Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Pride Before the Fall by Devon Rhodes Pride Comes Before the Fall: 10 Fascinating Details About Confederate States of America You Don’t Know. As an independent nation with its own government and laws, the Confederate States of America soon acquired much of the bureaucracy of modern governments, including a Post Office, Mint, (by taking over former US Mints) and Patent Office. Rufus Rhodes, a former official of the United States Patent Office from Mississippi, served as the only Commissioner of the Confederate Patent Office. During its first year in existence – 1861 – the office issued 57 patents, in contrast with the over three thousand issued by the US Patent Office. Over a third of the patents issued during the first year were for improvements to firearms or other weapons of war, although other patents for farm implements, a steam driven plow, textile machines, and other inventions were issued. The patent office suffered from a lack of working space (it was located on the third floor of the Mechanic’s Institute in Richmond) and reference materials, as well as a budget which precluded the acquisition of books and technical literature essential to its work. Over the course of its existence the Confederate Patent Office would issue 266 patents. The design and manufacture of the armor plate which covered the former USS Merrimack leading to its becoming the CSS Virginia was patented by its designer, and contested by its builder. Both were awarded patents for their work on the ship. Review of the surviving records of the Confederate Patent Office reveals how some of the privations of war affected the South as the war went on. By 1863, shortages of leather led to the application of no fewer than four patents for wooden soled shoes. The Confederate Patent Office issued one of the first patents which was developed around submarine technology, for the CSS H L Hunley . The prevalence of the Union blockade led to numerous patents being applied for based on new methods of destroying Union ships, including mines, electric torpedoes, and delayed fuses. The Confederate Patent Office and its records were officially destroyed after the fall of Richmond, but further research into many of the innovations found there continued under the auspices of the US Navy after the war. Pride Comes Before the Fall: 10 Fascinating Details About Confederate States of America You Don’t Know. One of the leading arguments for secession was that each state voluntarily entered its contract with the Union and thus each state retained the right to voluntarily leave it, based on the sovereignty of its people. It has been argued that this adherence to the rights of individual states over the authority of a central government is a leading cause of the failure of the Confederacy. Both President Jefferson Davis and Vice President Alexander Stephens were elected to single six year terms of office under the Confederate Constitution. Davis took many steps to centralize authority, such as the conscription laws, over which he was opposed by several state governors and his Vice President, who called Davis’s usurpation of authority tyrannical. “History proved the dangers of such unchecked authority,” said Stephens in opposition to a strong central government. By 1863 some governor’s opposition to conscription had led them to deny the use of troops from their state by the central government, claiming that they were needed defend against local threats. When the draft exemption for newspaper editors and reporters was eliminated many states protested that it was a thinly veiled attempt to stifle dissent by sending editors into the Army. Despite the wide range of political differences in the Confederate Congress and throughout its government, the emergence of organized political parties did not take place in the Confederacy. Without a two party system the debate during the Congressional elections of 1863 were largely without any national, or even regional focus, and instead concentrated on narrow personal levels. Jefferson Davis was a former US Senator and Secretary of War and was well aware of the need to prosecute a major war through an unbending, united effort. His attempt to consolidate the power he needed to do so made him largely unpopular as President of the Confederacy, and the growing shortages at home and military failures after 1863 further eroded his authority and popularity. THE SLED. Various Artists (Concept albums & Themed compilations) Various Genres. From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website. (Free shipping on orders over 10 cds) VARIOUS ARTISTS (CONCEPT ALBUMS & THEMED COMPILATIONS) The Sled ratings distribution. VARIOUS ARTISTS (CONCEPT ALBUMS & THEMED COMPILATIONS) The Sled reviews. Collaborators/Experts Reviews. 15 songs, nearly 80 minutes in length: one thing I really enjoyed about this album is the sheer variety, and it has allowed me to come across bands I have not heard of before. 'The Sled' starts with two of these, Jennifer Cutting's Ocean Orchestra and Jack Potter. 'Fall Leaves, Fall' is stunning in its arrangement, and I felt that I was listening to a reborn version of Renaissance, with beautiful orchestration, great woodwind, stunning rock guitar, and a singer who reminded me of Annie Haslam. A short piece of detective work later and I discovered that it was indeed Annie and that this song came out a few years ago. This is one of the delights of this album, as it truly is meant to be broad and wide-reaching, so while it does include songs from MRR artists, of course, it isn't restricted to just that. Jack Potter's 'Snow Globe' is delicate, starting with just piano and again wonderful vocals, this time care of Salley Elsey. Taken from the 'Pride Before The Fall' album which was released earlier this year, I was reading more about it when I started filling up and had to compose myself for a minute. The reason is that one of the guitarists is none other than Colin Tench, and I don't think any of us who knew him will ever really get over his loss last Christmas, so to find him on a Christmas album for 2018 feels both poignant and fitting. I know he would have a laugh about it. I have always been a fan of Don Schiff, so it is great to see him here, while one of MRR's newest signings, DC Snakebuster shows that rough and raw blues, with some great harmonica, also has a place at Christmas. Federico Fantacone provides some gorgeous piano, while Darrel Treece- Birch treats us to a song from his new album, 'The first step..is to take one' with the glorious 'For Giving' which contains not only the sweeping keyboards we have come to expect but also some glorious guitar. Andy John Bradford is in fine form with 'Raise A Glass For Christmas', and overall the whole album is a delight. So, what are you waiting for? This album is streaming until the end of January, but you can get your own copy now just by doing something for others at Christmas. Surely that is what the season should be about, instead of the commercial brashness it has become? Think outside the box, make a difference. Many already do so without any thought of reward, and for those who do, then here is a gift from some wonderful musicians just to say thanks. 1970: A First-Person Account of the First Gay Pride March. One year after the Stonewall Riots galvanized New York’s fearful gay men and lesbians into fighters, a handful of us planned our first march. We had no idea how it would turn out. We weren’t even certain we would be granted a permit. And now, here we were, June 28, 1970, with people gathered west of Sixth Avenue at Waverly Place. We wondered if we would be able to get them to move off the curb. This was long before anyone had heard of a “Gay Pride March.” Back then, it took a new sense of audacity and courage to take that giant step into the streets of Midtown Manhattan. One by one, we encouraged people to join the assembly. Finally, we began to move up Sixth Avenue. I stayed at the head of the march the entire way, and at one point, I climbed onto the base of a light pole and looked back. I was astonished; we stretched out as far as I could see, thousands of us. There were no floats, no music, no boys in briefs. The cops turned their backs on us to convey their disdain, but the masses of people kept carrying signs and banners, chanting and waving to surprised onlookers. No one was more responsible for conceiving and organizing that first march on the last Sunday in June than Craig Rodwell. Craig had opened the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop on Christopher Street in 1967—two years before Stonewall. After we became partners, we ran the shop together. Craig and I had both participated in Stonewall, and the Oscar Wilde soon became Information Central. As the first gay bookshop in the country, we amassed something that proved to be invaluable for organizing a march: our mailing list. What guaranteed its eventual success, however, was the transformation of the gay movement itself. Before Stonewall, gay leaders had primarily promoted silent vigils and polite pickets, such as the “Annual Reminder” in Philadelphia. Since 1965, a small, polite group of gays and lesbians had been picketing outside Liberty Hall. The walk would occur in silence. Required dress on men was jackets and ties; for women, only dresses. We were supposed to be unthreatening. As a young member of the Mattachine Society, Craig had originated this idea, but it was quickly taken over by older, conservative members. By the time Craig left New York a few days after the Stonewall Riots for the 1969 Reminder (it was to be the last), we had already discussed moving the annual event to New York. When Craig returned from Philadelphia, he was blistering over an incident: Washington Mattachine’s Frank Kameny told two women holding hands that there would be “none of that” and broke them apart. This physical act confirmed for Craig that we needed something much bigger and bolder than the Mattachine Society. In the weeks following Craig’s return from Philadelphia, we had meetings with other gay groups at the Oscar Wilde and in our Bleecker Street apartment. All over the city, people were holding similar meetings, all of us seeking a way to channel this explosion of energy. The bookshop became the intersection for the newly formed Gay Liberation Front, Gay Activists Alliance, the Lavender Menace, and some of the “student homophile leagues” popping up on college campuses. While we pushed ahead to organize the march, we were also forced to confront the negative press that continued after the Stonewall riots. In October 1969, Time magazine’s story, “The Homosexual in America,” described six “homosexual types,” including the “blatant” homosexual recognizable as the “catty hairdresser,” or the “lisping, limp-wristed interior decorator.” The “homosexual subculture,” the article stated, “is without question shallow and unstable.” That November, our group protested outside the Time-Life building. Getting everyone together for the Stonewall anniversary march proved to be a challenge. In the fall of 1969, the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations met in Philadelphia. Two women, Ellen Broidy and Linda Rhodes, were instrumental in getting a resolution for that first march passed. New York Mattachine was the sole holdout. After months of planning and internal controversy, the Christopher Street Liberation Day Umbrella Committee negotiated with more than a dozen very different gay organizations. One of the largest hurdles was which group would have the honor of heading the march. It was only when Craig and Michael Brown, who’d arranged for those first permits, decided that each group would have one representative was the matter finally settled. Even the question of a chant was endlessly discussed—the winner: “Say it clear, say it loud. Gay is good, gay is proud.” Craig and police brass worked out a glitch over permits for the parade and the post-parade “Gay-In” in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow only moments before the events began. After nearly a year of 1960s-style back-and-forth consciousness-raising, it’s no wonder that by the time we finally started walking, we were already spent. But, like everyone else that day, we were filled with a new energy and hope. It was only after the march that these gay pioneers realized what might be possible. Of course, at the time, we could never have predicted that our efforts would lead to hundreds of millions of people gathering together around the world. Today, people celebrate Gay Pride from San Francisco to São Paulo, Melbourne to Moscow—all thanks to people like Craig and Michael, who laid the groundwork for what has become the world’s largest and one of its most prominent human rights demonstrations. Fred Sargeant is a retired lieutenant from the Stamford, Connecticut, police department. He appears in the documentary ‘Stonewall Uprising.’ Page Not Found! We're sorry, but we can't find the page you were looking for. It's probably some thing we've done wrong but now we know about it and we'll try to fix it. In the meantime, try one of these options: Go to Previous Page Go to Homepage. Subscribe to Our Newsletter. About WPM. Wild Planet Photo Magazine. A publication focused on bringing you advice, inspirational photography, tutorials, tests, tips, the latest news and more. ©Wild Planet Photo Magazine All rights reserved The 'Wild Planet Photo Magazine' name is registered with the UK Copyright service UK©CS Registration No: 284695534. Any copyright infringement will be against international copyright law.