Excerpt from Iberia Won: But we weak minstrels of a laggard day, Skilled but to imitate an elder page, Timid and raptureless, can we repay The debt thou claim’st in this exhausted age? Thou giv’st our lyres a theme, that might engage Those that could send thy name o’er sea and land, While sea and land shall last; for Homer’s rage A theme; a theme for Milton’s mighty hand— How much unmeet for us, a faint degenerate band!
This poem by T.M Hughes presents a lyrical account of the military achievements of England of the six-year Peninsular War, whose atrocities he had witnessed. But even while celebrating the most magnificent military accomplishments, he made sure to teach everyone the horrors of War. He was able to present this historical poem with such accuracy because he had lived for those six years in Peninsula. He has lived amid rebellions, revolutions, military actions, and even portions of three sieges of Seville and Barcelona in 1843 and that of Almeida in Portugal in 1844. The poem consists of 12 incredibly written Cantos that illustrate the subject vividly. The descriptions of the battle ground are so accurate after personal observations that Hughes made himself. The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military dispute in the Iberian Peninsula fought by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars.
Western powers are addicted to stealing and warmongeringand their days at the top of civilization are numbered. To prove this point, Rocky M. Mirza, Ph.D., traces the rise of the Western powers from the Greek and Roman empires through the Portuguese, Spanish, British, French, German, Italian, and American empires. He argues that the West has: promoted private property over communal property, which has created huge inequalities of wealth. encouraged the production and consumption of goods instead of preserving our planet. exploited Third World workers to satisfy obese citizens addicted to super-size portions. From the time Portugal found a sea route to India and Spain rediscovered the New World, the West has sought to steal and kill. At first, Muslims in the Middle East and powerful countries in Asia thwarted Western ambitions, but the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth century changed the landscape. Instead of building mutually beneficial relationships, Western empiresfrom the Portuguese to the Americanhave sought to solely look out for their own interests. Find out how the balance is shifting in How the West was Won and Lost.
Lisbon and the Pyrenees form the basis of this lively collection of firsthand accounts of travel within Portugal and Spain in the early nineteenth century.
There's just nowhere else but South Louisiana to find real knee-slapping, crowd-hooting Zydeco music. Even the big-city chefs can't cook up a Cajun meal the way they do at the roadside restaurants deep in the bayous of Acadiana. Likewise, no other guide matches the amount of in-depth information presented in Cajun Country Guide. It's a study of Cajuns that tells visitors how to find the sights, sounds, and flavors of one of America's most culturally unique regions. Take a vacation to a part of our own country that, in some places, didn't even speak English until nearly fifty years ago. While modern technology is weeding out some of the one-of-a-kind qualities of this subculture, not all of them are gone, or even hard to find, if you know how to hunt for them. And there are no better hunters than authors Macon Fry and Julie Posner. With the handy maps, reviews, and recommendations packed into the Cajun Country Guide, a trip to the bayous won't leave one feeling like a visitor, but more like a native who has come back home.
The Crowley Millers were the talk of minor league baseball in the 1950s, with crowds totaling nearly 10 times Crowley’s population and earning Crowley the nickname of “The Best Little Baseball Town in the World.” The Best Little Baseball Town in the World: The Crowley Millers and Minor League Baseball in the 1950s tells the fun, quirky story of Crowley, Louisiana, in the fifties, a story that reads more like fiction than nonfiction. The Crowley Millers’ biggest star was Conklyn Meriwether, a slugger who became infamous after he retired when he killed his in-laws with an axe. Their former manager turned out to be a con man, dying in jail while awaiting trial on embezzlement charges. The 1951 team was torn to pieces after their young centerfielder was struck and killed by lightning during a game. But aside from the tragedy and turmoil, the Crowley Millers also played some great baseball and were the springboard to stardom for George Brunet and Dan Pfister, two Crowley pitchers who made it to the majors. Interviews with players from the team bring to light never-before-heard stories and inside perspectives on minor league baseball in the fifties, including insight into the social and racial climate of the era, and the inability of baseball in the fifties to help players deal with off-the-field problems. Written by respected minor-league baseball historian Gaylon H. White, The Best Little Baseball Town in the World is a fascinating tale for baseball fans and historians alike.
With Volume 2 of Legacies of the Turf II Edward Bowen focuses on the men whose horses have dominated racing in the last half of the 20th century and into the 21st. He has woven together a rich tapestry of horse racing lore.
I've lived in Oregon for over forty-five years, but if you ask me who I am in my heart, I'd have to say I'm still a southern girl from New Orleans. I guess you never lose those early roots. I also grew up during a time when life was much simpler. No stores were open on Sunday because that was a day for church and family. Christmas meant getting one main toy. I could ride my bicycle safely many blocks from home. A nickel candy bar was five inches long. Movies weren't rated because they were all made for family viewing. And TV was in its infancy so we found other more exciting things to do. Maybe this book will give you a snapshot back in time and a glimpse into the various escapades and misadventures of one little girl growing up in New Orleans in the 1940s and 50s. Fully Indexed.
