This essay by Henri Marchand was first heard as a radio essay on the “Sunrise” program of WUML, 92.5 FM, at UMass Lowell. Today we continue our tradition of reposting the essay each year at Christmas. The Christmas Fruitcake: An Ageless Tradition By Henri Marchand I think there…
Christmas with the Kanes By David Daniel The exchanging of cards at the holidays remains a quaint, if vanishing, tradition. For a time, it gave ground to the “holiday letter”—pages of cheery mimeographed minutiae. But even those have waned, the impetus to show lives in perfect balance largely siphoned…
Louise Peloquin reports on the World Cup from the streets of Paris . . . “Grande tristesse, grande fierté” (Great sadness, great pride) By Louise Peloquin Today December 18th, after 1978 and 1986, Argentina won the World Cup for the third time. France will have to wait another four years…
The 2022 World Cup will be decided by today’s France v Argentina match that begins at 10am Eastern Standard Time. (I’ll update this post after that game is over). **** UPDATE: Argentina defeated France to win the 2022 World Cup in what commentators said was the most exciting World Cup…
I’m not the only self-professed neophyte soccer fan following the World Cup. Regular blog contributor Louise Peloquin joins me in doing that this weekend, only she’s doing it from Paris. Louise sent the following observations as the city prepares for tomorrow’s championship match between France and Argentina. —RH Waiting for…
The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. The Scheme by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D, R.I.) is a stunning, sobering and, indeed, chilling account of how the radical right, funded by dark money, has captured the U. S. Supreme Court. It is a well-documented review of the decades-long…
Living Madly: The Shortest Day By Emilie-Noelle Provost You hear a lot about seasonal affective disorder this time of year. Many people find the lack of sunlight depressing, but I don’t mind December’s dark days. I love how quiet our neighborhood is after the sun sets. No one is outside…
The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. The holiday season signals a time for relaxation, fewer meetings, fewer blogs, and more time for friends, movies and reading. Here are some recent offerings in the latter category. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell, author of Hamnet, draws again on…
Boarding School Blues: Chapter 49 By Louise Peloquin Ch. 49: “C’est si bon” After hugging her mother, dropping her Samsonite into the trunk and sliding into the Plymouth, Blanche sighed “si contente d’aller chez nous (so happy to go home).” Maman smiled. “Les petits (the little ones) are anxious to…
The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. Whew! Senator Raphael Warnock was reelected to the United States Senate, giving the Democrats a 51-49 margin. But wait! Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema, concerned about holding her seat in 2024, just switched from Democrat to Independent. So the numbers…