In Greece, a Third of the Workers are Public Sector. Good Luck with That
This week in an an op-ed about Sunday’s riots in Greece by Brian M Carney a particular sentence stood out and made me uneasy. “Almost every traffic light in the vicinity was out, smashed during the overnight vandalism.” This reminds of me of the eery feeling I got when I […]
How Big a House Do You Need? Need?
The story was titled, ‘living very large,’ and the photo was an aerial shot of one of Los Angeles’ most massive single family homes. It looked more like a hotel, but it indeed was Hyatt hotel heir Anthony Pritzker’s newest house, tipping the scales at 49,300 square feet. Apparently these […]
While Drug Wars Rage, Hoteliers Keep Building in Mexico
When we went to Mexico last month, more than a few people voiced concerns about safety. Again and again, some Americans say they are worried about visiting a country ‘where there is so much drug war violence.’ The stats are scary—more than 40,000 deaths since the conflict began, yet in […]
The Saga of Roger Salloom
Roger Salloom is an easy-going fellow. The last time I saw him was at Greenfield’s Arts Block, surrounded by friends, where he looked serene and like he was exactly where he wanted to be: About to enjoy local music at a fun local venue. He sent out an email about […]
She Married a Greek God and Divorced a Roman Emperor
Every day we say goodbye to another member of the Greatest Generation, those men and women who were born in the 1920s and now are passing away. I am sad to think that some of what they accomplished and the ways they built their fortunes could never happen again–things are […]
France Has Lots More Reasons to Visit in 2012
Once again I took the Megabus down to NYC, this time it cost me just $25.50 roundtrip. My reason for a Big Apple visit was a presentation by French Tourism about what’s new in France for 2012. France has a lot to crow about in the tourism world, even while […]
Lake Wyola Pond Hockey: What Could Be Better in February?
Where can you possibly find such joy as gliding across a frozen pond, with what feels like a mile of open ice ahead of you, and nothing but skate marks to guide your way? The ominous growl of the ice creaking, the dangerous looking holes that are now coated over […]
Ice Skating Hopes Dashed then Resurrected
Yesterday was my partner Mary’s birthday, and I wanted to make sure that the present I got her was more about experiences we share together and less about accumulating more stuff. Stuff is the bane of so many of us, that we pile up into our stuffed closets, our rented […]
I Love a Woman Who Loves Little Kids
When my partner Mary is in a crowd, she zeroes in on the smallest citizens. She gravitates toward children since she knows them so well, after working in elementary schools as an occupational therapist for nearly 16 years. It always charms me to see this, like when we were in […]
Urologists Are Among the Busiest of Specialists, it Seems
I had a minor health problem and finally decided that it was time to see a specialist to try and solve it. Armed with the name of the specialist who practices in Springfield and Florence, I phoned their office. It didn’t take long to realize that one of the first […]
Creative Economy Summit 3 Brings Artists, Social Media Together
One of the things I love about Greenfield is how full it is of people who are willing to go out on a limb…to move a little further. The town and a small gang of five dedicated citizens and many supporters has teamed up for these diverse events. A video […]
Why Do We Live Here?
This is one of those mornings when I can relate to those many people I have met who no longer live in the cold parts of the United States. They told me about it when I visited Maui, and when I went to Molokai, and every time I chill out […]
Roberta’s in Brooklyn: Where to Eat
I picked up a New Yorker from June of this year and found a story about a restaurant in Brooklyn called Roberta’s. I’m not likely to go there but I still found myself fascinatined by this new place in Bushwick Brooklyn. In the Tables for Two column, the featured Roberta’s […]
The Great Green Power Bust
I read a story in Wired by Rachel Swaby while I tred the treadmill. It explained how nearly every technology we have created to solve our energy problems, there are always sticky wickets looming. Green Power is struggling, here’s why. Solar Power. The price for conventional solar cells is down […]
Music? The New Standard in choice and playback is Spotify!
Have you heard about Spotify? Why, it’s simply…amazing! I can dial in just about any musician I can possibly think of and whoooof! It’s playing every single song that artist has ever recorded. Right there on a super easy to use player. Wow. This changes the equation in music….Spotify is […]
In Finland, There Are No Private Schools, and Every Student Tests Higher
Educators from around the world are now flocking to Finland, since it’s been revealed that their schools are among the best in the world. I can attest to this after a semester with Helena my intern from Finland–who seemed more prepared, wrote with more fluency and generally did a better […]
When the iPhone Needed a Glass Screen, 8000 Workers Were Woken Up
Last night I read a NY Times article about the answer to a question President Obama posed to Apple executives last year: Why can’t the iPhone be made in the USA? Sadly, the history of this iconic device says a lot about China, sophisticated supply chains and the huge difference […]