MALTA, ITS KNIGHTS, FALCON, AND PARTYING
MY PRIMARY knowledge about the Mediterranean island of Malta was pretty much limited to its falcon and detective Sam Spade. However, this knowledge expanded considerably upon reading “Malta, Where the … Continue reading
CELEBRATING PROMETHEUS. OR BLAMING HIM?
IN GREEK mythology, it was Prometheus who defied Zeus by giving fire to humanity. Fire, that led to civilization’s hearths, metalworking, the Industrial Revolution, and our modern age. In fact, … Continue reading
JOSHUA A. NORTON, AMERICA’S ONLY EMPEROR PART 2
ON SEPTEMBER 17, 1859, after having bankrupted big time on a rice scam, Joshua Abraham Norton sent the following proclamation to several San Francisco newspapers: “At the peremptory request and … Continue reading
JOSHUA A. NORTON, AMERICA’S ONLY EMPEROR PART 1
THE STORY of Joshua A. Norton, aka Emperor Norton I of the United States, is offered as historical entertainment here in two parts, today and tomorrow. You are free to … Continue reading
PEPPER GRINDERS, CAGE CRINOLINES, AND VIS-À-VIS MOTORING
THE MOTOR car image below is exemplary of a wonderful path that led from pepper grinders to cage crinolines to one of the earliest of the world’s famous automakers, Peugeot. … Continue reading
HOLMES RESIDUALS
I SUSPECT it was chronicler Dr. John H. Watson who taught Sherlock Holmes the value of branding, of selling marketers on his reputation as the world’s greatest detective, and then … Continue reading
ON BEING BAMBOOZLED
WHAT A funny word “bamboozle” is. At first glance, it reminds me of that rude noisemaker blown at World Cup matches. (No, that’s the vuvuzela. On the other hand, if … Continue reading
FASHION? ART? BOTH
IT TURNS out that I’m a fashionista. Or would that be fashionisto(?), though Merriam-Webster is gender-neutral in defining “fashionista” as “a designer, promoter, or follower of the latest fashions.” I … Continue reading
SARAH AND SUSANNAH—THOSE JERSEY GIRLS
WILLIAM LIVINGSTON, the first governor of New Jersey, had three daughters, Sarah, Susannah, and Kitty. Little is known of Kitty, however her older sisters made up for it. Sarah was … Continue reading
THREE FRUITS OF JET LAG
BACK WHEN I traveled internationally, I was pretty good with jet lag after the first night. That first opportunity for sleep, however, was always seemingly at the wrong time for … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 