May 30, 2011
Short Takes: Etymology of the End of the World
Stanford University on the tangible power of metaphors. The etymology of the word “rapture” shares roots with “rape,” but around 1629 first took on a sense of “spiritual ecstasy.” If […]
April 27, 2010
Perfume for the Apocalypse
Flying saucers will never be out-of-fashion as far as I’m concerned, but this New York Times review, “Little Green Men and Flying Saucers are so Pass??: New Ideas about Aliens,” […]