Global 2011: Lincoln's racial views

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Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address has inspired Americans for generations, but consider his jarring remarks in 1862 to a White House audience of free blacks, urging them to leave the U.S. and settle in Central America.

"For the sake of your race, you should sacrifice something of your present comfort for the purpose of being as grand in that respect as the white people," Lincoln said, promoting his idea of colonization: resettling blacks in foreign countries on the belief that whites and blacks could not coexist in the same nation.

Lincoln went on to say that free blacks who envisioned a permanent life in the United States were being "selfish" and he promoted Central America as an ideal location "especially because of the similarity of climate with your native land — thus being suited to your physical condition."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_lincoln_colonization

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• Lincoln urged free blacks to resettle abroad (cbsnews.com)

Global 2010: Seven Witty Ways to Snag a Second Date

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The first date is only half the battle. When someone says “Sure!” to date #1 with you, he or she may not mean more than, “I should get out more — and my DVR will understand.” But saying yes to date #2? That could mean, “I should get out more — specifically, with you.”

So, how do you increase the odds of doubling your pleasure? Second dates depend on more than first impressions: they’re also about how you handle the

1. Borrow something simple
2. Follow up
3. Call it a night
4. Let your date pay for this one
5. Do what works — again
6. Tell the truth — some of it, anyway
7. Lean in for a... handshake

http://yahoo.match.com/magazine/article0.aspx?articleid=12186

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• Dating advice: The Dating Game (independent.co.uk)

Global 2010: Titanic sunk by steering mistake

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LONDON (Reuters) – The Titanic hit an iceberg in 1912 because of a basic steering error, and only sank as fast as it did because an official persuaded the captain to continue sailing, an author said in an interview published on Wednesday.

"They could easily have avoided the iceberg if it wasn't for the blunder," Patten told the Daily Telegraph.

"Instead of steering Titanic safely round to the left of the iceberg, once it had been spotted dead ahead, the steersman, Robert Hitchins, had panicked and turned it the wrong way."

Patten, who made the revelations to coincide with the publication of her new novel "Good as Gold" into which her account of events are woven, said that the conversion from sail ships to steam meant there were two different steering systems.

Crucially, one system meant turning the wheel one way and the other in completely the opposite direction.

Once the mistake had been made, Patten added, "they only had four minutes to change course and by the time (first officer William) Murdoch spotted Hitchins' mistake and then tried to rectify it, it was too late."

"If Titanic had stood still, she would have survived at least until the rescue ship came and no one need have died," Patten said.

The RMS Titanic was the world's biggest passenger liner when it left Southampton, England, for New York on its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. Four days into the trip, the ship hit an iceberg and sank, taking more than 1,500 passengers with it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100922/en_nm/us_britain_titanic_book

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