native and very prominent family in albany, new york. news a skills survey air and the man who had just spent a dozen years laying out and mapping the future street grids of manhattan. we're here on 57 straight because 200 years ago john randolph put markers for thousands of a rectilinear blocks on what was then a very rugged and rural landscape. so john randall of the year is the background -- the path of the canal in the mohawk valley was supposed to be entirely along the southern bank of the river. using peters from the mohawk for to water the canal and now between and connecting in albany the mohawk makes a very big north toward art in the most eastern section of the mohawk river. with a false finally spilling the mohawk into the hudson. it now mandola involved himself in the process, he had been invited, he had been asked to becoming the engineer on the erie canal and has said no probably because he was still continuing his work in manhattan and have other projects to is doing but in any case at a certain point he asserts himself in

between schenectady and albany, the mohawk makes a very big north were dark. that in the most eastern section of the mohawk river. with the falls finally spilling the mohawk into the hudson. now randle involved himself in the process. he had been invited day she had been asked to become an engineer on the erie canal. he had said no probably because he was still continuing his work in manhattan and yet other projects he was doing but in any case at a certain point he inserts himself in this issue as the eastern end of the canal. and he thinks, and he publicizes his thoughts that the canal path to leave the mohawk valley at schenectady and take a much shorter and cheaper and direct route to albany along a route that he had mapped 15 years earlier. so randle starts making some noise about. he publishes some anonymous newspaper articles and anonymous pamphlet, and chief engineer wright decides just before the section of the canal is to be dealt, wright decide to go in the opposite direction. that is, not take randle to direct route or even continue along the south

native, very prominent family in albany in new york. he was a skilled surveyor and the man who had just been a dozen years laying out an mapping the future street grid of manhattan. we are here on 57th street because 200 years ago john randel put markers for thousands of blocks and in a very rugged and rural landscape. so john randel. here is the background. the path of the canal in the mohawk valley was supposed to be entirely along the southern bank of the river. using eaters from the mohawk to water the canal, to get water into the canal. between schenectady and albany, the mohawk makes a very big northwood park your bets and the most uterine section of the mohawk river. with coho falls finally spelling the mohawk into the hudson. doctrine by involving himself in the process. he had been invited, he had been asked to become an engineer on the erie canal. he had said no, probably because he was still continuing his work in manhattan and yet other projects that he was doing. but in any case at a certain point he inserts himself into th

route to albany. along the route that in fact he had mapped 15 years earlier. so randel starts making some noise about. he publishes some anonymous newspaper articles and an anonymous path of, and wright, chief engineer wright probably decides just for the section of the canal is to be dealt, wright decide to go right in the opposite direction. that is, not take randel direct route from schenectady to albany or even continue along the southern side of the mohawk as it arcs north and eventually down toward albany. . . >> the waste that we see in public works projects today has a long legacy. became bitter enemies. a couple of years later they wind up together on that chesapeake and delaware canal. a very short, but very important canal connecting chesapeake bay and delaware bay. the chief engineer. the chief contractor. and after a few months he gets rendell fired from the canal. the case eventually goes to the u.s. supreme court. he wins a quarter of a million dollars which is an extraordinary amount of money. the tenth of the value. it builds a mansion overloo

>> if someone were to transport i guess by steam one's barges from new york or philadelphia to albany, and in the to traverse the canal by -- with mules, does the canal company provide the mules or what do i not understand about that. >> you mean the workings, how the canal actually worked? well, yes. if one were to deliver one's barges to the canal, and by steam, and, the owner of the barges didn't have mules -- >> they did. i mean, the barges that operated on the canal, essentially the system was a barge and a mule and it was the mule that pulled the barge along the canal. maybe i'm not understanding your question. >> the barges started in new york. >> suppose they started in new york and philadelphia and were towed by steam, up to albany. >> right. >> and were left there, would be left there, and how did they traverse the canal to -- buffalo, for example. >> most goods would not come up the hudson river in barges, they got to the hudson river. >> initially, in sailing ships but ultimately in increasingly larger steam boats, a steamboat having been invented in 1807 and the canal com

once the canal opened and the way west was from albany to buffalo, that's how people went. and so when the first railroads were built in new york state, the first rail line was laid right parallel to the erie canal. and later the first interstate west through new york was laid right next to the railroad. and it wasn't until really after the civil war that the amount of freight carried by roads exceeded the amount of freight carried by the erie canal and other canals. >> i have sort of a follow-up question to that actually witches, are there any bits of the erie canal that are operational today for commerce rather than just historical reasons? >> right. as i think i mentioned, but birkenau is the current condition. the large part was done for the 1830s to the 1860s, and then from 1905 until 1917 the current canal was built, which is the canal for motorized barges and the mules go away, no motorized barges. and the current canal is essentially much straighter, much, much broader than the original canal. and there is -- i've been on the canal and there is now, probably not for

canada while general howell took his army with the royal navy up the hudson river and join withburg:in albany. but then he let him come by himself, and went after washington at philadelphia. it turned out to be an egregious blunder on howell's point. most people think the british could not have won the war after 1777. what i tried to argue in "almost a miracle: the american victory in the war of independence," in 1781, the last year the war broke out board began, america was very close to defeat. james lovell, a congressman from massachusetts, rhode a letter on the second day of seventeen 81 to john adams, and he began by saying we are bankrupt with a mutinous army. washington thought america had to score a decisive victory in 1781 or there would be no other chance, and john adams, who was in europe, was writing that the french would not remain in the war beyond 1781. they were looking for an hon. exit. had there not been a decisive victory, what probably would have happened, a european peace conference, and the european powers, who had no sympathy for an american republic. would have devised

but in state capitals like harrisburg, in sacramento, albany, springfield, all across this country, education is being challenged by the current economic crisis. we have to decide as americans and as pennsylvanians and every state in the union, are we going to continue educational prag or are we going to use this recession as an excuse for bringing it to a halt? are we going to give up because times are a little tough? are we going to mortgage our future because education is the future? it's our future for hispanic kids, for african american kids, but for all american kids. and this is not the time to give up on education. this is the time to stand strong. this is the time to stand strong. and if that means raising revenue, as difficult as that is in this political climate, revenue must be raised to presoys education, because it is the only way, it's the only way to empty our jails. it's the only way to have fairness in our economic system. it's the only way that everyone is going to have opportunity to get the best jobs, those cutting edge jobs that need high technology education. so number

the last in albany where she worked at his side. he trusted her and never knew that she would betray him. but placing a woman in the secretary's job expose him to criticism and ridicule. her list of proposals would stir heated opposition even among loyal supporters. the eight hour day was a standard plank of the socialist party. on implant insurance seemed improbable. direct aid to the unemployment would camp in his -- threaten his pledge. it was a job she prepared for all her life. she changed her name, appearance, even her age to make herself more effective labor advocate. she studied helm and fink said they could better succeed in a man's world. she had spent decades building alliances, still, she told the president-elect she needed more time to make her decision. the next day she visited her husband, the patient in a sanitarium. he was having a good day and understood when she told him about the job offer. his first impulse was to ferc for himself asking how this job might affect him. when she assured him he could remain where h

went to college at ciena which is up near albany. >> rob: had a chance to talk to his high school baseball coach when he was up in new york. he's a leader, he's got a big heart. i love watching this kid pitch. doesn't have the best stuff, but he's got the best approach. >> jim p.: but 88 to 93, that should get a lot of guys out if you can command your stuff. we all know he's got a good change-up. >> jim h.: looking at his numbers from last year, he went 9 and 15 and an e.r.a. of 3.91 and not seeing him all the time, the first wonder is how the heck can you go 9 and 15 with that impressive an e.r.a. markakis lifts it to left field. it hung up there just long enough for him and two men down. so markakis is retired and two away. he's not out of it yet, because here comes a red-hot hitter aubrey huff. >> jim p.: of course last year nobody in the american league with more extra-base hits. you can see the numbers right there, six rbi's, a home run, good numbers against the nats. also he's handled the lefties pretty well. >> jim h.: aubrey huff takes the strike on the curveball. now 10 home runs

sherry in albany, ohio, she is not medicare eligible, she is forced to consider borrowing from the equity in her home to pay her $1,070 premium through cobra. she had a job. she lost her job. she has to pay the employer and employee side to pay for her health insurance. that's the way cobra works. a good program, but a bit of a cruel hoax, if you lose your job, it is pretty hard to pay your premium and your employer's premium at the same time. she's considering borrowing against her house to pay for her health insurance for cobra for 18 months, she will get a little bit of help now, because in the stimulus package, we took he care of some of that. she that's to find a way until 65 to cobble together insurance. terry, a small business owner nearby in columbus, expects to pay 35% more this year to cover his employees. he wants to cover his employees, but he has a 30% increase. what's he supposed to do? especially when his business, i don't know a lot about his business, but so many small businesses are squeezed more and more because of the economy. so we know these stories, and that's why i

[laughter] >> this is also not about&; th twin bridges north of albany new york and this is not aboutmississippi, birth place of the lovely oprahwn winfrey. some of you may have heard kosciuszko indiana or the many statues in america that are named after kosciuszko and those of you who thought this would be a discussioni'x about kosciuszk mustard, that discussion takes place at your local deli every day. no this is about thaddeus kosciuszko "the peasant prince: thaddeus kosciuszko and the age of revolution" he was a prince of toll rents who stood up for5 all races religions and genders. he was probably the greatest humanitarian of his era in 1817 when the news of death4m and ee in europe, funeral masses were held in catholic, lutheran and calvinist churches even jewish temples and muslim mosques held services where worshippers prayed for god to take his soul to heavy. think about it europe had gone+ religious strife yet everybody prayed for his soul. kosciuszko was born in feudalistic europe where the commonwealth spanned from the black sea all the way to thete baltic. his family ha

the last four in albany where she worked at his side. he trusted her and knew she would never betray him. placing a woman in the labor secretary's job would expose him to ridicule. her list of proposals with stir heated opposition even among his loyal supporters. >> eight hour day was a standard plank of the socialist party. unemployment insurance seems laughably improbable. direct aid to the unemployed would threaten his campaign pledge of a balanced budget. still, he said he would back her. it was a job she had prepared for all of her life. she had changed her name, her appearance, even her age to make herself and more effective labor advocate. she steadied helmsmen think so she could better succeed in a man's world. she had spent decades building crucial alliances. still, she told the president-elect she needed more time to make her decision. the next day she visited her husband, a patient in a sanitarium. he was having a good day and be understood when she told him about the offer. is the first impulse was to fred for himself, asking

>> well, i think that michael author who grew up in new albany, indiana were sherman was from persuaded me that he would be an interesting topic for a biography. i got interested in that and we discover that we worked pretty well together we were sort of complementary, we have different strengths i think enjoyed that. and so we decided we would take another venture together. >> what or some other notable cases and that justice vinson presided over? >> i think there were two different kinds of cases going on while he was on the court. he is on record during the cold war and he had previously been in the truman administration and i think has a lot of it inside knowledge about what was going on in terms of issues about communism and the government and so forth and probably his most famous case in that area had to do with dennis verses the united states, members of the communist party being prosecuted for conspiracy against the u.s. and he wrote the majority opinion in that case essentially upholding the government's position and he did that on most of the cases that had to do with communis

this is also, not about the kosciuszko twin bridges north of albany, new york, or this is not about kosciuszko, mississippi, birthplace of the lovely oprah winfrey and some of you may have heard of kosciuszko county, indiana or one of many other statues and places in america, named after kosciuszko. and those of you who thought this was going to be a discussion about kosciuszko mustard... that discussion takes place at your local deli every day. [laughter]. >> no, this is about thaddeus kosciuszko, the peasants prince, and he and this age of revolution. he was a prince of tolerance who stood up for the disenfranchised of all race, religions and genders and was probably the greatest humanitarian of his era, in 1817 when the news of his death in exile in switzerland spread throughout europe funeral masses were held in catholic, lutheran and calvinist churches and jewish temples and mosques held services where the worshipers prayed for god to take kosciuszko's soul to heaven. think about it. europe had gone through decades of ethnic and religious strife, yet, everybody prayed for his soul. kosciu