David mackenzie

It’s been nearly half a century since David McCullough published “The Johns­town Flood,” which initiated his career as our matchless master of popular history. His 10th book, “The Wright Brothers,” has neither the heft of his earlier volumes nor, in its intense focus on a short period in its subjects’ lives, the grandness of vision that made those works as ambitious as they were compelling. Yet this is nonetheless unmistakably McCullough: a story of timeless importance, told with uncommon empathy and fluency. It does not begin promisingly. The first 30 or so pages consist of a somewhat desultory recounting of early years in the Wright household. But then 32-year-old Wilbur writes a letter to the Smithsonian, requesting any papers they have, or know of, regarding human flight. “I am an enthusiast,” he assures whoever might open the letter, “but not a crank in the sense that I have some pet theories as to the proper construction of a flying machine.” Did he ever. There is no fortuity … [Read more...] about ‘The Wright Brothers,’ by David McCullough

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 17 PARIS (AP) — Paco Rabanne, the Spanish-born designer known for perfumes sold worldwide and his metallic, space-age fashions, has died, the group that owns his fashion house announced on its website Friday. "The House of Paco Rabanne wishes to honor our visionary designer and founder who passed away today at the age of 88. Among the most seminal fashion figures of the 20th century, his legacy will remain,” the statement from beauty and fashion company Puig said. Le Telegramme newspaper quoted the mayor of Vannes, David Robo, as saying that Rabanne died at his home in the Brittany region town of Portsall. Rabanne’s fashion house shows its collections in Paris and is scheduled to unveil the brand’s latest ready-to-wear designs during the upcoming Feb. 27-March 3 fashion week. He was known as a … [Read more...] about Lauded fashion designer Paco Rabanne dies at age 88

After the excitement of the holidays and before the anticipation of spring break , there is another highly awaited classroom observance that schools all over the country will be celebrating: the 100th day of school. The 100th day is an important milestone because it means students are more than halfway through the year, as most schools have 180 days in their calendar year. It is also a great occasion to highlight how much children have learned since their academic year began. Marking the 100th day is particularly popular in kindergarten to second-grade classrooms because teachers are still heavily focused on reinforcing basic math skills and numbers. "When we start the school year, I talk to the kids about celebrating 100 days, and they really can't grasp how many days that is," says teacher Sara Garcia of St. John Paul II Catholic School in Houston. "In my classroom, we count the days, and when the kids return from their holiday break in January, the excitement begins because … [Read more...] about Academic milestone ‘100 days of school’ explained in Texas

Edmund Burke is enjoying a remarkable revival for a British statesman who has been dead since 1797. The last 18 months or so have brought books by Jesse Norman, Yuval Levin and Drew Maciag — a member of Parliament and two American scholars — placing him in the context of political traditions that endure to this day. Their subtitles tell the story: Burke is “The First Conservative” (Norman) or “The Father of Modern Conservatism” (Maciag) or present at “The Birth of Right and Left” (Levin). In “The Intellectual Life of Edmund Burke: From the Sublime and Beautiful to American Independence,” David Bromwich explores another facet of this complex thinker: “I write about Burke as a moral psychologist.” Bromwich, a Sterling professor of English at Yale, gives us a figure who may be unknown to readers familiar with Burke only from “Reflections on the Revolution in France” or his reputation as modern conservatism’s founding father. Bromwich’s Burke is one for whom “ordinary feelings such as … [Read more...] about ‘For the Common Good of Humankind’

The mystery of who closed two lanes onto the George Washington Bridge — turning the borough of Fort Lee, N.J., into a parking lot for four days in September — exploded into a full-bore political scandal for Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday. Emails and texts revealed that a top aide had ordered the closings to punish the town’s mayor after he did not endorse the governor for re-election. “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie, emailed David Wildstein , a high school friend of the governor who worked at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the bridge. Later text messages mocked concerns that school buses filled with students were stuck in gridlock: “They are the children of Buono voters,” Mr. Wildstein wrote, referring to Mr. Christie’s opponent Barbara Buono. The emails are striking in their political maneuvering, showing Christie aides gleeful about some of the chaos that resulted. Emergency … [Read more...] about Christie Faces Scandal on Traffic Jam Aides Ordered

If you’ve ever enjoyed something besides a burger off your favorite fast-food menu, you have one item, one person and one place to thank: the Egg McMuffin, its inventor Herb Peterson and the birthplace of the breakfast treat — Santa Barbara . I recently set out to have one served at the source, at the very spot where an egg was first cracked into a Teflon-coated iron ring and grilled on a flat top. And I wasn’t disappointed. ‘Where quality starts fresh every day’ Herb Peterson wasn’t a natural fit to invent a fast-food icon. He didn’t even start out by working in kitchens creating recipes. Instead, he was born and raised in Chicago, and after serving in the Marines during World War II and earning the rank of major, he returned home and started working for D’Arcy Advertising. There, he helped manage the firm’s biggest account, McDonald’s, a fast-food empire in its ascent. Peterson was on the team that created Ronald McDonald and is credited for coining the chain’s first … [Read more...] about ‘A little bit of perfection’: The California McDonald’s that invented the Egg McMuffin