AMERICANS IN JAPAN—1965
JUST AS THE 1853–1854 Perry Expedition to Japan led to the Meiji Era’s assimilation of Western ways, the 1964 Summer Olympics, the first Olympiad held in Asia, enhanced Tokyo’s standing … Continue reading
EDITOR, LETTERS TO THE
THIS ALL STARTED with the London Review of Books, September 23, 2021. It contained Anthony Grafton’s “Fake It Till You Make It,” a review of Dennis Duncan’s aptly named Index, … Continue reading
MEDICAL TIDBITS
THE COVID PANDEMIC has made me aware of SIR analyses modeling Susceptibility, Infection, and Recovery; of R0, R-naught describing Covid’s average rate of transmission; and of other medical complexities. Yet … Continue reading
ARMCHAIR TRAVEL? NO, ROCKING CHAIR
I’VE HAD GOOD FUN with armchair travel by virtue of my Baedekers and other guidebooks. The fact that most of them were published before the Great War only enhances their … Continue reading
DATING “THE CAPTAIN’S TABLE” MENU
WIFE DOTTIE LED an adventurous lile. Japan to Brazil to the Arctic Circle to La Cienega near 3rd Street in Los Angeles. In sifting through her treasures, I have proof … Continue reading
BARNSTORMING—THOUGH NOT IN THE AIR
BARNSTORMING MAY EVOKE images of wing-walking and other aerial hijinks. Actually, though, I learned that the term “barnstorming” predates the aeroplane by decades. Here are tidbits of barnstorming, summer stock, … Continue reading
BIRD: BIOLOGICAL INTELLIGENT RECONNAISSANCE DRONE
MISINFORMATION IS RIFE. Wacko antivaxxers believe that Covid vaccines contain government-installed chips that monitor our movements. Only slightly more rational antivaxxers seem to know people who have died from a … Continue reading
MY FAVORITE SONDHEIM—ILLUSTRATED BY HIRSCHFELD
I THANK BEN BRANTLEY for “These Hirschfeld Drawings Capture Sondheim’s Shows Better Than Any Photo.” The New York Times, December 9, 2021. Brantley writes, “Ever since Stephen Sondheim died last … Continue reading
A PLATE OF THAT HAUTE CUISINE, MACK
THERE’S A DIRECT LINE from peasant fare to bourgeoise cooking to haute cuisine. There are also fascinating societal aspects, as described by Ligaya Mishan in The Humble Beginnings of Today’s … Continue reading
NUTS, THINKING ECOLOGICALLY
AAAS SCIENCE MAGAZINE, November 26, 2021, reports that “Researchers Probe Climate as a Cause of Banner Nut Years.” The magazine’s Elizabeth Pennisi writes, “New database could help solve the mystery … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 