Queen Elizabeth II was most likely the hardest-working monarch in the history of the world, traveling more than one million miles on state visits to 117 countries. Continue reading Memories of Meeting the Queen
Memories of Meeting the Queen
Am I Brit-ish or American-ish?
A t-shirt from my quirky British friend, Marc, started me musing about being an expat straddling two cultures. Continue reading Am I Brit-ish or American-ish?
Perilous Polarization: The Us vs Them Trap
As a daughter of World War II Jewish refugees who survived the Holocaust by the skin of their teeth, I have a visceral understanding of where marginalizing a specific group leads. Continue reading Perilous Polarization: The Us vs Them Trap
Is Science Objective or a Belief System?
The idea of what constitutes science is can change dramatically from one time period to another. I love antiquarian books and came across a heading in an old medical volume I have from 1918, The People’s Common Sense Medical Advisor by R. V. Pierce, MD, that read, “The Science of Eugenics.” This so-called academic discipline to improve the genetic quality of human populations was founded in 1883 by the renowned British heredity scientist, Sir Francis Galton. He headed the first University department of Eugenics at University College, London Continue reading Is Science Objective or a Belief System?
Prince William Has My Son’s Tie
Friday February 25, 2011: HRH Prince William and his soon-to-be bride Kate Middleton were visiting their alma mater, St. Andrews University in Scotland, the third-oldest university in the English-speaking world. Continue reading Prince William Has My Son’s Tie
Sir Ranulph Fiennes Ruined My Breakfast
I used to love British breakfast sausages. But now I’m not so keen on them. And English explorer Ranulph Fiennes is to blame.
British Cigarette Packs Zombies Would Love
“A pack of blindness and a packet of infertility, please. Not the cancer or the heart attack ones, thank you.” Since 2017, Britons can no longer recognize cigarette brands from packaging, as Daniel Hunt reported for huffingtonpost.co.uk. Continue reading British Cigarette Packs Zombies Would Love
Was Melania Telegraph Story Fair and Balanced?
“One wonders how so many falsehoods could be crammed into a single article.” tweeted Brit Hume of Fox News. Added President Trump, “This is a very big deal in Europe. Fake News is the Enemy of the People!” The offending article was “The Mystery of Melania” that appeared in the January 19, 2019 issue of The Telegraph in Britain. Yet the story for which Mrs. Trump’s lawyers in Britain extracted an apology and substantial damages was excerpted from a book that has been available in the United States since October 2018. Continue reading Was Melania Telegraph Story Fair and Balanced?
Personality Assessments: Accurate or Absurd?
I’ve always been skeptical of systems that claim to deduce a person’s character from questionnaires or physical attributes. At the worst extreme were the bogus sciences of phrenology, where the shape and size of your skull was believed to reveal your mental abilities, and physiognomy, which claimed that your personality could be determined by your outer appearance, specifically your face. Continue reading Personality Assessments: Accurate or Absurd?
Sir Ringo? Sir Rod? British Knighthoods Honor Celebs Not Heroes
The brave new Knights of the Round Table—Sir Ringo Starr, Sir Rod Stewart, Sir Richard Branson, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger, and even the appallingly prolific sexual abuser, Sir Jimmy Savile, now deceased. Continue reading Sir Ringo? Sir Rod? British Knighthoods Honor Celebs Not Heroes