Rich-Induced Synchronous Head-Bobbing
Bryan Curtis writes cleverly in Slate today. “A few weeks ago, I went to see Times columnist Frank Rich among the faithful, giving a talk at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. Each year, the 92nd Street Y brings in a roster of eminences, from Alan Alda to Barbara Boxer, […]
Everyone Rides the Fung Wah Bus
Few New Yorkers openly admit it, but everyone I know has taken the Fung Wah Bus. It’s the Queen Bee of the deep discount bus lines now operating out of Chinatown. And yes, it’s the real deal. But like any bargain, it comes with its own set of unique challenges. […]
The Men at the Easels are Pissed!
More than 80 editorial cartoonists created about 125 drawings criticizing the shrinking state of their profession for today’s “Black Ink Monday” protest. Editor and Publisher has the story. Exactly 100 of those cartoons are currently posted at EditorialCartoonists.com, according to Association of American Editorial Cartoonists President-Elect Rob Rogers of the […]
Speaking as an Entrepreneur…
Today I am giddy for a whole bunch of reasons. Our new GoNOMAD Cafe was featured in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, spilling the beans on our grand scheme for our internet cafe and wireless little town. I had tried to keep the reporter from putting as many details in about […]
Let’s Talk About Bones
Hung off Fido’s collar, the PetCell is a bone-shaped cell phone that will let dog owners talk to their best friend over a two-way speaker. Wired News had the story today, as snow fell over the Patriots/Bills game on TV. “The PetCell will ship in early 2006 and will sell […]
So Many Good Reasons to Use the Newspaper
Tony Gabriele of the Daily Press in Hampton Roads VA provides some excellent reasons why newspapers are still superior to other media. “Newspapers are handy things to grab for soaking up spilled coffee, or grease splatters in the kitchen. I think “Soaks up grease better than Bill O’Reilly!” should be […]
In China, Pay Up or Die
On the plane to Belfast I was handed a Wall Street Journal and found this story about how the lack of health insurance in China causes deaths and heartache to millions. China’s health system is strictly pay as you go. Cash upfront or you don’t get treated. Fewer than one […]
The Giant’s Curious Causeway in County Antrim
We drove up to County Antrim today on Northern Ireland’s rocky coast. Here we felt the stiff winds and driving rain that the country is known for, and found a remarkable geological wonder called the Giant’s causeway. Along the cliffs of the shore, astonishing hexagonal shaped rocks about one-foot wide […]
A Fiddler Shows us how to Scutch Flax
Yesterday we took a ride to County Down, a land a poet once called “a basket of eggs,” because of the rolling hills. We met Eugene McConville, who is one of Ulster’s last flax farmers, the plant from which linen is made. He showed us how he takes the flax […]
The Scourge of Drug Fakers Strikes Back
This morning in Mal Maison, my cool and very dark Belfast hotel, I read the Independent, Britain’s fiercely liberal tabloid. I leaned into a spotlight in the dimly lit dining room and read a feature by Simon Usborne profiled “Doctor Dora” a brave Nigerian woman who is called ‘the scourge […]
Meeting a Billionaire in Belfast
Tonight I joined other journalists at the All Ireland premier of Belfast-born CS Lewis’ new Narnia movie, held at a waterfront arena called the Odyssey Center. A little while after we arrived and stood sipping champagne, a man entered who looked a little bit like Kirk Kirkorian. The deference with […]
Fibber McGees Brings ’em out in Belfast
Tonight after dinner we got a chance to sample Irish music in Belfast. We went to a crowded little pub on a side street where a folk band called Brier was ready to play. The people in the pub were all locals, drinking a lot of Guiness and joking and […]
Rainy and Damp and Growing like Crazy
Belfast is rainy and damp but still warms my heart. Our guide Ken is a playwright who has several plays that have been produced here. While we toured Belfast he recited poems by William Butler Yeats in his rich Irish baritone. Very moving, the poem was about a man who […]
The Wall that No Longer Divides Belfast
Our first morning here in Belfast we took a tour and absorbed the main message: Belfast is booming, and the days of the men in hoods and the violence is all gone. The same armored vehicles that used to prowl the streets can now be rented out for parties and […]
Gaping Void on Business Porn
Gaping Void is a very popular blog with a Google page rank of 7, written by Hugh Macleod. This means that when he writes, the search engine giant lists this blog very high in searches. “I first heard the brilliant term “Real Estate Porn” when reading Gawker a few years […]
Burying Carbon Dioxide Beneath the Sea
Up early on this 15 degree morning reading the Telegraph UK about BP, and their environmental moves. “One such project is in Scotland where the battle against rising greenhouse gas emissions has focused on one of the main culprits, carbon dioxide. At one power station, the company is combining a […]
The Nightmare of a 12-9 Underground
“Imagine spending the whole day on that train,” a motorman named William Martinez once said in a Bronx diner near the end of the D line, his route for several years. “It’s an exercise in staying awake. I was telling somebody it’s like watching the same movie 1,000 times, but […]