Our response to the Paris attacks

I consider myself very fortunate that my management team gives me the ability to riff when I want to riff.

Following the Paris attacks last week, I was seriously riffing. I noticed that the Eiffel Tower was quickly turning into a symbol of hope following the attacks. I remembered that Erik Larson had discussed the origins of the Tower in Devil in the White City. They were fascinating origins, connected to the 1889 World’s Fair. I went to Wikipedia and the story fit. Below is what came out. I thought it tasteful and appropriate. Hopefully others agree.

This is one of the first drawings of the Eiffel Tower. It was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a World's Fair to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. On 30 March 1885 Gustave Eiffel wrote that the tower symbolized: "… not only the art of the modern engineer, but also the century of Industry and Science in which we are living, and for which the way was prepared by the great scientific movement of the eighteenth century…" Tonight our thoughts are with the people of France and all of those affected by the tremendous human tragedy that occurred in Paris this evening. In these times it is most important to remind ourselves that there is good in this world and that billions of people spend every waking moment trying to make the Earth a more beautiful place. Progress will not be stopped. Things will only get better. The monuments to humanity's successes will outnumber the ones to our failures. Great movements continue forward #libertysciencecenter #jerseycity #hoboken #newark #nyc #bayonne #libertystatepark #prayforfrance #prayersforparis #prayforparis

A photo posted by Liberty Science Center (@libertysciencecenter) on Nov 13, 2015 at 5:58pm PST