent post was established at Fort Macleod, Alberta. Part of the remaining half of the Force was sent to Fort Edmonton and the rest returned east to Fort Pelly, Saskatchewan, which had been designated as headquarters.The following summer, Fort Calgary, on the Bow River in Alberta, and Fort Walsh, in Saskatchewan’s Cypress Hills, were established.
By 1885, the Force had grown to 1,000 men, but in 1896 its future was threatened by the newly elected Prime Minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who decided to reduce and eventually disband the NWMP. Support for the Force in the west prevailed, and it gained new prominence policing the Klondike Gold Rush.
From 1905-16, the Force was contracted to police the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. These contracts ended due to the provinces’ desire to create their own police forces.

Building a Legacy

In 1919, Parliament voted to merge the Force with the Dominion Police, a federal police force with jurisdiction in eastern Canada. When the legislation took effect on February 1, 1920, the name became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and headquarters was moved to Ottawa from Regina.
The RCMP returned to provincial policing with a new contract with Saskatchewan in 1928.
From 1932-38, the size of the RCMP nearly doubled, to 2,350, as it took over provincial policing in Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
The years following World War II saw a continued expansion of the RCMP’s role as a provincial force. In 1950, it assumed responsibility for provincial policing in Newfoundland and absorbed the British Columbia provincial police.
Women were first accepted as uniformed members in 1974. The seventies also brought an expansion of responsibilities in areas such as airport policing, VIP security and drug enforcement.
Today, the RCMP’s scope of operations includes organized crime, terrorism, illicit drugs, economic crimes and offences that threaten the integrity of Canada’s national borders. The RCMP also protects VIPs, has jurisdiction in eight provinces and three territories and, through its National Police Services, offers resources to other Canadian law enforcement agencies.

January 26, 2010

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Exactly 20 years after the First Fleet dropped anchor in Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788, Australia experienced its first, and only, military insurrection – the Rum Rebellion.  The revolt was perpetrated against William Bligh, fourth Governor of New South Wales and former Captain of HMS Bounty. The perpetrators were the influential officers of the NSW Corps – also known as the ‘Rum’ Corps because of their control of the colony’s ‘rum’ trade.  Under instruction to limit their power and restore and stabilize trade in the area, Bligh introduced reforms that threatened the officers’ activities and prestige. He clashed, too, with leading Sydney businessman John Macarthur, a former Corps officer, on a several issues.  Following Macarthur’s arrest, the Corps, led by Major George Johnston, marched on Government House, reputedly dragging the “tyrant” Bligh ignominiously from beneath a bed before confining him to house-arrest as unfit for office and held him prisoner pending the arrival of a new governor. 

RUM REBELLION - A STUDY OF THE OVERTHROW OF GOVERNOR BLIGH BY JOHN MACARTHUR AND THE NEW SOUTH WALES CORPS 

Bligh remained confined for over a year, until he finally agreed to set sail for England, but once aboard he turned back and attempted to resume control of Sydney. In 1809, the British government, recognizing the impasse between governor and military, recalled Bligh. Colonel Lachlin Macquarie, an able administrator, arrived take over as governor. The commandant was later found guilty of mutiny and the New South Wales Corps was broken up. Having informally heard arguments from both sides, the government authorities in England were not impressed by either Macarthur and Johnston's accusations against Bligh, or by Bligh's ill-tempered letters accusing key figures in the colony of unacceptable conduct. Johnston was court-martialed, found guilty and cashiered, the lowest penalty possible. He was then able to return as a free citizen to his estate, Annandale, in Sydney. Macarthur was not tried but was refused permission to return to NSW until 1817, since he would not admit his wrongdoing. Bligh's promotion to rear admiral was delayed until the end of Johnston's trial. Afterward it was backdated to 31 July 1810 and Bligh took up a position that had been kept for him. He continued his naval career in the Admiralty in unspectacular fashion and died in 1817.

January 25, 2010

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It was on this day in 1787, that Daniel Shays, formerly a captain in Washington’s army, led a force of 1,200 irate western Massachusetts farmers in an assault on the Springfield, Mass., arsenal.

His ill-equipped, ill-trained force easily was repelled by state militia under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln, and he thereafter had to flee to Petersham where, on Feb. 4, he was soundly defeated. In essence, this ended the frontier protest movement known to history as Shays’ Rebellion.With a large bounty on his head, Shays managed to escape to Canada. However, he soon returned to the U.S., fully convinced that his insurgency was warranted and that he could obtain a pardon.
To his surprise, he soon learned that he had been excluded from a general pardon and instead was sentenced to death by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. However, his personal petition for a pardon finally was granted and he thereafter settled in Sparta, N.Y., where he died in 1825.

Born into extreme poverty, Shays had overcome his impoverished upbringing to become a capable, well-respected military officer. He fought courageously in the battles of Lexington, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Stony Point. For his honorable military service, he eventually was granted a federal pension.
The frontier protest movement associated with the name of Daniel Shays was an armed revolt in Massachusetts against the constituted authority of the eastern-dominated state government. During the economic depression of the mid-1780s, the state government had passed a series of laws raising taxes and decreeing that all debts be paid in specie, making it extremely difficult if not impossible for impoverished farmers to avoid foreclosure.

In August 1786, the angry insurgents had forced the closing of several courts. In September, they forced the state Supreme Court to adjourn, thus preventing the further execution of foreclosures and debt processes. Clearly, this revolt had become a major challenge to constituted government and law and order.


Although the state government did in time manage to crush the rebellion, the insurgency had caused panic and outrage among conservatives. For example, Abigail Adams, no doubt reflecting the views of her husband John, declared in a letter to Jefferson that the insurgents were “ignorant, wrestless (sic) desperadoes” who “without conscience or principals” have staged a revolt “under pretence of grievances which have no existence but in their imaginations.”

The revolt also appeared to have persuaded many, including some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 meeting in Philadelphia, that it had become imperative to replace the weak Articles of Confederation government with a strong national government that could deal more swiftly and more resolutely with future political, social and economic unrest. The significant consequences of Shays’ rebellion soon were evident. The Massachusetts legislature quickly passed laws that postponed the imposition of new taxes and limited the liability of debtors, thus bringing much-needed relief to the insurgents. Also, the “scare” that the revolt created greatly strengthened the nationalistic movement of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, a movement that led to the calling of the Constitutional Convention and the eventual creation of a strong national government.

January 24, 2010

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On 24 January AD 41, Caligula was assassinated as the result of a conspiracy involving officers of the Praetorian Guard as well as members of the Roman Senate and of the imperial court. The conspirators' attempt to use the opportunity to restore the Roman Republic was thwarted, as the same day the Praetorian Guard declared Caligula's uncle Claudius emperor in his place.

Caligula's father, Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most beloved public figures. The young Gaius earned his nickname Caligula (the diminutive form of caliga) meaning "little [soldier's] boot", while accompanying his father on military campaigns in Germania. When Germanicus died in Antioch in AD 19, his mother Agrippina the Elder returned to Rome with her six children, where she became entangled in an increasingly bitter feud with Tiberius. This conflict eventually led to the destruction of her family, with Caligula as the sole male survivor. Unscathed by the deadly intrigues, and seemingly unmoved by the fate of his closest relatives, Caligula accepted the invitation to join the emperor on the island of Capri in AD 31, where Tiberius himself had withdrawn in AD 26. At the death of Tiberius, on 16 March AD 37, Caligula succeeded his great-uncle and adoptive grandfather.

There are few surviving sources on Caligula's reign, and although he is described as a noble and moderate ruler during the first two years of his rule, after this the sources focus upon his cruelty, extravagance, and sexual perversity, presenting him as an insane tyrant. While the reliability of these sources has been difficult to assess, what is known is that during his brief reign, Caligula worked to increase the authority of the princeps, possibly contemplating the introduction of an authoritarian system of an eastern type. He directed much of his attention to ambitious construction projects, notoriously luxurious dwellings for himself, but also two new aqueducts for the city of Rome. However, these are primarily associated with his successor Claudius, who brought these projects to completion. Caligula also annexed Mauretania.

January 23, 2010

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It was January 23, 1719, that the Holy Roman Emporer, Charles VI, announced the creation of a new principality, Liechtenstein, named in honor of "[his] true servant, Anton Florian of Liechtenstein." The sixth smallest nation in the world, it is the the richest, per capita, with a Gross Domestic Product of $118,000 per person.

Liechtenstein is a large producer of ceramics, and is the world's largest producer of sausage casings and false teeth. Other industries include electronics, textiles, precision instruments, metal manufacturing, power tools, anchors, calculators, pharmaceuticals, and food products. Liechtenstein also produces wheat, barley, corn, potatoes, dairy products, livestock, and wine. Tourism also accounts for a large portion of the country's economy.

One interesting thing is that Liechtenstein follows a policy of neutrality and is one of few countries in the world that maintains no military. The army was abolished soon after the Austro-Prussian War in which Liechtenstein fielded an army of 80 men, although they were not involved in any fighting. The demise of the German Confederation in that war freed Liechtenstein from its international obligation to maintain an army, and parliament seized this opportunity and refused to provide funding for an army. The prince objected, as such a move would leave the country defenseless, but relented on 12 February 1868, and disbanded the force. The last soldier to serve under the colors of Liechtenstein died in 1939 at the age of 95.  Order within the country is kept by a small police force.

Combine the lack of military spending with a low tax rate (the business tax rate is 20%, the personal tax rate tops out at 17%), and it's easy to see why this small, microcountry holds a great deal of the worlds wealth!

January 22, 2010

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The Papal Swiss Guard, bodyguard and security to the Vatican, first arrived for duty on this day in 1506. Originally, the Guard provided security to Swiss dignitaries visiting foreign countries. The first contingent was in France as early as 1497, with detachments at many of the European kingdoms including Prussia, Sardinia and Naples. Of course, the Vatican detachment is the only one still extent. The Guard was originally formed of mercenaries at a time when Switzerland was poor and young men sought a means to gain fortune in other lands. Obviously things have changed a great deal since then.

It would be easy to dismiss these men as mere decoration, if you were foolish. The current red, blue and yellow Renaissance style uniform was first designed by Commandant Jules Repond in 1910 and remains true to his design. Yes, they do carry the traditional long sword, or for the officers a rapier, and halberd, and yes, they may not be the most effective weapon against a person carrying a gun. But they are trained in their use as well as in unarmed combat. And just in case the threat is armed they also carry the latest in SIG and Heckler & Koch firearms.

To join their ranks you must be male, between the ages of 17 and 30, no shorter than 5'7", Catholic and a Swiss citizen. There are no women allowed in their ranks, though the currant commander, Daniel Anrig, stated in 2009 that women might be allowed in one day, in the very distant future. Basically, not on his watch!

January 21, 2010

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It was on this day, in 1789, that the first American novel was printed, The Power of Sympathy: Or, the Triumph of Nature. Written by William H. Brown and published by Isaiah Thomas, it tells the story of a man, Thomas Harrington, who falls for a young woman, Harriot Fawcet, who resists his advances, knowing he is just seeking a mistress. The story opens as a series of letters between father and son, the father encouraging the young man to put aside the idea of having a simply sexual relationship with the woman and openly court her instead. Thomas agrees and the two are soon engaged. Until the family secret is revealed. The story is taken from the real life relationship of Brown's neighbor, Perez Morton, and his incestuous seduction of Fanny Apthorp, his sister in law. The relationship lead to Fanny getting pregnant and committing suicide. The story used this scandal and fictionalized it, to be used to pass moral lessons on to others.

It's interesting to me that this story was published at a time when American literacy rates were rapidly increasing. 85% of American males and 45% of American females could read, and idea of a book industry that wasn't just aimed at the rich was beginning to be seen. Compare that with today, where the ability to read is not just taken for granted, but is falling, and see how the publishing industry is hurting. I suppose it doesn't help that they publish things like Dan Brown's novels which too many people confuse with nonfiction!

January 18, 2010

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Happy Birthday, Rev. King. I know your birthday is actually on the 15th, but since you worked so hard to try on uniting a nation and working against hatred on both sides, it seems fitting that we celebrate one day as a nation. Thank you for your hard work. It started us down a road that we continue to travel today, and will travel for months and years to come. I do believe we are making progress. I believe that there are more people who can look at a person of a different race and see the person rather than the person's race. Of course there are still those who only see skin. And there are those who still seek to discriminate, either on behalf of or against a group. Dr. King, do you think that our society is working towards your dream? Do you believe that all racial groups are doing everything they can to find a way to equality or do you think some groups are sticking their heads in the sand and hoping for things to just get fixed?

Happy Birthday, Rev. King. You did many great things in life, but as many great men, your legacy is twisted and changed by those who follow in your steps. I hope, I dearly, truly hope that we can get back on the path and find away to end the hatred and misunderstanding and find a way to become a community.

January 17, 2010

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Livia, as history most often knows her, was the wife of Augustus for over fifty years, from this day in 38 BC until his death in AD 14 , an astonishingly long time in view of life expectancy in ancient Rome. Although certainty about their inner lives and proof for what we would consider a loving relationship is necessarily lost to us, we can infer genuine loyalty and mutual respect between the two. They remained married despite the fact that she bore him no child. Livia's position as first lady of the imperial household, her own family connections, her confident personality and her private wealth allowed her to exercise power both through Augustus and on her own, during his lifetime and afterward. All the Julio-Claudian emperors were her direct descendants: Tiberius was her son; Gaius (Caligula), her great-grandson; Claudius, her grandson; Nero, her great-great-grandson.


By all accounts, Livia played the role of a loving, dutiful and even old-fashioned wife. She cooperated with Augustus' encouragement of upper-class women to behave in the austere fashion of an earlier age when she and other female members of his household spun and wove and provided him with clothing. She sometimes accompanied him when he traveled from Rome and always served as a trusted confidante and advisor. When a beloved great-grandson of Augustus died (a son of Germanicus, a toddler named Gaius), she saw to it that the child's statue was placed in his private quarters. She ignored his notorious womanizing, and so Tacitus called her an "easy wife". "When someone asked her how and by what course of action she had obtained such a commanding influence over Augustus, she answered that it was by being scrupulously chaste herself, doing gladly whatever pleased him, not meddling with any of his affairs, and, in particular, by pretending neither to hear of nor to notice the favorites that were the objects of his passion". Her tolerance need not surprise. The goal of a Roman marriage was the formation of a household and the production of children, not sexual gratification, which could be found elsewhere. Unfortunately, she never bore him any living children; a premature infant died. Heirs would have been desirable, and it is a tribute to their relationship that Augustus did not divorce her because she failed to produce them. The two were a partnership.

The claim, however, that she did not meddle in his affairs is disingenuous. The dutiful wife, who appeared in public only as a model of traditional propriety, exercised a great deal of private power. In 35 BC, Livia received her first official marks of status, the right to manage her own affairs (i.e., control her own financial resources) without a guardian and a grant of sacrosancitas, the inviolability that tribunes enjoyed; it gave her the same protection that Augustus had. She also received a public statue, an honor almost unique for a woman at that time. In 9 BC a second statue followed, ostensibly intended to console her on the recent death of her son Drusus and to call attention to her as a mother of important sons. Both Tiberius and Drusus had become more prominent because of their military commands. At the same date she was given the ius liberorum, the collection of rights given the mothers of four children, although she already possessed the emancipation that it conferred.

January 15, 2010

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It was this day, in 588 BC, that the great Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II laid siege to the city of Jerusalem. The battle, due to the city's rebellion, led to the destruction of both the city and the temple, and the deportation of many of the prominent citizens along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judea to Babylon.

January 14, 2010

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Happy Birthday to Icelandic painter Einar Hákonarson, born this day in 1945.

What follows is the biography from his website:

Einar Hákonarson (b. 14th of January 1945, Reykjavík, Iceland) is one of Iceland's best known artists. He is an expressionistic and figurative painter who brought the figure back into Icelandic painting in 1968. He is a pioneer in the Icelandic art scene and art education. He has been called “The crusader of the painting”, due to his involvement in those conflicts many Icelandic painters have had with the public fine art centers over the last 20 years.

Einar Hákonarson was raised in Kleppsholt, Reykjavík. He started to paint and draw at a very young age. His father was a part time artist and his 2 uncles were avid art lovers which was uncommon at that time in Iceland. Hákonarson was only 15 years old when he was accepted to The National Art School of Iceland. There he received his education for the next 4 years following which he went abroad to Gothenburg Sweden and to study at Valand Art University where he received influence from new modes of art and was influenced by figurative painting.
Whilst Hákonarson was still studying in Sweden he won the Nordic countries art prize after an exhibition in Louisiana Museum in Copenhagen Denmark. He won a prize in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for his printmaking, and an international printmaking prize in Ljubljana, former Yugoslavia, for a series of pictures after a trip to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

January 13, 2010

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It was on this day, 1929, that the great American lawman, Wyatt Earp died at his home in Los Angeles, California. One might consider the movies detailing him to embellish his character. However, it is known that Earp was a fearless law enforcer, a shrewd gambler and of course, instrumental in The Gunfight At The OK Corral and in avenging the death and serious injury of his brothers afterwards. And it should be remembered that the first movies about him were made while he was still alive!

Born Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp in Monmouth, Illinois, in 1848, Earp and three brothers headed west for glory and adventure. While working as a buffalo hunter, Earp met Masterson and the eventual friends became peace officers in the area of Dodge City, Kansas. Earp developed a reputation, not as a famous gunfighter, but as one who was able to keep order without firing a gun. After serving as deputy marshal and deputy sheriff for many years, in 1879, Earp and his brothers left for Tombstone, close to the Mexican border. It was in this lawless territory that they became caught up in repeated clashes with the local criminal element, cowboys who stole cattle back and forth over the border and regularly raided stagecoaches.

On October 26, 1881, three of the Earp brothers and Hollidayfought four men in the famed shootout at (although in reality, it was only nearby) the OK Corral. The other four men, Ike and Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury, were cowboys whose general lawlessness had grown into a full-fledged feud with the Earps. The fight left the McLaurys and Billy Clanton dead; Wyatt Earp was unhurt, though his brothers and Holliday all suffered gunshot wounds. At this juncture, Hollywood has immortalized Earp. However, shortly thereafter, he lost two brothers to gunfire in revenge, and he began a mission of retribution with Holliday that led to the shooting deaths of the suspects. He then rode out of Arizona, beyond the jurisdiction of the then-local law. Earp lived out his remaining days in California with his common-law wife, Josephine.

January 12, 2010

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It was this day, in 475, that Flavius Basiliscus officially becomes the Byzantine Emperor in a coronation ceremony at the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople.  

Basiliscus was the brother of Empress Aelia Verina, the wife of Emperor Leo I (457-474). His relationship with the emperor allowed him to pursue a military career that, after minor initial successes, ended in 468, when he led the disastrous Byzantine invasion of Vandal Africa, in one of the largest military operations of Late Antiquity.

Basiliscus succeeded in seizing power in 475, exploiting the unpopularity of Emperor Zeno, the "barbarian" successor to Leo, and a plot organized by Verina that had caused Zeno to flee Constantinople. However, during his short rule, Basiliscus alienated the fundamental support of the Church and the people of Constantinople, promoting the Monophysite christological position in opposition to the widely accepted Chalcedonian faith. Also, his policy of securing his power through the appointment of loyal men to key roles antagonized many important figures in the imperial court, including his sister Verina. So, when Zeno tried to regain his empire, he found virtually no opposition, triumphally entering Constantinople, and capturing and killing Basiliscus and his family.

The struggle between Basiliscus and Zeno impeded the intervention of the Eastern Empire in the fall of the Western Roman Empire, which happened in early September 476. When the chieftain of the Heruli, Odoacer, deposed Western Emperor Romulus Augustus, sending the imperial regalia to Constantinople, Zeno had just regained his throne, and he could only appoint Odoacer dux of Italy. So the Western Roman Empire ended.

January 11, 2010

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On January 11, 1935, Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California. Although this transoceanic flight had been attempted by many others, most notably by the unfortunate participants in the 1927 Dole Air Race which had reversed the route, her trailblazing flight had been mainly routine, with no mechanical breakdowns. In her final hours, she even relaxed and listened to "the broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera from New York."

January 9, 2010

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Today, Basel, Switzerland is the third largest Swiss city, and a hub for international meetings of all sorts. But in 1349, it was known for something else. Now, to be fair, the Black Plague by this time had killed thousands throughout Europe and Asia Minor, and knowledge of health and sanitation was poor, so obviously fear ruled and drastic steps needed to be taken. On January 9, 1349, all the Jews in the city were round up and incinerated in the belief that they were the cause of the sickness destroying the city. No word on how effective this was in preventing the spread of the bubonic plague, but by 1351, when the plague had mostly run its course, over a quarter of the population of Europe was dead. Of course, this is often seen as the beginning of the end of serfdom, as there were not enough peasants left in Europe to tend to crops and so workers became valuable for the first time.

January 8, 2010

 

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I think it's interesting, especially in today's economy, that the only time our country has had zero national debt was in 1835, under the Democratic-Republican president Andrew Jackson. Even at our country's founding, thanks to the Revolution, we were in debt by about $76 million dollars, and after 1835 it has steadily increased. Many argue that it's impossible for the U.S. to ever get back there, that the best we can do is end the deficit spending and balance the annual budget. Others say that to fund the ever increasing number of rojects the government undertakes, deficit spending is the only way to go.

My take? I believe the deficit spending is going to occur but that as a nation we owe it to ourselves to change where that money goes. We need to stop funding wars in two nations and focus on protecting our home. We need to stop spending millions on the war against drugs and focus on educating our children. We need to let NASA (and yes, I am a huge fan of NASA and the valuable work they do) fall into the hands of private enterprise, let space exploration be undertaken by entrepreneurs, and use that money for other research and development projects to help make our world more efficient.  We need to spend more money on the health and well-being of our people, around the world.

Why don't we? Because the politicians are too afraid to make these choices for fear of losing the next election. Because the American people care more about their little corner of the county than they do about the nation. Because the media plays everything larger than life and out of proportion to reality, and we buy into it. We need to stop and take a real look at things, as Americans, find our place in the world stage as leaders, and show that we can care for our selves and the world, without hatred and anger. Do you think that's possible?

January 7, 2010

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On January 7, 1927, commercial telephone service began between New York and London. Using short wave radio, the first telephone conversation occurred in 1926, but only a year later it was available to the public. It's hard to imagine now when the internet and cell phones keep us connected almost anywhere in the world that there was a time when you either wrote letters or waited til you saw the person next. I wonder what the next leap will be. I certainly hope it's not telepathy. 

January 6, 2010

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SOLENNITÀ DELL'EPIFANIA DEL SIGNORE

BENEDETTO XVI

ANGELUS

Piazza San Pietro
Mercoledì, 6 gennaio 2010

 

Dear brothers and sisters!
 
Today we celebrate the great feast of the Epiphany, the mystery of the manifestation of God to all nations, represented by the Magi who came from the East to worship the King of the Jews (cf. Mt 2,1-2). The evangelist Matthew, who recounts the event, stressed that they came to Jerusalem following a star, first seen in its rising and interpreted as a sign of the birth of the King foretold by the prophets, that is the Messiah.  Joints, however, in Jerusalem, the Magi were in need of guidance of the priests and scribes to know exactly where to go, that is Bethlehem, the city of David (cf. Mt 2:5-6, Mic 5:1). The star and the Holy Scriptures were the two lights that guide the journey of the Magi, who appear to us as models of genuine seekers of truth.

They were wise men, who watch for the stars and knew the history of peoples. They were men of science in a broad sense, observing the universe regarded as virtually a great book full of signs and messages from God to man. Their knowledge, therefore, far from being regarded as self-sufficient, was open to further discoveries, and God's call.  Indeed, not ashamed to ask for directions to the religious leaders of the Jews. They might say: do it alone, we did not need anyone to avoid, in our mind now, every "contamination" between science and the Word of God But the wise men listen and accept the prophecies, and, as soon as you call on their way to Bethlehem, saw the star again, as if to confirm the perfect harmony between the human search for truth and the divine harmony of joy that filled their hearts with true sages (cf. Mt 2:10). The culmination of their journey was research when faced with "the child with Mary his mother" (Mt 2:11). The Gospel says that "they fell down and worshiped him." They might be disappointed, indeed, scandalized. Instead, as true scholars, are open to the mystery that manifests itself in surprising ways, and their symbolic gifts show to recognize Jesus as the King and the Son of God precisely in this act are fulfilled messianic oracles announcing the gift nations to the God of Israel.

A final confirmation particular, the Magi, the unity between intelligence and faith is the fact that "warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned by another road to their country" (Mt 2:12). It would be natural to return to Jerusalem, in Herod's palace and the Temple, giving resonance to their discovery. Instead, the Magi, who chose as their ruler and Child, keep it in secret, in the style of Mary, or rather, of God and, as they had appeared, they disappear into the silence, contentment, but also changed by the encounter with the Truth.  They had discovered a new face of God, a new royalty: that of love. We support the Virgin Mary, model of true wisdom, to be truly seek God, to live there is always the profound harmony between reason and faith, science and revelation.
 

January 5, 2010

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On this day in 1971, the body of heavyweight champion, Sonny Liston, was found by his wife in their Las Vegas home. Perhaps best known for the Liston-Patterson fight of 1962, where Patterson was knocked out in the first round, the Sports Illustrated cover with Muhammad Ali towering over him is one of the most famous sports photos in the world. While Liston's' death was ruled a heroin overdose, questions still swirl around his death. Never known to abuse any drug other than alcohol, Liston was famous for his fear of needles, to the point that he refused to fly overseas to a fight when he found out he needed immunization shots.

January 4, 2010

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It was this day, in 46 BCE, that Julius Caesar lost almost a 1/3 of his men in combat to his former lieutenant Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. According to historians, Labienus controlled a significantly larger force than Caeser's, but by maintaining an extremely tight formation, Caesar misjudged his opponent and was lured in. It would be the last defeat Caesar had during the Roman Civil War that would end with him being named dictator.

January 2, 2010

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On this day in 1920, the great science and science fiction author, Isaac Asimov, Ph.D., was born in Petrovichi in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. During his 72 years, he wrote over 500 books, and innumerable articles and stories. His writing covered a variety of science topics, and there are few places on the library shelves where is work can't be found.

January 1, 2010

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Let the new year commence. I wish you all the best in the coming year.