Archive for 2019
Movie Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker [No Plot Spoilers]
MOVIE REVIEW: STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER [No Plot Spoilers] When George Lukas originally discussed Star Wars, he intended it to be a series of three trilogies. He started with the middle trilogy, beginning with Star Wars (my history on it here,) later called Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. He followed that…
Read MoreVeterans Day: How it Differs from Memorial Day
What is the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day?
Read MoreHistory of Reek Sunday, part 3: Location
HISTORY OF REEK SUNDAY, Part 3: LOCATION In our previous article on Reek Sunday, we discussed the Pilgrimage to County Mayo, Ireland for Cruach Phadraig — as it is known in Irish — that is also called “The Reek.” It stands at 764 meters or 2510 feet elevation. It is located about 5 miles from…
Read MoreHistory of Reek Sunday, part 2: Pilgrimage
HISTORY OF REEK SUNDAY, part 2: PILGRIMAGE Pilgrims, nature lovers, archeologists, historians, and hill climbers come from all over the world to climb the mountain on Reek Sunday. In our previous article, we discussed the Tradition. Here we discuss the pilgrimage that has been going on for centuries, and an older one for millennia. More…
Read MoreMemorial Day: Why We Fight
VETERANS DAY: WHY WE FIGHT The world is different than it was almost two decades ago as we celebrate Veterans Day. Presently we have troops in countries that we didn’t have then, and after 9/11 we now remember why we fight. The History Channel often re-runs the HBO series Band of Brothers, the TV adaptation…
Read MoreHistory of Towel Day
HISTORY OF TOWEL DAY May 25 celebrates Towel Day as a day to honor Douglas Adams, the author of the five (or six) book trilogy Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Originally created in May of 2001 to mark the passing of English science fiction humor author Douglas Adams, the day is set aside for fans of…
Read MoreHistory of St. Mark the Evangelist: Which Mark?
HISTORY OF ST. MARK Mark the Evangelist is the author of the earliest written gospel, the Gospel of Mark, which appeared within about 30 years of the crucifixion of Jesus in the late ’60s. His feast day is April 25 for Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. He is significant historically both as the writer of…
Read MoreHistory of the Civil War: When was the First Shot?
HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR 158 years ago, on April 12, 1861, the first formal hostilities of the American Civil War occurred when Confederate troops attacked the military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Fort, located in Charleston harbor was a coastal fortification built after the War of 1812 as part of the…
Read MoreHistory of World Backup Day
HISTORY OF WORLD BACKUP DAY There isn’t much history, as the first celebration of this geek holiday was in 2011. World Backup Day is less than a decade old. But the need is real, now more than ever before. Especially in light of this salient fact: April Fools’ Day. March 31, the day before, is…
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