Writer/Author
Paris abounds with photogenic subjects—inspired architecture, majestic monuments, sweeping vistas, lovely gardens, and beautiful women—but in the background of every shot, it seems, lurks the world’s most photographed collection of iron girders. Gustave Eiffel (1832 – 1923), whose eponymous Tower…
Mapmakers everywhere must have breathed sighs of relief when they learned they would not have to redraw the United Kingdom to reflect an independent Scotland. History suggests they should remain at the ready. Coming just a week after an effort…
In preparation for an autumn visit to Paris, I’ve been trying to learn some French. Au Secours! (Help!) When my wife and I traveled to Italy in 2012, I thought my high school and college Spanish classes might help with…
“There is one question alone that you must ask yourself in order to establish whether the serious novel will still retain cultural primacy and centrality in another 20 years. This is the question: if you accept that by then the…
European courts ruled recently that people have the “right to be forgotten.” What about the right not to be forgotten? Does that not apply to Tiananmen Square, where thousands of unarmed protesters were killed 25 years ago by their nation’s…
Can anyone recall a car manufacturer having a tougher time than GM is having right now? Oh yes, there was that dust up Ford faced in 1978 over the tinderbox it named after a bean—the Pinto. But as notorious as…
As Vladimir Putin tightens his grip on Crimea and masses troops along the Ukraine border, it’s a good time to remember that U.S. astronauts are entirely dependent on Russia for transportation to and from the International Space Station. NASA astronaut…
A friend asked me why I started using my middle initial in bylines. I answered, “Because some guy in prison named Eric Frazier ranks higher in Google searches than I do.” If you have never searched your own name online,…
Starting a new diet is among the most common of New Year’s resolutions; it’s also a good time for writers to consider a diet of new words. This occurred to me while reading a recent newspaper piece by a nationally…
My preoccupation with the vagaries of language sent me searching this morning for the reason we say “Merry Christmas.” After all, we use the word happy to convey our best wishes for most other holidays, including the New Year, Easter,…