In the late 18th Century, Catholic missionaries moved north from the Spanish colony of Mexico into what is now the U.S. state of California. They called it the Viceroyalty of Alta California — Upper California, since there already was a “California” in the vast Spanish colony of New Spain. It was the long, skinny peninsula […]
On California’s Royal Road, Traces of ‘New Spain’
Posted April 27th, 2012 at 7:04 pm (UTC-4)
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Heart of the Heartland
Posted April 20th, 2012 at 9:52 am (UTC-4)
The United States is finally getting around to building a memorial to Ike: Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Kansas lad who became one of our greatest heroes and most popular presidents. But there’s a problem. It’s the Kansas part, even though Eisenhower said, in a 1945 speech in his hometown after leading Allied forces to victory […]
So You Want to be Famous!
Posted April 12th, 2012 at 5:19 pm (UTC-4)
As I watch the world go by — a passing parade that includes a lot of otherwise rational Americans, I wonder why some people do the outlandish things they do. Swallow squirming jungle bugs on reality-TV shows. Sing or dance badly on stage until someone drags them off. Jump off a bridge to within a […]
Fluffya
Posted April 6th, 2012 at 6:23 pm (UTC-4)
Could it be that parochial Fluffya is changing? Who would have thought that after more than three centuries of mostly minding its own business, the hard-working city of narrow streets, grimy factories, and quaint colonial buildings in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania would be transformed into one of America’s most dynamic and appealing tourist destinations. […]
