If you grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, particularly on the north side, you knew that it was not your pocket watch, or your wristwatch, or even the old grandfather clock in the corner that was in charge of your life, it was a 32-inch copper steam whistle that had been installed at the municipal “waterworks” … Continue reading Big Jim, the steam-throated metronome for daily life in Jacksonville, Florida
I’ll never forget the old Springfield Library–the Temple of Knowledge at Tenth & Silver Streets –or Mrs. Porter, the librarian, its “Priestess.” The Springfield Library of the Forties was a far cry from today’s suburban libraries with their “shopping center modern” décor, computerized checkout system, and librarians seemingly more knowledgeable about the catalog system than … Continue reading The Old Springfield Branch Library “Temple of Knowledge at Tenth & Silver”
Democracy has always been a historical rarity. If we look at human history in terms of frequency and duration, monarchies have prevailed. The historian team of Will and Ariel Durant, after decades of comparative study, considered democracies as “hectic interludes.” Today, functional democracies are found in relatively few countries. All of them are facing economic … Continue reading Democracies As “Hectic Interludes”