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The Destruction of Paris

My last blog post dealt with copyrighted material and my search for images I could not find. I mentioned a couple of people and I thought I’d like to expand on them. Before I do, let’s set the stage in the mid-1800s in Paris under the rule of Napoleon III (the nephew of Napoleon).

Paris up until the mid-1800s was still a medieval city

London was forced to rid itself of its medieval trappings in 1666. The Great Fire of London created the opportunity for the city to rebuild and become more contemporary. It took Paris almost 200-years to catch up but it wasn’t a fire that provided the catalyst.

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Boxing Day: Pugilistic or Humanistic?

urlI found out recently every Premier League soccer team will be playing on Boxing Day in England.

It happens to be the day after Christmas and apparently, this is a tradition in England. It seems every sport will play that day. So Sandy asks me, “Do you know what Boxing Day is and what the tradition is?” I naturally say, “Of course I do. It’s not hard to figure out. It’s the day when a big boxing match is held, huge wagers are made, and they all eat chips and dip (well, I suppose our type of chips). Just like our Super Bowl.”

Wrong

I start to research Boxing Day and find out that it is a secular holiday in England (and other countries but primarily the former British empire countries). Read More Boxing Day: Pugilistic or Humanistic?