OED’S OUTRAGEOUS MOOBS
THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY, the OED, is an authority of English language usage and its history. From time to time, it reflects the expansion of the language, as described in … Continue reading
NANOCAR RACING
HERE’S RACING that makes Formula 1 look low-tech. Nanocar racing is right up there, er… down there with the 1966 sci-fi flick Fantastic Voyage. In Fantastic Voyage, a submarine with … Continue reading
TRUTH AND PROOF: AN EXAMPLE FROM EASY NUMBER THEORY
THIS PARTICULAR election campaign–thank goodness it’s almost over!– has been littered with innuendo, accusation and downright prevarication. As a counterpoint, I offer an example of truth, verified by genuine, unadulterated … Continue reading
FATHER DIVINE: CHARISMATIC, CONTROVERSIAL
WHEN WE left Reverend Major Jealous Father Divine, indeed only yesterday and 1932, he was sentenced to a year in stir because his Long Island commune disturbed the peace. Ironic, … Continue reading
FATHER DIVINE: GOD, SCAMP–OR A BIT OF BOTH
.THE THRONE CAR of evangelist Father Divine was yesterday’s topic. Today (and tomorrow) I celebrate this man who was an early role model of racial equality for many, and yet … Continue reading
A DIVINE DUSIE
THIS PARTICULAR DUESENBERG is more than divine; in a sense, the car was Divine’s. Namely, it was specially built as a Throne Car for the complexly charismatic African-American evangelist Father … Continue reading
SCIENCE AND THE CITY
A NEW BOOK, Science and the City: The Mechanics Behind Metropolis is a must-read. A book review titled “Street Smart,” by Sybil Derrible, is in the latest Science, October 21, … Continue reading
KABUKI, SHAKESPEARE AND MOZART
AUBION BOWERS, known in Japan as the man who saved Kabuki theater, followed this up by writing a fascinating book on the topic of Japanese theater in general. Faubion Bowers, … Continue reading
ART OF BUGATTI–THE PETERSEN MUSEUM
JUST OPENED AT the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is The Art of Bugatti, in a sense a recreation of an earlier exhibit at the Mullin Automotive Museum described … Continue reading
NANCY CUNARD: OUTRAGEOUS, SCANDALOUS AND–EGAD–A POET!
JULIAN FELLOWES and his Downton Abbey have a marvelous way of introducing us to early 20th century personalities. Lady Edith’s mention of French aviatrix Adrienne Boland got me interested in … Continue reading
