Nice Footage of the Pere Marquette Railroad

After the Pennsylvania Railroad, several other railroads are of interest to me--but none more so than the Pere Marquette.

At one time part of the old Van Sweringen empire, it later merged with the Chesapeake and Ohio.   C&O's streamlined passenger "Pere Marquette" service in the 1940s featured some of the most beautiful passenger equipment of the streamlined era.

But this evening a little YouTube surfing turned up the following.  And while it's not the greatest footage, it still is pretty cool!



For a better introduction to the PM, follow this link: http://www.american-rails.com/pere-marquette-railway.html

"Africa through a Lens"

The United Kingdom's National Archives is sharing an incredible collection of well over 1,000 photos from England's colonial office. You may find it at this address: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/africa/

Beginning in the 1860s and stretching forward well into the 20th century, the pictures show the beauty of Africa's people and geography, as well as hinting (at the very least) at some of the tensions inherent in the colonial enterprise. Nigeria has the largest number of photos (904), with South Africa coming in second (627), and Kenya third (346).  A word of caution--exploring the collection can take up a lot of your time.  But it will be worth it.

Dedication of Concordia College, Selma, Chapel

It was a great honor and privilege to be at Concordia College, Selma, today, to participate in the dedication of the new chapel in the recently acquired "west campus"area.  The remarks of LCMS President Harrison about Selma's unique history and opportunities and the kind words of Selma's President Tilahun Mendedo regarding yours truly and, more importantly, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, were especially appreciated.  Great things are happening at Selma under the leadership of Dr. Mendedo, who received his Ph.D. in Missiology from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.  It was truly a great day!