HURRICANE ESTHER ’61
AS HURRICANE HERMINE moves her way up the Atlantic coast of the U.S., I’m reminded of 1961’s Hurricane Esther and my own drenching from her. The experience enabled me deftly … Continue reading
TRUTH, AFTER A FASHION
“IT’S ON THE INTERNET, so it must be true.” This may be the dumbest (and scariest) statement ever uttered. Yet it also prodded me to thinking about the concept of … Continue reading
WAGNER INVECTIVES
THE OPERAS OF Richard Wagner give Wife Dottie, Daughter Suz and me much pleasure, though I also appreciate that the subject matter, complexity and sheer length are something of an … Continue reading
RIGGED ELECTION? NOT AGAIN.
A RIGGED ELECTION? I’ll show you a rigged election, 1888-style. It makes today’s conspiracy theories sound like Sunday School play. A bit of background: The concept of ballot as we … Continue reading
A CELEBRATION OF SAKI
H.H. MUNRO, pen name Saki, wrote 100 years ago about Edwardian England. His stories and plays are akin to those of Oscar Wilde, P.G. Wodehouse and today’s Julian Fellowes–but with … Continue reading
COME ON-A BAUHAUS
IT’S ALWAYS RISKY paraphrasing old song titles, but it seemed too good to pass up “Come On-A My House” by singer Rosemary Clooney, George’s aunt. In truth, I’m early in … Continue reading
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
Simanaitis Says 