All the Way to the Azores, the Health Insurance Myths Prevail
We asked many people we met about the health insurance system here in the Azores. This topic has come up more than a few times, as the locals here quizzed us about what is going on the US with health insurance. “Is it true that people are allowed to die […]
Using Ancient Machinery, Teamakers Thrive Here
Rows of tea at the Gorreana Tea company. We learned about how tea is made and that in a climate like the Azores, a lot of rain is great for growing the leaves of Orange Pekoe, Pekoe and green teas. Some of the British tea manufacturers who were doing business […]
Optimistic and Upbeat, These Guides Showed Us Their Azores
A Cozido, boiled dinner, about to be unearthed in Furnas, Azores. Just like in New England, they have the same saying here in the Azores…”if you don’t like the weather wait a half hour, it will be different.” We joined three strapping young guides today and got a chance to […]
Santa Maria, Massachusetts? Well, Almost
We flew over to Santa Maria to continue our discovery of these nine Azores. We came upon a bronze statue of Columbus in the hamlet of Anjos, wearing his traditional funny hat, leaning into the wind in this tiny village by the sea on the north side of the small […]
Up From the Ground Came a Bubbling Hot Spring
I love it when a place surprises you, and you don’t have any pre-conceived ideas about what it will be like. It’s like going to a movie and never hearing any reviews or knowing even what the film will be about. That’s been our most excellent feeling about these nine […]
About to Land, then Swooping Back Up and Flying 1000 more miles
Our flight from Boston left on time and all seemed ok until we made our descent down to Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. The plane came down and then just as we were about to land swooped back up, because of fog that made […]
The Avalon Rides Again!
The Avalon rides again…happily, I am driving off to Boston/Logan airport in a newly inspected state certified luxury automobile. And for the next year, I shall not speak of buying a new car, I shall be content to drive this one now that it has passed this milestone/hurdle. I am […]
100 Foot High Waves Found in the Middle of the Ocean
On Twitter, a post alarmed me enough to chase down the source, it was from my traveling bud Johnny Jet. He was Tweeting from ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel show. Some day, in my post-cafe career, I’ll go to this fantastic huge show and meet thousands of other travel […]
When the Oarfish Come Ashore, Watch Out!
Japan is bracing itself for bad times after scores of the usually rare, giant Oarfish have washed ashore and been caught in coastal fisherman’s nets. Tonight I read this on a news website called Motherboard. “The sightings started after the ‘quake in Chile and the 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan. […]
How to Live to Be 100
Dan Buettner is quietly confident on the screen in a video of a speech he gave at TED, the gathering of genius that’s held each year in California. He spoke about three areas of the globe where people have been found to live the very longest and where there are the […]
A Tale of a Whale with Rap Sheet A Mile Long
The criminal record of the killer whale named Tilikum, star of SeaWorld, and recently accused of yet another murder of a trainer is long and checkered. Mike Esterl wrote about the park’s dilemma in today’s WSJ. This is one mean killer whale, now with two murders and one suspicious death […]
If You Create Jobs, We’ll Give You a Visa!
One way to solve the jobs problem would be to let people come to the US who can create them. A loosening up of rules to allow more entrepreneur/immigrants to come and settle in the US has been talked about in the Senate and today in the WSJ. Senators John Kerry and […]
Loading Up the Car with Bricks at Re-Store
It’s almost a spring day in South Deerfield, where the sun is making people smile more than they usually do this time of year. A woman emerged from the pizza place wearing tiny shorts and a tee shirt. Inspiring! Where I’m going tonight will inevitably be chronicled more than it needs […]
Behavioral Targeting is The Way Out of the Blahs
An unexplained angst captured me mid-morning, I tried hard but was not clearly able to identify its source. Funny how sometimes dread can creep up and you don’t even know why. I do have a trip coming up in a week, and the regular routine is to worry about what […]
Volunteer Vacations: Next Time, Ask them What they Really Want
I read a thoughtful piece by Jeffrey Zaslow in yesterday’s WSJ headlined “When Good Deeds Turn Bad,” which chronicled some examples of people who tried to do good but didn’t actually help anyone. In a Peruvian village, an aid group brought in Americans and Europeans who wanted to spend time […]
We Surf the Internet, We Swim in Magazines, Say New Ads
Last month I got into a dust-up with Tom Vannah, the editor of the Valley Advocate, after I wrote a letter to the editor complaining about the inserts that fall out of their paper each week. He replied to my letter angrily, suggesting that I, as a web publisher, didn’t […]
The Hurt Locker: Powerful Madness in Iraq
A film about bomb defusers in Iraq would at first glance appear to be an action film; indeed, a trailer for another Iraq movie called Brothers at War was just that…exploding Humvees and violent action. But last night’s cinematic triumph, The Hurt Locker, was more about how people relate to […]
Use Gas as the Entree, not the Appetizer
Here’s a news blast from T. Boone Pickens, who I met and interviewed a few months ago. He agitates for a total change in how we use energy, and I agree it’s a cause worth fighting for. “The Washington Post - one of the most influential newspapers in the United […]