Naomi (here in a forest outside Leningrad, 1977 or 78) in the hooded snowsuit which, with its neck slightly unzipped, prompted a passerby to claim she was “naked” I hope you didn’t miss National Doughnut1 Day this past Friday. If Facebook had not brought it to my attention, I certainly would have. As it turned out, […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ND-Pavlovsk2.jpg18181228Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2019-06-09 17:13:162019-06-09 17:30:27National Doughnut Day — Did It Roll Right Past You?
Ilya Yefimovich Repin: Zaporozhian Cossacks Write a Letter to the Turkish Sultan Advisory: Despite this blog’s ordinarily being family-friendly, this post is not appropriate for readers under the age of 18 (no nudity, just language). The painting above is one of the strongest possible refutations of the notion that the study of history is dull […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Zaporozhian-Cossaks.jpg7571280Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2019-06-02 16:06:462019-06-02 22:20:39Who Said History Is Boring?
A business letter In his novel 1984, George Orwell wrote about Newspeak,1 which “Big Brother” — i.e., the totalitarian government — wanted to substitute for Oldspeak (everyday English). In 1984’s dystopian society, the objective of Newspeak was to strengthen government control of the populace by shaping and limiting its vocabulary. I’ve begun this piece by referring […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Business-letter.jpg282426Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2019-05-26 17:28:242019-05-26 17:32:30‘CorporateSpeak’ and Condescension in Business Letters
If you must smoke, please do it quietly! Yesterday a friend asked if I’d like to speak at his Rotary Club in a few months. We tentatively agreed on a topic, namely the title of this post. The following is a preview of some of the territory I expect to cover in this and another […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/aloud-allowed.jpg700700Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2019-05-19 16:58:072019-05-19 18:12:47Unless You’re Prepared for People to Ignore — and Maybe Sometimes Laugh at — What You Write, You Might Need the Help of an Editor or Copywriter
Mollie Daniel, expecting me, 1944 For Mother’s Day this year, I’d like to add a few more recollections of my mom to the collection — a tribute really — that I wrote two years ago. If you didn’t read it back then, and if you’d like to know something about the wonderful lady who brought […]
Sonoma County Wine Country (photo by Howard E. Daniel) The following column (op-ed), which I wrote, is scheduled to appear in tomorrow’s (May 6, 2019) North Bay Business Journal. Because subscribers to the publication generally receive their copies in the mail on the preceding Saturday, I am taking the liberty of republishing it here, on […]
Have you ever wondered about fish sauce, the all-but-ubiquitous ingredient in so much of Vietnamese, Thai and several other Southeast Asian cuisines? The one that, when sitting innocently on the table in an unlabeled bottle, looks almost identical to soy sauce but which has a peculiar fragrance and flavor that seem quite unlike anything you […]
Our tiny Fiat The experiences I recounted in last week’s post about driving in Brazil were hardly the only adventures I’ve had behind the wheel. My first encounter with “crazy foreign drivers” took place in Europe in 1965, on the same trip when my friend Arlee and I drove our car — a Fiat so tiny […]
https://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Fiat-in-Italy-1.jpg12281818Howard Danielhttps://pen4rent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.pngHoward Daniel2019-04-14 15:59:552019-04-14 16:20:00'No-Crash' Courses in Driving in Italy, England and Japan
Here I am with my Corcel, a Brazilian-made Ford, relaxing in Brasilia in 1972 or thereabouts. I got my bachelor’s degree in Connecticut and my master’s in Massachusetts, but I had to cross the equator and fly all the way to Brazil for my Ph.D. I hasten to add that this doctorate was not in […]
Last week I lost a friend, Robert J. “Bud” Korengold.* While we were not close, I greatly admired him. I first made his acquaintance when I was a Russian area studies major at Yale, and he was the Newsweek correspondent in Moscow. Back then, our acquaintanceship was one-way. I knew who he was; he had no […]
National Doughnut Day — Did It Roll Right Past You?
/0 Comments/in Humor, Places I've lived, Recollections /by Howard DanielNaomi (here in a forest outside Leningrad, 1977 or 78) in the hooded snowsuit which, with its neck slightly unzipped, prompted a passerby to claim she was “naked” I hope you didn’t miss National Doughnut1 Day this past Friday. If Facebook had not brought it to my attention, I certainly would have. As it turned out, […]
Who Said History Is Boring?
/0 Comments/in History, Humor, Language, Places I've lived /by Howard DanielIlya Yefimovich Repin: Zaporozhian Cossacks Write a Letter to the Turkish Sultan Advisory: Despite this blog’s ordinarily being family-friendly, this post is not appropriate for readers under the age of 18 (no nudity, just language). The painting above is one of the strongest possible refutations of the notion that the study of history is dull […]
‘CorporateSpeak’ and Condescension in Business Letters
/0 Comments/in Language, Writing & editing /by Howard DanielA business letter In his novel 1984, George Orwell wrote about Newspeak,1 which “Big Brother” — i.e., the totalitarian government — wanted to substitute for Oldspeak (everyday English). In 1984’s dystopian society, the objective of Newspeak was to strengthen government control of the populace by shaping and limiting its vocabulary. I’ve begun this piece by referring […]
Unless You’re Prepared for People to Ignore — and Maybe Sometimes Laugh at — What You Write, You Might Need the Help of an Editor or Copywriter
/0 Comments/in Humor, Language, Writing & editing /by Howard DanielIf you must smoke, please do it quietly! Yesterday a friend asked if I’d like to speak at his Rotary Club in a few months. We tentatively agreed on a topic, namely the title of this post. The following is a preview of some of the territory I expect to cover in this and another […]
More Mother’s Day Memories
/0 Comments/in Holidays, Recollections /by Howard DanielMollie Daniel, expecting me, 1944 For Mother’s Day this year, I’d like to add a few more recollections of my mom to the collection — a tribute really — that I wrote two years ago. If you didn’t read it back then, and if you’d like to know something about the wonderful lady who brought […]
Wine Country Airport
/0 Comments/in North Bay, Places I've lived, Sonoma County, Travel /by Howard DanielSonoma County Wine Country (photo by Howard E. Daniel) The following column (op-ed), which I wrote, is scheduled to appear in tomorrow’s (May 6, 2019) North Bay Business Journal. Because subscribers to the publication generally receive their copies in the mail on the preceding Saturday, I am taking the liberty of republishing it here, on […]
Look, Mom – Fish Sauce!
/0 Comments/in Recollections, Travel /by Howard DanielHave you ever wondered about fish sauce, the all-but-ubiquitous ingredient in so much of Vietnamese, Thai and several other Southeast Asian cuisines? The one that, when sitting innocently on the table in an unlabeled bottle, looks almost identical to soy sauce but which has a peculiar fragrance and flavor that seem quite unlike anything you […]
‘No-Crash’ Courses in Driving in Italy, England and Japan
/0 Comments/in Recollections, Travel /by Howard DanielOur tiny Fiat The experiences I recounted in last week’s post about driving in Brazil were hardly the only adventures I’ve had behind the wheel. My first encounter with “crazy foreign drivers” took place in Europe in 1965, on the same trip when my friend Arlee and I drove our car — a Fiat so tiny […]
Earning a Ph.D.
/0 Comments/in Places I've lived, Recollections, Thoughts, Travel /by Howard DanielHere I am with my Corcel, a Brazilian-made Ford, relaxing in Brasilia in 1972 or thereabouts. I got my bachelor’s degree in Connecticut and my master’s in Massachusetts, but I had to cross the equator and fly all the way to Brazil for my Ph.D. I hasten to add that this doctorate was not in […]
Bud Korengold, 1929–2019, RIP
/0 Comments/in History, Recollections /by Howard DanielLast week I lost a friend, Robert J. “Bud” Korengold.* While we were not close, I greatly admired him. I first made his acquaintance when I was a Russian area studies major at Yale, and he was the Newsweek correspondent in Moscow. Back then, our acquaintanceship was one-way. I knew who he was; he had no […]