DO OPPOSITES ATTRACT?
In THE DEADLIEST FEVER, Miriam wonders about Omar and Naarah: What a curious match. Only a nascent double chin and an asymmetry about his...
OLIBANUM (FRANKINCENSE)
Olibanum (frankincense), traded on the Arabian Peninsula for more than 6000 years, has a balsamic-spicy, slightly lemony fragrance with a...
EGYPTIAN AND ROMAN LOCKS
The need to secure one’s belongings emerged with the evolution of human society. The first mechanical door locks were invented in ancient...
THE ETERNAL FLAME
The first chapter of THE DEADLIEST FEVER begins with your witnessing a threat to the mantle that wraps the Torah in Alexandria’s Great...
THE SECRET IN AN OLD CHINESE LATRINE
Researchers excavating latrines along the Silk Road in northwestern China found 2000-year-old feces containing eggs of the Chinese liver...
BOOK CLUBS
I have belonged to a book club for about 15 years. We meet approximately every six weeks to discuss a book that we have all just read....
IT’S NOT TOO LATE
It’s not too late! By becoming a subscriber to my semi-annual newsletter by June 1st, you are eligible to win a FREE copy of my latest...
PERFUME MAKERS
The word perfume comes from the Latin, per meaning through and fume meaning smoke. The earliest record of perfume-making comes from Egypt...
SMELL THE ROSES IN ALEXANDRIA
The rose has had a long and colorful history as a symbol of love, war, beauty, or politics and as the basis for making confetti, perfume,...