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Childhood friends Mike and Doug began the blog after Mike saw an awkward vacation photo hung in his parents’ house. Realizing there were probably plenty of other people out there with their own awkward family images, the two friends decided to create a friendly place where everyone could come together and share their uncomfortable family moments. Thus, Awkward Family Photos was born. The authors started by posting a few of their own childhood photos and those provided by friends, and the site quickly took off and became an internet sensation; it now receives millions of hits daily and submissions from around the world.
In our ongoing tibute to the men that built America, today we spotlight Scottish-born Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), an American industrialist who assembled a fortune in the steel industry and then became a major philanthropist. Carnegie worked in a Pittsburgh cotton factory as a boy before rising to the position of division superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1859.
Fond of saying "The man who dies rich, dies disgraced," Through self-dtermination Carnegie aquired a fortune, and then gave it away--Millions of dollars went to support education, a pension plan for teachers, and the cause of world peace. Most famous as a benefactor of libraries, he funded nearly 3,000 around the world. He preached the obligation of the wealthy to return their money to the societies where they made it—then added, says Carnegie's biographer, Joseph Frazier Wall, "a very revealing sentence. He wrote, 'and besides, it provides a refuge from self-questioning.’”
“The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie,” produced by Austin Hoyt and narrated by David Ogden Stiers, follows Carnegie's life from his impoverished origins in Dunfermline, Scotland, through his business career where he was on the cutting edge of the industrial revolution in telegraphy, railroads, and finally, steel. "The Richest Man in the World" traces the roots of Carnegie's philanthropy to his idealistic, egalitarian father, a skilled weaver displaced by the Industrial Revolution. But Carnegie's mother, Margaret, was a more dominant force in his life. Determined to overcome the shame of poverty and "get to the top," the frugal Margaret often advised young Andrew, "Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves." He lived with her until she died, and only then married, at age 51.
Carnegie's daughter, Margaret Carnegie Miller, publicly remembered her father as "a kindly, friendly, man. He always wanted to be remembered as one who loved his fellow men." In private, her thoughts were harsher. "Tell his life like it was," she urged his biographer. "I'm sick of the Santa Claus stuff."
Although Carnegie saw himself as a friend of the working man," says Hoyt, "the lives of his workers were not fairy tales where everything turns out all right." According to business historian Harold Livesay, "By the standards of his time, Carnegie does not stand out as a particularly ruthless businessman. But certainly by the standards of ethics and conduct to which we would like to hold businessmen today, he indeed operated extremely ruthlessly."
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
—Henry Ford
American industrialist Henry Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Ford produced an affordable car, paid high wages and helped create a middle class. Ford was considered a pioneer in industrial production. Together with his son Edsel, they formed the Ford Foundation in 1936.
Tmj4 is reporting some Franklin homeowners feel like their hard earn money is going down the toilet. The 2011 property tax bills are arriving by mail and some don't like what they see. For example, David Washkuhn is on a septic system. But his property tax bill this year shows a $243 sewer tax even though he doesn't have a sewer. But a MMSD official told Washkuhn the $23 sewer tax will increase Washkuhn’s and other franklin homeowners’ property value. Read the full story.
Thanks but no Thanks
Washkuhn and his neighbors say they are satisfied with their septic tanks, they don’t want sewers. Sorry, Not good enough for Bureaucrats. "This does not cumpute."
MMSD Executive Director Kevin Shafer explained the $243 sewer tax this way
"It’s just like a school district, you may not have kids going to the school but you pay for school improvements and school taxes."
TFIJ has published 15 stories on the Ryan Creek interceptor project since it was announced last year.
Last year FIJ ran 18 stories regarding Mayor Tom Taylor’s “pet-project.”(a.k.a the Ryan Creek Iterceptor).
Be sure to call mayor Taylor and ask him why he didn’t veto the project and the tax increase, or your alderman and ask them how they voted on this matter and why they voted the way the did.
If you’re a recent or soon-to-be college grad, you’re probably going through a mix of emotions. Undoubtedly, you’re happy to have your degree. However, you’re also stuck within a less than unforthcoming transition. Unless you’re one of the few with a job lined up, you’ve gone from student to unemployed overnight.
Couple this with the bleak fact that the average student loan debt rose to $26,600 for class of 2011--up about five percent from the class of 2011. Not a very promising outlook for all the hard work you've just gone through for the past four years or more.
After the tragic airplane crash at the Reno Air Races, the "usual Left-wing suspects" rose calling for an end to the air races. But was the pilot to blame or faulty equipment? Bill Whittlebreaks down the mainstream media narrative of the crash on this episode of "Afterburner."
Welcome to part 2 of Hillsdale College’s 10-part lecture series: History 101: Western Heritage.
OVERVIEW
The Hebrew people are the source of a unique but vital contribution to our Western heritage. Rather than bequeathing to their cultural heirs magnificent innovations in art, architecture, political theory, and public administration as have the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans, it is the treasure of sacred literature which constitutes the Hebrew legacy. The tradition of a monotheistic religion upon which Christianity would build, and out of which the modern world would emerge, has arguably served as the wellspring of Western civilization. If you missed Part 1 in this 10-part series, it can be found here.
ABOUT THE LECTURER
Mark Kalthoffis Professor of History and holds the Henry Salvatori Chair of History and Traditional Values at Hillsdale College where he has taught since 1989.
He completed his undergraduate study at Hillsdale College, where he majored in history, biology, and mathematics and graduated summa cum laude and class salutatorian in 1984. Dr. Kalthoff then earned the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in the History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University, specializing in the historical relations between science and religion.
On Wednesday, December 5, 2012 we launched our tribute to the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.
Mathew B. Brady (1822 - 1896) was a photographer, and became famous when he became the first American to shoot and document a war.
Brady’s 3,500 photographs taken during the Civil War provided the very first such record of any American war.
Brady’s pictures brought the real meaning of the fighting to the families at home. He took pictures of battles, of the wounded and the dying, of victories and defeats.
Prior to the Civil War Brady was best known for his portraits of presidents, celebrities, historic figures. History would remember him best for his photos of the American Civil War.
House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy(CA-22) today released "Is the President Listening? Linda's Story," a new video in which Linda Lizanich, an accountant at Willoughby, OH based Kennedy Group, breaks down how President Obama's small businesses tax hike will hurt middle class employees working at small businesses.
Barrack Obamabelieves an entrepreneur cannot go from a dream or vision to success without the help of government. The men who built America, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Astor, Ford and J.P. Morgan would undoubtedly disagree with our statist president. The names of these American titans of industry are part of American history and synonymous with success and the American Dream.
These men transformed every industry they touched: oil, rail, steel, shipping, automobiles, and finance. Their efforts transformed a country. Rising from poverty, their paths crossed again and again as they elected presidents, set economic policies and influenced major events of their day—from the Civil War to The Great Depression.
Today we introduce you to the men who built America beginning with the video “The Men Who Built America: Traits of a Titan” in which today's business leaders weigh in on what America's first titans of industry all had in common—Leadership—something Obama cannot claim—played a central role in the success of these men.
We haven’t seen Bill Whittle in some time He's back today and in this episode from his Pajamasmedia “Afterburner" series Whittle recites Rudyard Kipling's poem, “The Gods of the Copybook Headings.” How is Kipling relevant to today's political and cultural atmosphere? Find out.
To heck with the spotted Owl.What about our nation’s historical sights?We have what we believe is a great gift idea for the history buff on your Christmas list, especially it they are Civil War history buff.According to The Civil War Trust, nearly 20 percent of America's Civil War battlefields have already been destroyed.Help save our history with a donation to Civil War Preservation Trust.
Have you ever wanted to make a donation to a charity but were not sure how ethical the charity was. For the past decade Charity Navigator has provided free charity ratings which have allowed millions od donors access relevant information before they make a donation. Thereby giving them the peace of mind they’re looking for when making a charitable donation.
Just when we thought this president couldn’t top any of the odd or irrational decisions we have witnessed in his first term, i.e., scolding Supreme Court Justices during a state of the union address.
Obama's inaugural committee confirmed last week that he will take his second oath-of-office in a private ceremony on Jan. 20—a – Sunday—with—with the parade, balls, and other public events to take place the next day.
My wife and I have seen the Milwaukee Ballet’s production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite a number of times over the years and it never fails to exceed our expectations. If you’ve never attended a performance by the Milwaukee Ballet, this is an outstanding choice for your first experience and it makes a great Christmas gift and could become a family tradition in no time. Evan a “lowbrow” like me can appreciate this art form.
My favorite scene is the Waltz of the Snowflakes. This video of the scene is not the Milwaukee Ballet, but I want to share it with you anyway. In my opinion the Milwaukee Ballet’s production and performance of the Waltz of the Snowflakes is superior to this one.
The Heritage Foundation’s blog “The Foundry” writes
The one glaring omission in President Obama’s fiscal cliff demands for higher rates on top earners is that he’s already raised their taxes. That’s right! When he signed Obamacare into law, he raised tax rates on families earning more than $250,000—Obama’s definition of rich...Read the full story.
This compilation of non-fatal NASCAR crashes is a testament to NASCAR’s ubrelenting, high safety standards and the car builders in NASCAR. Many of these crashes resulted in additional safety measures.
Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 8:56 AM 
