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Archives for November 2012

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Give It (Once In a Lifetime) performed by Lambchop

Give It (Once In a Lifetime) by Lambchop from the album Lambchop Live at XX Merge (Merge Records 2009).

Give It
(Album Lyrics)
by Lambchop

Here comes the cool air, the light chill of the fall
Blowing from either direction
Blowing across the yard it’s crisp and it’s cool
Dogs like it, as they sit around in the sun
And stubbornly i remain under a tree
The wind gusts up stronger from time to time
We’re supposed to grow cold as the day wears on
I’m’a looking for the future, today, today, today, today

And at the same time i am dreading the outcome of our actions
Fall makes me feel a little sad sometimes
Whip out the sweater and the second layer and it’s time for a change
And surely it’s the way,
Oh boy, Oh shit!
Let’s record it

A rednecks safe from a bitchy English professor
He seemed unconcerned with my purity of expression
And i can see his point, which is all well and good…

Sometimes i’m not sure if i can see my…

Shake this time when it doesn’t really mind
You do just fine and you wont next time
If you want it [X4]

Back to the weather, i must admit it looked pretty nice
Why are my legs shaking
Why are there still mosquitoes
Shouldn’t they be in bed and dead by now

I guess i should give it, give it a little more time
I guess i should give it, give it a little more time

I guess i should give it, give it a little more time
I guess i should give it, give it a little more time

Give it, give it, a little more time

I guess i should give it, give it a little more time
Give it, give it, a little more time
[Repeat till end]

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The Brand Identity 100: The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

New York_New Haven_Hartford_Logo

The Brand Identity 100
No.100: The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

Here is a brief history of the The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad from the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center.

For almost one hundred years the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, better known as the New Haven Railroad, was the primary means of passenger and freight transportation in southern New England. Chartered in 1872, this merger between the New York & New Haven and Hartford & New Haven railroads later included the long desired rail link between Boston and New York. Approximately one hundred small independent railroads were built in southern New England between 1826 and the 1880s. By 1904, the majority were absorbed into the vast New Haven system. At its peak in 1929, the New Haven Railroad owned and operated 2,131 miles of track throughout eastern New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

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Debunking Henry Ford’s “faster horse” quote

Henry Ford vs. Alexander Winton car race - 1901
Ten Mile Race between Henry Ford (in No.4) and Alexander Winton at Old Blue Ribbon Race Track, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, 1901.

Henry Ford’s most famous quote is often used to bolster the argument that innovation cannot be focus-grouped:

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.

It’s a wonderful quote. But unfortunately, there’s no evidence that Henry Ford actually uttered those famous words. Patrick Vlaskovits, in a great Harvard Business Review blog post — Henry Ford, Innovation, and That “Faster Horse” Quote — does the due diligence to track down the source of this quote and determine its veracity, which he was unable to do. He also offers a brilliant lesson for innovators and entrepreneurs in finding the right balance between not allowing yourself to be dictated to by the potentially unthinking masses, and ignoring your customers completely. Vlaskovits advocates “continually testing your vision against reality,” something Mr. Ford failed to do.

Back to that photograph up top, that’s Henry Ford himself on the left, in is first and only automobile race, against Alexender Winton, in 1901. Here’s what the label says, and what’s written on the back of the photo:

Printed on photograph: “By W.D. Benham, Detroit, 1918.”Label on front: “Ten Mile Race between Henry Ford (in No.4) and Alexander Winton at Old Blue Ribbon Race Track, East Jefferson Avenue opposite present site of Hudson Motor Car Company. October 10th 1901. Time 13 minutes, 23 4/5 seconds, 45.33 miles per hour. Ford won. Lee Cuson, mechanic. 999 built 2 years later.” Handwritten on back: “Henry Ford, Alexander Winton, 10 Mile Race, Gr. Pointe Track, Ford won in 13-23 4/5, Oct. 10, 1901. For full details see evening papers of above date or morning papers of Oct. 11, 1901.” [Source: Detroit Yes!]

For Ford, wining this race “won him $1,000 and a cut glass bowl that he kept in his home as a trophy. Upon Ford’s death in 1947 the bowl was inadvertently shipped out and sold. When knowledgeable officials realized the tragic error, they successfully tried to track it down, but it was lost forever.” [Source: Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame]

A “tragic error” indeed. Who knows if somebody out there will drink holiday punch this season from a bowl that ‘Ol Henry Ford won in his first car race in 1901. He never raced again. Apparently, he found the experience of traveling that fast “terrifying.”

The Henry Ford Museum has a richly detailed history of this race and the car Ford build for it, which he named Sweepstakes: 1901 Ford Sweepstakes – The Race Car That Changed Everything.

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The Librarian, March 1966, by Charles Olson

The Librarian
By Charles Olson

The landscape (the landscape!) again: Gloucester,
the shore one of me is (duplicates), and from which
(from offshore, I, Maximus) am removed, observe.

In this night I moved on the territory with combinations
(new mixtures) of old and known personages: the leader,
my father, in an old guise, here selling books and manuscripts.

My thought was, as I looked in the window of his shop,
there should be materials here for Maximus, when, then,
I saw he was the young musician has been there (been before me)

before. It turned out it wasn’t a shop, it was a loft (wharf-
house) in which, as he walked me around, a year ago
came back (I had been there before, with my wife and son,

I didn’t remember, he presented me insinuations via
himself and his girl) both of whom I had known for years.
But never in Gloucester. I had moved them in, to my country.

His previous appearance had been in my parents’ bedroom where I
found him intimate with my former wife: this boy
was now the Librarian of Gloucester, Massachusetts!

Black space,
old fish-house.
Motions
of ghosts.
I,
dogging
his steps.
He
(not my father,
by name himself
with his face
twisted
at birth)
possessed of knowledge
pretentious
giving me
what in the instant
I knew better of.

But the somber
place, the flooring
crude like a wharf’s
and a barn’s
space

I was struck by the fact I was in Gloucester, and that my daughter
was there—that I would see her! She was over the Cut. I
hadn’t even connected her with my being there, that she was

here. That she was there (in the Promised Land—the Cut!
But there was this business, of poets, that all my Jews
were in the fish-house too, that the Librarian had made a party

I was to read. They were. There were many of them, slumped
around. It was not for me. I was outside. It was the Fort.
The Fort was in East Gloucester—old Gorton’s Wharf, where the Library

was. It was a region of coal houses, bins. In one a gang
was beating someone to death, in a corner of the labyrinth
of fences. I could see their arms and shoulders whacking

down. But not the victim. I got out of there. But cops
tailed me along the Fort beach toward the Tavern

The places still
half-dark, mud,
coal dust.

There is no light
east
of the Bridge

Only on the headland
toward the harbor
from Cressy’s

have I seen it (once
when my daughter ran
out on a spit of sand

isn’t even there.) Where
is Bristow? when does I-A
get me home? I am caught

in Gloucester. (What’s buried
behind Lufkin’s
Diner? Who is

Frank Moore?

Credits/Sources:

  • Charles Olson, “The Librarian,” from The Collected Poems of Charles Olson: Excluding the Maximus Poems. Copyright © 1987 by Charles Olson. Reprinted by permission of University of California Press.
  • Text: Poetry Foundation: The Collected Poems of Charles Olson: Excluding the Maximus Poems (University of California Press, 1987)
  • Video: Net Film

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Presidential Nicknames 1789 to Present

His_Little_Majesty_James_Madison

Villains, Steeds, Studs, Mobsters and Zeroes

Presidential Nicknames 1789 to Present is our follow-up to last week’s post, United States Presidential Pet Names 1789 to Present. With the election over we thought it would be a good time to get back to work on a long overdue project. That being finding an alternative to President Obama’s current nickname. Because, let’s face it, “No Drama Obama” is not really serving him or the country very well. So we spent an evening rooting around in the musty-dusty-attic of history in our favorite burgundy silk smoking jacket searching for the proper inspiration, direction and guidance to move this Obama brand forward to the next level of data-driven-win-win-best-of-breed-boots-on-the-ground-viral-customer-focused-next-gen-turn-key-plug-n-play-right-sized-piece of creative destruction.

After our research was complete we realized that most of the existing Presidential Nicknames fall into five conceptual buckets. They are:

  1. Less-Than-Convincing Superhero Names: Cautious Cal, Honest Abe, Mr. Nice Guy, No Drama Obama,The Liberator, The Trust Buster and The Phrasemaker.
  2. Less-Than-Awe-Inspiring Comic Book Villain Names: The Big Lub, Landslide Lyndon, Martin Van Ruin, The Rutherfraud, The Ancient One, The Decider, The Enchanter, The Gipper, The Human Iceberg, The Schoolmaster and The Walrus.
  3. Less-Than-A-Sure-Bet-Sounding Racehorse Names: Boatman Jim, Cool Cal, General Mum, Give ‘Em Hell Harry, His Fraudulency, Napoleon of the Stump, Stuffed Prophet, The Comeback Kid, Tennessee Tailor, Tycoon, Tippecanoe, Unconditional Surrender, Old Man Eloquent, Old Rough and Ready, Old Sink or Swim, and Poppy.
  4. Less-Than-Fear-Inspiring Gangster Names: Big Chief, Bullshit Johnson, Dutch, Gentleman Boss Arthur, Handsome Frank, Teddy, and The Rail-Splitter.
  5. Less-Than-Savory-Adult-Film-Stars-of-Yesteryear Names: Slick Willie, Tricky Dick, Uncle Jumbo, His Little Majesty, The Dude, The Era of Good Feelings, The Careful Dutchman, Young Hickory, and of course Old Hickory.

Here now is the full list of Presidential nicknames. Enjoy.

Nicknames of United States Presidents 1789 to Present

41 — President George Herbert Walker Bush.

43 — President George Walker Bush. Used to differentiate him from his father.

Accidency — President John Tyler, Jr. Tyler was the first president to be elevated to the Presidency by the death of his predecessor.

Big Chief — President William Howard Taft.

Big Lub — President William Howard Taft. Boyhood nickname.

Boatman Jim — President James Abram Garfield, Referencing his work on the Ohio canals in his youth.

Bubba — President William Jefferson Clinton. Common nickname in the Southern US.

Bullshit Johnson — President Lyndon Baines Johnson (Bull Johnson in public) Lyndon Johnson had a reputation for boasting at San Marcos College.

Cautious Cal — President John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.

Chet — President Chester Alan Arthur shortened version of his name used by publications of that era.

Cool Cal — President John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. His reelection campaign used the slogan, “Keep It Cool With Coolidge”.

Dubya — President George Walker Bush. Based on a Texas pronunciation of “W”

Dutch — President Ronald Wilson Reagan Shortly after his birth, his father said he looked like a “fat little Dutchman”.

Father of the Constitution — President James Madison.

FDR — President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

General Mum — President William Henry Harrison. As in the expression, “keep it mum”. Because of his avoidance of speaking out on controversial issues.

Gentleman Boss Arthur— President Chester Alan. The dapper leader of New York State’s Republican party.

Give ‘Em Hell Harry — President Harry S. Truman (also a campaign slogan)

Handsome Frank — President Franklin Pierce

His Fraudulency — President Rutherford Birchard Hayes. Because after the disputed results of the 1876 Election.

His Little Majesty — President James Madison. At only 5′ 4″, he is the shortest person to serve as president.

His Obstinacy — President Stephen Grover Cleveland. He vetoed more bills than the first 21 presidents combined

His Rotundity — President John Adams.

Honest Abe — President Abraham Lincoln.

Ike –– President Dwight David Eisenhower. Known for being in his campaign slogan “I like Ike”

Jack — President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Kennedy was usually referred to as either “John F. Kennedy” or “Jack Kennedy”, only very rarely as “John Kennedy”

Jerry — President Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.

JFK — President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Most prominent nickname and abbreviation of his full name.

Jimmy — President James Earl Carter, Jr. He was the first President to use his nickname in an official capacity.

Landslide Lyndon — President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Sarcastic reference to the hotly-disputed 87-vote win that took him to the Senate in 1949.

LBJ — President Lyndon Baines Johnson. He liked to be known by this abbreviation, which was used in the slogan, “All the way with LBJ”

Light-Bulb Lyndon — President Lyndon Baines Johnson. He hated wasting electricity, and would often storm around the White House shutting off unnecessary lights.

Martin Van Ruin — President Martin Van Buren.

Matty Van — President Martin Van Buren.  From “Tippecanoe Songs of 1840”

Mr. Nice Guy — President Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. Because of his clean-cut and non-partisan image.

Napoleon of the Stump — President James Knox Polk. Because of his potent oratory during his campaign for the Tennessee state legislature.

No Drama Obama — President Barack Hussein Obama II. For his perceived cool demeanor.

Old Hickory –President Andrew Jackson. Allegedly given to him by his soldiers for being as “tough as old hickory.”

Old Kinderhook — President Martin Van Buren. A reference to his hometown.

Old Man Eloquent — President James Monroe

Old Public Functionary — President James Buchanan, Jr.

Old Rough and Ready — President Zachary Taylor

Old Sink or Swim — President John Adams. For the speech in which he vowed “To sink or swim; to live or die; survive or perish with my country”

Papa Bush — President George Herbert Walker Bush. Used after his son George Walker Bush became the 43rd president, to differentiate between the two.

Poppy — President George Herbert Walker Bush. A nickname used from childhood on.

Prince Arthur — President Chester Alan Arthur. For his indulgence in extravagant luxury.

Rutherfraud — President Rutherford Birchard Hayes. Many Democrats did not consider him to legitimately to be president.

Silent Cal — President John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.

Slick Willie — President William Jefferson Clinton.

Teddy — President Theodore Roosevelt. In the New York Times at least as early as 1900.

The Abolitionist — President James Monroe, For routinely bringing up the slavery issue against Congressional rules.

The American Cincinnatus — President George Washington. Like the famous Roman, he won a war, became a private citizen instead of seeking power or riches.

The American Fabius — President George Washington. For his Fabian military strategy during the Revolutionary War.

The American Louis Philippe — President Millard Fillmore

The American Talleyrand — President Martin Van Buren.

The Ancient One — President Abraham Lincoln. A nickname favored by White House insiders because of his “ancient wisdom”

The Apostle of Democracy — President Thomas Jefferson.

The Careful Dutchman — President Martin Van Buren. Van Buren’s first language was Dutch.

The Chief — President Herbert Clark Hoover This was a nickname picked up at 23 as a geologist surveying in the Australian Outback, but it stuck for the rest of his life.

The Colossus of Independence — President John Adams. Given to him by Thomas Jefferson for his leadership in Congress in 1776.

The Comeback Kid — President William Jefferson Clinton. Coined by press after strong second place showing in 1992 New Hampshire primary, following polling slump.

The Decider — President George Walker Bush

The Dude President — President Chester Alan Arthur He was renowned for his fancy attire.

The Elephantine Economist — President Stephen Grover Cleveland. Given to him by hostile newspapers during the 1892 race, by which time his weight had gone up to 250 pounds

The Enchanter — President Martin Van Buren.

The Era of Good Feelings President — President James Monroe. “The Era of Good Feelings” was the period following the War of 1812.

The First Black President –– President William Jefferson Clinton. Used by Toni Morrison in reference to the African Americans tropes surrounding Clinton’s candidacy.

The Front Porch Campaigner –– President of the United States Benjamin Harrison. During the 1888 election, he gave nearly ninety speeches from his front porch.

The Gipper –– President Ronald Wilson Reagan. After his role as George “The Gipper” Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American. “Win one for the Gipper”.

The Great Communicator — President Ronald Wilson ReaganIn reference to Reagan’s ability to communicate.

The Great Emancipator — President Abraham Lincoln. For the emancipation of the slaves.

The Great Engineer — President Herbert Clark HooverHe was a civil engineer of some distinction

The Great Humanitarian — President Herbert Clark Hoover. When the Mississippi flooded in 1927, he volunteered his services and did extensive flood control work.

The Great Manager — President Martin Van Buren.

The Hero of New Orleans — President Andrew Jackson. For his military victory in the Battle of New Orleans

The Hero of San Juan Hill — President Theodore Roosevelt. He led his Rough Riders up San Juan Hill during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in 1898.

The Human Iceberg — President of the United States Benjamin Harrison. He was cold and detached when speaking with people on an individual basis.

The Last Cocked Hat — President James Monroe. Because of his favour of the old-fashioned style of the 18th century.

The Liberator — President Abraham Lincoln. For the emancipation of the slaves.

The Lion — President Theodore Roosevelt

The Man of the People — President Thomas Jefferson.

The Master Spirit — President Martin Van Buren.

The Mistletoe Politician — President Martin Van Buren.

The Napoleon of Protection — President William McKinley, Jr. “Protection” meant high tariffs, like the one McKinley wrote in 1890.

The Peanut Farmer — President James Earl Carter, Jr. He owned a peanut farm and fostered this image in his early campaigns, as a contrast to elite Washington insiders.

The Phrasemaker — President Thomas Woodrow Wilson. Wilson had no need of speech-writers to supply his oratorical eloquence.

The Rail-Splitter — President Abraham Lincoln.

The Sage of Monticello — President Thomas Jefferson.

The Schoolmaster — President Thomas Woodrow Wilson. He was a bespectacled academic who lectured his visitors.

The Stuffed Prophet — President Stephen Grover Cleveland.

The Tennessee Tailor — President Andrew Johnson. He worked as a tailor before going into politics.

The Trust Buster — President Theodore Roosevelt. So called as a pioneer of busting business trusts.

The Tycoon — President Abraham Lincoln. For the energetic and ambitious conduct of his Civil War administration.

Tippecanoe — President William Henry Harrison. A reference to Harrison’s victory at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe.

TR — President Theodore Roosevelt. He liked to sign communications this way. The first president to be known by his initials.

Tricky Dick — President Richard Milhous Nixon. From a Democratic Party ad leading up to the 1950 U.S. Senate election in California saying “Look at ‘Tricky Dick‘ Nixon’s Republican Record.”

Uncle Abe — President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was a kind and friendly man who in his later years came across as avuncular

Uncle Jumbo — President Stephen Grover Cleveland.

Unconditional Surrender Grant — President Ulysses Simpson Grant. For his uncompromising demand for unconditional surrender during the Battle of Fort Donelson

Walrus — President Chester Alan Arthur. For having strange looking facial hair (mostly used or teased by children).

Washington of the West — President William Henry Harrison. A reference to Harrison’s victories at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe and 1813 Battle of the Thames.

Young Hickory of the Granite Hills — President Franklin Pierce. “Young Hickory” compared his military deeds (in the Mexican-American War) with those of Andrew Jackson.

Young Hickory— President James Knox Polk. Because he was a particular protégé of “Old Hickory” – Andrew Jackson

Sources / Resources

Video: The PBS / American Exprience Presidents Collection

 

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United States Presidential Pet Names 1789 to Present

President Gerald Ford and Liberty in the Oval Office in 1974

Silkworms, Tiger Cubs and Fighting Cocks 1789 to Present

With the 2012 presidential campaign winding down and election eve looming, we are all by now (save perhaps those mysterious remaining undecided voters) acquainted with the issues facing our country: jobs (the wonks suggest we need more of them), balancing the budget, foreign policy, immigration reform, healthcare reform, marriage (the pundits suggest we need less of them), Supreme Court appointments, energy policy, education and the very role of government.

But there has been one very important issue that has not received as much as attention as it deserves in either the “liberal-biased media” or “the right wing echo chamber” AKA “the friends of Fox & Friends,” and that is the all-important issue of which direction this country will go in selecting its next Presidential Pet. Will it be another four years of freewheeling “Bo the Portuguese Water Dog”? Or will we “Take A New Path Of Bold, Aggressive Change” and consider an American Bison, Boar, Bush Baby, Chimpanzee, Cobra, Cormorant, Dolphin, Echidna, Emu, Flamingo, Gnat, Hedgehog, Hyena, Jackal, Jellyfish, Lapwing, Lemur, Llama, Loris, Mallard, Narwhal, Oryx, Ostrich, Partridge, Platypus, Reindeer, Sand Dollar, Sardine, Shrew, Stinkbug, Termite, Vulture, Walrus, Woodpecker, Wren or perhaps a Yak for our nation’s new “First Pet.”

Such strangeness has happened before. Surfing the historical record, I discovered John Quincy Adams’ “First Silkworm,” Martin Van Buren’s “First Tiger Cub,” Andrew Jackson’s “First Fighting Cock,” Andrew Johnson’s “First White Mouse,” Grover Cleveland’s “First Mockingbirds,” Benjamin Harrison’s “First Opossum,” Theodore Roosevelt’s “First Garter Snake,” Woodrow Wilson’s “First Ram,” Calvin Coolidge’s “First Pygmy Hippo,” Herbert Hoover’s “First Crocodile” and George W. Bush’s “First Longhorn.”

And once our leadership has decided on a creature worthy of such a station, there will always be the name to consider. So, we have taken this opportunity to provide the next President with some historical context. Happy naming. [Read more…] about United States Presidential Pet Names 1789 to Present