REGISTRATION CLOSED By the end of WWII the US dollar replaced the British pound as the world's primary reserve currency and the most used currency in international transactions. Until 1971 the US dollar was backed by gold. Since 1971 the US dollar is backed by the US economy and the petrodollar system. The recent shale oil boom in the USA has strengthened the US petrodollar,... read more
REGISTRATION CLOSED California and the rest of the Southwest became United States territory following the Mexican War, or as some Mexicans describe it, the “war where you stole our country.” Was it a war justified by “manifest destiny” and Mexican transgressions or was it essentially a land grab? Professor Blaine Davies explores the causes, the battles and the... read more
REGISTRATION CLOSED Claude Monet was the founder of French Impressionism and spent his career documenting the French countryside to capture the light and the passing of seasons. We will look at his time at his home and property in Giverny where he created some of his best-known... read more