Category Archives: Transitions

Humanity Dick & The Donkey

If I had a donkey wot wouldn’t go, D’ ye think I’d wollop him? No, no, no! But gentle means I’d try, d’ ye see, Because I hate all cruelty. If all had been like me, in fact, There’d ha’ been no occasion for Martin’s Act. Music hall song inspired by the prosecution of Bill BurnsContinue reading “Humanity Dick & The Donkey”

The Vicar Who Went to Prison

We have all felt that initial exuberance of being a part of something new, something important.  When we are in a meeting of like-minded individuals, it is easy to embrace a call to action, kindled by the warmth of friendship and the desire to do great things, to make a difference.  Beginnings bestow the qualityContinue reading “The Vicar Who Went to Prison”

The Group of Twenty-Two

Margaret Mead’s rallying call of “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has,” has inspired many to undertake courageous, seemingly insurmountable tasks.  In the 20th century, Margaret Mead recognized the universal truth that sweeping movements generally begin with an idea sharedContinue reading “The Group of Twenty-Two”

Outliers & The Man from Wales

“To train and educate the rising generation will at all times be the first object of society, to which every other will be subordinate”. (The Social System, 1826) From the Foundation Axioms of Owen’s “Society for Promoting National Regeneration” In statistics, an outlier is simply an observation that is situated a significant distance from theContinue reading “Outliers & The Man from Wales”

All the Children

“The smallest child in the factories were scavengers……they go under the machine, while it is going……….it is very dangerous when they first come, but they become used to it.” Charles Aberdeen worked in a Manchester cotton factory, written in 1832. Men of business and creative inventors are lauded for their contribution to the rise ofContinue reading “All the Children”

Mighty Machines

Mark Frauenfeder, Editor-in-chief, Make, wrote the “The spinning wheel made England into a powerhouse.”  The spinning wheel in question, however, was not a home-style spinning wheel that resided in a rustic cottage in the country. The textile machines of the eighteenth century transformed a nation.  Great Britain’s dominance in the textile industry was safeguarded becauseContinue reading “Mighty Machines”