-
Execution Without Trial
I'm a big fan of Barack Obama. For proof, check out, oh, I don't know, Why I Donated $500 To Barack Obama Today.
That said, I'm disgusted by his decision to authorize the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen living in Yemen.
I know very little about al-Awlaki, but I have no love for him. It's likely that he does incite and aid ( Read more... ) -
McDonald's
I'm supposed to hate McDonald's. After all, I'm a vegetarian. Budweiser has to pretend to like designated drivers, but McDonald's very plainly acts like I'm a scourge on decent society.
The relationship is usually grudging at best. We're an urban legend they can swear they've never actually seen; they're something we might have enjoyed as stupid ( Read more... ) -
Lost book reviews
I've read these books over the last few years but neglected to review them. Most of them deserve more than a few sentences, but they can suck it up, because that's all they gettin'.
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink
Blink attempts to explain our split-second judgments and determine whether or not they are trustworthy. Gladwell is a terrific writer, so ( Read more... ) -
Berlin, Day 2: What world war??
Stan calls Berlin a museum replica, and he's not far off. Ninety percent of it was destroyed during World War 2. There are beautiful buildings with old designs, but they're fakes: almost everything has been rebuilt since 1945.
Even World War 2 is ancient history in Berlin; the most visible scars are from the Cold War, when the Soviets encircled ( Read more... ) -
Berlin, Day 1: Still haven't seen it above ground.
It's strange not speaking the language. After four weeks in Russia, I found myself staring at bad American movies and straining to hear the English under the Russian dubbing. It sounded like home.
Now, after one day in Berlin, I feel like the German language is closing in on me. It's everywhere. This isn't the Germans' fault. They're enitled to ( Read more... ) -
Amsterdam: Nothing like the movie at Epcot.
Amsterdam could play up its history as the capital of a an old seafaring empire; instead, it's chosen to become the sex and weed capital of Europe. I guess the souvenier wooden shoes weren't selling. We only saw a few, one shelf below the ceramic penises decorated with marijuana leaves.
There isn't a single Starbucks in Amsterdam, but there are ( Read more... ) -
Paris, Day 2: The city is closed; please come back after 11.
Paris is full of delightful little shops, most of which are shuttered up for approximately 23 hours each day. I've started asking shop owners, "Quelle est votre heure aujourd'hui?", or, "What is your hour today?" Invariably, the answer is, "Desole, elle a juste passé. Au revoir": "Sorry, it just passed. Good bye."
Thus, we spent much of Tuesday ( Read more... ) -
Paris, Day 1: Walk into traffic, sil vous plait.
We traveled first class by accident. Someone - I shall remain nameless - didn't book the train to France until the last minute, so the only option was first class tickets on the Eurostar to Paris. What a shame.
First class isn't something I'd pay for ever again, but after our experience on Eurostar, I'm open to someone buying me tickets. We sat in ( Read more... )
