If you participated in or attended today’s Boston Marathon and saw anything that may be helpful to the police, please call:
1-800-494-TIPS
They are particularly looking for video of the explosion.
If you’d like to donate blood, please contact the Boston Blood Donation Center at (800) 733-2767. And if you live in the Boston area, police recommend that you return to your homes.
Our thoughts are with you.
Posted in History, Holiday, Life, News, Politics, Sports
Tagged blood, Boston Blood Donation Center, Boston Marathon, Boston Police, donate blood, explosion, explosion video, Health, history, Holiday, life, news, police, running
As many of you know, I live in New York City, land of the ‘Outlawed Big Soda’ — courtesy of Mayor Bloomberg.
The man hates sugary drinks.
I get it. And I know that when people want 32 ounces of ‘sugary drink,’ they probably buy two 16 ounce sodas…if they can do the math, that is.
But has Mayor Bloomberg gotten wind of Starbuck’s new coffee cup size — the Trenta?
It holds 31 ounces — or roughly 900 ml — of coffee and whatever mixings rock your world.
I don’t drink coffee myself, but I know some people put as much flavoring in the cup as they do coffee.
How many calories is that, Mr. Mayor?
Are we gonna go after the coffee drinkers of New York now…and one of the most prolific franchises in our city? I mean, that new coffee cup size can hold an entire bottle of wine. That’s how huge it is.
To be honest, I’m not even sure who’s side I’m on in this fight –
I just feel like starting it.
Posted in Commentary, Foods, Humor, Life, News, Restaurants
Tagged 32 ounce sodas, bottle of wine, coffee, coffee cup size, coffee drinkers, coffee flavorings, Foods, had too much caffeine, Humor, life, Mayor Bloomberg, New York City, outlawed big soda, restaurants, Starbucks, Starbucks franchises, starting a fight, sugary sodas, trenta cup
Like everyone, I was surprised by the news of the Pope’s resignation.
But how did I miss the documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God?
It was released in November of last year. But yesterday’s headlines from Rome brought director Alex Gibney’s film back to the forefront. It’s available on HBO OnDemand, so I’ve already watched it.
What a revelation.
Gibney examines pedophilia in the Catholic Church, beginning with the first known clerical sexual abuse at a deaf school in Milwaukee in the late 1950′s, and traces it all the way to the Vatican.
Of particular interest, the documentary documents the role Benedict played in the sex-abuse scandals — both as a bishop in Germany and as Cardinal Ratzinger, where he headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles such cases.
Under his leadership, the church shielded priests accused of child molestation and hid their behavior from the authorities, obstructing criminal prosecution.
It’s not an easy film to watch, but the bravery of these deaf students — now grown men — is inspiring.
Their voices have finally been heard.
Posted in Commentary, Education, History, Life, Movies, News, Religion
Tagged Alex Gibney, bischop, Cardinal Ratzinger, Catholic Church, child molestation, commentary, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, deaf school, documentary, education, film, HBO, HBO OnDemand, history, life, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Milwaukee, movie, news, pedophilia, Pope, Pope Benedict, Pope's resignation, religion, Rome, sexual abuse, Vatican
Students who attend my classes know that I often pull examples out of thin air. And if an animal is part of the storyline, 9 times out of 10 –
It’s a squirrel. (I don’t know why.)
So you will understand why this photo of a chipmunk in Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park caught my eye.
Photographer Michael Higgins spotted the little fellow ‘reading a newspaper’ while on a camping trip.
Too cute.
And it explains the chipmunk’s Letter to the Editor the following week.
Posted in Animals, Humor, Life, News, Writing
Tagged Algonquin Provincial Park, animals, camping trip, Canada, chipmunk, Humor, letter to the editor, life, newspaper, Ontario, reading a newspaper, squirrel, writing
And the word of 2012 is…
Hashtag
This doesn’t surprise me. It feels like hashtag has been around a lot longer — that’s how much a part of our vernacular it has so quickly become.
What does surprise me is who makes the grand proclamation of “Word of the Year” — the American Dialect Society.
I’ve never heard of them.
Founded in 1889, the organization is dedicated to the study of the English language and supports the Dictionary of American Regional English. They also publish American Speech magazine.
#whoknew?
Posted in Blogs, Commentary, Education, Humor, Internet, Life, News, Writing
Tagged #whoknew, American Dialect Society, American Speech magazine, blogs, Dictionary of American Regional English, education, English language, hashtag, Humor, Internet, life, news, Twitter, vernacular, word of 2012, word of the year, writing
I’m pretty excited about the Royal Baby.
I like Kate. I like William, too. And I just know that baby is gonna be a charmer.
Even if he/she is giving his/her mom a serious case of morning sickness right now — bad enough to send her to the hospital, no less.
But what fun it will be once that baby makes an appearance! I can already imagine the photos of him/her, rolling around on the lawn with their cocker spaniel Lupo.
The only possible negative?
Any celebrities birthing babies around the same time. Sorry, folks — the Royal Baby is gonna steal the spotlight on both sides of the drink.
Posted in Celebrities, Children, Commentary, Humor, Life, News
Tagged babies, celebrities, children, cocker spaniel, commentary, Humor, Kate Middleton pregnant, life, Lupo, morning sickness, news, prince, princess, Royal Baby, steal the spotlight, William and Kate
I returned to New York City today.
I couldn’t wait to get home, but was frightened of what I would see.
The aerial view of the city, half blacked out and silent, haunted me. The news cameras had focused on flood, fires, that precarious shifting crane. My airport cab driver told similar tales.
But then he dropped me off at my door. Businesses are open. People wander the street, friends gather, dogs bark. My neighborhood looks much like I left it three days ago.
And just 50 blocks south lies destruction.
Tonight I am a very, very lucky girl.
Posted in Commentary, Friends, Life, Love, News, Weather
Tagged aerial view of New York City, airport, blackout, cab driver, destruction, Dogs, fires, flood, Hurricane Sandy, life, love, neighborhood, New York City, news, news cameras, shifting crane, trick or treat, weather
Question: How many tickets does it take to get from Boston to New York City?
Answer: Five, so far
Hurricane Sandy’s path and aftermath have made every form of transportation here in the Northeast a big ol’ question mark. So since Monday, I have been purchasing multiple tickets on the bus and train and waiting to see which one would be up and running when I was ready to head back to the Big Apple. The winner?
MegaBus
They are not my usual carrier, but they have quickly become my favorite since they are the first to re-establish service between Boston and New York City.
212, I will soon be in you!
Posted in Humor, Life, News, transportation, Travel
Tagged 212, aftermath, Big Apple, Boston, bus, Humor, Hurricane Sandy, life, MegaBus, New York City, Northeast, ticket, ticket to ride, train, transportation, Travel
Dear Frankenstorm,
These are the only ‘sandies’ that are welcome in these parts.
Please be on your way.
And stop dripping all the water. You’re making a mess.
Signed,
The Northeast
Posted in Cooking, Environment, Foods, Humor, Life, News, Weather
Tagged cookies, cooking, don't slam the door, dripping water, Foods, Frankenstorm, Humor, Hurricane Sandy, life, news, Northeast, sandies, sandy cookies, weather
The same, yet different
It’s not often I can say this to a member of the royal family:
“Kate, this has so happened to me!”
The soldier saluted.
Funny — almost the exact same thing happened to me during a business trip to Chicago!
I was walking with my colleagues to a nearby restaurant for dinner when a grate ate my heel. Two friends held me upright, saving me from an almost certain face plant. So, let me belatedly salute their heroics –
Sans headpiece.
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Posted in Celebrities, Commentary, Fashion, Holiday, Humor, Life, News, Politics, St Patrick's Day
Tagged Aldershot Barracks, business trip, celebrities, Chicago, commentary, Duchess of Cambridge, Fashion, grate, high heels, Holiday, Humor, Kate Middleton, life, news, Prince William, royal family, salute, St. Patrick's Day, stiletto