Penelope’s Loom

 My apologies for missing you last week, Dear Reader, pressing family matters.... This week, let us explore the life and times of Hypatia of Alexandria. Uh, who? Hmmm.  Conic sections? Or, how about the astrolabe? Conic sections? What is the importance of mapping conic sections? Because I am illiterate in higher mathematics:      A  conic section  is the intersection of a plane and a double right circular  cone  .  By                     changing the angle and location of the intersection, we can produce different types of                   conics. There are four basic types:  circles  ,  ellipses  ,  hyperbolas  and  parabolas  .    None of    the intersections will pass through the vertices of the cone. https://www.varsitytutors.com/hotmath/hotmath_help/topics/con...

Who? No, she didn't write "Jane Eyre."  No, she didn't write "Wuthering Heights."  Those were written by her sisters Charlotte, and Emily respectively. Now, I like--no LOVE "Jane..."  (ok, ok, to be honest, I would love to seduce Mr. Rochester in some out-of-the way Mediterranean villa).  But ,I have to ask the question, because I am by nature a contrary creature, is Jane Eyre  a masterpiece? For that matter, is Wuthering Heights a masterpiece?  ******* NOTE:  I must confess to you that as a girl, I watched "Wuthering Heights" (1939) with Merle Oberon and Lawrence Olivier, and while I really didn't like the characters, I loved as a rule any romantic tale.  Hoping to find a deeper tale in the book, as was my previous experience, I dove headfirst into Emily Bronte's tome.   Here's an absolutely hysterical version starring Richard Burton and (wait for it) Patty Duke: Uh...nice hair? Now, it's unusual for me to scream at books...

 Well, this was how he wanted to look.  Here is what Hoover actually looked like: Not such a bad, eh? But, oh, did he gain weight -- and jowls -- in later years.... So, what were his dates?  January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972, and yes, he did live (a little while) during the reign of Nixon the first.  Hoover was also in charge of the FBI for more than FORTY years.  Yeah, I know...a long time, right? Fun fact:  he was born to  Anna Marie  and Dickerson Naylor Hoover.  His mother would play an instrumental role in her son's life.  Edgar grew up amidst the political society of Washington DC, and would live there until his death, in 1972.  When he was in high school, he joined the debate team, where he excelled.  Contemporaries remembered that he argued against the vote for women, and passionately supported the death penalty.  He was particularly courageous in his participation, because he had a serious stutter as a young man,...

So, who were the Clyde Barrow Gang, known colloquially as "Bonnie and Clyde?"  They were among a number of Depression Era gangsters, who were overly romanticized by the newspapers and rural populations, as was their romance.  And, no, he wasn't 6'3".   Bonnie was 4'11″ , and Clyde was 5'4″.  Yup, you read that correctly.  Frankly, I'm amazed she or he were able to drive the get-a-way car. The gang preferred to rob Mom and Pop stores and funeral homes. Really????? What the hell is it with these Depression-era criminals and their weird ass heists?  Bonnie and Clyde met at the house of one of her friends, and reports suggest that it was instant attraction.  By February, 1932, they embarked on a series of robberies, which landed Bonnie briefly in jail.  She rejoined Clyde within a few days of her release, and the crime spree continued.  Things got ever more serious, particularly after a robbery at a small store, where the shop owner was kill...

  Notice to you, Dear Reader: I have a family emergency, so I'll be taking this week off...but will return next week! Be well....

 What I’m going to write about this week, is still in the recent past—the early 2000’s. It's about two forgotten people:  one a beautiful but unknown actress, and the second a revolutionary from the early days of Rock and Roll.  But, in the ephemeral memory of many Americans, who even knows who Lana Clarkson or Phil Spector were? I guarantee you, that many of you reading this epistle, are scratching your respective heads. First, why would an historian be writing about this crime? You might be thinking, 'because you're clearly fascinated by crime, silly!' There is truth in this.  I have always thought that certain crimes can dramatically provide an accurate snapshot of a time and place.  The murder of Lana Clarkson is certainly no exception, because it was a grisly end to the career (and life) of someone who changed the face of American rock and roll music. And, there is no denying that R&R of the 50s, was dramatically influential in shaping the youth culture...

  I know...tits that kill, right?  And yet, this was kind of the fashion for bras in the 1950s--also the design copied the shape of a missile head.  Oh, my. You're not gonna believe this, but atomic bomb culture was EVERYWHERE during the 1950s, and early 1960s.  Still trust that I'm telling you the truth?  Ah ha!! Well take a look at this, Dear Reader: Uh, let's take a moment...shall we? In the words of the immortal Keanu Reeves, "whoa." 'Explosives for building and learning...umm, I have nothing to say to that. I know what you may be thinking...but I'm afraid that this was an actual toy.  Pretty sicko, right? Wait.  I have some more.... Oh my, what safe fun for the whole family! OK, I think that's enough to illustrate my point, right? And yeah, these were actually real honest-to-God toys, folks.  No s*&t.   This was the cultural atmosphere that influenced Americans in the mid 1950s.  These products and images were intentionally...