The Sight and Sound Decadal Film Survey

The Sight and Sound Decadal Film Survey

Podcast Transcript What is the greatest movie ever made? It seems like a highly subjective question that is impossible to answer. However, in 1952 the magazine of the British Film Institute took it upon itself to come up with an answer to the question.  They surveyed an international group of film professionals to ask them …

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Abram Petrovich Gannibal

Abram Petrovich Gannibal

Podcast Transcript Abram Petrovich Gannibal was one of the most notable Russians of the 18th century.  He was the godson of Peter the Great.  He was among the most educated men and best engineers in the Russian Empire.  He served as a general to Catherine the Great.  ..and one of his great-grandsons was the greatest …

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The Little Ice Age

The Little Ice Age

Podcast Transcript Approximately 700 years ago, something happened to the Earth’s climate.  The world started to cool down. It wasn’t dramatic enough to cause another ice age and cause ice caps to cover the poles of the Earth, but it did result in significant changes.  In fact, many historians think for a period of about …

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A Brief History of New York City

A Brief History of New York City

Podcast Transcript New York City has been called the city that never sleeps, the Big Apple, and the city so nice they named it twice.  It is the world center for finance, the location of the United Nations, and a center for fashion and entertainment.  But why did this city become so important, and why …

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Why is Bangkok the Most Visited City in the World?

Why is Bangkok Popular?

In my more than decade of global wanderings, there is one place that always comes to mind first when I decide I need a culturally interesting place—one with great food, markets, and other expats—to work remotely for a few months. Even though I always look broadly to consider other cities with digital nomads and low …

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Off to Wadi Rum

Mr. Dryden: Lawrence, only two kinds of creature get fun in the desert: Bedouins and gods, and you’re neither. Take it from me, for ordinary men, it’s a burning, fiery furnace. T.E. Lawrence: No, Dryden, it’s going to be fun. -Lawrence of Arabia My all time, #1 favorite movie is Lawrence of Arabia. It is …

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Petra

Petra UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for Petra: Situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and inhabited since prehistoric times, the rock-cut capital city of the Nabateans, became during Hellenistic and Roman times a major caravan centre for the incense of Arabia, the silks of China and the spices of India, a crossroads between …

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The Great Ocean Road

What are the top drives you’ve taken? By that, I am referring to very scenic stretches of road where the journey is really the destination. On my current trip, I’ve only rented a car a few times, but in those few times, I’ve taken several spectacular road trips. The Hana Coast Road in Maui was …

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The Christmas Truce of 1914

The Christmas Truce of 1914

Podcast Transcript On Christmas Eve, 1914, something remarkable happened on the western front during the First World War.  Soldiers in the trenches on both sides of no man’s land ceased fighting. Not only did they stop fighting, but they came out of their trenches to meet each other to celebrate Christmas.  It has become one …

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