Railpower

Railpower


 

Dr. DeSanctis Leads tour to Italy

In May 2011, Dr. DeSanctis will be leading a 9 day tour through the cities of Italy - Venice, Florence, Rome, Assisi and Pompeii. There is still room available on this tour. Call 871-7509 for details or email at him at desancti001@gannon.edu.

Let's Be Ready for the Next Big Bicentennial

Our View in the Erie Times News on June 1, 2010. "William Garvey, Ph.D., president of the Jefferson Society, knows Erie's heritage. . . Garvey and the Jefferson Society hope to raise $1.3 million for a five-month celebration of Erie's role in raising the fleet and providing the manpower, including a number of African-American sailors, for the Battle of Lake Erie." Read the entire article at: http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010306019962.

Dr. Michael DeSanctis Renovates Statue of St. Patrick for Cauley Center

The Erie Times News noted on March 17 that Dr. DeSanctis, a Gannon professor and Course Instructor at the Jefferson, had restored the hands of  the St. Patrick statue in the Cauley Center on E. 4th Street.

Sunshine is Welcome Here by Ed Matthews

Erie Times News Viewpoint, March 7, 2010 - An Erie native Lt. Gen. James Dubik will be speaking Thursday at the Jefferson Educational Society...The Name of his speech is "Iraq and Afghanistan: Behind the Scenes on the Surges." Gen. Dubik knows what he is talking about, since he has been there and back...The Jefferson Society has been bringing in some top speakers since it was started. This speech in particular should answer questions that only someone who had been on the front in those countries could understand....

Africa: A Continent or State of MInd

Three refugees from Africa, who were brought to Erie through the International Institute, spoke to Ed Grode's class on Thursday, February 18. The guests spoke about life in refugee camps and their respective journeys to be resettled in America. Please visit www.kakuma.wordpress.com, a website started by refugees to bring a greater awareness to all nations about the conditions in refugee camps.

The Council of the City of Erie officially Recognizes the Jefferson Society as Erie's Official Think Tank
The Council unanimously passed this resolution on December 2, 2009 and a copy of the resolution has been placed in the historical archives of the City of Erie. Pat Cappabianca, Councilman delivered the certificate to the Jefferson Offices.

 

Jefferson Letter Found in University of Delaware Library
A letter dated Feb. 24, 1808 was found by a graduate student while cataloging some archives donated to the library.

"Even though the copy is available, when you find the original in the Bringhurst papers, you have the historical context," she said. "You see the connections to Delaware and understand the relationships of the people at the time."

Daddona is still savoring the moment of discovery. "It was quite an exciting day," she said.

Copy and paste this link for more details. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20091203_Jefferson_letter_found_...

 

Erie Times News November 12, 2009 "Our Opinion: Hurrah for Erie's Jefferson Society"
This week. . .the world comes to Erie, as the Jefferson Educational Society, an Erie think tank, presents its Global Futures Summit. . .
 

Shakespearean scholar Dr. P. Barry McAndrew discusses the timelessness of Shakespeare.
To listen click here

“Mother” Lincoln: The Life of Mary Todd Lincoln
Called “Mother” by the 16th President of the United States, the wife of Abraham Lincoln evoked strong emotions from others. The life of Mary Todd Lincoln was marked by tragedy in the death of her mother and sons, the assassination of her husband, imposed poverty, European wandering, and a commitment to an asylum. Want More on Mary? Click here

 
 Argument & Persuasion
 A good rhetorical argument persuades you to accept a belief or adopt a course of action. An argument focuses on logical appeals while persuasion incorporates ethical and emotional appeals. Credible authors-- or speakers-- should convince the audience of not only their knowledge and truthfulness but also their dependability and morality. Language is critical to show that the author has good intentions and has considered the needs and interests of the audience.   See which words presidents have used in their inaugural addresses at SPEECHWARS: The words that make a nation.
 
What You Do Matters
“The United States Congress established the Days of Remembrance as our nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust and created the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum  as a permanent living memorial to the victims. This year Holocaust Remembrance Day is Tuesday, April 21. The Museum has designated Never Again: What You Do Matters as the theme for the 2009 observance."    Read The Line: A True Story, an online graphic treatment of Gertraud Junge and Sophia Scholl.
 
 Food, Glorious Food
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan was recommended reading for winter term at the Jefferson Society. “In this groundbreaking book, one of America’s most fascinating, original, and elegant writers turns his own omnivorous mind to the seemingly straightforward question of what we should have for dinner. To find out, Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us—industrial food, organic or alternative food, and food we forage ourselves—from the source to a final meal, and in the process develops a definitive account of the American way of eating.” (www.michaelpollan.com). Listen to Pollan’s NPR interview