How Crackberry Came To Be Known
The Wall Street Journal gleefully reports on the man who started the Blackberry revolution. Or, as some have said, “crackberry.” These little handhelds are becoming very popular among those who want to be truly connected. “Mr. Lazaridis, who was born in Turkey, emigrated with his family to Windsor, Ontario, where […]
Croatia Bound
We’re going to Croatia in early June, per invitation of Nena Komarica, the tourism manager in NYC. I have always wanted to see this place, since I’ve told so many writers in interviews that this is the hottest destination around. Our trip will be to many vowel-challenged places, like the […]
The Downside of Cheeky
NY Times on the Today Show’s Woes… “Viewers – and most of them are women – like Ms. Couric’s cheeky, easygoing manner; affection grew into admiration after her husband died of colon cancer in 1998 and Ms. Couric made early detection her cause. (In 2000 she underwent a colonoscopy on […]
Che Guevara’s Congo Nightmare
Alma Guillermoprieto writes for the New Yorker and published a collection of essays about Latin America called “Looking for History,” and includes a story about Che Guevara, the hero of Cuba. She recounts his life that began in Argentina, where he was to study medicine, but soon left to begin […]
Typing in the Car
Milwaukee has decided to leap ahead into the 21st century by wiring up a few of their city parks for WIFI. That gives those of us with laptops the chance to peck out emails and surf the web sitting at the tables in the park, or in my case, in […]
Manute’s Sad Story of Sudan
In the late ’80s, I remember seeing the tallest basketball player I’ve ever seen play at the Springfield Civic Center. He was Manute Bol, who at 7′ 7″ would later become the tallest man in the NBA. He played with many teams and made millions, but his heart was back […]
Pam and Marty of Milwaukee
Tonight I dined with two distinguished people from Milwaukee. I always make a point to ask the tourism board where I am traveling to try to set up dinners with interesting people. Wendy Haase, of Visit Milwaukee obliged when she sent Martin Hintz and Pam Percy to pick me up […]
What Makes a Pair of Jeans cost $635
Yesterday’s NY Times included a story about the newest fashion trend–high priced jeans. What makes any pair of denim pants worth SO much? “To start with, Evisu weaves its cloth on shuttle looms that, unlike the projectile type in widespread industrial use, leave clean edges on the fabric. They are […]