Today was band day, and a glorious fall day it was in Amherst. There more than 3500 kids dressed up in 67 different band uniforms performed together at halftime of the UMass football game. Sixty-seven units and the resounding boom of those hundreds of drums must have carried over to […]
In the National Journal, William Powers writes today about the worst thing you can do to somebody in America–bore them. The candidates are doing that already. “The [Fred] Thompson critique isn’t just about Thompson. It’s emblematic of how central entertainment is to the campaign, and how closely journalists monitor the […]
I talked about Bologna with Arthur Von Wiesenberger today, on his Around the World Travel radio show. He’s a water expert. It was funny hearing him comment earlier on his food radio show on the public water in Santa Barbara, where he lives. When you ask somebody who has hosted […]
“Work Through Lunch,” the pink billboard exhorts me, as I drive south on I-91. Then just below is a photo of a tiny pizza the company sells for ‘lunch.’ I glare at the sign and set to thinking. No Way! Lunch is a relaxing bit of the day. Lunch is […]
I return again to Robert D. Kaplan’s superb book that I’ve almost finished reading. As discussed previously, his aim here is to shed light on the lives and thoughts of the grunts, the men and women who are the heart of America’s military. He goes to Algeria with the Green […]
It’s a soggy Sunday morning but the best part is that tomorrow is a holiday! It’s like Saturday all over again. I stayed up late last night devouring a book by my favorite author. Robert D. Kaplan doesn’t let me down, in his new book called ‘Hog Pilots, Blue Water […]
In am embarrassment of riches, I now am getting two copies of my beloved WSJ delivered, so more chances to read fascinating stuff. Evan Ramstad and SungHa Park reported today about a rare meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea. There were some tidbits worthy of note: Mr […]
Been hobbling around with terrible shin splints after an awkward session on the treadmill. So I am still the one who’s asked to run to Georgios to fetch whatever ingredient they are out of at the cafe. Funny, one time that is. Today we messed up an order for a […]
William Lobdell of LA tried a stint as a talk radio host. Apparently, it’s harder than it looks. “As soon as the show’s opening music boomed into my headphones, my mind began to shut down. You wouldn’t think being a talk radio show host would be all that tough — […]
I’m feelin’ focused….yeah PhoCusWright! I am thrilled to report that I’m officially on board for the highest level Internet Travel event held in the US–PhoCusWright 2008! I applied for media credentials and they’ve approved me. So I’m booked to fly to Orlando from Nov 12-15 to hob knob with Google’s […]
Last night Loretta Alper must have been damn proud. That’s because a packed to the rafters, turn-people-away-at-the-door crowd piled into the Academy of Music theater to see the film she produced make its debut. The film is ‘War Made Easy: how presidents and pundits keep spinning us to death‘ and […]
In one of the trade papers a small item caught my eye. ‘Busty Tourist told to cover up or leave,’ it said, quickly getting my attention. Stuff.co.nz had the rest of the story. “A night of celebration turned to humiliation when an English tourist’s “offensive” breasts upset fellow punters at […]