Archive | July, 2012

As for You Old Man – Go West and Grow Young With the Country

27 Jul

No, that’s not the way it goes. However, it is one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Dutton Peabody, the newspaper editor and town drunk, utters this line in honor of his former boss, Horace Greeley. Unfortunately for the movie makers, Greeley never wrote “Go West Young Man and Grow Up With the Country.”

Anyway, I say all of that to say that I am going West. Tomorrow, I am heading out for Montana, one of my favorite states. Even better, I am going with my dad, my brother and my nephews. I will not be blogging while I am away, but I will be tweeting. You can follow those tweets by hitting the button to the right. Like my last trip into the West, I will blog all about it upon my return.

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Immortalized

23 Jul

It seems that I have been surrounded by immortals lately. Not real immortals, but the ones found in the pages of books. I just finished Blood Line by James Rollins, a book about a secret cabal performing experiments on humans to find a DNA secret to immortality. Currently, I am reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This is the true story of cancer cells taken from a woman and how they have continued to thrive since the 1950s. The cells have been used to further numerous scientific advancements.

Obviously, the books are different. One fiction. One non-fiction. However, the both center around something that humanity has often dreamed about – immortality. The scientists goal in the Rollins book may seem fantastical, but scientists in the Skloot book were looking at prolonging life as well.

Through this reading, I have been reminded about a conversation I had with some students. We were hiking through New Mexico when I asked what superpower they would pick if they could. I chose invisibility. One chose the ability to fly like Superman. However, another chose immortality. My first thought was how cool that would be, but then I started thinking about the problems.

1. When you get that power, you had better have a non-aging policy.

2. What happens when the Earth is destroyed? I suppose by that time people will be traveling to other planets.

3. How do you handle the death of loved ones over and over and over?

This brings to mind one of my favorite movies, Highlander – the story of Connor MacLeod, an immortal who must fight other immortals until only one is left. What’s the prize for the winner? He has immortality taken away. There is even a great song by Queen called “Who Wants to Live Forever“. And, what does that song say?

Who wants to live forever when love must die?

People have always been fascinated by immortality. After all, that is what religion is about. The Greeks and Romans worshipped immortals. Modern religions look for life after death. However, religion is not the only place immortality resides. Vampires have become a major theme in popular culture, and they hang around until somebody sticks a stake in them. Even zombies offer a glimpse at immortality, or an undead version of it.

So, why has humanity always had immortality on the brain? There’s probably more than one answer. First, people don’t want to stop being. No one wants to die even though it’s going to happen to everyone. It’s like a horror movie. YOU WILL NOT GET OUT ALIVE!!!

Second, we don’t want to miss anything. At least, this is what I think about. What will the world be like after we are gone? I call it “future history”. We have this urge to know what’s going to happen. What will the world be like in 2100? Will it be like The Jetson’s or like The Planet of the Apes? And, I use those examples for a reason. We like futuristic movies because it gives us a glimpse of what things might be like after we are gone. Some, like Star Trek, are about a hopeful future. Others, like Blade Runner, are about a desolate future. It doesn’t matter which because we just need to know what’s going to happen.

I feel bad for what people have missed. My grandfather was a huge fan of the University of Tennessee, and he passed away on a Saturday morning in 1995. That night his team, led by Peyton Manning, beat Alabama 41-14. I kept thinking how I wished he could have seen that. The next few seasons were great ones for Tennessee, and they eventually won the national championship in 1998. All I could think of was that he was missing it. I wish he could have seen it, and I wish I could see all of the games of the future.

But, those wishes are impossible because immortality is impossible. And, if it was possible would we really want it? I don’t know, but I do know that there is an old saying – Be careful what you wish for because it may come true.

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Blankety Blank

21 Jul

My mind is blank, and I can’t think of anything to write about. I have tried every prompt that comes to mind – checked my documents; clicked through Inspiro; surfed the television guide; et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. All of that, and my mind is blank.

Let’s see, I woke up this morning and looked at Twitter. As you probably know, it was filled with news of the shootings in Aurora, Colorado. I don’t know what to say about that, and whatever I write has probably already been written. Somehow, I feel that the more it and other tragedies are tweeted and televised – the more unreal they become. We read and watch with fascination more than horror. Perhaps, we have become too accustomed to such events, or we have become a “reality show” culture and watch true events the same way.

I didn’t turn on the news. Instead, I watched the Tour de France. Does that make me cold and uncaring? I’m not sure, but I really didn’t want to watch carnage.

After watching some cycling, I took a shower and logged into WordPress. I saw some interesting posts by the people who I follow and read a few. Soon, it was time to head for lunch.

I eat lunch every Friday with my dad, brother and some of our friends. Lunch is always in the backroom of Gondola Restaurant. As a result, we have come to be known as the Gondola Mafia. We talk about local issues, politics, economy, sports. It seems that we cover the same topics every week. In fact, I have been counting how many times I hear the same stories and complaints.

When lunch was over, I returned home and read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a great book that I started yesterday. I should be finished soon and will post about it. It is an amazing story that has impacted everyone reading these words.

I read while I waited for the delivery of a piece of furniture. I needed a new bedside table and got one earlier in the week. The store said it would be between 3:00 and 5:00. I was prepared to wait until 6:00, but they hit the middle at 4:00.

Eventually, I turned on the news and caught up on the events in Colorado. It is a tragedy, and I wish the information providers would show respect and let the police do their jobs instead of trying to be the first to know everything. On top of that, I am probably too cynical, but I am not comfortable watching the two guys running from president falling all over themselves in an attempt to show the country who could be the most sympathetic.

So, that was the extent of my day. Maybe, my mind is blank because I killed too many brain cells with a day full of blankness.

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It Takes a Village

20 Jul

There is a neighborhood in Nashville that sits between Vanderbilt University and Belmont University. It is called Hillsboro Village and is home to a collection of eclectic stores, restaurants and hangout spots. It is also one of my favorite parts of the city and the place that I spent last evening.

The choices of Hillsboro Village are plentiful, and I have tried most of them. Painting ceramics at All Fired Up is something cool. Bosco’s is a great place to grab an appetizer and a drink. There is also Fido’s, an old pet shop that has been turned into a coffee shop. Perhaps, the most famous spot in the Village is The Pancake Pantry, a breakfast mecca where Nashvillians stand in the waiting line as a rite of passage.

My girlfriend and I didn’t hit any of those places last night because we were headed to the best thing about the neighborhood, the Belcourt Theater.

It is not large and decadent like Atlanta’s Fox Theater, but it has an interesting history. Opened in 1925, the theater showed silent films and became the temporary home of the Grand Ole Opry. Later, it became a playhouse and concert hall. Today, it is a great place to see independent films and concerts. Big Bonus! Alcohol is sold at the same concession stand where you can buy Goober’s.

We saw Moonrise Kingdom, a Wes Anderson film with Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand. However, the stars were the two kids who the story revolved around. In case someone wants to see the movie, I will not write about the story, but it was a great film. I always like seeing big stars in small movies because they seem to be doing it for love rather than money.

After the movie, we walked across the street to Taps, a restaurant in an old house.

I wanted to sit on the front porch and enjoy the evening but found the tables filled. At first, I was disappointed to sit inside, but it turned into a treat that only Nashville can provide. On the small stage, if it was even a stage, songwriters took turns playing their songs. Now, songwriters are not great singers, but, when they start playing stuff that you recognize, you listen anyway. The last songwriter had songs that had been recorded by Kenny Rogers, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and George Strait. Here was a successful songwriter singing his songs in a small restaurant on a side street. As I said, only in Nashville.

What’s more is that he was doing it in a glorified hamburger joint. But, it was a heck of a hamburger. Taps specializes in stuffed hamburgers, and mine was stuffed with habanero and jalapeno peppers. I believe that it was the best hamburger I’ve ever eaten.

Oh, another thing that may only happen in Nashville. My table had Kris Kristofferson’s face painted on it. I tweeted that fact, and a former student and fellow blogger wanted me to link a picture. Alas, I forgot to take one.

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Listeria – New Mexico Edition

17 Jul

New Mexico is one of my favorite states. How’s that for a short and to-the-point sentence? It is a place that I have visited numerous times, both for my job and for pleasure. Each time I go, I discover something new about the state and about myself. That’s the kind of place that New Mexico is.

Last night, I was grocery shopping and made my way over to the magazine aisle. There, I picked up a copy of Cowboys & Indians (a very non-politically correct title) and flipped through the pages – mostly looking at the pictures. That’s when I noticed some recognizable scenes. Turns out, they were part of an article called “100 Reasons We Love New Mexico”.

Another list after recently writing about lists! And, this list is about New Mexico! So, the magazine people did their job and sold a copy. I took it home; read through the list; and realized that I knew a bunch of things on the list. After counting, I had experienced 41 items on the list. Not bad for a history professor in Tennessee.

In homage of a great state, this is the list of the 41 things I have experienced on the Cowboys & Indians list of 100. First, a few disclaimers. The number is where the magazine has each item listed. Second, the quoted comments in bold come from the magazine, and the comments without quotes come from me. Third, the photographs come from me, so I don’t have pictures of everything.

1. “First impressions: clean air, blue skies, clear light; soft colors.” New Mexico definitely has plenty of each.

2. “The Sangre de Cristos Mountains.” They look over Santa Fe.

4. “The high road to Taos!” I’ve driven on the road but not all the way to Taos.

6. “Sunset at La Fonda’s rooftop Bell Tower bar in Santa Fe.” This place is on top of one of Santa Fe’s premiere hotels and provides a great view of the Santa Fe Plaza.

7. “The view of the Santa Fe and Jemez Mountains from the Cross of the Martyrs. Dedicated in 1920 to commemorate the 21 friars and numerous Spanish colonists killed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, the site is accessible by stairs from Paseo de la Loma.” This site has a few issues. First, parking is a problem. Second, it doesn’t say anything about the Native Americans killed by the Spanish.

11. “Ristra hanging everywhere.” El Pinto in Albuquerque is my favorite place to see these.

12. “The pinyon, the cherished state tree names by Spanish explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in the 1530s.” These plants are everywhere and are an important part of the state’s landscape.

15. “The Sandia Mountains at sunset.” This is truly a beautiful sight.

16. “The Zia symbol for the sun (from the ancient Zia Pueblo people) flying on the red and gold (for Spain) state flag.” The state capitol, which I walked around and through this year, is also built in this shape.

17. “Pueblo cliff dwellings and Kokopelli’s image among the ruins at Bandelier National Monument.” This is a great hike, and there is also a great visitor center with a grill and gift shop.

19. “Frito pie – served in the bag – at the Five & Dime on Santa Fe Plaza.” It’s also a great place to buy t-shirts.

22. “The oldest Madonna in the country, Our Lady La Conquistadora statue (she arrived in 1625 with the Franciscans), in the chapel at Santa Fe’s cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi; and in the cathedral’s outside portico, the Blessed Kateri statue of Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-80, Mohawk-Algonquin), the first North American Indian to be beatified.” No building in the downtown district can be taller than the towers of the cathedral.

24. “A museum pass and a shuttle ride up for a day on Santa Fe’s Museum Hill.” I must admit that I have never taken a shuttle to the hill, but I have walked through the maze several times.

25. “Friday night gallery walks along Canyon Road.” I have never been there at night, but I have walked through the galleries. I have even witnessed a few friends make purchases.

26. “Herds of elk.” This is one of the items that field trips students are supposed to mark off on their list. Sometimes we see them, sometimes we don’t.

29. “Scoring a find at the Pueblo of Tesuque Flea Market.” I have bought a few things at the flea market, but the best was a tall cup of prickly pear lemonade.

30. “Meditative moments inside the thick, old adobe walls of the lovely San Miguel Mission Church, perhaps the oldest church in the country (1610-26).” On this year’s field trip, some of our students helped make new adobe bricks for the church.

36. “Hiking slot canyons at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument on the Cochiti Pueblo through formations that look like giant rock soft ice cream cones or petrified sand castles.” We hiked Tent Rocks for the first time this year, and it was a fantastic experience.

43. “Albuquerque’s Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, the gate way to New Mexico’s 19 pueblos.” I went here several years ago, and, admittedly, don’t remember much about it.

47. “The healing shrine of Santurio de Chimayo.” This church is a pilgrimage for those suffering from various ailments and maladies. The dirt in the side chapel supposedly has healing properties. Whether you believe that or not, it is a beautiful church.

50. “Shopping for turquoise and silver from the licensed American Indian vendors under the historic portal of the Palace of the Governors on the Santa Fe Plaza.” The Palace of the Governors is the oldest government building in the United States. If you walk its exterior to buy something from the vendors, then you need to remember to negotiate the prices with them.

51. “The Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos.” This is a great museum about New Mexico’s impact on the 20th Century. Los Alamos was the place where scientists built the first atomic bombs, and the museum chronicles the history of the town.

53. “The De Vargas Street House in Santa Fe for its history, tiny museum…Built ca. 1646, it is reputedly one of the oldest homes in the country.” It sits across the street from #30.

56. “Chacoan ruins…in Chaco Culture National Historic Park.” This is a great place to visit. Interesting ruins. Great mesa hike. But, it is a pain getting there.

58. “Georgia O’Keefe – from the eponymous museum in Santa Fe to her Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu homes to her seeming presence everywhere in the high-desert landscapes she loved and painted.” I have been to the museum and seen her house in Ghost Ranch, but the best part of the O’Keefe experience is hiking the mesa at Ghost Ranch. It overlooks one of her favorite landscapes.

60. “Four Corners Monument, marking the only place in the United States where four states – New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado – meet.” When I was a kid, my parents searched for this place forever so I could lie down in four states at once. A few years ago,  I went as an adult and wanted to do it again. They had it fenced off for construction, and I could only walk around in four states.

67. “Exploring old mining towns and galleries along the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway.” I have purchased several pieces of art in Madrid, but I think I like Cerrillos better. For a special experience, try making a concert at Two Rocks and a Hubcap.

72. “The 16-mile scenic drive…at White Sands National Monument.” This is one of the strangest landscapes in the United States. You are driving along typical New Mexico landscape when there are suddenly sand dunes everywhere.

74. “Fry bread stands.” I didn’t realize until I tried this that Native Americans invented the funnel cake.

76. “Hiking Inscription Loop Trail at El Morro National Monument and taking in some 2,000 petroglyphs and Spanish inscriptions dating back to the 1600s.” This is an amazing trail because the inscriptions make you feel that you are hiking through time.

77. “An extraterrestrial day in Roswell.” The most famous UFO crash in American history happened outside of town, and the downtown museum is a perfect destination for conspiracy theorists.

81. “Going subterranean at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.” You know a cave is cool when you hike into it and ride an elevator out of it.

85. “Ghost towns.” My favorites are Cuervo, which sits along I-40, and Shakespeare, which is in the southeast corner of the state.

86. “Hiking in a collapsed volcanic crater at Valles Caldera National Preserve.” Ok, I haven’t hiked it, but I have driven along its rim. This is the place to see the elk of #26.

87. “Stargazing at the Very Large Array in Socorro.” Ok, I went there during the day, but it is still impressive. It is also where Jodie Foster first heard the alien transmissions in Contact.

89. “Green chili cheeseburgers – at Bobcat Bite, Bert’s Burger Bowl, and all along the green chili cheeseburger trail.” I have dined at both restaurants, and Bobcat Bite is the best by far. I don’t care what Guy Fieri says.

90. “An abundance of ancient ruins and petroglyphs that are now national and state monuments and historic parks.” The magazine lists a bunch of these, but I am only including the ones I have visited. Chaco Culture National Historic Park. Bandelier National Monument. El Morro National Monument. Petroglyph National Monument. Pecos National Historic Park. Coronado State Monument. I wonder what the difference is between a “historic park” and a “monument”.

92. “A docent tour at the New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors on the Plaza in Santa Fe.” The New Mexico History Museum is the best museum I have ever visited.

93. “American Indian pottery, from Maria and Julian Martinez to Barbara and Joseph Cerno.” A few years ago, I bought a piece of Martinez pottery, and it is one of my prized possessions.

95. “Historic Route 66.” You can’t go anywhere in the Albuquerque area without crossing it.

97. “The miraculous staircase in Santa Fe’s Loretto Chapel.” I saw this on That’s Incredible when I was a kid but never knew where it was. One day, I walked into this church, and, lo and behold, I found it.

There you have it – my version of New Mexico Listeria.

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My iPod Has Issues – The Name Game

16 Jul

It’s been a while since I delved into the psyche of my iPod. For those who don’t know, my iPod has no direction and is misunderstood by a lot of people. It is filled with music from different genres and time periods. It has been told that it contains nothing less than 20 years old. I’m not sure that is true, but it definitely has an old soul. Most people who listen to my iPod have a difficult time understanding how such a collection could have come together in the first place.

This blog is littered with posts about my iPod, and you can psychoanalyze it yourself here, here, and here. In these couch sessions, I simply hit shuffle and list the songs that pop up. Indeed, it is a wide variety, but I still can’t see why people say “can we please listen to something else?” when my iPod is trying to entertain them.

In this post, I am looking at my iPod from an altered perspective by focusing on one of its playlists. This one is called “What’s In a Name?” and contains selections that have the names of people in their titles. Clever, huh? So, a dosey-doe and here we go.

1. “All About Clovis Ledbetter” by Jerry Clower

2. “Rocky’s Reward” by Bill Conti

3. “Rhiannon” by Stevie Nicks

4. “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” by The Ramones

5. “Ziggy Stardust” by David Bowie

6. “William, It Was Really Nothing” by The Smiths

7. “Jack & Coke” by Lynda Kay

8. “Truck Turner” by Isaac Hayes

9. “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John

10. “Sonny Got Caught in the Moonlight” by Robbie Robertson

11. “Jack & Diana” by John Mellencamp

12. “Willie, Waylon and Me” by David Allan Coe

13. “Marriage of Dale and Ming” by Queen

14. “Death of Floyd Collins” by John Prine and Mac Wiseman

15. “Jolene” by Dolly Parton

16. “Father Ramirez” by Ennio Morricone

17. “Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones

18. “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde” by Merle Haggard

19. “Caroline No” by The Beach Boys

20. “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys

I really don’t think my iPod is all that strange.

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Cartoons Do It Better

14 Jul

Tonight, I saw The Amazing Spider-Man, the top ranked movie at the moment. It was a good movie and was very entertaining. However, this is the second installment of Spider-Man in recent years, and both face a problem. It doesn’t matter who stars – Tobey Macguire or Andrew Garfield. It doesn’t matter if it’s in 3-D or on IMAX. It doesn’t matter how many cameos Stan Lee has. No Spider-Man can compete with this one.

I grew up watching reruns of the 1960s cartoon version of the superhero. The background was frozen, and the characters barely moved. But, I couldn’t wait to see what villain would show up next. The Green Goblin was my favorite.

He had an awesome flying cycle and threw flaming jack-o-lanterns. At least, they looked like jack-o-lanterns to me.

However, the coolest part was the theme song that stuck into the minds of kids everywhere. So cool, it was covered by The Ramones. You know the beat, and you know the words.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man

Does whatever a spider can:

Spins a web, any size,

Catches thieves just like flies–

Look out: Here comes the Spider-Man.

Is he strong?

Listen bud,

He’s got radioactive blood.

Can he swing from a thread?

Take a look overhead;

Hey there– There goes the Spider-Man.

In the chill of night

At the scene of a crime

Like a streak of light

He arrives just in time.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man

Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Wealth and fame He’s ignored

Action is his reward.

To him, life is a great big bang up

Wherever there’s a hang up

You’ll find the Spider-Man.

And remember, the cartoon is always IN COLOR.

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Conversations at a Funeral

13 Jul

This week, we buried the father of my good friend. His death was expected, but that did not lessen the grief of the family and friends. The visitation and funeral were held in what I believe is our town’s best funeral home, housed in a stately manor that was the home of the Confederate Governor of Tennessee. He never took office because Union troops took Nashville rather quickly.

I have always found the actions of people at visitations and funerals interesting. I tend to sit back, observe and eavesdrop on conversations; and, in the process, I discover something interesting. There will almost always be an old lady who says, “It’s an awful good turnout.” It’s like she is talking about the crowd at  a ballgame or something.

Since I brought up sports, I should mention that it is the main topic of conversation among the men at a visitation. What’s going to happen this season? Are you going to watch the game tonight? There is also talk of work and travel. A constant line is “I haven’t seen you in forever.” On and on, the conversations go, but there is one topic that is hardly mentioned – DEATH.

The funeral service even stays away from death. The preachers talk about “the next life” and “everlasting life”. There is talk of this not being the end but rather the beginning. I realize this is done to comfort everyone. People at visitations avoid the topic of death because they are facing it at that very moment. Family and friends don’t want to hear about the ending of a loved one’s life, so people talk about the opposite.

Heck, I did it myself. My friend and I talked about funny stories from our past. The best one I had actually forgotten. In high school, we played a lot of backyard football and basketball at his house. Just picture a bunch of nerdy, non-athletic kids pretending like they could do something without falling all over themselves. His driveway was concrete, and that is where we were playing basketball.

One of us nerdy, non-athletic kids (not me) wanted to be like Mike and threw a behind-the-back pass. Unfortunately, the kid he was throwing it to had never heard of a behind-the-back pass and caught the ball with the bridge of his nose. The same bridge that supported his glasses. As you can imagine, glass, metal and blood went everywhere. As we stood in stunned silence, the bloody kid bent over and kept saying over and over, “I’m going to bleed on your driveway! I’m going to bleed on your driveway!”

There was another story from when were in college. My friend and I were picking up some girls to take to a party, and they answered the door wearing nothing but towels. However, I won’t bore you with the details.

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Seeing a Whiter Shade of Pale

12 Jul

I have always been fascinated by Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale“. It is a song that takes me into a magical, dreamlike world where the atmosphere is slightly askew. In this world, a man and woman dance as the crowd cheers them on. When they are alone, he whispers something into her ear, and she suddenly leaves. What did he say? Was it his view of her future with him? Was it something she knew she must get away from? Whatever it was, it turned her cold as the blood drained from her face and made her run. After she leaves, he sits despondent until another woman enters his world. Unfortunately for him, the story repeats itself.

We skipped the light fandango

Turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor

I was feeling kind of seasick

But the crowd called out for more

The room was humming harder

As the ceiling flew away

When we called out for another drink

The waiter brought a tray

And so it was that later

As the miller told his tale

That her face at first turned ghostly

Turned a whiter shade of pale

She said there is no reason

And the truth is plain to see

That I wander through my playing cards

And would not let her be

One of sixteen vestal virgins

Who were leaving for the coast

And although my eyes were open

They might just as well been closed

And so it was later

As the miller told his tale

That her face at first just ghostly

Turned a whiter shade of pale

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Listeria

11 Jul

I was at the pharmacy buying legal drugs and had to wait the required 20 minutes for them to fill my prescription. There were five druggists and one customer, so I’m not sure why it should take that long. Maybe, they were sampling their merchandise. Anyway, I entertained myself by looking at greeting cards; checking out the new wave of condoms; and, in the end, heading over to the magazine stand. There, in the middle of the too-much-about-celebrities and the too-little-about-sports, I found TIME: The 100 Most Influential People of All Time.

I know what these “list” magazines are. They are a way for magazines to make some extra money and maybe get new subscribers. They are pointless because the lists are totally subjective, and there is no way of knowing how they came up with the names. Besides, what makes 100 so special anyway? It’s just a round number. Despite all of that, I am a sucker for these types of things. I even bought Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and made sure I had all of the songs on my iPod. This, despite the fact that “Like a ROLLING STONE” by Bob Dylan was ranked Numero Uno, and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The ROLLING STONES came in second. Talk about subjective lists with self-promotion.

As you can probably imagine, I bought the history list, too. I am a historian who likes lists. What can I say? Now, I’m not going to go through the entire list, but a few things stood put to me.

1. There are a few people on the list who are subject to speculation in their actual existence. There’s Abraham, Jesus Christ, Confucius. Heck, some people even doubt the reality of William Shakespeare. Yet, they are on the list. Let me set this straight. I am not saying that they did not exist. They, or the inspiration for them, probably did. Also, there is no doubt of the impact that they and their followers have had on the world. I only think it is interesting that the list includes people who may not have actually been people.

2. There are four U.S. presidents on the list – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. I have already written about what I think of our presidents, so I won’t go into great detail. However, this brings some thoughts to mind. First, these four did a great job and left an impact on the world. Second, the other forty haven’t done much. I mean, these guys are always called “the leader of the free world” and are said to hold “the most powerful office in the world”. If that’s true, then why are there not more on the list?

I’ll tell you why. None of that is really true. There are a lot of leaders of “the free world”, and the presidency is not even supposed to be “the most powerful office” in the United States. The three branches – executive, legislative and judicial – are equal. It’s a team effort, and the president is supposed to run the day-to-day operations. Obviously, this job description has been skewed through the years by the people in office (definitely by the four on the list), but the fact remains that the presidency is supposed be no more powerful or influential than the other areas of government.

3. One of the presidents, Roosevelt is on the list along with Winston Churchill. Undoubtedly, they made it because of their efforts against Adolph Hitler (who is also on the list) during World War II. In my opinion, all three of those people deserve their listing. I’m sure a lot of people object to Hitler’s presence, but the list is about influence, not humanity. He started a war that shaped the rest of the 20th Century – from technology to the Cold War.

Mentioning the Cold War leads me to the issue with this grouping. Where is Joseph Stalin? He was one of the Big Three who fought against Nazi Germany. In fact his nation was actually invaded by German troops. Want to know an interesting statistic? More Soviet women died in combat than American men. On top of that, his policies shaped the 20th Century as well.

4. I also find it interesting that my area of historical study, the American West, is also included. I just can’t figure out why. Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Sacagawea make the list for their journey through the Louisiana Territory. It’s important for the United States, but I am not sure about its influence on the world. First, someone had already made the trek through Canada. Second, most of their travels went through lands already ventured into by Europeans. Third, Native Americans had been there for a long time.

Speaking – actually, writing – of Native Americans. Sitting Bull is on the list. This is one of my favorite people from history, and I will visit the Battle of Little Big Horn, the site of his greatest victory, in a few weeks. However, I don’t see how the killing of George Custer makes him one of the top 100. Sitting Bull didn’t even lead forces into battle because he was recovering from the Sun Dance. He is tattoo worthy, though.

As written earlier, I will not go through the entire list, but I will mention my favorites from each category.

In “Beacon of Spirits”, I like the inclusion of Socrates and Plato.

“Explorers and Visionaries” has Charles Darwin and Alexander Graham Bell, with whom I share a last name. Unfortunately, we are not related.

Queen Elizabeth I and Simon Bolivar are listed under “Leaders of the People”.

“Architects of Culture” includes Michelangelo and Louis Armstrong.

That’s it. If you were on the committee, then who would you put on the list?

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