I had prepared carefully. I had my DK Lisbon guide, my lists and agenda, and…
Iowa 2: Bridges and Madison County
Winterset is about half an hour’s drive from the airport side of Des Moines, and there is a choice of routes. The most direct route is also the most lovely. Veterans Parkway and mostly Cummings Road glide through the rolling hills and fields of corn unencumbered with...
Iowa 1: A Bad Start
You do know that the evil overlords who created the mobile-phone culture control every aspect of our lives, yes? If you have any doubt about that, put your cell away for 24 hours. Try to do any of your normal activities. Start trying to access anything which requires...
MAGAmerica: the Grandiose, the Gargantuan, and the Grotesque
“Trump announces planned DC site for sculpture garden / Raises questions on congressional approval needs.” Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 16 May 2026 Donald Trump didn’t so much win the election for President as he did—from his point of view—acquire the...
Lisboa 4: Alfama’s Heights
A slow stroll across Praça do Comércio, a breath of damp air off the River Tagus, a coffee and a croissant were prelude to the ascent. I climbed first to the Romanesque gloom of Sé and its jewel-box neighbor, Santo António da Sé, then descended to the Museu do...