In Stagecoach days, drivers carried Wells Fargo treasure shipments and passengers across the frontier. It took skill to drive a coach and Wells Fargo added rigorous standards of its own: superior reinsmanship, self-reliance and upstanding character.

(FYI, it still takes driving talent and good character to drive Wells Fargo stagecoaches today.)

In 1855, 11-year old George Monroe came west from Georgia. When Monroe had grown, he came to exemplify the greatness of fact and legend of the best stagecoach drivers. He was described by his employers as "the best all-round reinsman in the West."

Early on, George Monroe exhibited a knack for training and driving horses. At age 22, he took a job driving for the A.H. Washburn and Company stage line into Yosemite . That stage line carried passengers and Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express into Yosemite Valley. Monroe expertly navigated the treacherous cliff-side roads into the Valley and became the best driver around.

One time, the brakes of Monroe's coach failed between Mariposa  and Merced  while full of passengers. Monroe stayed cool, and at an opportune moment drove his team into a clump of brush, bringing the stage to a safe halt. Grateful passengers passed the hat and presented Monroe with $70.

In 1879, the celebrated Monroe was asked to carry a fellow celebrity into Yosemite — Ulysses S. Grant , 18th President of the United States. Grant's schedule took him and Mrs. Grant down the dangerous, 26-mile route into Yosemite Valley, with hairpin turns and fallen rocks and chuckholes. There was a stretch so narrow, the stagecoach's wheels brushed against the granite walls of the cliff. Inches from the other wheels was a thousand-foot gorge.

The crusty General chose to sit next to the driver, a place of honor in those days. An expert horseman in his own right, Grant's assessment of Monroe's skills would make or break his reputation as a stagecoach driver. Monroe did his magic and Grant was duly impressed: "He would throw those six animals from one side to the other," the President marveled, "to avoid a stone or a chuckhole as if they were a single horse."

By 1885, Monroe had driven two more Presidents to Yosemite: James A. Garfield and Rutherford B. Hayes, as well as General William T. Sherman. George Monroe died in 1886 when a stage overturned and mortally injured him. Ironically, Monroe was not the driver, but a passenger — it's a good bet he'd have avoided the accident entirely if he had been "in the box" as driver.

Posted by Charles at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, Animals, At Work, Branding, Events, Experts, Misc, Remember, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  was born on January 15, 1929. A national holiday   to honor his memory and accomplishments happens every year near this date. It's this weekend.

I'm an admirer of Dr. King . I remember hearing him on the evening news and the palpable change in consciousness he brought about. Before King, you see, Civil Rights for African Americans  were hard to get, and small gains were so often reversed. Americans were either oblivious or opposed to justice for Blacks. After King began  his work, though, people were suddenly aware of African Americans' struggles, and many who were oblivious became sympathetic.

I remember his murder in 1968, too. School was cancelled, and our neighborhood was absolutely silent. Most people were watching TV, but even birds and dogs were quiet that day. I was a little kid, but I felt the enormity of it. More than war, or Nixon, music, or any other factors that shaped that era, those last couple years of Dr. King's life affected me and the person I have become.

It's those words. And that voice.

King was a magical speaker . Certain arias in opera bring tears to my eyes — some sort of reaction to the emotion in music, I guess. (No wisecracks!) It doesn't happen with any other music. Whenever I listen to Dr. King's speeches, the same darn thing happens — I get all misty and sniffly. I can't watch documentaries on Dr. King or the Movement without becoming a wreck I credit the power of conviction in King's words, as well as the royalty of his voice. He's truly larger than life.

So I was picking through some old LPs in a 2nd hand store last year, and came upon this record. It is the speech Dr. King gave in Detroit in June, 1963 , as he moved toward the historic rally at the Lincoln Memorial   that summer. The speech  he delivered was the first time he used the "I Have a Dream" piece — perhaps the greatest speech of the century.

The record, by the way, was captured and distributed by Gordy Records, a division of Barry Gordy's Motown  label. Gordy Records was the label Motown developed for spoken word albums , a standard genre of the time. "The Great March To Freedom: Rev. Martin Luther King Speaks" was the inaugural disc from Gordy.

So there you have it — my personal MLK Day. It means a lot to me because he means a lot to me. Also, Guided By History will blog about Black History Month  most of February.

Let this be the first post that celebrates Black History! 

Posted by Charles at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Found in Artifacts, Assassinations, Events, First-hand Accounts, Holidays, Misc, Music, Opera, Perspective, Protests, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Posted by Charles at 09:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Events, Holidays, Misc, New Year's Day, Participate, Perspective, Remember, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo's Minneapolis History Museum has a program this month commemorating the 1982 Thanksgiving Day Fire. The Fire and people's memories are also featured on Wells Fargo's History site.

That blaze in downtown Minneapolis destroyed the Northwestern National bank headquarters, the company that rebuilt itself as Norwest and later merged with Wells Fargo.

The fire took everyone by surprise and the event was seared in the community's memory.

This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Fire. Minneapolis Curator Megan Schaack blogged about the fire, developed exhibits and hosted events that culled memories of the disaster, good and bad.

WellsFargoHistory.com has video memories from employees, including today's CEO John Stumpf, who began work immediately to get business back on track. The fire occured on Thanksgiving Thursday and burned through the weekend, but the Company opened first thing the following Monday morning. Rock stars!

The fire is a big deal in the Twin Cities. The Museum's events got a lot of attention from the media, in print from the Downtown Journal  and on TV at KARE  (Channel 11) and Fox 9 

(Check out how Channel 5   uses WellsFargoHistory.com as their content — that darn media!)

Posted by Charles at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in At Work, Events, Experts, Fires, First-hand Accounts, Minneapolis, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Participate, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Thanksgiving, Wells Fargo Bank

Almost four years to the week from the Cedar Fires , San Diego is again the center of a firestorm. For me personally, this one was both nearer and farther away.

Good friends have been staying with us all week, unable to move back into their heavily damaged Rancho Bernardo  neighborhood. Their house has survived but all around them destruction has visited and left its cruel calling cards. If we've learned anything about the rebuilding process from the previous conflagration, it's that it will be years before those destroyed homes will be replaced. And much of what they lost is irreplaceable, no matter how many kings’ horses and men  are called on to help them.

The response of the firefighters , police, and public officials has been much improved. Communication between different agencies and cities was clearly better. A reverse 911 system  warned many residents that flames were headed their way, but by no means were the warnings given to everyone who needed to hear them. My friends were warned with that most intimate and American of all emergency notifications: a neighbor knocking on the door at 4 in the morning. They received no call, but managed to evacuate in a hail of embers.

The incessant finger pointing of four years ago has been largely replaced by pats on the back and kudos, and much is well-deserved. The local news agencies'  shotgun approach to covering the fires and evacuations was mostly effective in getting important information to the residents of the afflicted communities, but you could miss a lot if you weren’t both internet and media savvy . Some of the best information came from residents being interviewed about what they knew. As such, it seems to me that Journalism should no longer be an elective course in our school systems. If you don’t know how to evaluate the utility of different information streams, you will likely pay a high price in ignorance and frustration — or perhaps worse.

Blogs may be good for getting some facts out, but the lessons from this fire will require a more substantial hearing. Perhaps my handlers will allow me to revisit this topic weeks from now, after the smoke clears and some clarity returns to the skies surrounding San Diego.

Posted by Allan at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Home, At Work, Events, Fires, First-hand Accounts, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Perspective, Prepare, San Diego, Wells Fargo Bank

In honor of Blog Action Day, I am pleased to boast of Wells Fargo's accomplishments in the Green Consciousness that's been sweeping the mainstream. Wells Fargo's history is a happening site for environmental awareness.

Our Archivist here at Wells Fargo is a total...um, Green disciplinarian, shall we say. Archivists preserve the past  and its artifacts, and Keri takes that to another level. As much as pestering us about recycling everything from batteries , plastic  and glass , she also pushes for digital record keeping. Digital records are easier to store and preserve, and they better manage resources as well. Less paper is used and less space is required in the long run for storage. Saves moola, too — triple play!

Guided By History has previously blogged Green about Earth Day, recycled paper, and getting behind the Sierra Club. Oh, and solar energy, another about supporting eco-groups. So we're on the Green thing.

And happy to participate today!

Posted by Charles at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Environment, Events, Misc, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

While researching our Team members of Latin America, I came across an August, 1978 issue of the Wells Fargo Banker that had a picture of a young Jerry Brown.

Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown was the Governor of California  from 1975-83. Brown is currently serving as the State's Attorney General . The picture is from a report on Gov. Brown's meeting in Wells Fargo's board room with executives from major corporations. Brown was discussing the impact of Proposition 13  on the State's fiscal health.

Prop. 13 has a 30-year history of controversy. On June 6, 1978, Californians passed the measure with a 65% approval. Prop. 13 slashed property taxes in half overnight and changed the relationship between schools and their communities. While property owners got tax relief, communities had to devise creative new ways to get money for services. Voters in other states took up the "tax revolt" that manifested in California and started cutting taxes across the nation with similar results to communities.

After the proposition passed, Brown urged corporate tax savings be put into programs that would boost the economy. Before his meeting with executives, though, the Governor participated in a program Wells Fargo had at the time, "get-acquainted" coffee meetings in the Penthouse high atop the San Francisco Headquarters.

The article did not detail the conversation between California's Governor and Wells Fargo employees in attendance. But the Archives do bear out the fact that Wells Fargo enjoyed property tax savings of $1.2 million dollars from Prop. 13. The Company donated the money to charity.

Posted by Charles at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Found in At Work, Coffee, Events, Misc, Remember, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, spent winter vacations in Upper Michigan , and spent summer vacations camping around the country. My husband was raised in Indiana, where the ice storms  are legendary. We were both taught to have an attitude of preparedness. Our cars are outfitted with jumper cables, emergency shovels, sleeping bags, windshield scrapers, and (of course) umbrellas.

We don't have hammers.

When your car falls into water, you can't open the door because of the pressure from the water. If you have manual windows, you can open a window and swim out. If you have power windows, you must break a window in order to escape. How do you prepare for this? Keep a hammer in your car, within reach of the driver's seat.

The night of the I-35W bridge  collapse, I watched regular-channel programming for the first time in two years. I watched all night. By the time the rescue efforts were called off for the night, I had finally figured something out. All along, people had been saying that there were 50 or more cars on the bridge when it collapsed. But on the news coverage, there were more like 20, if that. I finally realized that all those missing cars were underneath the part of the bridge that was in the water.

Did those people keep hammers in their cars? Could I have gotten out?

There is a running joke in Minnesota that all we can talk about is the weather . There's a good reason for that: We have a lot of weather, and it causes the natural disasters that we deal with here. We have blizzards, we have tornados, we have flooding. We don't have earthquakes, or hurricanes, or tsunamis. So, of course, we talk about the weather. But now we're talking about bridges.

The I-35W bridge across the Mississippi is as complicated in its death  as it was simple during its life . For many of us, it is as though we lost a family member. Many of us drove that bridge twice a day; I myself drove it about twice a week. Its death has caused tangled emotions and tangled conversations, no less than it has caused tangled traffic. Some of us ran to give first aid help; some of us ran for our cameras; some of us ran away. Some of us want to get as close to it as possible; some of us can't even see pictures without shedding tears. Some of us blame the mayor; some blame the governor; some blame the legislature; some blame the construction company doing repairs. Some of us want to spend more on all of our highways; some of us want to spend more on mass transit; some of us want to spend more on maintaining the status quo.

I just want to buy a hammer .

Posted by Phyllis at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Found in At Home, At Work, Events, Get Involved, Minneapolis, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Yesterday evening, the I-35W bridge between Minneapolis and St. Paul collapsed during rush hour. Many died or suffered major injuries. At this point, the rescue operations are still going on, and it's hard to know what the ultimate toll will be.

Guided By History has bloggers in Minneapolis, and there are many people who work with us in preparation and publication. We all like each other a lot, laugh a lot about some of the things we put together here, and really believe in our company and its outreach. At this point, I know some are OK. I have not heard about others, but the calls are in and I'm waiting to hear.

The whole thing freaked me out because these are people I know and care about. I've been to Minneapolis on business, winter and summer, and it's a wonderful place. We have a terrific relationship with the Minnesota Historical Society  in St. Paul. Twin Cities people are my neighbors, and I feel this tragedy deeply.

Please contact the Red Cross chapter in Minneapolis  and do what you can to help. If you are part of this blog community, send an email or comment to let me know how you're holding up.

Posted by Charles at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Found in Events, Get Involved, Minneapolis, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Perspective, Wells Fargo Bank

Today—July 13, 2007—marks 155 years to the date that Wells, Fargo, and Co. opened for business on Montgomery Street in San Francisco. The Corporate Archives is lucky enough to have a picture that documents the event. Ten gentlemen posed in front of a two-story building.

Many are surprised to learn Henry Wells and William G. Fargo are not in the first office picture; they remained back in New York and only received updates via letters and rare visits. We know the names of two gentlemen who worked in that office on opening day, Reuben W. Washburn and Samuel W. Carter. The rest are critical contributors to the story of July 13, but unknown to later generations.

Check out the "Wells Fargo Through the Decades" slide show, and watch for three of my favorite images:

• Five women agents smiling in front of a San Diego office in 1917
• Members of the Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank Club, enjoying a day at Spring Valley Lakes in June of 1921
• The Wells Belles of 1973; ready to defend the name of Wells Fargo through baseball.

They are all part of the fabric of the larger Wells Fargo story and, if not for a remaining image in our archives, nearly lost to posterity.

That brings me to today. We are having festivities in many Wells Fargo locations, including the San Francisco History Museum. Most of the everyday activities of life will not make it into the history books. But, just like those unknown faces in the first office picture, what you do today is making history.

Posted by Anne at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Baseball, Events, Films, Holidays, Movies, Museums, Participate, Photographs, Remember, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank

Old Sacramento  will be bustling with excitement tomorrow. The Pony Express Re-ride  is scheduled to arrive at 11:30 a.m. After a 10-day journey from St. Joseph, Mo. , the final rider will bring mail to the corner of Second and J streets—right across from the Wells Fargo History Museum. The National Pony Express Association  has been putting on the Re-ride for 30 years, and this year marks the 147th anniversary of the Pony Express.

The Pony Express  is the most widely known short-lived piece of Americana. It lasted only 18 months, from April 3, 1860, to Oct. 25, 1861. Established by the Kansas express firm of Russell, Majors, and Waddell , the Pony Express was in its time the fastest way to get mail to California. It was also the most expensive. In 10 days, riding across 1,966 miles, smallish young men (usually in their early teens) would bring 20 pounds of mail from St. Joseph to Sacramento. The cost to send a letter via Pony Express in those days was five dollars per half ounce, which to the average person was a lot of money. (That’s approximately 120 dollars today.) Due to high expenses and the lack of government subsidies, the Pony Express was going broke a year after its creation.

In April 1861, Wells Fargo took control of the Western portion of the Pony Express. Wells Fargo carried letters from Salt Lake City to Sacramento and San Francisco for the last six months of the Pony Express' existence. Wells Fargo helped reduce the cost of postage from the hefty five dollars to just two dollars a half ounce, then reduced the cost even lower, to one dollar, in July 1861. At these prices the Pony Express became more affordable to people and businesses.

Even with the low rates that Wells Fargo offered, the Pony Express would last only a few more months. Technology would put an end to the legend: The telegraph delivered messages faster than anyone on horseback and for a very low cost. On Oct. 25, 1861, Wells Fargo ended its involvement in the Pony Express, marking the end of the 18-month adventure.

Yet the Pony Express lives on in American lore . And for 10 days each year, riders bring letters from St. Joseph to Sacramento, just as they did 147 years ago. All of us here at the Wells Fargo Museum in Old Sacramento are awaiting the Re-ride  and will let everyone know the legacy that Wells Fargo has shared with such a great piece of American history.

Posted by Greg at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Animals, Events, Museums, Participate, Pony Express, Remember, Sacramento, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank

Did you feel the excitement in the air this week? No? Well, this wasn’t broadcast live on television.  It wasn’t made into a musical.  The winners probably won’t throw the first pitch  at a major league baseball game. But, for a select few, this week was the highlight of months of effort, and a time they’ll likely remember for years to come. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer—it’s National History Day! 

For lack of a better comparison, think of a science fair only starring young historians doing original historical research and interpretation. Students choose topics relating to a broader theme, conduct research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. After organizing the research and drawing conclusions, students present their work through categories such as original paper, exhibit, and performance. Students proceed through local and state competitions, hoping to make it all the way to national. The National Contest just finished this week. Even Ken Burns—a historical interpretation celebrity(!)—was there.

I had the pleasure of judging history day for the first time a number of years ago, and look forward to it every year. (I am proud to support a home team, and mention Sacramento County  has two contestants at nationals this year.) Considering our company history, it is no surprise that other Wells Fargo employees enjoy supporting National History Day in some way. Some of the Wells Fargo History Museum  curators have judged and recruited large numbers of other employees to participate at local or state competitions. Wells Fargo has sponsored local and national prizes for special topics. And, the Wells Fargo History Museums serve as teaching environments to support parents and students.

So if this has piqued your interest, or you can think of a young aspiring historian or curator to share this information  with, find out more and be part of the excitement  next year!

Posted by Anne at 07:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Events, Experts, First-hand Accounts, Get Involved, Holidays, Misc, Museums, Participate, Perspective, Sacramento, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank

Portland, Ore.celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Rose Festival   this past weekend. The idea of a Rose Festival or "carnival," as it was initially called, came from the Chamber of Commerce.  Later records reveal the extent to which the Chamber of Commerce went to promote the city of Portland. In the Second Annual Rose Festival Pamphlet from1908, the Chamber provided a litany of facts to persuade the visitor that Portland was the best place to live. It sums up this idea by stating:

"The approaching Rose Festival will .. convince tens of thousands of visitors that Portland and vicinity rests on beds of flowers... "

After the first Rose Festival in 1907, the event became extensive. Advertisers played off the event, and the Oregonian  included at least two cartoons hailing the event. One cartoon conveys the idea that the Portland Rose Festival was a signature event with "Old Man Portland" blowing away the competition. Another cartoon shows Western cities "joining hands" to celebrate Portland’s Festival. The Rose Festival received delegations from several cities, including Los Angeles, Pasadena, Oakland, Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma. Naval vessels dropped anchor at Portland’s waterfront: the USS Stethem and others docked this year. 

Wells Fargo participated early on. As the Rose Festival got popular, the Company provided the Concord Coach from San Francisco  for the 1913 parade, and the “modern” Wells Fargo delivery wagon followed behind the stagecoach. It was as important, in1913, for Wells Fargo to showcase people from its history. The Oregonian described the esteemed personage riding in Wells Fargo’s contingent:

The Wells-Fargo stage coach filled with veterans of the stage coach days. On the front seat sat C. M. Kellogg, who drove a Wells-Fargo stage out of Salt Lake City in 1864 and 1865. . . Thomas H. Reynolds, who has been in the employ of Wells, Fargo & Co. for 40 years, acted as “shotgun messenger.” He rode on top of the coach, with a shotgun leveled across his knees. The regulation strong box stood beside him...

From an historical viewpoint, what is intriguing about Portland’s Rose Festival is how an idea took off, a “Rose Festival” culture developed, then gradually changed over time. After 1910, Portland’s economic status as the hub of the Pacific Northwest faced challenges from other cities—Tacoma, Spokane, and, most notably, Seattle. Was the creation of a Rose Festival one way for the city’s leaders to retain Portland’s economic hegemony in the Pacific Northwest? 

Posted by Steve at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Branding, Events, First-hand Accounts, Museums, Remember, Stagecoach, Wells Fargo Bank

Old Sacramento  comes alive at the end of May. Aside from the droves of fourth graders on their end-of-the-school-year field trips, there are two huge festivals that bring a variety of people into Old Town. The recent Pacific Rim Street Festival , an annual one-day event that consumes the entire Old Town area, celebrates the cultures and peoples from the Pacific Rim.

One of the biggest sponsors of this event is Wells Fargo, which has been involved in the festival since 1993. By sponsoring this festival, Wells Fargo helps increase awareness and understanding of Asian Pacific heritage. This year, Wells Fargo had a stage near the waterfront boardwalk, hosting a variety of musicians, artists and dancers. Sponsoring the festival is just another step in the long history of Wells Fargo promoting diversity in the community.

The other huge festival that happens in May is the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee , a four-day event starting tomorrow and lasting through Memorial Day. Every year since 1974, Old Sacramento has hosted the jubilee. Looking over the roster of sponsors on the jubilee website , I was not surprised to see the red and gold Wells Fargo logo. Every year, Old Town's Wells Fargo History Museum is packed with jazz enthusiasts; the sounds of every variety of jazz music fill the air. Old Town is closed to automobiles, and bands set up on every street corner. Being a pseudo-musician and Wells Fargo team member, I appreciate seeing Wells Fargo give back to the community—especially to music events that promote a culturally diverse genre of music that has had a huge impact on American culture.

Both of these festivals are fun for the whole family. All of us here at the Old Sacramento History Museum will gladly remind anyone of the 155-year history of one of the proud sponsors of these two great festivals: Wells Fargo.

Posted by Greg at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Events, Museums, Participate, Sacramento, Wells Fargo Bank

The gleam of diamonds from Queen Elizabeth II's  tiara has wowed all of Washington with Her Majesty’s royal presence.

On one of the reigning monarch's previous visits to North America  (as Princess Elizabeth in 1951), the future Queen Elizabeth II took a stagecoach ride at the Calgary Stampede  in Calgary, Alberta. This coach, now owned by Wells Fargo, is on display at our museum in Portland, Ore.

Coach #306, built by the Abbot-Downing Co. of Concord, N.H., in 1850, carried mail between Halifax and Pictou, Nova Scotia , until 1890. In 1860, it carried another British monarch: the Prince of Wales  (King Edward VII ), the current queen's great grandfather.

Posted by Marianne at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Artifacts, Events, Museums, Perspective, Remember, Stagecoach, Wells Fargo Bank

Working in the Archives at Wells Fargo, I have discovered many instances in which Wells Fargo has supported environmental affairs throughout its 155-year history. This is the first of several blog contributions to share information about two of my favorite topics.

April 22, 1970 , is when the Earth Day  celebration movement officially began. That same year, in its Annual Report, Wells Fargo wrote a letter to its stockholders which stated,

"A basic trend on American life in the Seventies will be acceleration of concern with the quality of all facets of our existence. It will be accompanied by a growing need for capital to improve our environment, rebuild our cities, improve transportation, and eliminate air and water pollution. Wells Fargo is committed to do its share in providing capital and expertise in these areas."

And Wells Fargo did. During the 1970s (and since), Wells Fargo has ramped up its ecological focus on operations by introducing everything from recycled paper use to solar-powered branches. Over the next couple weeks I will share with you moments of Wells Fargo's ecological history.

Check this out to learn more about Wells Fargo's commitment to improving the environment.

Posted by Keri at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Found in At Home, At Work, Events, First-hand Accounts, Get Involved, Participate, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Today is the 65th anniversary  of the attack on Pearl Harbor . That event is the general historical moment the U.S. entered the Second World War. That conflict created the recent, modern world with the U.S. in the driver's seat, a situation(with many, many caveats, of course) that has been altering for years. But the general historical moment when the world entered a new era will probably be the attack of September 11, 2001.

What have we got in those 60 years between historic events? Well, the U.S. went from World War to Cold War right away. The threat of complete destruction (by scientists arming soldiers) prompted the exploration of new territories—including outer space (soldiers driving new science). The expansion of technology got us to space and now we behold Mars , finally ready and willing to ="host our exploration">host our exploration.

Chuck Norris declares  the lesson of December 7, 1941—we are under constant attack and have to behave as such. That's a reasonable interpretation (with many, many caveats, of course) from a martial artist, where anticipation is the basis of response. But for all the weapons, there are many other kinds of explosions that affect ordinary people. Like the Milwaukee plant that abruptly blew up , or a freak tornado in London , of all places. With anticipation the basis of quick response, we are ready for explosions, attack or otherwise.

We individually can make our homes and our selves as tools against the big kablooey. Minnesotans were recently found the healthiest Americans , challenging the snobs who declare everyone between the coasts is grossly out of shape. Those least healthy? Louisianans, whose geography was recently, uh, totaled by natural disaster and hapless response. Collectively, we can monitor our use of the geography and try to find ways to achieve balance. The movie "Chinatown"  showed a corrupt elite in Los Angeles using public resources for private gain. Recently, L.A. is working to give back some of the water  they "stole" back when.

Treat yourself right as a way to keep your own health, of course—but also as a way to create a better social organism. A healthy, interconnected world. It might not usher in the epoch of peace and brotherhood, but it can sure postpone Armageddon .

Of course, there will be mistakes. You might have good intentions that fall a little short. But it's OK. We love ya for who you are, not what you ate for lunch! 

Posted by Charles at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Home, Events, Katrina, Natural Disasters, Prepare, Remember, Tornadoes, Wells Fargo Bank

This from the AP: A high school senior from Eugene, Ore. won $100,000 at the nation's top high school science competition . Dmitry Vaintrob, from South Eugene High School , submitted his project in a new area of mathematics called string topology . This mathematical field  applies to electricity, magnetism and gravity.

Also winning a $100,000 scholarship was a team of students from Oakridge High School  in Oakridge, Tenn.—Scott Molony, Steven Arcangeli and Scott Horton. Their project is concerned with engineering biofuel from plants .

The march of science can never be halted, as long as curiosity beats in the human heart. And as long as $100,000 is available in an era of soaring college costs. Good work, scholars!

Posted by Charles at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Found in Events, Experts, Participate, Prepare, Wells Fargo Bank

Wednesday afternoon, Wells Fargo's 40-foot semi-trailer from the Cartwright Ranch in Benbrook, Texas, arrived at Monster Park  in San Francisco. Normally, the truck arrives with the Wells Fargo stagecoach and horses on board, for an appearance at a community parade or other event. But this was a special trip: on board were 80 homeless cats and dogs from New Orleans and the area wrecked by hurricanes Katrina and Rita over a year ago.

Only a fraction of displaced people have returned to the New Orleans area, and there are thousands of animals living on the street .There are few local options for adoption and fostering. There is little for homeless animals to scavenge to eat, and demolition leaves strays further displaced. The only viable option is to transport them out of Louisiana.

Cody Riess of Three Wishes Foundation , a non-profit rescue resource in New Orleans, has organized a national adoption event for kittens, puppies, cats, and dogs rescued from the streets of the city post-Katrina. Animal care groups across the country are taking part.

"The disaster was at such a scale that we are overwhelmed here. By transporting a number of animals out of state, the goal is to save as many animals as possible from having to be returned to the disaster zone of New Orleans' streets," said Cody. "We have been working night and day to solve this problem."

The Southern Animal Foundation  has recently received a HSUS grant to spay and neuter the growing population of strays that are still living in New Orleans. Riess coordinates organizations to spay and neuter dozens of animals EACH DAY. All the animals have health certificates, rabies tags, vaccinations and micro chips, and they are spayed or neutered before leaving the city.

Several Northern California rescue groups received animals that will be offered for adoption at fairs and events scheduled this weekend, including:

• Bay Area Cat Rescue 
• GEPDA USA 
• Homeless Animals Response Program (H.A.R.P.) 
• Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue 
• KATMOM 
• La Honda Mountain Cats Rescue 
• TOPCats on the Ridge, Inc. 
• Purrfect Cat Rescue 
• Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation 
• Town Cats 

Each animal is "sponsored" by a group whose adoption approval processes screen homes that meet their criteria.

Posted by Charles at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Found in Events, Get Involved, Hurricanes, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

In May 1953, the late Liberace  appeared