Dolphin Leads Whales Back to Safety in NZ
Today from Reuters came a tale of animal wisdom from one of my favorite places in the world. “Moko the dolphin, a regular visitor to the coast of Mahia on the east Coast of New Zealand’s North Island, became an instant hero after leading two pygmy whales that had repeatedly […]
The Prodigy Who’s Taking Formula One by Storm
I was traveling once with a fun guy named Kevin McCarthy, who with his wife Sue does a weekly travel radio show. I asked him what his favorite sport was, and he replied ‘open wheel racing.’ It took me a second to realize what he was talking about was F1, […]
He Thought They’d Send Him Back–But Was He Ever Wrong!
To Charles Robert Jenkins, five decades of his life were all a mistake. That’s because when at age 20 as a sergeant serving in Korea, he thought if he could just jump over to the North Korean side, they would pick him up and send him back home to North […]
At 80, He Was All A-flutter Over Victoria
In Today’s Daily Mail, I read a long story about the legendary editor and journalist Bill Deedes, who left a trail of stories, a bitter family, and an aura of mystery when he died at 94. His legacy was of an indifferent grandparent, lousy husband, devoted friend and brilliant writer. […]
Battling Snow Rage, Where the Drifts Are Too High
Snow rage…it’s a new term that I found on Reuters today. I well remember walking into the wind, snow blowing so hard when I visited Quebec City in February. From the dispatch… ‘Last Sunday, a man in an upscale Quebec City neighborhood became so upset a woman from a snow […]
There’s a Wheat Shortage, Haven’t You Heard?
Last night at Costco, we heard that they are rationing 50 pound bags of wheat. “If somebody wants to buy more than a few bags, they check to see how many they usually buy and if it’s too high they can’t get it,” the cashier told us. She didn’t know […]
You Play Poker Here, You Buy My Pizza–Or Else!
In Hatfield, there used to be a pizza shop called Mama Maria’s. The owner was in the Daily Hampshire Gazette yesterday after being charged with holding a poker game and wielding a knife when some of the players broke his rules. It was a simple and fair arrangement. They’d play […]
Ideo Field Guides: A Stand-out Among Travel Books
I get sent a lot of stuff because people want us to write about them on the website. As these gifts pile up, I notice clearly the ones that I care about and those that I don’t. I must say that today’s Fedx parcel exceeded my expectations, and both surprised […]
Chasing Battery Life, the Holy Grail of Electric Cars
We turned on the new lights at the cafe this morning, beaming a gloriously bright light at the sleepy hour of 6 am when it still feels like 5 am, dark, cloudy. I hope that when people drive by and see those big lights on they will notice the cafe […]
In Guinea, Students Scramble for Any Available Light
Here is part of an AP story from a while back about how students have to find sources of light to read to study for exams. “CONAKRY, Guinea – The sun has set in one of the world’s poorest nations and as the floodlights come on at G’bessi International Airport, […]
The Battle of the Sexes
Last night we had a battle of the sexes. We are visiting Kent and Lisa and after Kent prepared a lovely dinner for Dennis and Denise and Cindy and I, we took out their new 2008 edition of Trivial Pursuit. This new game has all new questions and some of […]