Marian Anderson performs at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939

Note: I am a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and wrote this article for my chapter’s newsletter. The Daughters of the American Revolution has a complicated legacy regarding American contralto, Marian Anderson (1897-1993). Raised in Philadelphia, Anderson …

The Complicated Legacy of NSDAR and Marian Anderson Read more »

Tagged with: , , , ,

The road to Dracula's castle.

If only I had more time. . . I’d visit every one of the areas of interest in the Wallachia, Dobruja, Transylvania, and Banat-Crisana regions of Romania I’m highlighting in this post. I’m going to share with you from Welcome …

Preview Romania: Travel Destinations Read more »

Tagged with: ,

In the Carpathian Mountains

Romania has a rich and complex history, which I never quite understood, until I decided to study and summarize the history section in Welcome to Bucharest and Romania, gifted to us by the concierge at EuropaRoyale Hotel Bucharest in 2019. After finishing this …

Preview Romania: A Digest History Read more »

Tagged with: , ,

A Italian woman finds her murdered son and caresses him in her shock and sorrow. (Screen grab from Women of the Resistance.)

Brave female resistance fighters in Italy were tortured, and often murdered, for their bravery in the World War II resistance movement.

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

A woman kisses a man while cooking on an open fire outside an apartment building which had no electricity, water or gas since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Bucha, Ukraine, Sunday, April 3, 2022. Courtesy Flickr https://flic.kr/p/2nctqso

I, like so many, feel utterly helpless sitting here at home while a maniacal monster scourges the landscape of Ukraine. I wish I could reach back in time and change the course of history and the insidious spread of communism …

Is Ukraine Going the Way of China? Where Will Communism Go Next? Read more »

Tagged with: , , , ,

Volunteer nurses from the American Red Cross during 1918 pandemic (rawpixel)

What was it like in Erie, Pennsylvania, during the 1918 pandemic (Spanish Flu, H1N1 virus, influenza)? Well, now that we can browse the Erie Daily Times online from the late 1800s to present, we can get a pretty good idea. Accessed through …

Focus on the 1918 Flu Pandemic in Erie, PA Read more »

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Social isolation because of the COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on all of us, but the elderly, and other vulnerable people, without computers, have suffered most. They need us more than ever. Months ago, I wrote a post about how …

Pandemic, Digital Divide Threaten the Elderly, Vulnerable Read more »

Tagged with: , , ,

Happiness Walk USA map taken from its Facebook page.

I’ve always wanted to walk across the country. Now, I’ve met someone who’s actually done it—in the name of happiness. I will probably never walk across the country, but I did drive it solo once on Route 66—so I have …

Happiness Walker Asks What Truly Matters Read more »

Tagged with: , , ,

Sometimes I’m disappointed with movie remakes, but that’s not the case with Fahrenheit 451. The theme of the first film, and the novel it was based on, is actually strengthened in the 2018 version. Both versions have just enough similarities …

Fahrenheit 451: Comparing the 2018 Film to the 1966 Original Read more »

Tagged with: , , , , , ,