RUNES
Runic inscriptions, “Runes”, from the Viking Age, still turn up in Sweden 1,000 years after they were written. They reveal fascinating stories of love, loss …
BLOUGE
I just read an article in the Economist that was devoted to a new discussion in the wine industry centered on “Blouge” wine, which I …
ABBEY LIBRARY OF ST. GALLEN
The Abbey Library of St. Gallen, In eastern Switzerland, is a Baroque hall of globes, manuscripts and curiosities that has survived, improbably, for 1,300 years. …
MUSHROOM
Every year, doctors at a hospital in the Yunnan Province of China brace themselves for an influx of people with an unusual complaint, all related …
HELLO
It’s been 200 years since the word “hello” was first used in print, though its beginnings date back to the 15th Century. This article investigates …
MONSTERS IN THE CITY
Monsters in the city sounds like the title of a horror movie, but it is all-to-real occurrence in Thailand. Once driven to the city’s edges, …
SPIDERS ON MARS
This article in The Economist caught my interest for two reasons: “Spiders on Mars” is a cute title; and, second, it is an excellent example …
HUMAN EMPATHY
I was reminded during this Christmas season of two very special events that demonstrated human empathy at an unexpected level and in two completely different …
VON TRAPP
The last living von Trapp child still helps run the family resort in the mountains of New England – a little piece of Austria, inspired …
THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT
The Voynich Manuscript has long baffled scholars and attracted cranks and conspiracy theorists. Now a prominent medievalist is taking a new approach to unlocking its …