Quote:This illustration entitled, "A Christmas Eve Contrast", by cartoonist Clifford Berryman, which appeared in the Washington Evening Star on December 24, 1914, depicts the feeling of many Americans on Christmas Eve for those suffering through the war in Europe, while enjoying a time of peace and prosperity at home.

Cartoonist Clifford Berryman shares the thoughts of many Americans on this Christmas Eve. Americans enjoyed economic prosperity from the war in Europe while maintaining minimal involvement in the conflict. Even though the United States was not involved in the war, it appeared that it was on nearly every American's mind. Berryman captures the mood with two children sitting by a roaring fire, their stockings hung from the mantle. But in their minds is a scene from the war zone of two other children with an empty basket looking at bombed out house.

This series represents one of the finest collections of graphic art dealing with Congress and American politics from the late 1890s to the 1940s covering an era of sweeping legislative transformation. 

Clifford Kennedy Berryman was Washington's best known and most admired graphic commentator on politics in the first half of the 20th century.  Berryman's drawings showed the power of cartoons to enhance, explain, and interpret the inside game of Washington's politics.  His detailed drawings illustrated the personalities, politics, and process behind major events, without belittling its targets.  Berryman was something of a "court" cartoonist for Congress, capturing the rich culture of the legislative branch at work. Politicians considered him a friend and his unrivaled work earned him a Pulitzer Prize.

National Archives Series: Berryman Political Cartoon Collection

Berryman Political Cartoon Collection, 1896–1949

Quote:Corindi Beach, pronounced Cor-in-"dye" although Cor-in-"dee" is sometimes used, historically also known as Pipeclay Beach until a name change in 1954, Corinda until a forced change to be provided postal service to avoid confusion or by Red Bank as Corindi River was formerly known, is a beach and small seaside farming town located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Corindi is surrounded by the Tasman Sea to the east and the Pacific Highway to the west. The 30° south latitude line runs just north of Corindi Beach.

At the 2021 census, Corindi Beach had a population of 1,802. It is the site of the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre which provides information on the Gumbayngirr Aboriginal people's history and customs. Corindi and surrounds has become a major blueberry producer, with many locals and tourists working during the peak seasons picking fruit.

Corindi has a strong Aboriginal culture, celebrated through the Aboriginal local community and the Aboriginal cultural centre. The place is known to local Gumbaynggirr people as Blood Rock and many members of the tribe's descendants now avoid the area as a consequence.

Gumbaynggir land for at least 30,000 years, possibly 120,000 years, based on recent research.

Corindi Beach, New South Wales

Quote:The redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), also known as the Australian black widow, is a species of highly venomous spider believed to originate in Australia but now, Southeast Asia and New Zealand, it has also been found in packing crates in the United States with colonies elsewhere outside Australia.

The redback spider has been historically responsible for more envenomations requiring antivenom than any other creature in Australia. However, by 2017 the spider was blamed for only 250 envenomations requiring antivenom annually. Estimates of the number of people thought to be bitten by redback spiders each year across Australia range from 2,000 to 10,000.

Indigenous Australians in New South Wales mixed the spiders' bodies with the venom of snakes and pine tree gum to form a broth used to coat spear tips.
Redback spider

Quote:Red Rock is a small hamlet in the northern beaches of the Coffs Harbour coast beside the banks of the Corindi River on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, and is surrounded by National Parks. It is in the City of Coffs Harbour local government area. At the 2016 census, Red Rock had a population of 303 people.

The headland is the site of a massacre of the Gumbaynngir indigenous people in the mid 19th century. A memorial has been erected at the base of the headland to honour the victims and survivors of the massacre. The massacre began at Blackadders Creek when mounted police entered the camp. They started shooting and then pursued the survivors to the Corindi River where they continued shooting. Some people were then driven off the headland. The headland may have been named Red Rock because the river went red from the blood of the indigenous people.

Red Rock, New South Wales

Quote:The Oxford English Dictionary gives the earliest attestation from Britain in 1743, defining it as "the day after Christmas day", and saying "traditionally on this day tradespeople, employees, etc., would receive presents or gratuities (a "Christmas box") from their customers or employers."

The term "Christmas box" dates back to the 17th century, and among other things meant:

    A present or gratuity given at Christmas: In Great Britain, usually confined to gratuities given to those who are supposed to have a vague claim upon the donor for services rendered to him as one of the general public by whom they are employed and paid, or as a customer of their legal employer; the undefined theory being that as they have done offices for this person, for which he has not directly paid them, some direct acknowledgement is becoming at Christmas.

In Australia, Boxing Day is a public holiday in all jurisdictions except the state of South Australia.

Boxing Day

Quote:Amid mounting UFO sightings, the Air Force continued to collect and evaluate UFO data in the late 1940s under a new project, GRUDGE, which tried to alleviate public anxiety over UFOs via a public relations campaign designed to persuade the public that UFOs constituted nothing unusual or extraordinary. UFO sightings were explained as balloons, conventional aircraft, planets, meteors, optical illusions, solar reflections, or even "large hailstones." GRUDGE officials found no evidence in UFO sightings of advanced foreign weapons design or development, and they concluded that UFOs did not threaten US security. They recommended that the project be reduced in scope because the very existence of Air Force official interest encouraged people to believe in UFOs and contributed to a "war hysteria" atmosphere. On 27 December 1949, the Air Force announced the project's termination.

CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947-90 (Studies In Intelligence Vol. 01 No. 1, 1997)

Quote:Moriarty says the French were eminently reasonable about the whole thing. “If I had landed in Paris and said ‘Hey, look at me—aren’t I cool?’ I would have had some difficulty departing the country. As it was, we reached an agreement that as long as I stayed out of France for a few years no one would give me grief.

“Somebody did it again about three years ago,” he adds. “The French contacted me and said, ‘Was it you?’ I told them, ‘Why would I do it twice?’ ”

Stupid Plane Tricks (Air & Space Magazine, November 2001)

Quote:After clearing the city of Paris, I landed at a small dirt strip north of the city and dropped off the cameraman.

The French authorities censored the story and no one printed a word about it until about 10 days later when the news value had died to near zero. People magazine did a story in the United States in late April of 1984.

I made only one mistake. Instead of doing the flight on the 31st of March, I should have waited one more day.

– Robert J. Moriarty

A Bonanza in Paris – Under the Eiffel Tower

(01-02-2025, 09:27 AM)BIAD Wrote: Always a classic!

Quote:By March 1909, over 80,000 "British" pensioners were registered of whom 70,000 were Irish. When a committee was sent to investigate this imbalance, it transpired that few births in Ireland were registered before 1865. As such, the Irish Pensions Committee decreed that if someone's age had "gone astray" on them, they would be eligible for a pension if they could state that they were "fine and hardy" on the Night of the Big Wind.

One such applicant was Tim Joyce of Co Limerick. "I always thought I was 60," he explained. "But my friends came to me and told me they were certain sure I was 70 and as there were three or four of them against me, the evidence was too strong for me. I put in for the pension and got it."

The calm before the Big Wind of 1839 was particularly eerie

Quote:Also, it’s an interesting synchronicity that this so-called free energy running automobile article is next to an add discussing the Pierce-Arrow, which is supposed to be the car that Tesla drove around with some wireless free energy as well. Although, most of what is claimed about the Tesla Pierce-Arrow story is complete fraud and misinformation, it is interesting.

....

J. N. Davis, the proprietor of the Davis Electric Garage company, at 921 East 14th Avenue, and one of the oldest electrical men in Denver, made a thorough study of the generator.

Electrical Man Has Faith In It ~

“I believe that Mr. Ammann has at least made the invention which will revolutionize power”, Mr. Davis said. “Of course, we don’t know what is inside of the generator and the inventor would be foolish to show us. We have long known that certain minerals exist, which if properly arranged together, would furnish power. That, in substance, according to the blueprints of the invention, is the basis of the whole thing.

“If the generator has been perfected to the extent that it will propel an automobile, the rest of its work is assured. It will be the greatest invention of the age. The electricity obtained from the air, first passing through the generator, would be available for any use”. So impressed was Mr. Davis that he offered the use of his building for Mr. Ammann’s headquarters. Ammann, who is but 28 years old, came to Denver from Spokane, Washington. He is an electrical engineer and lives at the Argonaut Hotel.

Ammann Atmospheric Generator

Quote:It's common knowledge that the Republic of Cascadia was home to the first modern sightings of paraterrestrial craft, colloquially known as UFOs. Although the 1947 sighting of "flying saucers" near Mount Rainier is the most famous, that was actually the second sighting following an incident three days earlier on Maury Island that also marked the operational debut of the Men in Black.

Not as commonly known though is that Cascadia was home to some of the first sightings of Unidentified Flying Humanoids (UFHs) -- mysterious individuals employing personal flying devices of unknown technology toward inscrutable ends.

It all started with a curious encounter on Jan. 6, 1948 by Chehalis, Washington resident Bernize Zaikowski (reported here from the Jan. 21 Walla Walla Union-Bulletin):

The Birdmen of Cascadia