AVOCADO UNDER MY SKIN
THE MIND—and sometimes a good pun—is a terrible thing to waste. So is an avocado. We’ve been enjoying avocados of the Hass variety here in southern California. No surprise, as … Continue reading
THE LRB ON BREXIT
THE BREXIT REFERENDUM asked voters in the United Kingdom whether to Remain in or Leave the European Union, and “Leave” gathered more votes. But, as described in essays in the London … Continue reading
FOODATARIANS—PURE AND NOT SO SIMPLE
I AM A vegetarian, except for sausage. Wife Dottie considers herself a pescetarian, avoiding land-based meat but accepting protein from the sea. For a while there, Daughter Suz would eat … Continue reading
ELECTING A PRESIDENT—1840 STYLE
IMAGINE: SOMEONE who actively campaigned to be president of the United States! And an old guy at that—William Henry Harrison was 67. Martin Van Buren, his incumbent opposition, had been … Continue reading
THE BARONESS OF DADA
TALK ABOUT a great book blurb: MIT Press described Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven as “a neurasthenic, kleptomaniac, man-chasing proto-punk poet and artist.” Gee, I’ve got to learn more about this Baroness … Continue reading
BEEN THERE, SORTA
MR. AND MRS. Dinesh Rathod, both police officers in Pune, Maharahstra, India, claim to have climbed Mount Everest. As proof of conquering this 28,028-ft. peak, they offer a photo showing … Continue reading
A MURAT FAMILY BUSH
LEARNING A LITTLE recently about Murat the Younger and his Turkish Abductions of Icelanders, I felt compelled to search out Murat the Elder and others sharing this moniker. Pirate, admiral, … Continue reading
RED BURGUNDY HEIRLOOM OKRA
ALTHOUGH I CANNOT find it, both Wife Dottie and I remember a cartoon showing a guy lazily leaned back in his office chair, his feet on an uncluttered cob-webby desk, … Continue reading
ARG! THEY BE RAIDING ICELAND! OPERA TO COME
FOLLOWING THE TRAIL of a newly translated book leads me to learn things about Barbary pirates, Iceland, a Mozart opera, a possibly fallen woman and my surname. Today’s tale is … Continue reading
MEDITATIONS ON CBS RADIO WORKSHOP
THE CBS RADIO WORKSHOP teamed famed journalist Edward R. Murrow and other commentators with the music of Norman Dello Joio in an epic broadcast on June 23, 1957. Murrow opened … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 