Chinese Dissident Liu Xiaobo (1955-2017) Dies at 61

Here is a writeup and an overview. China needs more like him. I'll leave you with the indelible image of his empty chair at the 2010 Nobel ceremony that China's leadership did not permit him to attend, for it had imprisoned him the year before. Oh, and do take a look at his lecture.

Happy Fourth from Colonial Williamsburg

Movie Madness: Fun Films for the Fourth of July

The Cine-Sibling and I offer these options for your viewing pleasure if you're whiling away the hours before fireworks tonight!

In the interest of full disclosure: I vetoed with extreme prejudice his suggestion of the first Transformers movie. As for Saving Private Ryan ... Well, my list only has room for one movie rescuing Matt Damon, and I wanted something fun and less bloody for a summer holiday.

Here are our picks in alphabetical order:

• 1776 (1972)
• Air Force One (1997)
• Apollo 13 (1995)
• Argo (2012)
• Armageddon (1998)
• Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
• Die Hard (1988)
• Glory (1989)
• The Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Independence Day (1996)
• The Martian (2015)
• Miracle (2004)
• The Patriot (2000)
• Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Meet Mary Katherine Goddard

She printed the Declaration and was the first female postmaster in the colonies in 1775 in Baltimore.

Thomas Jefferson's Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence

Remember, when we see the (glorious) finished product, we see only the final result of a long, arduous process of writing and editing and rewriting and re-editing and compromise and debate. Here is a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence!