Fun Facts About America’s Favorite Fuel
I learned a little bit about gas today at lunch. On the History channel was “Gasoline,” the story of the world’s favorite fuel. Among the grainy shots of old oil derricks was newer footage of the process of refining crude oil into gas. They showed jolly looking antique trucks that […]
"We Used to Hang Up on our Readers"
San Jose Mercury News executive editor Susan Goldberg made a graduation speech at Medill School at Northwestern University, that says a lot about the newspaper business…now and in the future. “News is now – or anytime I want it. And not because I’m an editor – a news gatekeeper, with […]
A TV Show—With Strings
On Friday we had a call from a man who said he made television programs for National Geographic TV, Pax Network and other cable outlets. He was Robert, then ‘Bob.’ He said that his food-themed TV show would be interested in coming to interview us, and do a television show […]
Thank God, honey, They Cancelled…Yippee!
Today’s NY Times style section included a story by Alex Williams about the joys of cancelled appointments. “Who among the harried professional class does not breathe a secret sigh of relief when drinks with an old friend, lunch with a potential client or a Saturday dinner party with college classmates […]
Loose Ends and Bears Back in Holyoke
A busy Saturday, with good things popping up all over. First, I got my scooter back, after months in the shop. The horn isn’t working and I have to kick it to start it, but it’s running and I’m happy for that. I stopped by the Learning Circle, where my […]
No Novocaine for This Tough Son
This morning in the car, I listened to Scott Simon interview a man who sounded tough. Turned out it was Teddy Atlas, a former boxer and trainer who had stories to tell. When Atlas was a kid, his father was a well-known doctor. He got a bad cut, and was […]
Stuck in the Muck of Angola’s Capital City
Angola was on page one of today’s NY Times. Sadly, this was a portrait of a Malthusian crisis, with mountains of garbage, rivulets of raw sewage, kids sliding into the muck and more than 40,000 often fatal cases of cholera. It would have taken 22,000 dump trucks just to haul […]
The Coffee Business is Up Up Up!
Today’s a lovely day and my heart is full and upbeat. Perhaps that’s because it feels like the cafe is finally reaching a point of success. People come in who’ve never been here before, they always say how nice it is in here, and at the same time our regulars […]
Plumber Gets More than He Bargained for
Reading the Republican in the cafe. A story out of Southwick told of a plumber who made an interesting discovery in the bathroom vanity he purchased at “a major retail chain.” Inside, packaged in what appeared to be parts for the vanity, was a stash of $150,000 worth of cocaine […]
Quelle Horreur! Readers Decide What’s News
The American Journalism Review ran a story about the effect popularity rankings of stories on the web has on the people who decide what goes on the front pages of newspapers. “At the Washington Post’s daily 2 p.m. story meeting, editors report on the popularity of stories published on the […]
Bashed Door With Brick….Then What?
Boingboing.net today has a story about the owner of a new Seattle art gallery’s encounter with an absolute ass. “As we were closing up, some drunk mouth-breathing knuckle-dragger starts banging on the door demanding to be let in. After Damion tells him that the gallery was closed, the Moron says […]
Learning How To Work in My Cafe
Today I got a bit of a jolt when Alan, our main barrista at the cafe, said he felt sick and had to go home. He works the whole day on Mondays, so I knew I’d have to step into the breach. Egads, I am not really that good at […]
Shooting the Bride’s Thong
The newest trend in wedding photography is a no-holes-barred look behind the scenes. The Wall Street Journal had this story today. “Joelle Nieto, a 28-year-old from Miami, was looking for an “informal” photographer to document her Sunday-morning wedding last May. Stephan Maloman’s site caught her eye, and she liked how […]
Bus Uncle Is the Star of a Hot New Video
Woke up in Holyoke to a grey day, the temps barely reaching 60, we both cursed our New England clime. On the web I read about Bus Uncle. You can always rely on Readuponit to keep you on the cutting edge. Bus Uncle is a video that has gone ’round […]
What Happened to the other Engines?
Saturday at the cafe. In a few, I teach a class in beginner computers. Should be fun. Last night I went out on the town. Spoletos on a Friday night. I got the coveted corner seat, and beside me sat a man who had only been to Noho once before. […]
Caligula Walked on Heated Floors on his Ships
Today the History Channel told the story of the Lake Nemi ships, huge floating palaces that were found on a lake bottom in Italy. They belonged to the emperor Caligula, and some of the features of these large ships amazed the architects over the centuries. The ships had heated floors. […]
Voting Isn’t Easy in Springfield, MA
I listened to the radio today and a liberal talk show host had a caller from Springfield, MA. The caller, a young white guy, had moved a few years ago to a mostly black poor neighborhood. And he has not been able to get registered to vote since. For some […]