Because I’m something of a newshound, I came across a press release on the Reuters site the other day, the headline of which was this: “Campbell Soup dropping ‘soup’ in name to become ‘The Campbell’s Company‘”. The drift of the release was this: Campbell Soup is dropping “soup” from its name to become “The Campbell’s […]
On September 19th, I led a conversation on the Friendship Bench about humor. Among other things, we discovered humor — particularly joke-telling, the nature of the jokes being told, and the people to whom they’re told — should be a matter of respect. (Thank you, Phil Williams.) Yet I remain curious: How far should respect […]
It was 1975. I was 21 years old. It was time to buy my first serious stereo system because if it was 1975 and you were 21 years old, that’s what you were supposed to do. I enlisted by buddy, George, to aid me in purchasing the requisite components — a stereo receiver, a turntable, […]
Some of you may recall my having published a post two weeks called, “Stunning Climate Change News”, in which I shared an alarming portent from The Washington Post that autumn would bring cooler temperatures to parts of the United States. Those cooling temperatures have nothing to do with the weather, of course. Rather, they’re entirely […]
My cohorts and I recently engaged in a conversation about humor on the Friendship Bench. As we considered what makes things funny — why some people find things funny and others don’t, why some people can tell jokes to some people and not to others — my friend, Phil Williams, said in his inimitable fashion […]
Before you read any farther, sit down. I’m about to share a headline from The Washington Post that’s going to jar your preserves. I’d break it to you more gently if I could. But I can’t. By the same token, I don’t want to keep you hanging or to be overly dramatic. And I really […]
I don’t why. But I love to watch Beat Bobby Flay on the Food Channel. Maybe it’s that Bobby Flay is such an accomplished chef and restauranteur. Or maybe it’s just that he’s such a charming gentleman and all around good guy. But that doesn’t really matter. In any case, the format of the show […]
As a result of watching our local meteorologists forecast the weather, I have an idea that will simplify the way those meteorologists present the forecasts. That idea will also help their viewers understand their forecasts and be able to explain them to family, friends, and other loved ones who might not have TVs or might […]
Recently, our son, Quinn, and his wife, Katie, gave us a Nespresso machine. Since I prefer my coffee strong enough to slice it, it was right up my alley. The machine came with a variety pack of coffees, each bearing an Italian name, followed by descriptions, also in Italian. This was the assortment: Il Caffé, […]
COLOMBO (AFP) — Sri Lankan police arrested an astrologer after he predicted a planetary change this month will be inauspicious for parliament and the government may not be able to arrest rising living costs – a prediction already made by private economists … Sri Lankan politicians take astrology seriously and most have their own personal […]
