Dry plaster & dandelions
Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci chose to paint The Last Supper on dry plaster instead of the conventional method, [...]
Don’t speak
Whenever I make that fateful trip to my local Rome hospital to have my ruined eyes examined, my mostly steady [...]
Cool cats of Whitehall
For centuries, Britain’s government has battled an unrelenting enemy that multiplies rapidly and invades the corridors of power of the [...]
Playground stories
Recently, I gave my students an assignment to interview someone in their major field. I wanted to introduce a skill [...]
Bora of the fest
A month ago, when Lent was drawing closer, it was Carnival season. What is Carnival season like in Friuli Venezia [...]
Proudly American in Milan
Journalist Susie Rom paints a lovely portrait of Milan, and its recent Winter Olympics, from the POV of a Media Production student at the U of Florida.
Review: Cultish
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell explores the linguistic capacities and repercussions of cult group ideologies through a [...]
Epstein and bunga-bunga world
Am I alone in remembering that Italy already gave us a preview of the Epstein scandal? Remember former Italian Prime [...]
Beyond the Fountain of Youth
They say money can’t buy love, health, or happiness and you cannot take it with you when you die. Now, [...]
The denial of death
Mortality and death were not acceptable topics of discussion in the household of my elementary-school years. Had Bosch or Bruegel [...]
The last storyteller
In the painful final days of his life, my father, usually the most private and discreet of men regarding his [...]