FILL ’ER UP—GLOBALLY PART 1
AS I WRITE THIS, the average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. is $5.02/gallon. Ours here in California is $6.44/gal., by far highest in the nation, though note we … Continue reading
DESIGNING FOR THE STAGE
YEARS AGO I HAD youthful aspiration of a career in theater stage design. If blame be necessary (though it isn’t), it was the influence of National Thespian Society and dear … Continue reading
A THEATRICAL SPIN—AND ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER
BACK IN 2013, the Met produced a Live in HD presentation of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, the bel canto opera based on Friedrich Schiller’s 1800 play Maria Stuart. This Met production … Continue reading
LRB IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS
SOMETIMES A BOOK REVIEW might reveal overly much. Like that kid’s comment, “This book tells me more about whales than I wanted to know.” This doesn’t disparage the writing, either … Continue reading
HAVE YOU GOT THE TIME? BUT WHERE??
THIS IS A COLLECTION OF Time Zones tidbits from around the world, combined with a confession of misinformation I offered five decades ago. When people didn’t travel much, the sun’s … Continue reading
CONTINENTAL MOTORING A CENTURY AGO PART 2
SO IT’S 1923 AND you’re considering a motoring tour of Normandy and Brittany. Today in Part 2 you might choose to do it in a light car or cyclecar. Here … Continue reading
CONTINENTAL MOTORING A CENTURY AGO PART 1
MY 1923 COOK’S TRAVELLER’S HANDBOOK for Normandy and Brittany offers interesting tidbits on Cycling and Motoring, including an extensive list of light cars and cyclecars. Here in Parts 1 and … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: FILIBUSTER
HOW CAN A representative democracy obstruct a majority view? In one word: filibuster. And an example comes to immediate mind: gun control. Here are tidbits on etymology of the word … Continue reading
Cook’s Traveller’s Handbook for Normandy and Brittany Part 2
OLD GUIDEBOOKS MAKE INTERESTING assessments, if occasionally lacking in terms of today’s P.C. niceties. Yesterday in Part 1, Thos. Cook & Son introduced us to Normandy and Brittany, 1923. Today, … Continue reading
COOK’S TRAVELLER’S HANDBOOK TO NORMANDY AND BRITTANY PART 1
HAVING ONLY YESTERDAY mentioned the Norman Conquest, I thought I’d learn more about Normandy, that portion of northern France whence came the conquerors. What better source than my Cook’s Traveller’s … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 