As everybody too acutely knows, the American automobile industry has been driving on fumes lately, along with the rest of the world economy. However, while some notable factories have recently closed, it would be a mistake to think that car-making in the United States is completely in the breakdown lane. While the industry may need a tune-up and a refilled tank (along with an electric battery or fuel cell), the great American tradition of the car … [Read more...]
Language Abroad: When Your French is Bad, An English-Speaking Stranger Can Become an Intimate Friend
It was five days into my research trip to Rennes-le-Chateau, a village in the French Pyrenean foothills, and I was lonely. Gathering details for my novel, I had hiked the hilly red dirt of the countryside dotted with helm oaks and dry broom, had walked the narrow roads of the village to the accompaniment of squawking roosters, and had admired the humble stucco houses. I stood in the rooms of the presbytery where my characters -- a priest and his … [Read more...]