The flocking of the Victorians to the Swiss Alps was not about growing crops, grazing animals, or extracting minerals. It was about observing, feeling, and articulating a personal response.

Much of the dramatic conflict in two recent Bay area productions was caused by the fallout from an arranged marriage that seemed destined to please a lot of people. Unfortunately, the bride was not one of them.

By the time of the Greek Revolution of 1821, Greece had gone through some four centuries of brutal Turkish military occupation. The effects of tyranny on Greece were catastrophic. The country was depopulated and in ruins.

Lady Ada Lovelace was a remarkable scientist of unparalleled charm and allure. In 1833, Ada was highly intrigued with an idea for an "Analytical Engine" -- a mechanical calculating machine whose design predated the digital computer by over 100 years.

"Desolation Row" is over eleven minutes of anything, everything. For nearly fifty years, Bob Dylan's fans, critics, and writers have been trying to say what it's about. To me, it's a song I love to listen to, and one of the last great works of Modernism.