Monthly Archives: February 2011

Christchurch: Memories of a shaken city

Posted on February 23, 2011 by

We landed in Christchurch, N.Z., the morning of Dec. 28, just two days after the Boxing Day quake dampened the holiday season there as much as the steady rain that greeted our arrival. The streets were empty.  Metal fencing closed … Continue reading →

Posted in Christchurch, dearthquake, New Zealand | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Will we balance the budget on the backs of the poor?

Posted on February 15, 2011 by

How quickly we forget. Just a tad over two months ago, the lame-duck Congress passed a tax-cut “compromise” that extended Bush-era tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans and protected a larger chunk of the wealth left by … Continue reading →

Posted in budget, economics, federal deficit, poor | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Chipping ice in a winter of revolution

Posted on February 9, 2011 by

LEXINGTON, Mass. — This harsh winter has taken on its own rhythm. Every morning I grab the garden edger and take a few more whacks at the crust of ice coating our patio and driveway. Shock waves ripple through my … Continue reading →

Posted in american foreign policy, Egypt, media coverage, Uncategorized, winter | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Is this what will kill newspapers?

Posted on February 9, 2011 by

Forget the cutbacks, the layoffs, the shrinking news hole, the growing reliance on free-lancers.  What will kill newspapers is incompetent delivery. No matter how many times I’ve called The Boston Globe, my paper lands every day at the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in lifestyle, newspapers, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Buddy can you spare a dime?

Posted on February 9, 2011 by

LEXINGTON, Mass. — Our 2-year-old golden retriever Murphy inhales everything. On our 30-minute morning walks, he’ll drag fallen branches up the block. I’ve wrestled bottle caps, napkins and plastic bags from his clenched teeth.  This morning we had a standoff … Continue reading →

Posted in dogs, family, humor, lifestyle, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Real news versus authoritative news

Posted on February 2, 2011 by

At last I’ve come to understand the value of Twitter.  It cuts to the chase. This Tweet came in 25 minutes ago from New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, on the ground in Cairo. “It’s not quite right to describe what’s … Continue reading →

Posted in media coverage, nicholas kristof | Tagged , , | 3 Comments