TALES OF NARCISSUS AND OF MACHIAVELLI
WHATEVER PROMPTED me yesterday to research the Greek myth of Narcissus and Italian Niccolò Machiavelli’s treatise The Prince? Ovid, 43 B.C.–17 A.D., wrote about the Greek myth of Narcissus and … Continue reading
CHOCOLATE, QUAKERS AND THE E.U.
CHOCOLATE CONFECTIONS led me off in different directions. Britain’s Cadbury chocolates ending up in Poland is the principal theme of James Meek’s “Somerdale to Skarbimierz,” in the April 20, 2017, … Continue reading
INCOME INEQUALITY—A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
“FOR YE HAVE the poor always with you…” “The vast gap between the rich and the poor has never been greater than it is today.” “The rich get richer; the … Continue reading
PRESIDENTIAL HERITAGES—AND CROWDS
INFLATED ESTIMATES of crowd sizes are continuing talking points these days. In countering such alternative facts, I offer here several non-crowd scenes that have presidential associations ranging from James Madison … Continue reading
MUSICAL MALFEASANCE
THE HISTORY of music is replete with examples of less than straightforward behavior. Here are three tidbits along these lines, stretching from 1700 to the latest of film scores. One … Continue reading
CON WOMEN—BALANCING THE GAME
I’VE HAD a good time here discussing con men such as Pierre Arnold Bernard, aka Oom the Magnificent; Wolfgang von Kempelen and The Turk chess-playing automaton; and Donald J. Trump, … Continue reading
PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORSHIP, PART 4
IN CONCLUDING MY notes here on U.S. Presidents who could read and even write books, I move from the sublime to the present. After the likes of Presidents Thomas Jefferson, … Continue reading
OPERA FUN CONTINUES
OPERA RIDES the razor edge of absurdity, according to Peter Ustinov. And it continues to delight me, whether in performances or in its attendant fun. Today, I share charming tales … Continue reading
PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORSHIP, PART 3
AMONG THE most prolific of U.S. Presidents who demonstratively knew how to read a book is Teddy Roosevelt. Indeed, he wrote a goodly number of books on a variety of … Continue reading
PROTEST—CLASSICAL STYLE
THE FOLK GENRE is rich with songs of protest: Pete Seeger’s We Shall Overcome and Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’ come to mind. But what about classical music? … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 