http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1783
Here are some one liners...
It's the End of the World... for Some -- Icelandic volcanoes erupt, causing crop failures and death. I talk about how difficult it can be to decide when it is time to bugout.
All I Want for Christmas is a New Prime Minister! -- Lord North's government falls. Parliament temporarily installs a man to hold the position, but he hangs on for 17 years. I also talk about the assault weapons ban which had an expiration date.
A National Language for a National Government -- Noah Webster publishes a speller. He wants an American language for America rather than an aristocratic English.
It's the End of the World... for Some
One of the most catastrophic environmental disasters of all time hits Europe. It begins in Iceland when 130 volcanic fissures open up near Mount Laki and spew forth clouds of volcanic ash and noxious gases. 50% of Iceland's livestock are dead, and 9,000 Icelanders are buried in lava or killed by poison gases. Starvation will run up the death toll to 20,000 which is about a third of the population of Iceland. A haze of ash has risen into the sky and enveloped Europe. World temperatures drop, leading to a drought in India, a severe winter in the USA and wide-spread crop failures throughout Europe. If you ever wondered why there were bread riots before the "let them eat cake" French Revolution, now you know. The eruption will continue into next year. Also a series of earthquakes in southern Italy leaves 50,000 people dead and there is even more bad news but lets leave it there. [1] [2] [3]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
Just as a reminder... Iceland remains unstable. There have been incidents in recent years such as that eruption in 2010 that shutdown air travel throughout Europe for almost a week. Sir Richard Branson complained that it was an overreaction, and it may have been but in 1989 a KLM flight flew through a volcanic cloud and all 4 engines flamed out! The pilot reported, "KLM 867 heavy, we are descending now: we are in a fall!" As the plane plummeted to its doom, the pilot was able to restart two of the engines and limp to the airport in Anchorage, Alaska. It was a frightening ordeal so the government decided to be more cautious the next time regarding volcanic eruptions. Predicting the severity of a disaster in its early stages is often difficult. Chances are that when disaster is looming, you have a job, commitments, plans. You don't want to blow that all off on a hunch or a worry, but if you wait too long, your options are limited. My wife complains that I tell her that a disaster might occur. She gets scared and then the disaster doesn't occur. I don't want to be the boy who cries wolf, so I prepare in the background and don't mention it as much any more. [4] [5] [6]
Just as a reminder... Iceland remains unstable. There have been incidents in recent years such as that eruption in 2010 that shutdown air travel throughout Europe for almost a week. Sir Richard Branson complained that it was an overreaction, and it may have been but in 1989 a KLM flight flew through a volcanic cloud and all 4 engines flamed out! The pilot reported, "KLM 867 heavy, we are descending now: we are in a fall!" As the plane plummeted to its doom, the pilot was able to restart two of the engines and limp to the airport in Anchorage, Alaska. It was a frightening ordeal so the government decided to be more cautious the next time regarding volcanic eruptions. Predicting the severity of a disaster in its early stages is often difficult. Chances are that when disaster is looming, you have a job, commitments, plans. You don't want to blow that all off on a hunch or a worry, but if you wait too long, your options are limited. My wife complains that I tell her that a disaster might occur. She gets scared and then the disaster doesn't occur. I don't want to be the boy who cries wolf, so I prepare in the background and don't mention it as much any more. [4] [5] [6]
All I Want for Christmas is a New Prime Minister!
Lord North has been the Prime Minister throughout the war with what is now the United States of America. Treaties have been signed, and Lord North is being shown the door, but he hasn't been Prime Minister all these years for nothing. Lord North (a Torie) establishes a new coalition with Charles Fox (a Whig). These two have been at each others throats for years. It's like Bernie Sanders teaming up with Ted Cruz to "get things done for the people" and asking President Obama for approval. Yeah... not happening, but the North-Fox coalition is presented to King George the 3rd. He grits his teeth and approves it. It fails by Christmas. Parliament is looking for another Prime Minister but as a temporary measure to get through Christmas, they install William Pitt the Younger. He will hold the office for 17 Christmases to come. [7] [8]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
Yeah. "It's just temporary." Stop-gap measures and continuing resolutions often become permanent, but setting an expiration date can help. In 1994, Congress banned so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines... the ones that hold more than five rounds. Weapons and magazines purchased BEFORE the ban were "grandfathered in. In other words, if you already owned one, you could keep it. Gun sales went through the roof! Glock put on extra shifts at the factory to produce their larger magazines. They made a killing, so to speak. There were legal challenges galore, but what finally killed the law was the expiration date of September 13th, 2004. Since that time, efforts to renew the law have been unsuccessful. Hooray! [9] [10]
Yeah. "It's just temporary." Stop-gap measures and continuing resolutions often become permanent, but setting an expiration date can help. In 1994, Congress banned so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines... the ones that hold more than five rounds. Weapons and magazines purchased BEFORE the ban were "grandfathered in. In other words, if you already owned one, you could keep it. Gun sales went through the roof! Glock put on extra shifts at the factory to produce their larger magazines. They made a killing, so to speak. There were legal challenges galore, but what finally killed the law was the expiration date of September 13th, 2004. Since that time, efforts to renew the law have been unsuccessful. Hooray! [9] [10]
A National Language for a National Government
Noah Webster is a school teacher who hates schools. In particular, he hates the system by which children are taught spelling, grammar and reading at the elementary school level. Currently teaching materials in the United States are lacking. When textbooks are available, they usually come from England and are promoting an aristocratic English that Webster dislikes. He thinks that the language should be defined by its users. He decides to write new textbooks for a new nation, the United States. This year he publishes a speller. Next year, it will be a grammar of the English language, followed by a reader. [11] [12] [13]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
Webster changed a lot of the English spelling and most of it caught on. He is the reason why Americans spell "center" ending with an E. R., rather than as the English do, ending it in R. E.. He also tried to change the spelling of tongue to T.U.N.G. but it never caught on. Today he is best known for his dictionary. He spent 26 years compiling a comprehensive dictionary which became the basis of the Miriam-Webster dictionaries today.
Webster changed a lot of the English spelling and most of it caught on. He is the reason why Americans spell "center" ending with an E. R., rather than as the English do, ending it in R. E.. He also tried to change the spelling of tongue to T.U.N.G. but it never caught on. Today he is best known for his dictionary. He spent 26 years compiling a comprehensive dictionary which became the basis of the Miriam-Webster dictionaries today.
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