Archive for August, 2007

Friday, August 31st, 2007

Dumb Just Got Dumber

If we are not the stupidest humans on the planet, then we ought to be!

16 Comments » - Posted in Digressions by eric

Wednesday, August 29th, 2007

Whistle Blowers Facing Penalties and Worse

Here’s a recent article by an Associated Press writer about how whistle blowers on contractor fraud in Iraq have faced severe retaliation.

9 Comments » - Posted in Essays by eric

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007

Yahoo! and Lawful Interception

Today on the radio, I heard that Yahoo! is being sued in connection with certain human rights violations against Chinese bloggers who had been arrested and tortured by the Chinese government. Apparently, the international human rights community and others are enraged with Yahoo!’s actions, but are Yahoo!’s actions or those of the Chinese government so […]

10 Comments » - Posted in Essays by eric

Monday, August 27th, 2007

I Thought About You

As promised when I wrote “From Madrid to Segovia“, here is my half-assed video from another train ride — Washington, DC to New York City — with Frank Sinatra’s version of “I Thought About You”. The train took me from DC to NYC through Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark. And on the way back, […]

No Comments » - Posted in Digressions by eric

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

Bay Bridge

When I was a little, I loved bridges and tunnels. My favorites were the Delaware Memorial Bridge (what we called the “Giant Bridge” ), the George Washington Bridge, and the Fort McHenry and Baltimore Harbor tunnels. I still remember as my all time “bestest” Christmas present a cardboard model of the […]

No Comments » - Posted in Digressions by eric

Monday, August 20th, 2007

Apri la tua finestra

This morning I woke up in Bethany Beach, Delaware at 4:30am due to jet lag. I could hear the heavy rain and the breaking waves through the window. I love the rain and haven’t heard such nice rain in quite a while. I waited for it to get light enough out and then opened the […]

No Comments » - Posted in Digressions by eric

Monday, August 20th, 2007

The Long Way Home

Yesterday I finally arrived home to Maryland/Washington, DC. For some reason the eight hour flight seemed longer than usual — and I was taking a direct flight from Madrid for the first time in six years. One thing that I found interesting while looking at those maps they show on the screen on the flight […]

5 Comments » - Posted in Digressions, Friends / Family, Jazz by eric

Friday, August 17th, 2007

Max Roach

Jazz drummer and innovator Max Roach has just passed away. Roach, along with Elvin Jones and Roy Haynes, is one of my all time favorite drummers. In particular, I am fond of his work with the late Clifford Brown and the album Money Jungle with Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. His We Insist! Freedom Now […]

No Comments » - Posted in Jazz by eric

Thursday, August 16th, 2007

Binisegarra

A couple of pictures of Binisegarra, the house I stayed in while on Martin’s farm in Menorca earlier this month. Thanks to William and Yasmine for the photos.

No Comments » - Posted in Digressions, Friends / Family by eric

Thursday, August 16th, 2007

From Madrid to Segovia

Yesterday was August 15th, which means it was a holiday in Spain (and most Catholic countries). Instead of lounging around the house all day, I decided to take the train from Madrid to Segovia. The train takes close to two hours, due to the fact that it is a commuter train, whereas driving would probably […]

No Comments » - Posted in Digressions by eric