Today marks the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand, an event that would trigger what we know today as World War I. One of the little known stories from the war is the role of 140,000 Chinese laborers on the Western Front. The Chatham House recently posted an article about these forgotten laborers:…
Month: June 2014
Under Water
Thanks to record rainfalls this month, many rivers in Minnesota are spilling their banks. The Mississippi River is still two days away from cresting in the Twin Cities and Harriet Island, across from downtown St. Paul already looks like this: Yowzer!
Utah!
I’ve discovered something in the past few days. When you tell someone that you are going to Utah for a week, you get some very funny looks! Never mind….that’s where I’m heading tomorrow, to explore the national parks across the southern half of the state with a friend and her just-graduated-from-high-school son. Stay tuned…….
Happy Father’s Day
Even though my dad has been gone for 13+ years now, I still miss him and think about him EVERY DAY, especially on Father’s Day! Here he is enjoying some delicious food at the Roast Meat Shop ( a Korean BBQ) in Changchun, 1994.
The Recluse Cousin: A Hero
I always knew him simply as Cousin Del, even though he was actually my mom’s cousin, not mine. He never married and took care of his mother until her death. After my family moved to Minnesota (in the 1970’s) he would turn up at various family functions. He was a pleasant (but quiet) man, with a…
Happy Dragon Boat Festival
Monday is Dragon Boat Festival in China. The good folks at Off the Great Wall have produced a video explaining the history and significance of the holiday: (If you receive this post by email and cannot view the video, click here.) I have a confession to make — even after 20+ years in China, I’m not a…