Lecture Movies - North America, Caribbean, and Greenland.
Up until Covid-19 became a problem in 2019, Helena and I had been actively presenting lectures on premium cruise lines for some eleven years. We started with Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America. From there we progressed to Crystal, Viking, Oceania, and Seabourn. We have both been retired for many years and just love researching and presenting these lectures.
We have received numerous requests over the years, from those who have attended our lectures, to have access to our lectures so that they may share with their friends and family. Helena is a Geologist so does tend to favor the more science related subjects, however, Chris is more of a history and travel buff, so we combine our knowledge to make an enriching and entertaining experience.
All of our lectures are presented as PowerPoint movies. Note that the accompanying audio contains much more information than does just the text displayed on the screen. While on the subject of audio please excuse the electronic voice on many of the presentations, it was the easiest way to add audio to our presentations to include on this website. We are of course available to give lectures in person for a small fee plus expenses.
To view more information about each lecture please press the "Shop" button beneath each lecture.
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To view more information about each lecture please press the "Shop" button beneath each lecture.
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Lecture Movie: The Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler, his dream of a railroad to Key West.
Run time 56 minutes. The greatest railroad story ever told. In 1912 Henry Flagler arrived aboard the first train into Key West, marking the completion of the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway's Over-Sea Railroad to Key West. With the completion of the Over-Sea Railroad the entire east coast of Florida, from Jacksonville to Key West, was linked by a single railroad system. The FEC was the product of Flagler's resources and imagination. Flagler's construction of hotels at points along the railroad and his development of the agricultural industry through the Model Land Company established tourism and agriculture as Florida's major industries, which remain so even now more than a century later. In essence, Henry Flagler invented modern Florida.
Lecture Movie: Florida: orphaned from Africa, assaulted by the Appalachians, forcefully clashed with Cuba, and home to the land of sinkholes.
Run Time 42 minutes.
Florida: orphaned from Africa, assaulted by the Appalachians, forcefully clashed with Cuba, and home to the land of sinkholes. Considering the large population and an ever increasing number of visitors, there is so much more to know about the Sunshine State. Let’s explore the geography and geology of Florida and discover that it was once a part of Africa. Learn why Florida is basically flat, why it has so many sinkholes, and why Florida contains the largest aquifer system in the USA.
Lecture Movie: Significant Events in the History of Cuba and its Relations with the United States.
Significant Events in the History of Cuba and its Relations with the United States. Let’s explore The Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in 1961; The Cuban missile crisis of 1962; and the Investigation and Capture of Ana Montes, Cuba’s Master Spy in 2001.
Lecture Movie: The Cuban American Treaty of Relations and the History of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
The Cuban American Treaty of Relations and the History of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Let’s explore the history leading to the unusual relationship between Cuba and the United States. Why do we have a naval base in Cuba and for how long?
Lecture Movie: The exploration and exploitation of the Caribbean from sweet success of the sugar revolution to current economic necessity.
The exploration and exploitation of the Caribbean from sweet success of the sugar revolution to current economic necessity. The Caribbean gold rush, a sweet story, with dark consequences. Let’s explore the powerful trade syndicates and European powers that created centuries of slavery, the science that eventually was the demise of the sugar boom, and what is its replacement.
Lecture Movie: The Two-Mile Time Machine of Greenland.
The Two-Mile Time Machine of Greenland: Polar ice cores have provided tremendous advances in our knowledge of past climate change. Let’s examine the science behind Greenland ice cores. What have we discovered, especially when this data is combined with other factors, about historical abrupt climate change?
Lecture Movie: A Brief History of Greenland and its Significance During World War Two and the Cold War Era.
A Brief History of Greenland and its Significance During World War Two and the Cold War Era. Frozen in time are the remnants of WW2, lost squadrons, Thule air force base, and the infamous nuclear base at Camp Century.
Lecture Movie: The Hidden World Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet.
The Hidden World Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. Let’s explore one of the most amazing islands from a geological and geographical perspective. What would Greenland would look like without the Ice – huge lakes, waterfalls, crators, and canyons? Answers to all these questions and more.
Lecture Movie: La Catastrophe: The eruption of Mount Pelee.
La Catastrophe: The eruption of Mount Pelee, the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century. In 1902 Mount Pelée, a volcano on Martinique, violently erupted on May 8 wiping out the entire city of Saint-Pierre and surrounding villages. Let’s explore the factors contributing to this event, and examine more recent eruptions where major loss of life was avoided.
Lecture Movie: The Heroic Exploits of the World's Greatest Arctic Explorers.
The Heroic Exploits of the World's Greatest Arctic Explorers. Let’s look back at a heroic age, when explorers such as Nansen, Amundson, Peary and Cook ventured forth to conquer one of nature's last bastions.
Lecture Movie: Puerto Rico “The Island of Enchantment.”
Puerto Rico “The Island of Enchantment.” Let’s explore the history, geography, geology, and resources of this US territory in the Greater Antilles. From the first meeting of Columbus and it becoming a Spanish Crown Colony, to its annexation after the Spanish American War. We will discuss Puerto Rico’s history and close association to the US for the last 100+ years.