FOILING THE MOB—JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID’S LAVOISIER PORTRAIT PART 1
PITY THE LAVOISIERS, Antoine-Laurent and his wife Marie-Anne Paulze. This French scientific partnership was instrumental in the transition from qualitative chemistry and biology to quantitative endeavors. Pity Jacques-Louis David, French … Continue reading
TRY YOUR LUCK FOR A CAPSULE O.L.
GEE, I WISH I were in Japan so I could pop coins into a vending machine and have it reward me with a miniaturized bit of reality: an air conditioner, … Continue reading
BBC OMAKASE
GOOGLE TRANSLATE RENDERS the Japanese word おまかせ, omakase, as the English “random.” In the sushi world, though, it’s asking the sushi master to orchestrate a selection of his own choice. It … Continue reading
MAYBE IT WASN’T A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT….
OPENING LINES CAN urge compelling reading. Here are some tidbits of such openers that sure worked for me. Perhaps you’d like to share your favorites. The Big Sleep. Raymond Chandler. … Continue reading
ON THE SMOOT
LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS is a perhaps surprising source of Americana. For instance, what’s a “smoot”? The London Review of Books online, October 4, 2021, presented “Paper Cuts: Smoot Day,” … Continue reading
PARENTING/PARENTALITÉ/ELTERNSHAFT
ADAM GOPNIK’S ARTICLE “How to Raise a Prodigy,” recently featured in The New Yorker Classics online, also discussed different parenting in the U.S., France, and Germany. Here are several tidbits. … Continue reading
LET THEM EAT GOSSIP? PART 2
MARIE ANTOINETTE OF France and Swedish nobleman Axel von Fersen were 18th-century pen pals Later, many of her letters underwent redaction by an unknown hand. However, as reported by Sabrina … Continue reading
LET THEM EAT GOSSIP? PART 1
THE HEADLINE READS, “Marie Antoinette’s Letters to Her Dear Swedish Count, Now Uncensored,” by Sabrina Imbler, The New York Times, October 1, 2021. However, if you’re seeking the embarrassment of … Continue reading
LITHUANIA RULES—YET AGAIN
“AR GALITE MANE IŠGIRSTI DABAR?” This Lithuanian query of “Can you hear me now?” is most appropriate in response to news reported by the Voice of America, October 1, 2021: … Continue reading
ONE SWIFT AND AGILE FORMULA FORD—A GREAT QUARTER POUNDER TOO
TRACK TESTING WAS good fun at R&T. And testing the national champion Swift DB-1 Formula Ford in March 1984 was particularly satisfying. Here are tidbits on our time with the … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 