News

  • Andalusia

    From our recent winter trip to this historically poignant (Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Jews, Moors, Islam, Christians, and both sides of the Spanish Civil War), culturally pivotal (olives, bull fighting, and tapas), and physically beautiful part of Southern Spain.

    The Grand Mosque/Cathedral, La Mezquita, in Cordoba.
    The “Balcony of Europe,” in Nerja.
    View of the Alhambra, in Granada.
    The famous bull ring in Ronda.

  • The Danube

    And a few more, this time along the Danube, including stops in Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest.

    The Danube on a foggy day, near Linz, Austria.
    Horse playing music in downtown Vienna.
    Bratislava seen from the Castle.
    Us in Budapest, the Soviet-era Liberty Monument on mountaintop behind us..
    Bratislava old city square.

  • Prague

    A few videos from our recent trip to Prague, Czeck Republic, a wonderfully dynamic, ancient, beautiful city oozing with energy and a history both modern (1938, 1968, and 1989) and medieval (Golems, castles, and Holy Roman emperors). Enjoy-

    Trumpeters at the Charles Bridge
    Prague’s famous old clock.
    A puppet show at Prague main city square.
    A chamber concert at Prague’s Lebkowicz Palace.
    A tour o Prague’s main square.

  • Writers Center Fall Workshops

    Happy this fall to be reprising three of my annual Writers Center one-stop workshops, all on Zoom so anyone can link in from anywhere:

    (1) Researching and Writing Your Family History, September 16,

    (2) High Octane Grammar, September 25, and

    (3) Contracts and Copyrights for Writers, September 30. See you there!!

  • Featured article -Government Shutdowns

    From the way-back archives, came across this old ditty from 2011, written at the height of one of President Obama’s rows with his own obstinate Republican Congress. Enjoy. “Government Shutdowns – Who dreamed up this crazy idea?” Viral History Blog, April 11, 2011.

  • Some photos and videos from our recent trip to Paris:

    Videos

    More photos and videos

  • Cheryl Janifer LaRoche on AME Bishop Paul Quinn, the Apostle of Liberation

    For my interview with Cheryl on her terrific new book, just click here.

  • James Garfield and the embattled modern US Civil Service

    Tune in for my recent webinar talk for the United States Capitol Historical Society, April 17, 2025, at 12:00-1:00 pm ET.    

  • Latest from Washington Independent Review of Books

    Check out my new review of When Charlie Met Joan: The Tragedy of the Chaplin Trials and the Failings of American Law.”  by Diane Kiesel

  • Some Podcasts

    Still on a James Garfield kick,  had a blast joining The Alarmist Podcast to yet again chew over the Garfield assassination and  whose fault it really was. Click here or wherever you get podcasts.

    Tune in to the American POTUS podcast episode “POTUS 20: The Unfulfilled Presidency”, where I got to talk about my favorite, James A. Garfield, yet again.

  • Latest from American Heritage

    Cuba, my notes from our eye-opening trip in January, what we found 60 years after the Revolution: Report from Cuba.

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