“There is nothing cleverer than irreproachable conduct.” —Queen Maria Therese in 1682 Before the arrival of Christianity in France, a Gallo-Roman temple stood on the site of Notre-Dame. The building was replaced with an Early Christian basilica dedicated to Saint Stephen. It may have been constructed in the 4th Century
It is my intention again this year to focus on success stories of individuals who, by dent of their work ethic, commitment, and drive, transformed their earthly sojourn into meaningful and productive lives. I had never heard of Madam C.J. Walker prior to seeing a bookmark from the National Trust
The haunting music of the street balladiers could be heard all along the boulevard du Temple. The high-arching trees, the chestnut trees, were Winter barren. It was January 1847, and each evening the gay boulevard was filled with Parisians waiting for the box offices to open. It was, of course,
Even in the darkness of Winter, Old Man Moon reminds us that light will follow the darkness. When I hibernate, just like the bears, the bees, and box turtles, I read. It is quiet and warm and my mind can go many new places. The Top Ten this year will
The year is 1574 and the Hotel de Sens in Paris is welcoming Christmas guests. It was where the great lords of the Church lived and they seemed to have been, almost without exception, a rascally lot. The Cardinal of Lorrraine lived here. Some historians insist that Henry IV’s death
Ben Franklin was a Founding Father and in his 84-year old life, America’s best scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, and business strategist. He was the only man who shaped all the founding documents of the United States which were the Albany Plan of Union, the Declaration of Independence, the treaty of
Imagine three Celtic artist monks, secluded in the scriptorium of Iona, or in eastern Scotland, or in a new monastery at Kells, County Meath, Ireland. They welcome in the year 800 A.D. in days filled with extraordinary artistry and commitment. The Book is written on prepared calfskin (vellum) and contains
Many thousands of years ago, Memphis and its area was settled by indigenous peoples. By the 17th Century, the Chickasaw Indians migrated to the Memphis area. The European-American city was founded in 1819 and incorporated in 1826. Cotton was king and large plantations developed on the work of enslaved Africans.
It was November 22, 1963. The world as Americans knew it was about to change. It began as a Sun-filled Autumn day in Dallas, Texas. The crowds were enthusiastic in welcoming president John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy. The motorcade proceeded slowly through the Dallas streets. No one could imagine
This week you will meet the first prominent poet of early English poets of North America. Anne Bradstreet was the first writer in England’s North America Colonies to be published. Her first collection, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America, was popular both in England and America in 1650.
So much to think about, ponder, and consider! So many books to be read and understood. So today enjoy these “Bits and Pieces” of interesting topics. Bits: Did you know that the engineers who developed the wireless connection “Bluetooth” in the 1990s named it after King Harald Bluetooth, who united
Anthony Dominick Benedetto was born at St. John’s Hospital New York, August 3, 1926. His father John was seriously ill at the time of his birth and within a year, his father was unable to work. His father died when Tony was 10 years old. “I grew up in poverty,”
“I believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream, a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America.” — Khalil Gibran Sometimes extreme poverty and human loss at a young age can transform the soul which survives
The second part can be viewed at thevoice.us/languid-london-captured-on-warm-september-holidays Last of three parts “Hats are radical, but only people who wear hats understand that.” —London milliner Philip Treacy London in September was beautiful azure skies and glorious sunshine. Average temperatures were in the 70s and without rain at all. Perfect for
The first part can be viewed at thevoice.us/history-tradition-sights-fill-every-visit-to-london Second of three parts “There were tennis parties and croquet matches, picnic lunches and white lacy parasols, and juicy strawberries packed in wicker baskets.” —The Perfect Summer, p. 11. The warm September night in London descended quietly. Similar to a golden coin,
First of three parts “The only drawback of an English Summer is that it lasts so short a time” —Country Life 1 May 1911 Did you know that in London you could hear 300 languages and visit 70 museums? Going across the Big Pond promises adventure, excitement, and novelty. So
New words and their meanings always interest me. Daily I receive a “Word of the Day” E-mail from the Oxford University Press. It is fun when I already know the word and its meaning. I am one of those bookworms who likes to read the dictionary! I enjoy listening to
“How good are the tears. How sweet the dirges.” —Euripides The Trojan Woman On a Canaanite clay tablet from the 14th Century B.C. was found the earliest written record of tears. Named after a village in northwest Syria, the tablets were found by archaeologists and the tablets were from the
A loan exhibition in cooperation with the Organization of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt and co-sponsored by the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute, the Field Museum in Chicago produced a remarkable exhibit of the “Treasures of Tutankhamun” in the Spring and Summer 1977. We were there. My daughter
“You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.” —Sherlock Holmes “A Scandal in Bohemia” The author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his first Holmes story “A Study in Scarlet” in 1886. This fictional character was based on a real man, Dr. Joseph Bell, a renown forensic scientist
