THE FIRST LE MANS BENTLEY—AT THE FIRST LE MANS PART 1
THE RECENT LE MANS was won by Toyota Gazoo Racing for the fifth straight year. Not a Le Mans record, with both Ferrari (1960–1965) and Porsche (1981–1987) having six-year streaks. … Continue reading
ENCLAVE NATIONS
AN ENCLAVE NATION is a country completely surrounded by another country. In days of old, what with every Tom, Dick, and Heinrich setting up a Duchy or something, there were … Continue reading
ON THE ADVISING OF ETHICS
TODAY’S TIMELESS QUOTE was inspired, perhaps, by Oscar Wilde: “To lose one’s ethics adviser may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose two looks like carelessness.” Proof of its timeliness … Continue reading
FILL ’ER UP—GLOBALLY PART 2
YESTERDAY, WE FOUND HISTORICAL continuity in our sourcing of crude oil over the years. Today in Part 2, as is traditionally the case, we see the U.S. with lots of … Continue reading
FILL ’ER UP—GLOBALLY PART 1
AS I WRITE THIS, the average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. is $5.02/gallon. Ours here in California is $6.44/gal., by far highest in the nation, though note we … Continue reading
DESIGNING FOR THE STAGE
YEARS AGO I HAD youthful aspiration of a career in theater stage design. If blame be necessary (though it isn’t), it was the influence of National Thespian Society and dear … Continue reading
A THEATRICAL SPIN—AND ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER
BACK IN 2013, the Met produced a Live in HD presentation of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, the bel canto opera based on Friedrich Schiller’s 1800 play Maria Stuart. This Met production … Continue reading
LRB IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS
SOMETIMES A BOOK REVIEW might reveal overly much. Like that kid’s comment, “This book tells me more about whales than I wanted to know.” This doesn’t disparage the writing, either … Continue reading
HAVE YOU GOT THE TIME? BUT WHERE??
THIS IS A COLLECTION OF Time Zones tidbits from around the world, combined with a confession of misinformation I offered five decades ago. When people didn’t travel much, the sun’s … Continue reading
CONTINENTAL MOTORING A CENTURY AGO PART 2
SO IT’S 1923 AND you’re considering a motoring tour of Normandy and Brittany. Today in Part 2 you might choose to do it in a light car or cyclecar. Here … Continue reading
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