Cyprus Makes the Evening News Again
Today’s the big day, and it looks like the rain is going away. Snuck into the office for a bit, checking emails and thinking about the war in Lebanon, and how often Cyprus has been in the news. I traveled to Cyprus in February and wrote about it on GoNOMAD. […]
A Friday Full of Tasks and Opportunities
Funny Friday at the cafe. Lots of running around waiting for our relatives to come up to celebrate Kate and Francisco’s wedding on Saturday. Today I used my friend Jack’s truck to pick up tables and chairs at Taylor rental, then back in the cafe to meet with our intern […]
A Raisin in a Bowl of Milk
Scoop Jackson wrote a long piece about the fact that only four out of 305 sports columnists for US newspapers are black. He makes some angry yet understandable points. “One time about eight years ago, Michael Wilbon walked up to me during a media event at the NBA All-Star Game […]
Nantucket, Bittersweet
I met a man today at the cafe who said he lived in Whately, and worked here for a local contractor. A tall, lean man, he said that he painted murals on furniture and in rich people’s homes around here and in Nantucket. He said he thought the wealth and […]
A Tale of a Loser
William Grimes reviews a new book by a total and utter loser in yesterday’s NY Times. He’s such a loser that it has become his calling card, ‘he savors his humiliations like fine dinners.’ The man is Toby Young, whose first book was called “How to Lose Friends and Alienate […]
Way to Live! A Raconteur’s Long Life is Over
Today’s Washington Post included this story about the passing of classic foreign correspondent Ross Mark. “The quintessential foreign correspondent, dashing and with an engaging Aussie accent, he much preferred globe-hopping as a reporter to staying in one place and climbing the career ladder as a London editor. According to William […]
Get the Name of the Bra (or the Dog)
Roy Peter Clark advises writers with his Writing Tools column on Poynter.org.Like me, he insists that details are crucial in writing for the public. “Which brings me to one of my favorite newspaper stories in a long time. It appeared in the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times and told the tale […]
Such a Sad Sad Photo, and a Dirty Deed
We read the Springfield Republican today and the front page was framed in a very sad image. Mariam Shihabiyah, a housewife in Beirut and divorced mother of five, carried her pillows outside the bombed out apartment complex where she lives. The poor women isn’t a terrorist, hasn’t put out funds […]
The Boss Takes His Turn at the Cafe
Every morning when I wake up, I look at my watch and think about what is happening in my cafe. No matter where I am, no matter which time zone or country, I always do this. En route, I phoned the cafe about 8 to check in on whether Alan […]
Napping is the New Coffee Break
Reading in Time magazine about this exciting new trend, taking a 20 minute nap at work. I’m getting sleepy just reading about it. “MetroNaps, a company that pioneered the concept of selling naps in sleep environments, is seeing the change in corporate attitudes firsthand. The New York City– based company […]
When You Earn $1.00 a day, $1.80 is Progress
Reading the Sunday NY Times on Cindy’s patio. The languid July heat makes for a mellow surroundings, as I read Daniel Gross’s engaging column about microlending in the third world. Instead of lobbying for more government foreign aid, we should invest in and support businesses that are self-sustaining and replicable. […]
Topless? No–Tapas– in Amherst
Christine Barber-Just writes a restaurant column in Hampshire Life, published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, and wrote a few weeks ago about a new tapas restaurant opening up in Amherst soon. “Nation’s Restaurant News characterizes the small-plates trend as a ”revolution” that has been ”quietly gathering force since the mid-1980s.” […]
Sam’s Seaweed Salad on the Street in Noho
Back on terra firma, the jetlag from the 19 hours in the skies finally draining from my body. Last night we met in Northampton on a cool deck at the Depot for margaritas under the waning summer light. That little city always picks us up, we proceeded after to the […]
Terrorists Who Work at Home
The scary news out of Lebanon drove me to read more about it on littlegreenfootballs and other blogs. Below is some info from Sand Monkey, a pro-US blogger based in the middle east. “And all of this talk about Israel targeting civillians really pisses me off. Let me clear it […]
Georgi Always Cracks Me Up
Back in the cafe after more than 10 days away. Among the things that were on my mind when I left was the door for our Beveridge Aire counter refrigerator. Water pools up every day inside the right side, and I was told the seal around the door needed replacing. […]
Pecking Away at Free Internet in Singapore
Between flights at the Singapore Changi Airport, I stopped by this convenient free internet terminal, after two young boys were finally summoned away by their father. Unlike in other places where I’ve seen these, this free internet has no strings. No ads, no pop-ups, no clunky keyboard fixed in place, […]
Israel Gives Border Duty to the Russians
A few days ago we joined up with another group of writers on the same fam, these were all from Canada and the west coast. One young writer named William Karz told a story about his experience for two months in an Israeli army boot camp. Apparently Americans and others […]
Scenes from the Road to Kota Bhuru
On this our last full day in Malaysia, we took the ferry back to Terrengamu and then a long bus ride up the coast to Kota Bhuru, “The Islamic City.” On the way we glimpsed scenes that tell the story about this country, I jotted them down as we drove. […]