Unmitigated

"...shall be then, thenceforward and forever free."

I am an employee of The Henry Ford. I was not paid directly for writing this post, although I did compose it on company time, at my company computer. We have a big, important event coming up, and we want to get the word out to as many people as we possibly can!

 
Emancipation from Liberty's Point of View 
Public domain image from Wikimedia Commons

Yes, I know it had its flaws, but I want to let you know that the REAL Emancipation Proclamation, not a reproduction (which is on display right now) will be coming to The Henry Ford Museum!

Monday, June 20th, at 5 p.m., we will close the doors as usual.

At 6 p.m. that same evening, the doors will re-open to form a queue, and a little after 6:30, the ceremonies will begin. The doors of the museum will remain open, to all, FOR FREE, and will remain open, around the clock until Wednesday, June 22nd at 6 a.m. For FREE. And the whole museum will be open, not just the Discovering the Civil War exhibit on loan from the National Archives. Did I mention FREE?

I say that lightly, but it's actually a very big deal. We are a non-profit, so giving away access to this amazing place just doesn't happen very often. Besides the opportunity to visit the museum, you will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the actual executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863.

You will probably have to wait in line to see it. But don't worry! We will make sure it's not boring for you, with hourly readings of the document, and choirs and other entertainments as well.

I would love you to pieces if you could pass on a link to this to anyone you know within a few hundred miles of Detroit. And if you plan to attend, let me know, and we can arrange to meet.

Who knows? Maybe I can hold your place in line while you go to the bathroom.

RTT: Time Warp Edition

Busy, busy, busy around here. Monday has apparently transported all the way to Tuesday. Which means I am writing this on Monday, so the time references are weird. Please ignore.

Keely is the host of Random Tuesdays. I think. It's been a while since I did one of these.

Buddy is off to New York to do some work on something technical there. I don't like the New York people he works with. They are ridiculously rude. It doesn't usually bother Buddy at all, but my Mama Bear hackles go up when I hear what he puts up with from them. I couldn't do it.

Friday and Saturday I was in Grand Rapids, MI for the Michigan Science Teachers Association annual conference. I went to some sessions, some of which were fascinating, all of which I found useful. My friend, Susan, who had done some work consulting for us at The Henry Ford last summer, was presented with an award, and she invited me to be her "date" for the awards luncheon. It was really inspiring to be with these teachers and hear their stories, and their dedication to teaching and learning.

Almost made me want to go back to the classroom. But not really.

While I was gone, Buddy went to see Black Swan, and informed me I would NOT have liked it. I have no trouble believing that at all. It brought his total of Best Picture viewings to 9 out of 10. We both agreed that we didn't want to see 127 Hours. I nearly fainted last night when I saw a tiny clip of James Franco in the movie, the scene where he falls and gets pinned by his arm. I had to put my head between my knees to keep from being sick.

Does anyone else think James Franco looked like he had sparked one up before the show last night? I was very happy for Melissa Leo, whom I have loved since her days on Homicide, and I also correctly predicted Best Picture, Best Actor in a Lead Role, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Big surprise of the night was Randy Newman's win, which was delightful, as we are big fans, but...it's not his best song. Neither was the other one he won for, from Monsters, Inc. The songs from Toy Story, and When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2 were both better, and his BEST film song, That'll Do, from Babe: Pig in the City, should have won, but didn't. It was nice to see him beat Alan Menken, though. And I liked the song from 127 Hours, though I won't see the film!

Hey, guess what? I need another root canal! How exciting is that?

Somebody, please shoot me now. I used the very long Oscar broadcast last night to complete our state and federal taxes. At least the refund we are getting from the IRS will cover the cost of it. And several other things, including our trip to Florida in 25 days! SO excited about that. I really need some sunshine.

Ed: Although I am employed by The Henry Ford, this post, in now way, reflects the opinions of The Henry Ford.

2010 Holiday Homes Tour

Welcome to the 2010 Holiday Homes Tour, hosted by the always lovely, Jen on the Edge.

*applause*

Now, I realize that what you are about to see is not my home, per se, but I do spend lots of time here, and given the opportunity to move in, I might just do it. It's okay. There's wireless.

Since April of this year, I have been employed at The Henry Ford. We are a famous historical site in Dearborn, Michigan. The Henry Ford, which we like to call America's Greatest History Attraction, is actually five unique sites: Greenfield Village, the Henry Ford Museum, the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, the Benson Ford Research Center, and the IMAX Theater.

My workspace is in the Benson Ford Research Center, but the work of the education department encompasses all of the sites listed above. Today's photos were all taken inside the Henry Ford Museum. I was going to get tickets to Holiday Night in Greenfield Village, but the night we wanted was sold out (as are almost all of the nights!), so it's to the museum we will go.

Though it started life as the Edison Institute, after Henry Ford's friend and mentor, Thomas Edison, and wasn't supposed to be about Henry Ford at all, has come to epitomize Henry's legacy of American innovation. And though his ideas were sometimes strikingly new, Henry also had a real affinity for the past.

The face of Henry Ford Museum was designed as a replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, right down to it's architectural quirks.

Come on inside.

We have some pretty big ornaments.

This is a Picnik effect. I love how it glows.

Some things just LOOK like Christmas.

A sock monkey display at the Genius at Play store.

Christmas up-close.

Over at the Allegheny. This is the number one photo op in the museum, all gussied up with a wreath and a sunbeam.

And around the corner...

One of the trains on this setup has a camera mounted on it...

...so we see this a lot. Not done yet...

Last year at this time, the museum hosted a traveling LEGO exhibit. The Michigan LEGO Users' Group created this tableau and train setup.

This is a LEGO replica of the A Fisher Building in the New Center area of Detroit. Wonder what's playing at the Fisher Theatre?

Let's zoom in a bit, shall we?

Ah, yes. Arthur Milller's immortal Death of a Sales 'Fig, as in figurine, as in little LEGO guy.

Thanks for visiting, now head back to Jen's for some more holiday homes!

Ed: Although I am employed by The Henry Ford, this post, in now way, reflects the opinions of The Henry Ford.

12 Books, 12 Months: Have and Haven't

These are the books I originally chose for the 12 Books, 12 Months challenge, as originated by Latter Day Bohemian via What if No One's Watching? (That's her fourth book review, because she's not a slacker like me):

1-Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde  Haven't read yet

2-Lincoln's Constitution by Daniel Farber  Have read part, and stopped

3-Henry Ford: The People's Tycoon by Steven Watts  Have read, have reviewed!

4-The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver Haven't read yet

5-The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time by Douglas Adams  Have read

6-The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson  Haven't read yet

7-The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton  Haven't read yet

8-Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken  Have read part, and stopped

9-The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution by A. F. Young  Have read

10-The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862 by Carol Sheriff Have read part, and stopped

11-Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell Not released until March 22nd, 2011

Never picked a book 12, BUT here are the books I have read since September 5th that were not on the original list:

1-River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard  SOmeone I read (help me out here, folks...I can't remember who it was!) read this one and loved it, so I went back to it. I had originally picked it up after having finished Edmund Morris's two volume biography of this fascinating man, and never got to it. Now that I have finished, I heartily recommend it. This wll be one of the books I review for next month, as this post has exceeded the limit I usually set already.

2- The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love,and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean

3-At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

4-Lost Histories: Exploring the World's Most Famous Mysteries byJoel Levy

5-Unsolved Mysteries of American History: An Eye-Opening Journey Throught 500 Years of Discoveries, Disappearances, and Baffling Events by Paul Aron

6-John Adams by David McCullough Actually, I've only just started this one. I'm on page 139 out of 651, so still quite a ways to go with this one.

 

NOW...Back to the original challenge!

The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution by A. F. Young

Did you know that Boston Tea Party was NOT referred to as such until nearly sixty years after the event?  It was not the raucous, mob action I've always imagined. I've always pictured something much like the rioting that sometimes happens after major sporting events in the US, with cars being overturned and sofas set on fire as a form of celebration(?).

The Destruction of the Tea, as it was referred to at the time, and for many years afterward, was nearly silent. Masked patriots, a few dressed as natives, climbed aboard the ships in Boston Harbor and proceeded to bash in and dump into the harbor, all the British tea aboard. Nearly the only words spoken were uttered by a ship's captain, asking that the ship itself not be damaged, with which the protestors complied.

Lining the docks, all around the wharf, were also hundreds of nearly silent spectators. This action was viewed as a last resort. The patriots could not allow the tea to be off-loaded, which would happen the following day, or the King and his outrageous tax would have won this battle.

The book is written in two parts; first, as a background story of the Destruction of the Tea, and secondly, as one man's role in the events, which brings to the story, a very human aspect. The latter chapters of the book are an exploration of where history comes from, who writes history, and what things are included, and what are left out. As a history geek, I found this part fascinating, but those of you with real lives may want to open a vein at this part. It got a little dense in theory, even for me.

If you enjoy American history, I think you will very much enjoy this book.

Random Tuesday:Cup on Fire Edition

I have a pretty green tea kettle, but I don't often use it anymore. When I make coffee in the morning (Maxwell House International Coffees, I lurve you!), it's faster just to nuke the water for 2 minutes. So, can someone please explain to me why on Earth I was lighting the front burner on the stove this morning and getting ready to set my mug of water on it?

Fortunately, the brain engaged before any actual flames appeared. Yeesh.

Putting a little random in your life since 1963....joined 20 years later by Keely.

Last Friday, I went on a tour of some of the conservation and storage areas of the museum where I work. Henry Ford started collecting things long before any appropriate space for them was created. Some of our storage areas are state of the art. The rest are waiting their turn.

The conservators are the staff of advanced-degree chemists that do CSI-level stuff with artifacts, in order to preserve them as well as possible. One of the most famous artifacts we have is the chair Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Somewhere on that chair is the blood and DNA of Abe Lincoln, but it has not yet been verified to the level required for certainty. Blood has been identified, but not yet DNA matched. The whole chair has been covered with an extremely fine mesh, hand-sewn into place, to protect the surface of the textiles from further deterioration.

Yesterday, I was part of a tour of the Benson Ford Research Center. The education department is housed in this building, and we share office space with the archivists who maintain the collection. There are five miles of shelving in this building, some of it temperature controlled. Among other things, I saw Josephine Ford's (Henry's only granddaughter b.1923 and d.2005) shoe collection (which rivals that of Corazon Aquino), a baseball autographed from Ty Cobb to Henry Ford, the country's most extensive collection of trade magazines, and the over-3000-box collection of Henry Ford's business papers that had been stored in his home office.

This hasn't really been very random, has it? Come back next Tuesday, and I will be as schizoid as ever. Now go visit Ms. Keely. Take your passport with you, she's in Canada!

 Ed: Although I am employed by The Henry Ford, this post, in no way, reflects the opinions of The Henry Ford.