MARTIN M-130 SWEETHEART PIN
WIFE DOTTIE was sorting antiques swap meet jewelry treasures and came upon a piece of aircraft memorabilia with lots of interesting history. Her Martin M-130 crafted in sterling silver is … Continue reading
ARISTOPHANES—ANCIENT GREECE’S S.N.L.
SATIRE WAS AS important to ancient Greeks as it is to those of us living through today’s muddle. Think of the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes as that era’s combination of … Continue reading
A PHONY BARD
THIS IS A TALE of deception. It involves a collector of English artifacts; his talented, if unscrupulous, son; the greatest of playwrights, William Shakespeare; and a passel of people capable … Continue reading
PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORSHIP, PART 4
IN CONCLUDING MY notes here on U.S. Presidents who could read and even write books, I move from the sublime to the present. After the likes of Presidents Thomas Jefferson, … Continue reading
OPERA FUN CONTINUES
OPERA RIDES the razor edge of absurdity, according to Peter Ustinov. And it continues to delight me, whether in performances or in its attendant fun. Today, I share charming tales … Continue reading
LOTUS SEVEN AMERICA
THE Lotus Seven America is the John Adams of automobiles: Like this composer of Short Ride in a Fast Machine, the Seven is minimalist. It has nothing more than it … Continue reading
CLEARING THE (AUTOMOTIVE) AIR, PART 2
LET’S EXAMINE automotive emissions and fuel economy following our look at Washington, D.C., shenanigans concerning 2025’s 54.5 mpg. Back in the 1960s, three automotive emissions were identified: HC, unburned hydrocarbons; … Continue reading
CLEARING THE (AUTOMOTIVE) AIR, PART 1
WHAT WITH the Trump administration’s gutting, some would say streamlining, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, let’s examine some environmental and economic aspects of automobile regulations in the United States. This … Continue reading
CHINA AIR—THE MIDDLE YEARS OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM
BY 1925, CHINA had a good number of aircraft, most imported, though a few of its own manufacture. Following the 1912 demise of the Qing imperial dynasty, Sun Yat-sen served … Continue reading
CHINA IN THE AIR—THE EARLY YEARS
PRINCE TSI TAO and Y.L. Lee are the only Chinese aviators listed in Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft, 1913. In my next Jane’s, six years later, Jane’s All the World’s … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 