News Cut: July 4, 2008 Archive

News Cut Quiz: We the purple...

Posted at 5:44 AM on July 4, 2008 by Bob Collins (10 Comments)

The odds are someone has mailed you this Muppets video in celebration of the 4th. While watching it, I tried to remember the entire preamble to the Constitution, which we were required to memorize in school. Sadly, I couldn't do any better than the Muppet did.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

This week, we test your knowledge of the Constitution of the United States in the News Cut Quiz. All the questions are true/false. As always, take the quiz, and report your results below.

We're all counting on you. Good luck.

Cannons at the Capitol

Posted at 11:07 AM on July 4, 2008 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)

World traveler -- and occasional All Things Considered host -- Tom Crann sends this photo along. He was walking around the Washington Mall last night when cannon fire broke out. The military units were practicing for the 1812 Overture. How much practicing, though, do you really need? Da da da da-da da da da dum da....BOOM! Same as it's been every year since Tchaikovsky' wrote the thing in 1880.

Now gun placement, that's something that needs practicing. Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart recently told the story of the the Massachusetts National Guardsmen aiming the cannons toward the Hatch Shell, where the Pops perform on July 4th. When it came time for the big part, the shock wave sent the Pops musicians scurrying for cover.