THE PLANTS’ REVENGE PART 2
YESTERDAY WE BEGAN DISCUSSING THE VENUS FLYTRAP’S REVENGE on the animal world, as described by Science’s Jacques Dumais’ description of how this plant accomplishes its capture. Today in Part 2, … Continue reading
THE PLANTS’ REVENGE PART 1
JACQUES DUMAIS OBSERVES, “PLANTS AND ANIMALS INTERACT in countless ways, but in most cases the plant appears to be a passive participant in the interaction….” Here, though Dionaea muscipula, the … Continue reading
A “SIMPLE” SEAL FOR A FORMULA ONE LSD
THANKS TO SAE INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING, June 2026, we get a glimpse into what might be considered a “simple” seal for hydraulic actuation of the McLaren Formula One car’s limited-slip … Continue reading
MOTHER NATURE GIVES THE GREEN FINGER TO TRUMP’S “AMERICAN FLAG BLUE” PART 2
THIS ALL STARTED WITH TRUMP WANTING TO IMPROVE the National Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. (He’s not the first who’s tried: See “Trump Falsely Claims Obama and Biden Spent Hundreds … Continue reading
MOTHER NATURE GIVES THE GREEN FINGER TO TRUMP’S “AMERICAN FLAG BLUE” PART 1
IN PARTS 1 AND 2 TODAY AND TOMORROW, here’s proof positive that Mother Nature knows more than Donald J. Trump. (And who’s surprised?) The Reflecting Tool Debacle. Maxine Joselow describes … Continue reading
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS—AND OCCASIONAL HIJINKS
I USTA PERUSE MY WEEKLY AUTOMOTIVE NEWS for industry trends and scuttlebutt, but one of the benefits of retirement is being able to focus on automotive tidbits, nuggets, and hijinks. … Continue reading
EUROPE’S LAST PAGANS PART 2
WE BEGAN GLEANING TIDBITS YESTERDAY from Diarmaid MacCulloch’s “Fighting Monks,” his LRB review of two books concerning the Baltic region’s delayed Christianity. Today, we pick up with a tale of … Continue reading
EUROPE’S LAST PAGANS PART 1
I AM A FIRM BELIEVER IN THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. In fact, to quote an early wit, I liken myself to a flying buttress: I support Holy Mother … Continue reading
TALES OF A LADY’S HAT AND ANOTHER LADY’S HANDWRITING
A RECENT BIT OF SATIRE FROM ANDY BOROWITZ REMINDS ME OF A JOKE from more than five decades ago. Background. This brouhaha erupted several days ago when Neil Vigdor reported, … Continue reading
HOW TO SAY “VROOM” IN VULGATE LATIN? PART 2
FASCINATING IMAGES—ONE FEATURING POPE LEO XIV—attracted me to the Ferrari Luce. Today in Part 2, Automotive News’s Luca Ciferri reports on this car’s redefining ultrahigh performancee for the prancing horse. … Continue reading
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