ON OPIOIDS PART 1
IN 1984 I suffered from an extruded disc. The extreme pain of this malady introduced me to hydrocodone-based Vicodin, a painkiller that helped me through the problem. A standup art … Continue reading
GETTING EVEN—THEATRICALLY PART 2
WHEN WE LEFT Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, his life of French polymath/entrepreneur was complicated by a court case involving business dealings with the late Joseph Paris Duverney. Today in Part … Continue reading
GETTING EVEN—THEATRICALLY PART 1
APART FROM BEING a spy, diplomat, arms dealer, and revolutionary (French and American), playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais sure know how to get even. His means of revenge? His theatrical … Continue reading
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE UPDATE—PLUSES AND MINUSES
WHAT WITH CONCERNS on ethical grounds, technical matters, and practical aspects, I have been skeptical of any onrush to driverless vehicle technology. However, the Automotive News weekly keeps me updated. … Continue reading
WITH JOE MILLER, THE JOKE’S ON MOTTLEY
JOE MILLER, 18th-Century English Theatre tragedian, is remembered today. John Mottley, a contemporary of Miller, ends up as a false etymological hint. My inspiration for these tidbits arose from “The … Continue reading
SOAP BUBBLES AND WINE LEGS
SOAP BUBBLES make for a fascinating physics lab, even on your own table top. Knvul Sheikh gives proof of this in “Watch Soap Bubbles Turn Into Tiny SnowGlobes as They … Continue reading
1934 ALFA ROMEO 2.3-LITRE CASTAGNA—BRIO WITH ELEGANCE
AMONG THE MANY adjectives that characterize Alfa Romeo automobiles, “sleek,” “snarly,” and “swoopy” come readily to mind. The word “elegant,” though, usually describes other marques: Bugatti, Delahaye, and the like. … Continue reading
THE END OF AMERICAN WORLD ORDER?
OCCASIONALLY THE London Review of Books baffles me with (its understandable) focus on British matters. It reminds me of “Fog Shrouds Channel; Continent Isolated.” Most times, though, I find the … Continue reading
HIGH ON MANHATTAN PART 2
CELEBRATING MANHATTAN SKYSCRAPERS continues here in Part 2, with tidbits gleaned from Stefano Chen’s “New York City’s Evolving Skyline,” The New York Times, June 9, 2019. Here, developers seek to … Continue reading
HIGH ON MANHATTAN PART 1
IN “NEW YORK CITY’S Evolving Skyline,” Stefano Chen writes that this year “could be the city’s busiest year ever for new skyscrapers.” Here, in Parts 1 and 2 today and … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 