Can you hear me now? Transcontinental telephone service marks 100 years

July 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment

TUESDAY, JULY 29: Paper-thin telephones, sleek tablets, high-tech smartphones and e-readers now circle the globe. But it was only 100 years ago, on this day, that the first test call was made on a transcontinental telephone line. Commercial service for the technology, however, was not possible until January 25 of the following year.

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL
AND THEODORE VAIL

Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone way back in 1876. Appropriately, he was invited to complete the celebrated “first” telephone call on a transcontinental line in 1915. In truth, that was an official demonstration scheduled to coincide with a huge world’s fair in San Francisco.

The first actual voice transmission on the transcontinental line is the subject of today’s anniversary, connecting Theodore Vail, the president of AT&T, with a few of his workers. Wikipedia has details. Vail was a fascinating figure in American life, even though he is almost entirely forgotten today. He began working in railroads and with mail delivery in the American West, then he switched to the new telephone technology.

Perhaps because of his vast experience, Vail was quite a visionary. At the height of his career, he argued that major corporations, especially communication companies, should have public service as their first and foremost goal, even more important than the financial profits earned. He also foreshadowed the 21st-century debates on privacy by writing—a century ago—”If we don’t tell the truth about ourselves, someone else will.”

The highly debated question of who invented the telephone remains a burning controversy, but Bell patented his version, and went down in history as his patents were successfully defended for a time.

TELEPHONES TODAY

On a basic level, every telephone converts sound into electronic signals that are suitable for transmission—via cables, radio or other transmission media—and the signals are replayed into the receiver’s telephone, where they are converted back into audible form. From the Greek tele (“far”) and phone (“voice”), telephone means, quite literally, “distant voice.”

Did you know? A January 2014 Pew study found that 90 percent of American adults have a cell phone, and 42 percent own a tablet; 58 percent own a smartphone, and 32 percent have an e-reader.

The earliest mobile phones evolved from two-way radios and transportables. Cellular technology took off in the 1960s, and 1973 brought the first cellular phone call. (Read more from Wikipedia.) Today, most mobile devices can send and receive text messages; take and display photographs; access Internet sites and play music and video. Smartphones combine mobile communication and computing needs.

IN THE NEWS:
LEGALIZING CELL UNLOCKING,
BATTERIES SHRINK

American consumers will soon be able to legally unlock their phones for wireless networks, reported the Huffington Post, after a bill was passed that allows phone users more choices when choosing a phone carrier. The bill, “Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act,” allows consumers and third parties to unlock phones that were received through a carrier.

The lithium-ion batteries of today may be too large for future electric devices, and a startup business in California is responding to that need with paper-thin batteries. Imprint Energy has been experimenting with chemistry that was, previously, regarded as incompatible with batteries. (Read more in the Christian Science Monitor.)

Joe Hill: Sing a new song on the centennial of a labor union activist

July 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment

FRIDAY, JULY 18: One hundred years after the conviction of Joe Hill—the presence of the famed union activist, songwriter and miner is as strong as ever. It was said of Hill, “it takes more than guns to kill a man.” Though he was executed at a youthful 36, the legend of Joe Hill lives far beyond his years—in movements reflecting Hill’s sense of justice.

Often portrayed as a political martyr, Joe Hill secured his place in history when he gave his life in the name of his cause. Yet any true follower of Hill would starkly recognize the request left before his execution: “Don’t waste time mourning—organize.” In other words—remember him best by putting into action what he fought for. (Interest in Hill’s story was renewed in 2011, with a new biography—read reviews from the New York Times and Newcity.)

Hill’s immortal words have since been shortened into the union catchphrase, “Don’t Mourn, Organize.”

JOE HILL:
FROM SWEDEN TO AMERICA

A Swedish immigrant, Joel Hagglund came to America with high hopes, changing his name to Joseph Hillstrom and, later, Joe Hill.

He had high hopes, but the reality of American life soon hit: Hill had trouble finding work and wound up in the lower working class in New York, then later found himself living in a hobo jungle. Hill moved with the immigrant masses, bouncing from job to job. For that reason, few details exist about the majority of Hill’s life. Only when Hill became a Wobbly—a member of the Industrial Workers of the World—did he become renowned for the music and revolutionary spirit that inspired thousands of laborers. (Wikipedia has details.)

Hill’s labor tunes urged workers to quit thinking of themselves as a dispirited crowd of immigrants—and, instead, to take heart and show confidence through singing and organized efforts to improve their lot in life. As one writer commented, during a strike, “There was in it a peculiar, intense, vital spirit, a religious spirit if you will—that I never felt before in any strike.” Nationalities and differing languages came together to sing Hill’s tunes in unison. Even if jailed for their protests, the workers would sing piercingly until their release.

Brought up in the Lutheran Church, Hill borrowed the tunes for many of his labor songs from popular hymns.

A JURY AND EXECUTION IN SALT LAKE CITY

In January of 1914, during a labor action involving Hill, a Salt Lake City shopkeeper and his son were killed in their store. There was no clear evidence of a connection, but Hill was suspected in the crime because he had suffered a gunshot wound the same night. Though evidence has since come forth that Hill had been engaged in conflict elsewhere, in a fight over his love, the Utah jury found him guilty of the murders in the store. Uproar from around the world erupted, with President Woodrow Wilson writing twice to Utah’s governor—and unions as distant as Australia protesting his conviction. Yet Hill refused to give an alibi or release the name of his sweetheart, and he was executed by a firing squad on November 19, 1915.

Interested in memorializing the mission of Joe Hill? Check out the Facebook page dedicated to Joe Hill’s Centennial Celebration, on September 5, 2015.

50 years: Civil Rights Act of 1964 fueled change in America

July 02, 2014 by Leave a Comment

“It was more than a hundred years ago that Abraham Lincoln, a great president from another party, signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but emancipation is a proclamation and not a fact. … Their cause must be our cause, too. Because it is not just Negroes, but really, it’s all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.”
Lyndon B. Johnson, 1972 Civil Rights Symposium

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2: It seemed a distant goal when President John F. Kennedy, in June 1963, encouraged equal treatment of all Americans, but no American could have imagined the events that lay ahead for the country. And, just 13 months later, President Lyndon Baines Johnson would sign into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964, changing American history by signing the Act just a few hours after its House approval. The Civil Rights Act outlawed segregation in theaters, restaurants, hotels and other businesses; it banned discrimination in employment; it ended segregation in schools, libraries, swimming pools and other public places. (Read the full text of the Act here.)

Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers also were prohibited from judging or discriminating against individuals because of their religion, and were required to accommodate an employee’s religious practice (unless it could be proven that doing so would create undue hardship for the employer). Americans could keep their chosen religion and their job.

FROM LINCOLN—TO JOHNSON

Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation 100 years earlier, but in 1963, America was a land far from equality for all citizens. In June 1963, a House Resolution was introduced that would outlaw discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin—although at the time, it seemed yet a distant goal. The assassination of President Kennedy in November of 1963 made Johnson president, and Johnson urged Congress to “honor President Kennedy’s memory” by allowing passage of the civil rights bill. (Wikipedia has details.) Most experts agree that had Kennedy lived, the Civil Rights Act would never have been passed as early as 1964.

The route to passage was not easy, though, and a “Southern Bloc” staged a filibuster in the U.S. Senate that lasted 54 days, and the nation learned the enormous impact that the bill would have on current Southern culture. Yet with the combined efforts of numerous supporters, the bill was passed. In a nationally televised ceremony, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on July 2, in the East Room of the White House. (Read Johnson’s remarks, upon signing the Act, here.)

FIFTY YEARS LATER:
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND OBSTACLES

As is demonstrated in this article and slideshow from Huffington Post, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 spread far beyond America: The idea was inspiring—that those who work for justice will be supported, and bigotry can be overcome.

It is true—as many American leaders point out—that the idea that there would someday be an African-American president was unthinkable in the early 1960s. Nevertheless, in a landmark study in 2013, Pew researchers found that big achievement gaps remain between racial groups in the U.S.

In the OurValues project, Dr. Wayne Baker reported an entire five-part series on that Pew data, raising thought-provoking questions about these gaps. In the first part, Baker looked at the continuing gaps in income. Mid-week in that series, Baker also looked at Pew’s findings of gaps in Americans’ perceptions of fairness, based on race. Later, Baker quoted an address by President Obama on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Obama declared in part:

“And so as we mark this anniversary, we must remind ourselves that the measure of progress for those who marched 50 years ago was not merely how many blacks had joined the ranks of millionaires; it was whether this country would admit all people who were willing to work hard, regardless of race, into the ranks of a middle-class life. The test was not and never has been whether the doors of opportunity are cracked a bit wider for a few. It was whether our economic system provides a fair shot for the many, for the black custodian and the white steelworker, the immigrant dishwasher and the Native American veteran. To win that battle, to answer that call—this remains our great unfinished business.”

(Originally published at readthespirit.com, an on line magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)

Jeopardy! continues to thrive in American culture, on 50th anniversary

March 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment

SUNDAY, MARCH 30: Three contestants. Six categories. One Alex Trebek.

What is: “Jeopardy!” (And, yes, an exclamation point is part of the TV show’s name.)

The game show that has wrangled an unprecedented 30 Emmy Awards first aired 50 years ago today as the unassuming brainchild of Merv and Julann Griffin. This year, the show not only marks 50 years since its first airing, but 30 years since Alex Trebek fist took to the podium. In contrast to most of its game show counterparts, Jeopardy! has, during its wildly successful run, remained virtually unchanged. Down to the minute, the format of Jeopardy! has captured the minds of millions of viewers, giving answers first and questions last.

For this celebratory season, Jeopardy! has launched an all-out Battle of the Decades, polling fans and bringing back favorite contestants from the past to compete in a series of games that will end in one million-dollar Champion. (Click on this map to find air dates and times in your area.)

Did you know? The first Jeopardy! clue was: “5,280.” The question: “How many feet in a mile?” The clue was suggested by Julann Griffin to her husband, during a plane ride. (Learn more in an article in the Smithsonian.)

The date was March 30, 1964, when television personality Art Fleming was featured on the air, in a brand-new game show. Originally a daytime show, Jeopardy! was so popular that it began airing a weekly nighttime syndicated version in 1974. Ten years later, in 1984—30 years ago, this year—Alex Trebek took over as host, and the daily syndicated edition of the show was launched. (Wikipedia has details.) Trebe is signed on to host through 2016, with no indication of Trebek planning to retire at that time.

A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

While no major changes are planned for the show—after all, the host and format have worked so well thus far—the cast and crew of Jeopardy! attest that the show is always evolving. The show’s eight researchers and eight writers are constantly searching for new twists on topics, while striving to “strike a balance between scholarly subjects and those that have wider appeal,” said Jeopardy! Executive Producer Harry Friedman, in a recent interview with USA TODAY Network. For example, earlier this season, Trebek rapped an entire category in one show.

Why has Jeopardy! endured through the generations, facing sitcoms and reality TV with ease?

According to its host: “Americans are very competitive, and they like to be challenged. They especially like to be challenged intellectually, and Jeopardy! does that. You can’t watch Jeopardy! in passing. It demands your attention.”

Four Immortal Chaplains: America remembers the interfaith sacrifice of 1943

February 02, 2014 by Leave a Comment

“This interfaith shrine… will stand through long generations to teach Americans that as men can die heroically as brothers so should they live together in mutual faith and goodwill.”
President Truman, in a dedication ceremony for the Chapel of the Four Chaplains

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 and MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3: As millions gather in front of their televisions to take in the Super Bowl, “legends” of a different variety will be recognized in churches, by the American Legion and by interfaith activists who recall this true story of heroism known as the Four Immortal Chaplains.

On February 3, 1943, an Army transport ship known as the Dorchester was hit by a German torpedo, carrying hundreds of soldiers en route to serve in World War II. Aboard the ship, four chaplains of differing faiths—Roman Catholic, Jewish, Methodist and the Reformed Church of America—made history that night as they provided serenity and selfless assistance to the frenzied soldiers on board. In the end, they made an ultimate sacrifice, and surviving soldiers report a final vision of the four chaplains, linking arms in prayer as the ship sank. Memorials take place throughout the country on Feb. 3, and today—the first Sunday in February—has been deemed Four Chaplains Sunday.

The Dorchester, a civilian cruise ship, was converted for military service in World War II. Following conversion, the ship held more than 900 passengers and crew. The U.S.A.T. Dorchester left New York on January 23, 1943, departing for a destination unbeknownst to most on board. It was during the earliest morning hours of February 3 that the ship—as it was tossed amid the crashing, icy waves off the coast of Greenland—was hit by a German torpedo. (Wikipedia has details.) The ship immediately went dark, and sailors clamored in the night to find life jackets. The ship was sinking quickly; within 20 minutes, it would be swallowed by the sea.

During the 20 minutes between the attack and the ship’s sinking, the four Army chaplains on board earned their place in history. The men began preaching courage, offering prayers and leading the men to evacuation points. When life jackets ran out, the chaplains gave the vests off their backs to other soldiers and passengers. (Learn more from the Immortal Chaplains Foundation.) As the ship sank, the four chaplains—George L. Fox, Alexander D. Goode, Clark V. Poling and John P. Washington—joined arms, praying different hymns and languages to their common God.

PURPLE HEART, A STAMP AND A CHAPEL

The four chaplains were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Distinguished Service Cross. In 1948, February 3 was deemed Four Chaplains Day. (A first-class stamp was issued in their honor that same year.) Three years later, President Truman dedicated a chapel to the chaplains, and in 1960, a Congressional Medal of Valor was created and presented to the chaplains’ next of kin. Stained glass windows of the men still exist in a number of chapels across the country—and at the Pentagon—and each year, American Legions posts nationwide continue to honor the Four Chaplains with memorial services. (Learn more here.) The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation continues to honor those who exemplify the heroic traits of the Four Chaplains, promoting “unity without uniformity.”

International Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day: ‘Never Again!’

January 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment

“We must also go beyond remembrance, and make sure that new generations know this history. We must apply the lessons of the Holocaust to today’s world.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, for Holocaust Victims Memorial Day, 2008

MONDAY, JANUARY 27: As the world approaches the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide this spring, an earlier event—one that pushed many global leaders to declare, “Never again”—is being remembered, on International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. On this date in 1945, Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, a concentration and death camp in Poland that had claimed more than 1 million lives.

This year, Steven Spielberg will be speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, as millions of schools, governments, associations and civic groups host their own commemorations; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum recently released a new film, The Path to Nazi Genocide, which examines the role of ordinary people and institutions in the Holocaust (watch it here). The European Parliament in Brussels will host the 2014 official International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony (read more in the UK’s The Week and the European Jewish Press). Global citizens will reflect on the this year’s theme: “Journeys through the Holocaust.”

Did you know? The symbol of the Holocaust and the UN Outreach Programme consists of four elements on a solid black background: the words, “Remembrance and Beyond,” the UN symbol, a piece of barbed wire and two white roses. In the U.S. and the UK, white roses symbolize the investigation, remembrance and prevention of genocide.

On the brink of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the UN General Assembly held a special event; following this session, the UN drafted a resolution to designate January 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. This memorial was first observed in 2006, although other international commemorations of the Holocaust were in existence prior to that. (Wikipedia has details.)

Many ways of remembering: Jews observe a day of mourning for Holocaust victims called Yom HaShoah, which begins at sundown on April 27 in 2014. The United States Congress established the Days of Remembrance, which will take place April 27-May 4 in 2014, reflecting the theme, Confronting the Holocaust: American Responses.

Yet each ceremony, regardless of its title, teaches about the horrors of the Holocaust and recalls the millions who perished, while providing the tools for preventing future genocide. The UN Resolution rejects any denial of the Holocaust, and denounces all forms of intolerance, harassment and violence against a person or community based upon ethnic origin or religious beliefs.

A POEM YOU CAN SHARE: This year, author Benjamin Pratt writes a brief poem, based on his recent visit to the Nazi slave-labor camp NZ Dachau. The poem is intended to help in efforts to educate and commit a new generation to pledging: “Never again!” Benjamin gives permission for you to share and reprint his poem for personal reflection and discussion.

A MOVING STORY OF REMEMBRANCE: Our Godsigns columnist Suzy Farbman writes, this week, about a woman’s search to find the song that had defined the love of her parents, both Holocaust survivors.

LESSON TO TAKE AWAY:
WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE

A Minnesota legislator recently penned his frustration over the media and public’s ever-increasing use of inappropriate Holocaust analogies—analogies which, he says, are not only inappropriate but trivialize the gruesome massacres that took place. His article points out that allowing keeping words like “Nazi” or “Holocaust” out of civic discourse will allow future generations to better understand the depth of what truly occurred, while honoring the memory of those who lost their lives.

In a separate article recalling the Holocaust, an author underlines the fact that the Holocaust did not start with advanced weapons, but rather with words—words of hate; words of prejudice; words that dug trenches between groups of people. Check out the article in The Jerusalem Post for more.

(Originally published at readthespirit.com, an on line magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Ushering in 50th year since Nobel Prize, Civil Rights Act

January 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment

MONDAY, JANUARY 20: In August, the world marked 50 years since Martin Luther King, Jr.’s infamous “Dream” speech in Washington D.C.; today, on America’s celebration of his 85th birthday, the world looks toward two more monumental anniversaries in 2014: the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the 50th anniversary of the granting of a Nobel Peace Prize to Dr. King.

Leaders of The King Center in Atlanta, Ga., focus their year’s theme on inspiring and educating young people to “Choose Nonviolence.” (Parents and teachers can educate children on the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with help from Scholastic.)

Millions of children in elementary schools have grown up with this annual observance, but the holiday was only observed in all 50 states in the year 2000. Wikipedia has more of that history. In the long campaign for this holiday, a broad coalition of King supporters got a boost from Stevie Wonder with his 1981 song Happy Birthday. Wonder’s lyrics made the case for a national holiday:
You know it doesn’t make much sense
There ought to be a law against
Anyone who takes offense
At a day in your celebration
‘Cause we all know in our minds
That there ought to be a time
That we can set aside
To show just how much we love you
And I’m sure you would agree
It couldn’t fit more perfectly
Than to have a world party
On the day you came to be.

Eventually, 6 million signatures were collected in favor of such a holiday, which was signed into law by President Reagan in 1983. The first national observance was 1986, but some states resisted. South Carolina was the last hold out, but fell in line and gave state workers the holiday starting in 2000.

‘DREAM’ ANNIVERSARY

Americans already have been inspired by the 50th anniversary of the speech in Washington D.C. In our August coverage, we recalled, in part:

Caught in the passion of the moment and the 250,000 onlookers who had come to support the speakers, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dropped his papers and ad-libbed a portion of his speech. Nearby, the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson called to him: “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” Originally intended as “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” Dr. King’s words now echo around the world. …  King quoted the Bible, Shakespeare and Abraham Lincoln, referenced the United States Constitution and current events, before sharing his dream with the crowd.

KING HOLIDAY

Events commence today from Boston (find events here) to Yosemite National Park (where admission is free today), and around the world.

King—and his long legacy in peacemaking—are a central focus of this year’s Interfaith Peacemakers Month, hosted as a part of ReadTheSpirit. In addition to a newly updated profile of King, the Peacemakers series also profiles inspiring men and women who were inspired by King. Today, you can read about Aung San Suu Kyi and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

This year, The King Center—a living memorial founded by Coretta Scott King and carried on by King’s children—sets focus on nonviolence. The Center has been busy preparing plans for this monumental year, which includes an elaborate 10-day birthday celebration. Last week, more than 1,500 K-12 students gathered at the King Center’s campus for engaging dialogues on nonviolence; college students were engaged on Jan. 17 with discussions on the impact of violence on campus and in the community. (A full schedule of events is available on the Center’s website.) The official theme for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2014, via The King Center, will be: “Remember! Celebrate! Act! King’s Legacy of Peace for Our World.”

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT ANNIVERSARY

On July 2, 1964, an act became law under the extremely wordy title: “An act to enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States of America to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes.”

It’s far better known as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wikipedia has a substantial overview of the historic act, its passage and its many features. If you’re really fascinated with the twists and turns of this history, the best in-depth history of the act we’ve found online is part of a website about the legacy of U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen, a Republican from Illinois who played a crucial role in the final passage of the legislation.

NOBEL ANNIVERSARY

On December 10, 1964, King accepted his Nobel lecture. The Nobel website maintains some terrific resources on King, including a video of his acceptance speech. The next day, on December 11, King delivered his Nobel lecture. In that talk, he said, in part:

Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself. The Bible tells the thrilling story of how Moses stood in Pharaoh’s court centuries ago and cried, “Let my people go.” This is a kind of opening chapter in a continuing story. The present struggle in the United States is a later chapter in the same unfolding story.

He also pointed, in that lecture, to his growing conviction that an equal moral ill was the world’s widespread poverty, which the world’s wealthy were allowing to continue, King argued. He said in part:

The time has come for an all-out world war against poverty. The rich nations must use their vast resources of wealth to develop the underdeveloped, school the unschooled, and feed the unfed. Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for “the least of these”. Deeply etched in the fiber of our religious tradition is the conviction that men are made in the image of God and that they are souls of infinite metaphysical value, the heirs of a legacy of dignity and worth. If we feel this as a profound moral fact, we cannot be content to see men hungry, to see men victimized with starvation and ill health when we have the means to help them. The wealthy nations must go all out to bridge the gulf between the rich minority and the poor majority.

(Originally published at readthespirit.com, an on line magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)