Epicurus in Rome
The Epicurean mantra was “avoid engaging in politics,’ which is good advice now as it was some 2,000 years ago. This book on how the philosophy of Epicurus was received…
Austin’s Next Mayor?
Will it be Celia Israel or Kirk Watson? Israel is a State Representative and Watson was mayor of Austin from 1997-2001. He then served three terms as a State Senator.…
The Wreckers: Opera in Houston
A very rarely-performed English opera from 1906, The Wreckers is making a real splash now At Houston Grand Opera. I use the word ‘splash’ as a pun, as the opera…
HALLOWEEN: Midnight Monster Contest
Oil Can Harry’s, Austin’s most famous bar, hosted the first annual Midnight Monster contest on Halloween night. It was not just people dressed in costumes getting judged, but full performance…
HALLOWEEN: Mansion on O Street
If you ever wondered what is behind a secret door in a spooky mansion, then head to Washington DC. At the Mansion on O Street, you can actually open that…
Halloween Witch Hunt
How about a good old-fashioned pumpkin horror story from Spain to get Halloween off to a fine start? “Maria de Ulibarri, married, age 36, came before an inquisition commission in…
Cold War Radio
While radio often seems nostalgic now, it had great value during the Cold War, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Writing of Radio Liberty and Voice of America in his…
A Surprising Violin Concerto
The latest outing by our Austin Symphony Orchestra featured the violinist Elisabeth Kufferath. It was an inspired choice to celebrate the music of Albert Dietrich (1829-1908), a little-known German composer…
Naval Strategy
In physics, ‘exceptional points’ are specific system parameters leading to the commonality of two different solutions that can only exist in systems with losses. For those with a scientific, rather…
The Celestial Hunter
Hunting took many forms in ancient Greece. Sometimes a wild boar would be hunted. Another time a God would take the form of a wild boar to hunt down a…