ETYMOLOGY: SCOUNDREL
TO QUOTE Trumpery of January 14, 2019, the president said that FBI personnel were “known scoundrels.” Were I a second-grader, I might respond, “It takes one to know one.” Given … Continue reading
ON PARTICLES
MRS. GRIMBLY, REST her teacher’s soul, would be disappointed that I’d forgot the meaning of an English language “particle.” Maybe I earn some redemption by recently learning about particles in … Continue reading
“HEY, BRO,” SAID THE SAGEBRUSH
IT MAY SOUND unscientific, but in SCIENCE magazine, January 4, 2019, Elizabeth Pennisi asks, ”Do Plants Favor Their Kin?” In fact, recent research suggests that individual plants may well help … Continue reading
PICKING UP THE PACE—BEV-WISE
THE START-UP COMPANY Rivian intends to beat Detroit at its own money-making game by being the first to build a battery-electric pickup truck. Thus far, pickups have been conventionally internal-combustion-powered, … Continue reading
DOLLY SHEPHERD—A LIFE WELL SOARED PART 2
YESTERDAY here at SimanaitisSays, Dolly Shepherd got her show business start having a blindfolded Samuel F. Cody shoot an egg off her head. Cody was also a pioneer aviator, he … Continue reading
DOLLY SHEPHERD—A LIFE WELL SOARED PART 1
I RECENTLY ENJOYED another encounter with Miss Dolly Shepherd, pioneer parachutist and fairground entertainer in the Edwardian era. Our first meeting was in “I ♥ Aviatrices,” here in the SimanaitisSays … Continue reading
KARAKURI TRICKS
IN CLASSIC JAPAN, automata known as karakuri delivered tea to guests. The mechanized doll would approach the guest, then, with head bowed, offer the cup of tea. When the tea … Continue reading
