View from just below Burg Stahleck in Bacharach

Dear Visitor:  I thought you might be interested in reading a little about our recent trip to southern Germany. There were eight of us, including our guide, Derek, a German teacher at a local high school here in northwest Pennsylvania. …

From Munich to Frankfurt, Up and Down, All Around Read more »

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Author Donna Tartt’s expert craft in word choice, phrase construction, paragraph progression, and plot architecture combined with narrator David Pittu’s deep, exact pronunciation and dramatic inflection made all 32 hours of listening to The Goldfinch (2013) audiobook—simply delicious. The novel centers around …

The Goldfinch was Delicious Read more »

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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 »

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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 »

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Kasey and John greeting a drive-by guest who had attended by Zoom.

“My advice for people trying to plan an event in the midst of a global pandemic is to commit early to a plan, and make it a very cautious plan.”

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Due to the cancellation of CIFF44, this post will share the twelve films I planned to see with my media accreditation and volunteer passes. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t get to blog about them after viewing them at the festival, …

See Beyond the Cancellation of CIFF44 Read more »

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Hattie McDaniel won best supporting actor for her role in Gone with the Wind. She also played a significant role in the 1941 film The Great Lie.

There are many types of film competitions each year, but the Academy Awards provides the pinnacle of recognition for film artists and professionals. Each January, hundreds of millions of fans and critics tune in to see who the big winners …

Some Oscar Firsts from Nearly a Century of Academy Awards Read more »

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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 »

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