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The Building of the Panama Canal

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Under American control, more than 54,000 workers were brought together to build the Panama Canal—right in the middle of dense jungle, about 2,000 miles from their main supply base. This wasn’t just a workforce—it was a global mix. About 40 different nationalities were represented, from Austrians to Canadians, Chileans to Chinese, Jamaicans to Scandinavians. Out of that population, nearly 20,000 people ate at government-run mess tents and hotels. That added up to around a million meals every month. To keep everyone fed—and happy—the U.S. basically had to run a “world restaurant” in the middle of the tropics. Meals ranged from simple 10-cent rations for West Indian laborers to 12.5-cent meals for European workers, all the way up to 30-cent menus at government hotels. And here’s the kicker: not a single pound of food came from the local area. Everything had to be shipped in from roughly 2,500 miles away. Every meal was a logistical puzzle. The government also had to supply food to people ...
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View-Master

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 By Bruce Shawkey Great story on the 'Net about the View-Master/ Who didn't have one of these when they were a kid? -------------------------------- We are going to bet that as a kid, you had a View-Master. This toy has been around for decades and is, more or less, a handheld stereoscope. We never thought much about the device’s invention until we saw a recent video from [View Master Travels and Peter Dibble]. It turns out that the principle of the whole thing was created by the well-known [Charles Wheatstone]. However, it was piano repairman [William Gruber] who invented what we think of as the View-Master. Gruber didn’t just work on normal pianos, but complex player pianos and, in particular, the pianos used to record player piano rolls. He was also, as you might expect, a stereo photography enthusiast. Many of the ideas used in automating pianos would show up in the View-Master and the machines that made the reels, too. In the 1930s, stereoscopes were not particularly popula...
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The Great San Francisco Fire and Earthquake of 1906

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 By Bruce Shawkey The greatest damage of the 1906 earthquake occurred when many of San Francisco's water and gas mains were ruptured. Leaking gas was the catalyst for fires that quickly spread throughout the city and the lack of water made fire fighting a challenge. Approximately one hour after the earthquake, the San Francisco Fire Department sent a messenger to the Presidio to request an artillery division to assist with the containment of fires. Several hours later, artillery troops from Fort Miley arrived in San Francisco and unsuccessfully attempted to control the fires by dynamiting strategic buildings. By noon, the financial district was engulfed in flames and when evening fell the city center had also been incinerated. The earthquake struck on April 18, 1906, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. It caused widespread destruction, with buildings collapsing and infrastructure severely damaged. The resulting fires, fueled by broken gas lines, lasted for several days and destroye...
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Tips on Better Writing

 Tips for Improving my Writing Skills (from Gemini ... the latest feature on Google -- neat stuff!) Improving your writing is less about mastering a secret code and more about developing a consistent "eye" for clarity and flow. Since "writing" is a broad world, the best approach is to tackle it from a few different angles. Here is a breakdown of how to sharpen your skills: 1. The "Trim the Fat" Rule Most writing improves instantly when you remove unnecessary words. Strong writing is lean. Avoid Filler: Words like "just," "actually," "really," and "very" often weaken your sentences. Kill Passive Voice: Instead of saying "The ball was thrown by John," say "John threw the ball." It’s more direct and energetic. One Idea per Sentence: If a sentence has three commas and two "ands," it’s likely trying to do too much. Break it up. 2. Read Like a Writer To write well, you have to consume high-qua...
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Highlights from the first 100 Years of Television

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 By Bruce Shawkey Great article in The Guardian on highlights from the first 100 years of television. Here are of ones I found most interesting and/or experienced first-hand.  I start with Janet Jackson's famous (infamous?) "nip slip" during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime performance – in which her right breast was accidentally exposed for less than a second. It led to  the Federal Communications Commission fining  CBS $550,000. Technically, her nipple was covered by a nipple ring, but the network was still fined.  It was the fifth largest fine in television history, with the largest fine ($24 million) going to Univision for lack of children’s shows. Did you know there are federal regulations that require television broadcasters to devote a portion of their programming to educational and informative shows for kids. The Howard Stern radio show also got fined $1.7 million for various infractions. January 26, 1926: John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstratio...
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Robert Redford

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 By Bruce Shawkey One of my movie heroes growing up was Robert Redford. He was handsome, always measured, humble with no need to show off. I thought he was great in the Horse Whisperer, playing opposite Scarlett Johansson. Redford passed away  September 16, 2025,  at age 89. His daughter, Amy, recently did an interview with People magazine and shard some of remembrances with her dad. A few of her quotes are below: "He was playful and curious and kind,” said Amy. “And I think what he taught us to do is really find the thing that we're most passionate about and the things that we think might be able to change the world.” "For my dad, it was, if you tell him not to do it, that just means it hasn’t been done yet,” Amy said about the legendary film festival. “He decided, ‘Well, I have some platform and I'm going to use it to change the world.’ ” "It’s clear that he meant so much to so many, and I know that my family is humbled by the outpouring of stories and tributes...
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The "Grit" Newspaper

 By Bruce Shawkey I grew up with a newspaper called the "Grit," which my parents also called the "Pennsylvania Liar." Each issue contained a mixture of funny, offbeat news .. not nearly as whacky as, say, the National Enquirer, but similar. Here is annotated history of the Grit from its website: When the first headline for Grit was set in 1882, it’s doubtful anyone could’ve envisioned the publication continuing into the 21st century. Dietrick Lamade was a 23-year-old assistant press foreman for the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, newspaper the Daily Sun and Banner. In December 1882, the newspaper began a Saturday edition titled Grit, which included local news items, editorials, and humorous tidbits.  The Birth of Grit Dietrick was born Feb. 6, 1859, in Gölshausen, Baden-Wrüttemberg, Germany, the fourth child of Johannes and Caroline Lamade. When he was 8, the family immigrated to the United States. Less than two years after the family settled in Williamsport, Johannes d...
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