A Brief History On April 27, 1987, the United States declared Austrian President Kurt Waldheim to be persona non grata, meaning that although Waldheim was the head of state of a free nation he would not be allowed entry to the United States.  Even more shocking, this same Kurt Waldheim had served as Secretary General of the United Nations from January of 1972 to December of 1981, in spite of having a past as an intelligence officer for the German Army during World War II in which he and his wife, Elisabeth, both were members of the Nazi party. Digging…

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A Brief History Superhero drama web television series fans, here is your chance to be among the first in Cleveland, Ohio to see The Boys on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 7:30 PM at Tower City Cinemas in Cleveland, Ohio!  For your chance to get a pass, please log on to http://www.gofobo.com/THEBOYSJCU.  All attendees will also receive free popcorn and soda, promotional items, and the chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!  Seating is first-come, first-served and is not guaranteed.  Saving seats for other parties is prohibited. Digging Deeper The Boys takes place in a world where superheroes embrace the…

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A Brief History On April 26, 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte signed a general amnesty for those members of the émigrés of the French Revolution, those royalists and others opposed to the French Revolution that had fled France.  Allowing all but about 1000 of the most die hard opponents of the Revolution (and Napoleon) such as the ringleaders of the Armée des Émigrés, those expatriate French royalists that created military forces to fight against Napoleon’s regime, to return to France without penalty was of course a healing gesture to unite France under the leadership of Napoleon.  (Napoleon publicly stated respect for the…

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A Brief History On April 25, 1644, the last of the Ming Dynasty Emperors, Zhu Youjian, known as The Chongzhen Emperor, committed suicide when his armies were unable to contain a peasant rebellion.  Over the centuries, many leaders of countries, kingdoms, etc. have for one reason or another committed suicide, an ignoble end to the glory of leading a country or kingdom.  Today we list 10 such leaders and former leaders that killed themselves. Digging Deeper 1. Zhu Youjian, “The Chongzhen Emperor,” China, 1644. The Ming Dynasty reigned in China from 1368 to 1644, with 17 emperors in the line,…

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A Brief History Around 1494-1498, the Italian Renaissance master Pinturicchio (1454-1513) painted the Madonna with the Christ Child Writing.  While the relationship between Mary and her son has been celebrated in Western art, it is often hard for a child and a parent to see eye to eye; however, when it comes to academic writing, they will both agree that the task is daunting and overwhelming. Contrariwise, it is up to you, the parent, to help them develop their writing skills, because they cannot develop an interest in it if the first impression they have of the task is it…

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