ORSON WELLES FOR PRESIDENT!
NOT THAT there aren’t elements of unreality about this year’s presidential campaigns, but here I present Fantasy Politics, an entertaining blend of fact and fiction. Indeed, mostly fact. Orson Welles … Continue reading
SWEDISH ROADS AS RUNWAYS—U.S. AND U.K. TOO?
THE TOP SECRET part of the photo shoot was Saab’s EV-1 concept car—not the Viggen jet fighter. And this was why we were on the runway of a Swedish Air … Continue reading
ARE SURVEYS LEGIT?
THE PHRASE “According to a Pew Survey…” typically instills confidence in the conclusions that follow. However, two ex-Pew researchers have reported on controversial analyses suggesting that some broad-range surveys may … Continue reading
WILL THE REAL BAYREUTH PLEASE STAND OUT
THE WORD “BAYREUTH” conjures up composer Richard Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen and the Richard-Wagner-Festspielhaus, his opera house built in 1876. Or so I thought until I came upon the … Continue reading
WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE ESTORIL
THE APRIL 2016 issue of Saveur, my favorite magazine of cuisine (and travel) brought back memories of Ayrton Senna’s first Formula One victory, the Portuguese Grand Prix, Estoril, 1985. I … Continue reading
O.K. BY ME
THE Atlas Obscura website celebrated the 177th birthday yesterday of the word “okay.” The musings of Cara Giaimo, its author, encouraged me to dig into my own shelves. Briefly, as … Continue reading
SHOW CARS I’VE DRIVEN—MORE OR LESS
CONCEPT CARS are the icing on the auto show cake. These cars embody the latest trends of auto styling. They often hint at products coming soon from automakers. They can … Continue reading
THE FIRST FERRARI F1
A CUTAWAY of a car or aircraft can entertain me for hours. This one of the Ferrari 125 is a fine example. There has been a succession of Ferrari Formula … Continue reading
“AND,” MISBEHAVING
I HAVE a grammatical gripe with the misbehaving word “and.” I’m not referring to the subtlety of the serial or series comma, aka the Oxford or Harvard comma. Me? I’m … Continue reading
HEMINGWAY DECKED; FITZGERALD BLAMED
YES, HEMINGWAY as in Earnest and Fitzgerald as in F. Scott. I experienced a frisson of excitement when I learned of this odd boxing match in the “Letters” column of … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 