Odds and Ends
-
Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five: Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, — “If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern…
-
The Wright Brothers’ first flight was 120 feet and lasted twelve seconds. Had Usain Bolt witnessed their feat, he might have been mildly amused while grinning that his gold medals and world records were safe even against machines. Back to the drawing board, the Wright Brothers went. Their tenacity turned 120 feet and twelve seconds…
-
Mmm, what would I want carrying my name? The first thing that comes to mind is some sort of structure. But definitely not a tunnel; in the event of an accident, I wouldn’t want people stuck inside me. It would be somewhat ironic if I had to call my wife and tell her, “Honey, I’ll…
-
In what was dubbed “Operation Cyclone,’” the U.S. furnished the Mujahedin with the weapons and cash they needed to resist the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Iraq fired SCUD missiles that they acquired courtesy of the Soviets at the U.S. for intervening in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait; the U.S. coughed up a billion or so…
-
Dear Miserly Old Prick, In the event that you’ve lost track of time (doubtless you have; it’s a symptom of living too long), it’s 2062, and you’re 100 years old. Congratulations. But are congratulations in order? Should longevity count as an accomplishment? Let us examine the situation, shall we? Presently, you’re enjoying life with the…
-
I’m a basic man, a conservationalist in my accepted wisdoms, who practices the art of minimalism. I am also a salt-of-the-earth Italian who believes in attacking matters one at a time and correctly. Some call it OCD; I call it focus. If I’m doing something, rest assured, it is not a frivolous whim but a…
-
Me, after tackling my 100-foot New Jersey driveway. The hot broth and grilled cheese my dear Kathy made would’ve gone down good. What a shame it went to waste. Easy come, easy go. Winter isn’t going quietly into the night; it has become a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a thorn in its ass.
-
The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” always had a place in my top ten of classic rock songs. Watch Gamazda, born Alexandra Kuznetsova in Moscow, Russia, and a graduate of the prestigious Tchaikovsky Conservatory, apply her classical technique and put her thumbprint on an ageless classic rock gem.
-
And so another February 14th is among us. As history illustrates, February 14th, in the year 1929, did not go so swimmingly for old Bugsy Moran. Never let it be said that Al Capone was not a man without a sense of irony. However, the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre, which took place in Lincoln Park,…
-
A brainstorm, an open pasture, a few good friends, and whatever became of Alexander Joy Cartwright? Baseball is not a fast-paced game, but it is sudden. Often, we can’t see baseball coming; it just happens—the game’s defining moments come and go like a flicker of light, bringing instantaneous and unexpected joy and crushing heartbreak without…
Michael's Corner 