Spring in Kentucky

James Lane Allen was an American writer. Born in Kentucky, his novels A Kentucky Cardinal and its continuation Aftermath tell the romantic journey of a young Kentucky naturalist, Adam Moss, with a society girl. In this selection from Chapters II and III of the former, he describes the spring season in that part of the…

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The Natural Bridge

The Natural Bridge is, as the name implies, a natural limestone arch within a gorge formed by Cedar Creek, a 12-mile tributary of the James River in Virginia. While it was once owned by Thomas Jefferson, it is now a state park located approximately 140 west of Richmond and about 200 miles southwest of Washington,…

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The Mont Blanc Road Tunnel

The Mont Blanc Road Tunnel connects France and Italy under the Mont Blanc mountain in the Alps. It links the city of Chamonix in France with Courmayeur in Italy. This tunnel is of paramount importance, both for commercial and recreational driving, as it reduces the time to travel between the two countries. This article details…

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Beaucoup de plats et treize desserts : le Reveillon du Noël provençal

The beautiful southern French region of Provence has its own Christmas traditions, including a big celebration on Christmas Eve, with lots of dishes and thirteen desserts! This article transcribed by me in Sténographie Gregg (Anniversary and Simplified) explains this tradition. Attachment: beaucoup-de-plats-et-13-desserts-le-reveillon-du-noel-provencal-anniv.pdf Attachment: beaucoup-de-plats-et-13-desserts-le-reveillon-du-noel-provencal-simpl.pdf

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The Emperor’s Vision

This beautiful legend behind the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Altar in Heaven in the heart of Rome is brought to us by Selma Lagerlöf as part of her book Christ Legends. I transcribed it in Anniversary Gregg for the blog. Attachment: the-emperors-vision.pdf

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À Paris !

Here is a little charming anecdote told by American Presbyterian minister Frank Crane, from his book Adventures in Common Sense, transcribed by yours truly in Sténographie Gregg (Anniversary and Simplified) for the blog. Attachment: a-paris-anniv.pdf Attachment: a-paris-simpl.pdf

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200 Tons — and It Flies!

The Hughes H-4 Hercules (registration NX37602) is a prototype airlift flying boat designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company in the 1940s. It was built from wood, almost entirely of birch, because of wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum and concerns about weight; the aircraft was nicknamed the “Spruce Goose.” It is the…

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The Sinking of the Lusitania

On May 7, 1915, two years after the sinking of the Titanic, the German submarine (U-boat) U-20 torpedoed and sank the Lusitania, a swift-moving British cruise liner traveling from New York to Liverpool, England. Of the 1,959 men, women, and children on board, 1,195 perished, including 123 Americans. On the following day, this editorial was…

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A First Assessment of the Sinking of the Titanic

The following speech was delivered at the inauguration of the classes on Naval Architecture at Glasgow University in 1912, after the Titanic disaster, by Professor John Harvard Biles, at the time Vice-President of the Institution of Naval Architects. He discussed the causes of the loss of the Titanic and the proposals of the Board of…

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