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Castles have played an important military, economic and social role in Great Britain and Ireland since their introduction following the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Although a small number of castles had been built in England in the 1050s, the Normans began to build motte and bailey and ringworks castles in large numbers to control their newly occupied territories in England and the Welsh Marches.1 Caernarfon Castle Caernarfon Castle (Welsh: Castell Caernarfon) is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, north-west Wales. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when...

Obama's empty jobs vow: Castles in the sandSunday, August 7, 2011 Fresh from signing a debt-ceiling increase that provides no shelter from the storm ahead, President Barack Obama stepped before the cameras in the Rose Garden last week and vowed to renew his focus on jobs and the economy. And where will these jobs come from? Supposedly, from key government "investments." In other words, from the same failed government policies that have stifled economic growth and threaten more damage. "Obama does not have much presidential persuasion left. He is running out of capital," says James Thurber of American University's Center...

DOVER, Del.— Greeting voters here outside the Dover High School polling station in the state capital of Delaware, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell says her critics are wrong to suggest she can’t win in November if victorious in today’s primary. “They’re the same people who said I couldn’t win here,” an affable O’Donnell, dressed in a red jacket and black pants, told The Daily Caller this afternoon. “I mean, look where we are in the polls. They said I’d never get beyond a few percentage points.” The narrative heading into O’Donnell’s primary fight today with the more liberal Republican...

Architecturally Awesome Sand Castles for Summer's End The best buildings sculpted from sand require the skills of an architect—sudden structural collapse is a significant risk—and the details depicted by some well-packed granules rival the most ornate towers and palaces you'd find on terra firma. Any of the examples here could be widely regarded as significant structures—if only they hadn't washed away hours after their completion. According to Ted Siebert's 1990 book, The Art of Sandcastling, "Seawater is an ideal bonding agent for a sand castle. As seawater in a sculpture evaporates, salt crystals remain, forming a thin crust over the...