By: Shailendra Chauhan The passing of Vinod Kumar Shukla is not merely the passing of an individual; it is the passing of a language that spoke very softly, said a great deal in very few words, and—away from noise—found profound…
By James Aitchison Nassau, the Bahamas. 8 July 1943. It was after midnight when Sir Harry Oakes, aged 68, one of the world’s richest men, was murdered with a silver ice pick from Simpsons-in-the-Strand. It punctured the side of his…
By Mark D. Walker Part of the Yin & Yang of Travel Series How and why my wife Ligia and I travel has changed radically over the last fifty years. From day trips around Guatemala with Ligia’s parents, to packing…
By James Aitchison Can your brain really reveal your personality by the way it controls the muscles of your hand? Can your handwriting express your innermost levels of intelligence, cognitive ability and talent? In the mid-twentieth century, so-called experts frequently…
By James Aitchison A few paces from Edinburgh’s famous Golden Mile, nestling in tiny Makars’ Court by Lady Stair’s Close, you will find the Scottish Writers’ Museum. Within its ancient walls are portraits, literary works and personal objects of Scotland’s…
By James Aitchison When the Lebanese-born American poet Kahlil Gibran published The Prophet in 1923, he little knew it would become one of the best-selling books of all time. Nor could he have known that the world’s most famous rockstar…
By: Carl Papa Palmer Julia Child, Emeril, Martha Stewart and the Galloping Gourmet all having influence toward the ingredients upon my kitchen counter in preparation for: “The Christmas Cookie Contest of 2025” This year’s theme: “Unique Tastes Holiday Bazaar” Bowls,…
By David R. Topper A significant part of my adult intellectual life has been spent studying and teaching about the life and works of Albert Einstein. This led to my publishing various works about this fascinating, often frustrating man. Just…
By Joseph Bardin We used to look at people with dogs and wonder what deficit in their lives would make them get so involved with their animals. Until we got Marco and Isabella, our Spanish Water Dogs, and became too…
By: James Aitchison When James Stuart was born in 1566, Scotland was far from being a remote, barbaric kingdom to England’s north. Sixteenth century Scotland was, in fact, a flourishing centre of intellectual activity. Young Scots travelled and studied in…