Archive for July, 2009
Smart Cars – Tiny, Cheap, and related to Swatch
You’ve seen them – those little toasters on wheels that look capable of seating 0.75 normal-sized human beings. They’re called Smart cars. Most of them get gas mileage somewhere around 40 miles-per-gallon and can hold two people, but rarely have I seen a passenger in one. Prices range from $12,000 to $16,000, but some dealer websites [...]
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been in the news a lot recently, thanks to an innocent 911 call from a neighbor as Gates was trying to get into his own house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A few steps further down the plot line involving cops, a misunderstanding, and a fired up homeowner, and suddenly Gates is being arrested for disorderly [...]
Key West – Souther than South!
NBC’s Today Show is hanging out in Key West today. Aside from the standard stories of Hemingway and Truman, here’s a quick summary of the city everyone has heard about but few have visited: residents are known as Conchs (“conks”) the city sits on less than 6 square land miles population is estimated at less [...]
P/E Ratio has nothing to do with gym class
The stock market made a mild comeback last week but has a long way to go to undo the mess that has splattered across our economy over the past year. Many people have been wary of putting money back in the market, but any time there is a short burst of positive gains, no one wants [...]
Roald Dahl: Children’s Author, WWII English Spy?
If you grew up anytime in the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, or beyond – or had children of that era – you may remember the pleasure and thrill of those zany books by Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, The B.F.G (Big Friendly Giant), etc. Last fall, a [...]
Have We Seen the Last of Brüno?
By now you’ve probably seen a handful of trailers promoting the movie Brüno. The film stars British comedian Sasha Baron Cohen as a flamboyant, gay, Austrian, fashion journalist who lures unwitting non-actors, many of whom are celebrities, into embarrassing situations. Through Cohen’s clever and controversial positioning, Brüno preys upon the homophobia of America’s ordinary citizens. [...]
Barbie – 50 and Fabulous!
Barbie’s been in the news recently because, supposedly, Jessica Simpson wanted to throw a “Ken and Barbie” party for her 29th party, but, since Tony Romo dumped her (“Wha!?! A grown man said ‘no’ to a Barbie party?!?”), she called the whole thing off. (Cue background music: “It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I [...]
Explaining the Tour de France
I suspect most understand that the Tour de France is going on right now, and I’m sure that many know that Lance Armstrong has made his triumphant return to the event. There’s probably a select few who have seen enough of the well-known race to refer to it affectionately as the Tour de Lance. 1 But [...]
