Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

Author Archives: simanaitissays

OLIVER CROMWELL—PURITAN, LORD PROTECTOR, AND A REAL PIECE OF WORK PART 1

IT’S NOT OFTEN that I take a dislike to an historical figure. Hitler, yes. Mussolini, yes. But then I was born during the war years. However, having read about Oliver … Continue reading →

November 28, 2018 · 1 Comment

ELLIS ISLAND TIDBITS

“HOW FAR WOULD you travel to find a better life? What if the journey took weeks under difficult conditions? If you answered, ‘Whatever it takes,’ you echo the feelings of … Continue reading →

November 27, 2018 · 1 Comment

ON ACTORS, YOU’LL EXCUSE THE TERM

PITY THE POOR Thespians. Those of the acting profession have given us entertainment, comfort, even enlightenment. Yet, like Rodney Dangerfield used to say, they don’t get no respect. Here are … Continue reading →

November 26, 2018 · Leave a comment

FOUR ADJECTIVES IN SEARCH OF A TYPOGRAPHER

AS DESCRIBED IN yesterday’s adjectival tidbit, ironic, sardonic, sarcastic, and satirical commentaries are frequently encountered these days. Thus, shouldn’t we have typography to identify their presence? Sort of like “?” … Continue reading →

November 25, 2018 · 6 Comments

IRONIC, SARDONIC, SARCASTIC, SATIRIC—ADJECTIVES FOR OUR TIMES

WE LIVE IN times that are ripe for ironic, sardonic, sarcastic, and satiric commentary. It’s fun to savor such wit, all the better when we observe the nuances among these … Continue reading →

November 24, 2018 · 1 Comment

ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE OF SAUDI OIL

TRUMP’S RECENT exclamation-point-endowed pandering to Saudi Arabia suggests the need for an update on countries supplying oil to the U.S. To avoid yet further trumpery (Merriam-Webster: “crapola, hogwash, rubbish”), I … Continue reading →

November 23, 2018 · 3 Comments

EVERYBODY’S AVIATION GUIDE—90 YEARS AGO PART 2

YESTERDAY IN PART 1, Major Victor W. Pagé, Air Corps Reserve, U.S.A., started bringing us up to date on aeronautics in 1928. Today in Part 2, he continues with details … Continue reading →

November 22, 2018 · Leave a comment

EVERYBODY’S AVIATION GUIDE—90 YEARS AGO PART 1

MAJOR VICTOR W. PAGÉ, Air Corps Reserve, U.S.A., was a timely author. He wrote in 1928, “The transoceanic flights made by Byrd, Lindbergh, Chamberlin, Acosta, Hegenberger and Maitland, and others … Continue reading →

November 21, 2018 · Leave a comment

“POP” GOES THE EASEL

“FOR AS LONG AS there have been people putting art on a pedestal,” Jamie James writes, “there have been others, usually artists themselves, who have taken delight in pulling it … Continue reading →

November 20, 2018 · Leave a comment

NO DEAL BREXIT AND THE AUTOMOBILE

GLOBALISM VERSUS NATIONALISM are concepts lurking in Brexit, Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. Brexit is based on a June 23, 2016, referendum in the United Kingdom, its outcome a … Continue reading →

November 19, 2018 · 1 Comment