Downtown’s Disney’s Pedestrian-only Zone: How About in Northampton?
Disneyland I am told is way too big to try to see in just one day. Plus, there is Disney Adventure right next door, so today we will visit the rest of the park as I spend my second day here in Anaheim. The city would be pretty downhearted if […]
A Blend of ’60s Kitsch and 00’s Movies: Disneyland Fascinates
Disneyland is the magnet that draws grandparents, parents and their kids to Anaheim, south of Los Angeles. We visited the park today, and my two hosts were stunned to see so few people lined up to get in. “It’s never this uncrowded,” they said, both amazed that we were able […]
If You Wanted to Open a Bakery in Egypt, It Would Take 500 Days
Egypt’s economy is at the heart of the protests and calls for Mubarak’s exit. A few stories I’ve read have provided some background to the situation, which, despite some pundits’ claims, is not the fault of the US government or Wall Street, but mostly a result of an entrenched system […]
That Giant Ice Layer on the Roof Above the Icicles Can’t Be Good
I was expecting to join my friend Ed for lunch at the cafe today, but instead, i heard his anxious voice on my office voicemail. “I’m sorry I can’t make lunch today,” he said, “we have a terrible situation at the house. The ice dams are building up and it’s […]
Heading Down Under Next Week for a Long, Long Walk
Now comes the exciting part of being a travel writer. The next trip. As I gaze out into this winter wonderland with the four-foot drifts in South Deerfield, I am reading the itinerary that will take me, far, far down under. I’m heading for Melbourne Australia next Tuesday night and […]
Cash-strapped Towns Outsource, a Friend Gets Axed
I’ve been following a story out of Greenfield that sadly, may be the future for many cash-strapped towns. The subject is a town employee named Lester Reed, who is being laid off to save money and being replaced by an outside contractor. I used to play basketball with the soft-spoken […]
Bourdain Goes to Egypt and Smokes Like a Local
Egypt is on people’s minds these days, what with the potential toppling of the dictator, Mubarak in the Arab world’s largest country. What a perfect time to watch a rerun of Anthony Bourdain’s show about time in Cairo. He shows off the dishes that the capital city is famous for–sizzling […]
People Want Us to Kill You, We Want to Help
Nobody knows where Whitey Bulger is hiding, or even if he is still alive. He went on the lam in 1995. Howie Carr is my favorite radio talkmaster and he wrote a book a few years ago called “The Brothers Bulger,” which included this scary scene recounted below. In 1983 […]
In Greece, Trying to Order Anything Except a Heineken Is a Challenge
Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted some facts about the US. For example, it’s relatively easy to start up a new business here, and the bureaucracy and permits most entrepreneurs face here is piddling compared to in other countries. One of the European countries that has been in big […]
Cycling the Length of South America for Seeds
I first saw the flyer when I was trying, in vain, to interest my five-year-old grandson into trying Go Berry. Even with a generous coating of chocolate syrup, only a sliver of a bite was consumed, but while we were there I picked up a flyer for a Friday night […]
Holyoke’s Newest, Shiniest, Most Glamorous Reference Account
John Goodhue is used to tough questions. He rose up after college at MIT to help create eBay and other companies, and eventually sold his internet firm to Cisco. He’s faced VCs and plenty of other tough questioners, and he knows how to make very large, very powerful networked computers. […]
He’s Turning Down $12 Million, and Feeling Great About It
In a violation of everything that is today’s professional sports world, Gil Meche said no. The Kansas City Royals pitcher had a year left on his contract that would pay him $12 million this year. But he spurned the money, saying that he didn’t believe he should be paid since […]
Memories of Train Travel and Prospects for New Service in Greenfield
I remember back when I used to sell newspaper ads; the place where all of the incentives were was in selling those special sections. We’d have car care, and home improvement, and Letters to Santa and a whole lot more. I made up one that survives in the Gazette to […]
Researchers Use the Ultimate Weapon–Cancer–to Fight Cancer
When it comes to fighting cancer, sometimes it’s best to go at it in a completely new and different way. Researchers at Rogosin Institute were profiled in yesterday’s WSJ for their work using cancer to fight cancer. They took kidney cancer cells from mice and put thousands of them into […]
Coming Soon to the Sky Above Afghanistan
Have you heard about the giant blimp that will soon be deployed 20,000 feet above Afghanistan? It’s made by Northrop Grumman and it’s a seven-story, football-field sized blimp that can stay up for three weeks at a time. And it positively bristles with electronic survelliance antennae, sensors, and other intelligence […]
Colrain’s Green Emporium Warms Up with Zydeco
I was at the hardware store and asked my favorite clerk, Mike, what he was doing this weekend. It was the classic Friday question. “I am playing zydeco music up in Colrain,” he said. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a very good time to […]
He Pilots a Giant Blue Mercury, or a Cool Orange Snowthrower
One of the joys of staying put for many years is how you get to know people, and recognize their cars and their mannerisms as you circulate through town. In our village, there is a short man who likes to wear funny looking hats and drives an enormous light blue […]