A Secret History of Neil Armstrong

Finally, somebody’s paying attention to the Moon landing, 40 years ago, today.
Over the past several years of blogs, I have tried to keep some remembrance of our most profound anniversary, a future holiday perhaps, on a par with the discovery and taming of fire: the species’ first extraterrestrial landing.  (See 2001: A Space Odyssey for [...]

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

We pay tribute on Bastille Day  to French national symbol Mary Ann:

Marianne, a national emblem of the French Republic, is, by extension, an allegory of Liberty and Reason. She represents France as a state, and its values (as opposed to the “Gallic rooster” representing France as a nation and its history, land and culture). She [...]