<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Elaine Russell ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Elaine Russell]]></description><link>https://www.elainerussell.info/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 05:10:51 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.elainerussell.info/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Laos Under French Colonial Rule]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the process of writing my first historical novel, Across the Mekong River, I became deeply immersed in the history of Laos. The more I read, the more I wanted to know. I loved finding black and white photos from the early French colonial days on through the post-WWII era. The French occupied Laos for fifty years, playing a critical role in shaping the future of the people and country. This resulted in two wars—one in the early 1950s in the fight for independence from France, and another in...]]></description><link>https://www.elainerussell.info/post/laos-under-french-colonial-rule</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6abef9df82321ceead64ac47</guid><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d99058_556e064a8d9e42f69c67bf4f55f3a026~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_744,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elaine Russell</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>