WOMEN AT THE WHEEL
I RECENTLY READ a debunking of the “just a woman driver” myth. It was in “What a Woman Can Do With an Auto” by Robert Sloss who made “the surprising … Continue reading
CHAUCER TIDBITS
A NEW 624-PAGE biography of Geoffrey Chaucer aroused my interest. Not quite enough, I admit, to read all 624 pages yet, but sufficient to enjoy reading a review of this … Continue reading
1911 VALKYRIE MONOPLANE PART 2
YESTERDAY, WE HAD Horatio Barber’s Valkyrie demonstrating its short take-off capability by charging directly at admiring crowds. Today in Part 2, the Valkyrie continues to entertain, becomes the world’s first … Continue reading
1911 VALKYRIE MONOPLANE PART 1
WELL, HERE’S a pleasant surprise: the combination of an old aeroplane and Wagner’s Ring Cycle. What’s more surprising is finding a detailed article on that aeroplane from 1910. The tale … Continue reading
RACKETEERING ETYMOLOGIES
THE NEWS CONCERNING Trump, Giuliani, omertà, getting thrown under the bus, and other mob-speak got me wondering how the nice French sports racquet evolved into something as sordid as racketeering. … Continue reading
RAIL, ROAD, AND AIR—THE ART OF TERENCE CUNEO
ENGLISH PAINTER Terence Cuneo had a way with locomotives, cars, and even aircraft. Quite apart from this, he was also the official artist for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II … Continue reading
SLONIMSKY ON CONDUCTING
NICK SLONIMSKY PLANNED to title his autobiography Failed Wunderkind, but was persuaded otherwise. Wisely too: Having been told by his mother that he was a genius at age 6, Slonimsky … Continue reading
UPDATING ALICE
MARTIN GARDNER’S Annotated Alice, 1960, was the first in my collection of annotated classics. Indeed, Gardner’s was the first in the series, many of which I have. Wife Dottie recently … Continue reading
HERE’S A GOOD POLITICAL COLUMNIST WHEN WE NEED ONE
ALAS, WILL ROGERS died in an airplane crash in 1935, but he clearly left a legacy for our times: “Everything is changing,” he said, “People are taking their comedians seriously, … Continue reading
MEZZANOTE PAPPARDELLE: BUON APPETITO!
THIS MIDNIGHT GOBBLE is one of the quickest meals to fix, though it calls for an oddly stocked larder: olive oil (easy), garlic (of course), Parmesan cheese (no problem), red … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 