JEFFERSON’S TOY BOX
WE’VE ALL heard that Thomas Jefferson was something of a renaissance man, a Leonardo da Vinci of his time. This is corroborated in the fine book, Passions, The Wines and … Continue reading
CHRISTMAS EVE 2012
IN 1822, Clement C. Moore published A Visit From St. Nicholas. This wonderful poem sums up so many things about the holiday, from its image of the real Santa Claus … Continue reading
A FORMULA OF BEAUTY
THIS CONVERSATION took place years ago, 1986, to be exact: “We all recognize that a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso is better looking than a 1958 Buick,” I said, “but … Continue reading
DAVE BRUBECK
ONE OF the giants of jazz, and of modern music in general, Dave Brubeck passed away December 5, just one day short of his 92nd birthday. Brubeck was more than … Continue reading
HIGH ON SPEED
I HASTEN to say that this item has nothing to do with drugs. Rather, it’s on the perception of movement and its feeling of exhilaration. It’s also about bees and … Continue reading
CHEERS, PROF!
AN ITEM in a recent Science magazine, Vol. 338, 9 November 2012, had a great opening line: “Biodiversity has driven doctoral candidates from Trinity College Dublin to drink.” Having once … Continue reading
BILL DOBSON AND MR. WRIGHT
FOR MANY years, the talented artist Bill Dobson (1935-2011) did the side view drawings—little gems of automotive art—for Road & Track road tests. Bill was also a world-recognized authority on … Continue reading
BRITAIN INVADED!
A CAR book can offer most marvelous tales having nothing to do with cars. And so it is with Bentley Motors On The Road, an assemblage of the owners’ magazines … Continue reading
BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?
THE U.S. Department of Labor has provided us all with an entertaining and thought-provoking gizmo at http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm. As its name suggests, the CPI Inflation Calculator uses the Consumer Price Index and … Continue reading
ARE THERE OPERA DIVOS?
HOW HAVE I waited this long to write about opera? Wife Dottie introduced me to its joys—and madness—quite a few years ago, and I’ve never looked back. For neophytes, let … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 