Meeting Wiser People
Came in from the cold, muffled up, bracing the winter winds, to meet Melody, a friend visiting from Colorado. She was warm and charming and we enjoyed a well made fire. Later we talked about Social Security, her business being financial planning. She explained that from the 7.5% we pay […]
Canoeing in South Africa
Last night’s PBS viewing brought an evocative show about a pair of canoeists. One was a white guy, American, and in the front of the boat was a black South African. They wend their way down the Lethoso River, and all of the while the black man is talking about […]
An Scandal in Egypt
In Egypt if you are a rich young woman who gets pregnant out of wedlock, there is a simple solution: you have an abortion, you get your hymen “refurbished” and your parents marry you off to the first unwitting suitor they can find. An article in the NY Times described […]
Theeeeerrre’s Johnny!
Who doesn’t have a fond memory of old Johnny? While nobody really knew him, we all felt like we were his pal. Yesterday’s New York Times had a piece on Carson’s relationship with The Big Apple, where for ten years he played host to Truman Capote, Tony Randall, Mayor John […]
The People You Meet
A get together with beers and a weak assortment of cheesy hors d’oeuvres brought out the men and women of hidden tech, a group of stay-at-homes who gather to commiserate and network every few months.There was a web designer, a handsome twentysomething from Brazil, who works with his partner in […]
Why Wilco is the Future of Music
Lawrence Lessig, of MIT once again makes a whole lot of sense writing about the band Wilco in the February issue of Wired. He posits that the band, led by its “quiet, haunted leader” Jeff Tweedy, has turned the paradym of music downloading on its head…and come out on top. […]
A Scientist in Wendell
Went up to Wendell to watch the Patriots trounce the Steelers. Good fun. A room heated by wood, toasty like a sauna…and a scientist who had just gotten her PhD. Her name was Heather and she wanted, actually, to go back to school some more. She is an ecologist, studing […]
Laura and GWB: Outsourced Emotions
Tina Brown’s January 20 column about Barbara Walter’s interview with Laura and George Bush was once again full of quotable ‘graphs. Here she talks about how GWB relies on his wife. What was striking in the Walters interview was how often the president looked over at Laura for validation. Even […]