A Story that Makes You Glad You’re In a Small House
I awoke with great relief the other morning. The big lump in my abdomen was only a dream. I compared this wash of relief to how I felt today as I read a long, sad winding story about Edmund Andrews, a New York Times business reporter, who experienced first hand […]
A Man From Iran Stood Waiting for His Daughter
It’s gonna be a hot day today, all of that pent up heat finally pouring forth from the May sun. At the cafe we’ve got some new people working in, getting a feel for what we do. I was stunned yesterday when I called five applicants back and asked them […]
Advice for Travelers in Reader’s Digest from GoNOMAD
Here is some advice that I gave the writer from Reader’s Digest who just published a guide to travel bargains around the US. I was in good company, including Pauline Frommer, Peter Greenberg, Matt Gross (NYT’s Frugal Traveler), and AP travel editor Beth Harpaz. Massachusetts and Vermont: “Ecotourism doesn’t have […]
Hiring During the Recession
It’s a new day and time to meet a bunch of new potential hires. I will put four prospects to the test, I asked them all to stop by and meet us. Half the test is seeing if they actually show up, or call as a result of our reaching […]
The Pain Is Worse When You Get Older
I was walking down the cellar stairs, carrying an enormous basket of laundry, when I hit something and my feet came out from under me. I landed with a thud, but not a lot of pain, on my mid-back. I made it through my day so far without a lot […]
A Declining Bounce Rate Is Good for GoNOMAD
We woke up to unseasonably cold temps in Holyoke, and were glad the heat came on to warm the chill. A lot is happening in my busy world, it’s spinning like a top. But what’s the alternative? A slowed down world wouldn’t be any fun, so I forge ahead and […]
Paper Says "We’re Sorry" But Do Readers Care?
In London, newspaper marketing has reached a new low. In today’s WSJ, a story reveals a new strategy to promote a revamped Evening Standard, the lone paid daily paper, that competes with two free dailies and is losing the battle. Their pitch? We’re sorry. The afternoon daily began a billboard […]
You Can Share Your Own Little Wi-Fi Bubble
David Pogue writes with clarity and eloquence about complicated topics that other writers make too dense. He, like me, is inspired some times by new products and inventions and a recent Personal Tech column in the NY Times stood out. The device he was raving about is called the Novatel […]
Two Cities, Two Scenes, All Good
Some evenings shine brighter because it seems you’re just in the right place at the right time. Last night I hit two cities that both drew energy from the enthusiasm of the people who were there. I began with a Compari and soda on Shoul’s back deck, a bright red […]
Radio Faces a Battle Over Music
Radio stations have a new problem to add to their woes. They’re being challenged by a proposal by record labels and artists to require them to pay up to $500 million more in royalties for the priviledge of playing their songs. Radio stations already pay out hefty fees to songwriters […]
Connecting Rail Trails Will Double Their Usage!
Excellent news for anyone who rides a bike or thinks they should ride their bike a little more often. Northampton officials have announced that citizens will soon vote about extending their trail to meet the Manhan Rail Trail in Easthampton, making the connection between towns that will turn the trail […]
Watching the Next Generation Write Brings Joy
I’m slightly morbid about some things. My dad is the same way, he talks about dying and what to do when he dies….he’s even written a complete obituary to be printed after he passes away. I too regularly read obits and contemplate the bitter end. But today I posted a […]
The Eddie Haskellization of Today’s Reporting
A discussion in a recent issue of Editor and Publisher referred to ‘verbal fossils,’ references to old television shows and characters that most of today’s readers just don’t recognize. Calling Tim Geithner án Eddie Haskell’ is fun for us oldsters but what about people who never saw an episode of […]
Who Is This Guy?
I am in a cafe in downtown Bethlehem and I am trying to discern the story behind a guy at the adjoining table. He is wearing a shirt with a neatly cut row of holes running across the back, as if each one was deliberately punched out, about an inch […]
Driving Hills and Dales in Delaware River Country
The day is coming to a close, and I feel peaceful and relaxed as I sit here at the Wired Gallery and Cafe in Bethlehem, PA. It’s a college town that’s full of revitalized apartments, a huge new arts and housing complex to be built at the former steel works […]
Isadore Sharp, a Hotelier with a Heart
I often read book reviews…much more than the actual books. I like the way people can digest and tighten up a message that is as long and sometimes boring in a 400 page book, but works in a newspaper column or even as a little blog. One I read the […]
Traffic Declines Mean No Jams, But Not All Are Pleased
One maxim that’s held true over the past one hundred years is that when you build more roads, the traffic quickly catches up and fills it up, proving that traffic congestion is not solved by more road building. Yet this year something has changed that’s never happened before. For the […]
Shoot En Route, Before the Trip Even Begins
I made up the name of a contest that my friends at Airport Parking Reservations are holding. It’s a chance to take out your camera even before the trip begins by being creative with shooting the parking lot, your parking driver, and the friendly people behind the counters. They’re giving […]