I have a small amount of admiration for JJA IV, "Jack Asstor" to those who hated him. He put his pregnant wife and her maid on the last lifeboat lowered from the Titanic and then went and had a final smoke with another male passenger. Hard to be hard on a guy with that much pluck in the face of death.
South of me is Astoria, OR. It has a big bridge. The one time I went over it the whole thing was socked in by fog. Where I grew up in NY a fun thing to do was visit all the rich guy estates that were dumped on the state of NY when it got too expensive to maintain them. Astor, Vanderbilt, Mills. Lots of opulence. That is what I know about Astors and Vanderbilts. Rich cheapskates.
Ta, Sara. I adore learning NY history; whether it's the brilliant Mannahatta or The Island at the Center of the World. I won't buy this book (I have too many books), but I'll borrow it from the library.
Who knew John Jacob Astor and I share a birthday? Not me, until now.
One of my mentors in fine woodworking retired from designing and building fine furniture (living in his shop while doing so) and, with the advice of his therapist, got a job with the State of California as a historical preservation carpenter. He was in charge of rebuilding the beaver pelt press at Fort Ross on the NorCal coast among other very complicated historical preservation projects.
No beaver jokes here but much respect and gratitude for M.C. who is a fine human being while also being a godamn genius.
He's also a musician who makes his own instruments in his trailer amid the redwoods.
Thanks for the book review! I did not know about the beaver angle, and now I am a bit mad/sad about it. Beavers are awesome creatures who do a lot for their environments, and are being brought back to places they’ve been pushed out of (for various reasons) in order to get some of our planet’s ecosystems back in balance.
And so also too the book Astoria by Peter Stark goes into wonderful detail about how John Jacob tried to create a global mercantile network based on beaver pelts out of the PNW. His venture became the foundation of any US claim to land as far north as the Columbia River. (That’s my interpretation.) And that then makes you understand what the name BRITISH Columbia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria_(book)
The bigger story is the founding and expansion of America led by the plundering of the vast natural resources found in North America. Astor was only one of many robber barons who parlayed their plunder into an empire.
Let's not lay all the blame for beaver/Indian abuse on the Astors. I read a history of the Hudson Bay Company and they were the original beaver cleavers.
This morning I started with the Indian motorcycle company, Royal Enfield, and managed to shake it off after reading about a British sergeant setting the record for aimed bolt action rifle shots (38 hits on a 12" D target at 300 yds. in 1 minute).
Compare and contrast: John Jacob Astor IV and Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon.
I have a small amount of admiration for JJA IV, "Jack Asstor" to those who hated him. He put his pregnant wife and her maid on the last lifeboat lowered from the Titanic and then went and had a final smoke with another male passenger. Hard to be hard on a guy with that much pluck in the face of death.
South of me is Astoria, OR. It has a big bridge. The one time I went over it the whole thing was socked in by fog. Where I grew up in NY a fun thing to do was visit all the rich guy estates that were dumped on the state of NY when it got too expensive to maintain them. Astor, Vanderbilt, Mills. Lots of opulence. That is what I know about Astors and Vanderbilts. Rich cheapskates.
Sadly, the Jingleheimer Schmitt family drifted into poverty and obscurity.
That's why you don't know me. Their name is my name, too.
Ta, Sara. I adore learning NY history; whether it's the brilliant Mannahatta or The Island at the Center of the World. I won't buy this book (I have too many books), but I'll borrow it from the library.
Have you read the book about Madame Restell? Women's health care provider, richest woman in New York, built the second apartment building in the city.
Who knew John Jacob Astor and I share a birthday? Not me, until now.
One of my mentors in fine woodworking retired from designing and building fine furniture (living in his shop while doing so) and, with the advice of his therapist, got a job with the State of California as a historical preservation carpenter. He was in charge of rebuilding the beaver pelt press at Fort Ross on the NorCal coast among other very complicated historical preservation projects.
No beaver jokes here but much respect and gratitude for M.C. who is a fine human being while also being a godamn genius.
He's also a musician who makes his own instruments in his trailer amid the redwoods.
Proper respect.
OT, but animals are individuals not ingredients!
Thanks for the book review! I did not know about the beaver angle, and now I am a bit mad/sad about it. Beavers are awesome creatures who do a lot for their environments, and are being brought back to places they’ve been pushed out of (for various reasons) in order to get some of our planet’s ecosystems back in balance.
Yes, nearly hunted to extinction because..hats!
And so also too the book Astoria by Peter Stark goes into wonderful detail about how John Jacob tried to create a global mercantile network based on beaver pelts out of the PNW. His venture became the foundation of any US claim to land as far north as the Columbia River. (That’s my interpretation.) And that then makes you understand what the name BRITISH Columbia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria_(book)
I seem to be in the doghouse today. Here I thought paul would be in a more amenable mood on Alien Saturday.
It's probably in my best interests to stay in here in the war room and away from him for a while. He is in a mood.
Mr. SCat is also. It's probably due to the fact he got his COVID, flu and RSV vaccinations yesterday all at the same time.
I try to just leave him alone when he acts like a sore-tailed cat.
Jared Kushner brought peace to the Middle East. Here’s how Hunter Biden disrupted it.
That is just too damned dark and likely that I can't up-thumb it.
It remains nonetheless the yellow yowl that will be published.
Hmm. Dinner options in Montreal are almost overwhelming. I did Italian last night, maybe something Asian tonight. Or Middle Eastern...
We're looking for suggestions for Columbus and environs. We'll be there next Saturday.
Montreal is the best food city I've ever been in. Mangez bien!
Heaving sobs... ;.>(
McDonald's or Arby's...
I found a Lebanese place three blocks away. If that doesn't work out, there's a Thai place that looks delicious nearby.
Salt, meet wound...
Not Poutine with extra gravy?
Not a big fan of poutine actually. Very heavy and kind of bland.
Ethiopian? I have my eye on an Ethiopian place near the hotel in DC in November. It's really great food.
So so good.
The bigger story is the founding and expansion of America led by the plundering of the vast natural resources found in North America. Astor was only one of many robber barons who parlayed their plunder into an empire.
Here’s why the shockingly good jobs report should make you worry.
NYT
That was almost word for word the CNN headline.
Let's not lay all the blame for beaver/Indian abuse on the Astors. I read a history of the Hudson Bay Company and they were the original beaver cleavers.
Those cheaters from Houston abused beavers, too?
They were despicable.
LOL I didn't even realize I misspelled that.
I have nothing but immature dirty jokes to add.
It's Wonkette, so that would be the default setting.
I went down an Astor family Wikipedia rabbit hole!
This morning I started with the Indian motorcycle company, Royal Enfield, and managed to shake it off after reading about a British sergeant setting the record for aimed bolt action rifle shots (38 hits on a 12" D target at 300 yds. in 1 minute).