DOEST THOU HEAR A DOG WHISTLE?
WE LIVE IN an era of dog whistles, seemingly subliminal messages that are intended to alert some, yet be inaudible to the less enlightened. I say “seemingly” because who among … Continue reading
MARTHE HANAU—CON FEMME EXTRAORDINAIRE PART 2
THE SWINDLING PRESIDENTE has a timely ring to it, but note that final “e.” It’s a female president that Janet Flanner described in The New Yorker, August 19, 1939, and … Continue reading
MARTHE HANAU—CON FEMME EXTRAORDINAIRE PART 1
I BELIEVE IN equal opportunity for men and women. Thus, when I learned from The New Yorker about a “woman, with vulgar, virile gestures,…and a fulminating vocabulary and voice, both … Continue reading
ON ORIGINALISM PART 2
IS THE U.S. Constitution carved in stone? An originalist would claim so. Yesterday in Part 1, we offered a satirical view from Dan Rather (use leeches as medicine? travel by … Continue reading
ON ORIGINALISM PART 1
THERE HAS BEEN much discussion recently about originalism in its interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Judge Amy Coney Barrett argued “that I interpret the Constitution as a law, that I … Continue reading
THE HABSBURGS—MORE THAN THE JAW PART 2
YESTERDAY WE RECOUNTED origins of the Habsburg’s 1000-year dynasty. Today in Part 2, we learn how nearly two centuries of inbreeding led to its royal downfall, not to say a … Continue reading
THE HABSBURGS—MORE THAN THE JAW PART 1
I KNEW VERY little about the Habsburg royals, other than Emperor Joseph II being Mozart’s Amadeus patron and Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s 1913 assassination precipitating World War I. Mixed fame, I … Continue reading
UP, WITH A TWIST, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, PLEASE
I SAVOR A Bombay Sapphire Martini, up, with a twist, on special occasions, the most recent being the Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates. Coincidentally, The New Yorker recently posted Roger … Continue reading
RULERS—BEFUDDLED, MAD, AND DRUG-ADDLED
HISTORY IS RIDDLED with rulers who have different rules from the rest of us. Here are several examples, including one about whom it was said, “Do not turn your back … Continue reading
