Trees in Muir Woods, Calif, in February 2006

Sharing WiFi with the World for Free

We let the public know about our signal generosity a week ago, when the Daily Hampshire Gazette published a story about WiFi in cafes. We chatted with Rachael and talked about why giving this away to our customers makes sense. But just in case everybody didn't see the paper, we decided to make it more clear. We put up this plaque in the town common, so people can go on line while they sit on the benches of the little common.

Hey, we admit few people will do this...but we might just be ahead of our time!

Getting Ready for a Long, LONG, Plane Ride

Petronas Towers in Kuala Lampur are the tallest buildings in the world. I read about them in a huge packet of literature that DHL dropped off at the house. I am getting ready to fly to Malaysia on Monday night. The flight is with the best airine--Singapore Airlines. And this is the longest nonstop flight you can take. Eighteen hours up in the air. My pal Kent did this flight, and I thought he was crazy. Now I'm booked next!

We will land in Singapore, finally, then take off again for one hour flight to Kuala Lampur. I am attending a formal meeting and a big carnival in Malaysia starting next week. The trip will spend a few days in the city, then take me up north to the island of Redang. Then another city on the coast, near Thailand, and then back home. The weather will be humid and hot, and it will be a real change. We haven't had much heat here this summer. I am going to shoot a lot of photos as we go through the country.

In the cafe late, trying to sew up loose ends as I am going to be away for so long. The cafe business attaches itself to you, you have a hard time getting away. But I am first and foremost a traveler...I gotta go regularly, get out there and write something. So Malaysia it is. Will post pix and blog throughout the trip.

"Awkward Moments Abound in Penis Pump Trial"

This story needs no embellishment, in sheer level of the ultimate "cringeworthy," read.

"Former Judge Donald D. Thompson, a veteran of 23 years on the bench, is on trial on charges he used a penis pump on himself in the courtroom while sitting in judgment of others.

Over the past few days, the jurors have watched a defense attorney and a prosecutor pantomime masturbation. A doctor has lectured on the lengths the defendant was willing to go to enhance his sexual performance.

The white-handled sexual device sits before the jury box for hours at a time. Occasionally an attorney picks it up and squeezes the handle, demonstrating the "sh-sh" sound of air rushing through the contraption's plastic tubing.

The jurors sometimes exchange awkward looks and break into nervous laughter when the testimony takes a lurid turn. Thompson's former court reporter, Lisa Foster, wiped away tears as she described tracing an unfamiliar "sh-sh" in the courtroom to her boss. She testified that between 2001 and 2003 she saw Thompson expose himself at least 15 times.

"I was really shocked and I was kind of scared because it was so bizarre," said Foster.

She testified that during a trial in 2002, she heard the pump during the emotional testimony of a murdered toddler's grandfather. The grandfather "was getting real teary-eyed, and the judge was up there pumping on that pump," she said. "It was sickening."

Esselon is the New Cafe in Town. Hadley, that Is

I stopped by this new cafe in Hadley today. It's called Esselon Cafe and Kitchen. What a beautiful garden they have! It's blocked by tall conical pine trees, and they have adirondack chairs, stone tables, and a porch that seems like it belongs in a rich person's house. Very comfy. The coffee, however was not stellar. It is made in these big black boxes, and heated throughout the day, and tasted burned. They also don't have a real 'small' size--it's 12 oz. and costs $1.50! They roast their own coffee right in the back, like they once did at Javahut cafe in Sunderland.

I think they will be successful, despite the burned coffee, because it's one of the nicest locations I've ever seen for yet another addition to the Valley's cafe culture.

Cooper Has it All--But the Ratings Suck

The NY Observer writes about beautiful Anderson Cooper, who has everything--looks, charm, talent, a great reputation...But there is one pesky measure of victory that Mr. Cooper doesn’t quite satisfy: He doesn’t actually win.

On average, only some 630,000 viewers a night tune in to Anderson Cooper 360, to watch Anderson Cooper do his professional duties. It’s not just that Anderson Cooper 360 doesn’t get American Idol ratings. Or that it doesn’t get Grey’s Anatomy ratings or O’Reilly Factor ratings or On the Record with Greta van Susteren ratings.

Many nights, Mr. Cooper doesn’t even do as well as his predecessor Aaron Brown, the ice to his fire, the old-fashioned, bespectacled anchor who was booted in 2005 to make room for Mr. Cooper.

CNN president Jon Klein calls Mr. Cooper “the anti-anchor.” If an anchor is someone people regularly watch host a news program, Mr. Klein may be onto something. In April, Mr. Cooper’s ratings were down more than 20 percent—and 36 percent in the 25-to-54 demographic—from Mr. Brown’s numbers the previous April.

One reason put forth is that Mr. Cooper himself, for all his vaunted good looks, is aesthetically ill-suited to television. The silver hair and piercing blue eyes make him all light and no contrast, a human green screen. “He’s wispy,” said the head of one cable news network. “I don’t know how to describe it.”

“It probably has more to do with CNN and the reason people watch TV,” said yet another anonymous cable network executive. “People watch CNN to see if the world’s safe, not really to sit down and watch all night.”

Kristi Shows She Knows How to Write

Kristi Girdharry is a new intern at GoNOMAD. She submitted her first story the other day, and my Associate Editor Steve, said, "hell, she doesn't need us!" He meant that she had enough talent to not need editing. That's what we like in an intern. Kristi's story was about Earthwatch, an organization that among other things takes people out to observe elephants in Namibia. Here is a snip.

"Why elephants? Now there is a question..." starts Dr. Keith Leggett, leader of the Desert elephants of Namibia expedition, "The short answer is long term fascination and [the] opportunity to work in really remote places. Of course the long version of this requires several bottles of red wine and a long time..."

Fascination and opportunity. These two words lend new meaning to those fortunate enough to work alongside Dr. Leggett. Thanks to the Earthwatch Institute, volunteers from around the world are able to come together with professionals and do some good in nature with their vacation time. This particular expedition works with the elephants of Namibia, intelligent and highly social mammals, who live in the Namib Desert.

So why do they bother? Although these elephants have adapted to living in the desert, they still require about 30 gallons of water a day. This causes them to be quite damaging—pushing down trees and trampling anything in their path. It is difficult for humans to live their lives with these massive creatures that tend to be rather destructive.

At the same time, these massive creatures are also a huge tourist attraction. Having income from tourists might be one of the only things saving this poor country. In order to come to an understanding with the elephants, Dr. Leggett is looking into their routines and ecology. Hopefully this will lead to a solution that will help humans and elephants coexist."

Ohh, A Bike Trail, I'm So Scared of the Bike Trail!"

Bought the Gazette today, and read this heartwarming story about Southampton's rail trail efforts. The previous attempt to build a rail trail back ten years ago, "never gained the necessary votes to approve what would have been the town's share of the project, about $75,000. That amount reflected a portion of over a million dollars in state and federal grants that would have gone toward a a joint trail trail with Easthampton and Northampton. Easthampton's has been in use for a couple of years now, to the appreciation of the public.

But ten years ago Southampton residents raised concerns that the trail would bring crime into the community and devalue neighboring properties. HOW FUNNY! With expensive gas, who doesn't want a bike/hike trail going past your house? As other greenways and trails are accepted all around the valley, the idea becomes not so foreign. "Good ideas never die," he said.

Memories of Our Grenada Invasion

In 1983, President Reagan invaded Grenada. It was called Operation Urgent fury, and we sent more than 7000 troops to take over. Today on the History Channel, this mission was recalled.

One medical professor recalls the troops. "It was almost a carnival with the invastion," he said. "kids and women were dancing, giving sweets and flowers to the US Troops." After the battle, in which 17 Americans died, there was a thought that the US would continue to govern, or run the island. But the leader who eventually formed the interim government said the US did not influence any of his choices for ministers. The US left without leaving an army in place. The battle was with Cuba and the Sandistas, who wanted to install a Marxist goverment, vs. the US and its Caribbean allies. After a bloody uprising in Grenada, the war lasted two months.

It should also be noted that on October 23, 1983, American foreign policy and pride suffered a terrible shock when a Muslim suicide bomber destroyed the Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 240 U.S. Marines. A successful campaign in Grenada would prove helpful in alleviating the pain of that setback. hat tip: historyguy.com

Tango Diva Swims Nude in her Private Phuket Pool

Last night I returned to the office after making a run to the market, and stayed up too late answering email and browsing new travel sites. One I liked was 'tangodiva.com,' where jetsetting liberated women swim nude in private pools in Phuket. She had her own pool, and she reveled in her aloneness as well as being nude by herself. No need for a girlfriend or a man.

That was written by the head Tangodiva herself, Teresa. She once worked for Richard Simmons, famous kooky weight loss guru, and then moved to Australia and became a top model. Next was a fascinating story of overcoming fear and heading down to Cartagena, Colombia. I've always wanted to go to Colombia, and usually read anything I find about the place.

The author recalls how much fear she had about the country, the forbidden yet beautiful nation that the state department says to avoid. She pondered whether kidnappers were waiting around each corner. But there was only the incredible colonial beauty of this seaside place, and only about one room vacant, in a fancy Sofitel on the ocean.

When I finally left the office it was midnight. At home I curled up in bed and spent another hour readimg Wired, with Rupert Murdoch on the cover. Lots to blog about here, as usual.

Buffett: One Problem with Rich People, They're Old

Money magazine printed the interview in which Warren Buffett announced his intention to give away all of his billions starting...now.

"Okay, now what does that mean for Berkshire?

I'd say virtually nothing. Anybody who knows me also knows how I feel about making Berkshire as good as it can be, and that goal is still going to be there. I won't do anything differently, because I'm not capable of doing things differently. The name on the stock certificates will change, but nothing else will.

I've always made it clear to Berkshire's shareholders that my wealth from the company would go to philanthropy, so the fact that I'm starting the process is basically a nonevent for them. And, you know, though this may surprise some people, it's a nonevent for me too in some ways.

Ted Turner, whose philanthropic activities I admire enormously, once told me that his hands shook when he signed a $1 billion pledge. Well, I have zero of that. To me, there's just no emotional downside to this at all.

And frankly, I have some small hopes that what I'm doing might encourage other very rich people thinking about philanthropy to decide they didn't necessarily have to set up their own foundations but could look around for the best of those that were up and running and available to handle their money.

People do that all the time with their investments. They put their money with people they think are going to do a better job than they could. There's some real merit to extending that thought to your wealth, rather than setting up something to be run after your death by a bunch of old business cronies or a staff that eventually comes to dictate the agenda.

Some version of this plan I've got is not a crazy thing for some of the next 20 people who are going to die with $1 billion or more to adopt themselves. One problem most rich people have is that they're old, with contemporaries who are not at their peak years and who don't have much time ahead of them. I'm lucky in that respect in that I can turn to younger people.

Does it occur to you that it's somewhat ironic for the second-richest man in the world to be giving untold billions to the first-richest man?

When you put it that way, it sounds pretty funny. But in truth, I'm giving it through him - and, importantly, Melinda as well - not to him.

Tidal Current Power is In the Cards

Today's Republican included a story about sea power. Using the strong tidal currents off the Maine coast can produce power for less than the cost of coal and oil. In Maine's Western Passage in Passamaquoddy Bay, the tide rises and falls 20 feet, the greatest tidal change in the US. Underwater turbines can produce electricity without the political fallout, since nobody can see them churning away down under water. We might be seeing them in the years ahead. Cost is a big deal, since so many environmentally sound ideas just don't make the calculator cut.

Last night we watched 60 Minutes segment on another new way to get energy. In Alberta Canada they are heating up shale and dirt and getting thousands of tons of oil. It takes a lot of energy to get the oil, and leaves terrible waste behind, but the oilmen say they plant trees and cover it all up after they are done.

We'll see many more of these kinds of new ideas in the years ahead. Clever ideas that might help solve the problem of our need to drive, heat and cool so much.

Deval Patrick Pops into the Cafe

Yesterday I got to hang out on the web. You know that sort of lazy strolling through various blogs, people I read...learned a lot. I heard about Donnie Moorhouse's film that was screened at the Calvin Theater in Northampton last week. I watched a video of a movie reviewer from Mass Live interview Peter Tork. What a dork! He was rude, condescending, and basically a true a-hole on the 2 minute tape. Funny, WRSI's blogger Kelsey Flynn titled her post "From Monkee to Jerkee." Love what blogs can do!

Today I sent Alan home, manning the cafe myself for the afternoon. It's quiet now, just had a little rush, and all in all ok. A few guys in suits came in, they looked like secret service or salesman. Turned out they were advance guys for Deval Patrick, who was in South Deerfield pressing the flesh. I asked them to send the candidate over. He came in, a muscular, good looking black guy, and I told him my ideas about bringing WiFi to the country, and how he should get out in front on this issue. "It's part of my plan for the commonwealth," he said, sounding so much like somebody running. I showed him our Bountiful Router, which projects our WiFi signal a quarter mile covering the park next door. "How about developing these small scale networks, for towns that can't get high speed internet?" He was impressed. "You know a lot about this stuff," he told me.

I promised to vote for him, and offered to hold a rally here, in our little town. He made sure to send an aide back in with his card. Deval for Governor! Just maybe!

Letter from Libya

My mother Val was kind to mail Cindy a stack of recent New Yorker Magazines. Included in one May issue was a long story by Andrew Soloman called "Letter from Libya."

In this barely functional desert country people work five mornings a week. Few work more than this, and many, about 30%, don't work at all. The state's oil riches subsidize an economy where bread sells for two cents and gas for pennies a gallon. Soloman talks about what Libyans enjoy doing: long rides on the highways, cruising all hours of the night; house parties with mint tea and hookahs, and he relates the terror of driving in a land where no one pays any attention to traffic lights, stopsigns or other road rules.

Soloman talks about the Roman ruins, gorgeous classical amphitheaters and other buildings, pristine, yet totally filled with trash. Everywhere, he said, there is litter; as if the people under the control of the "Leader" as Qaddafi is known, rebel against his harsh rules by throwing trash around.

The Leader, (also referred to by pointing an index finger skyward,) once outlawed SUVs, then, said they were ok. Rich Libyans went out and bought them, only to be told a few years later, they were once again outlawed. "You hear talk about rusting SUVs sitting in garages when you speak with the upper class," the author said.

Qaddafi has been harshest on the islamic militants who threaten to rally and create the kind of problems seen in other countries with large numbers of unemployed young men with nothing to live for. He has outlawed their associations but with 50% of the country under age 17, no one knows what the future will hold here.

The Gun Club Clambake Mixes Red and Blue

Yesterday we joined 300 other locals at the Millers Falls Rod and Gun club's annual clambake. I had procured the expensive tickets in advance; available only at the club and in other places I rarely go, like downtown Millers Falls.

It was an overcast day but the pick up trucks were out in force. We were joined by our friends Tom and Cathie from Westchester, who chuckled at this assemblage of Nascar Faithful and hunters who were not much like the rest of us. Not that it's a bad thing...but I felt like I was partying with a bunch of strangers from a red state. Not cafe customers, not over educated types as I often consort with. Just a few folks with bad teeth, tacky t-shirts and big ole guts.

The big day started with a giant fire, that looked like a funeral bier, logs all set up around a 6 foot mound of rocks. Men with baseball caps stoked the flames with a portable leaf blower. After a few hours the men pulled the logs off, hosed them down and arranged the hot rocks, covering it all with seaweed. Then they dumped in mountains of cheesecloth-wrapped steamer clams and lobsters and covered it with wet tarps. The glorious pile baked for about 15 minutes, until the men donned rubber gloves and hauled off the tarps and the feed was upon us: chicken, corn, steamers, lobsters, potatoes, slaw and watermelon.

Francisco and I wished we had brought cigars, the atmosphere was fun with the country band twanging, and kids excitedly dug through sawdust in which hundreds of dollars worth of change had been dumped for them to find.

"There Was No Plane Crash," in Ashgabat

Jessica Hayden has written wonderful stories for GoNOMAD about central Asia. Below is a snip from a recently published article in the AFSA magazine about Turkenistan.

"My thoughts drift back to a friend’s return flight to Ashgabat. As the plane prepared to land, it tipped to the left and then, with a thud, hit the runway and crashed over onto its wing. The passengers conferred — everyone okay, but a little shaken up. They waited for someone to take charge. The stewardesses stayed behind the curtain, the pilots in the cockpit. No emergency crews approached the plane.

Eventually, an airport minibus arrived and the passengers were taken to a small, dark room in the airport. Bottles of vodka were passed out. An airport official addressed the crowd. “You will not tell anyone about this,” he commanded. “No one.” The passengers accepted their vodka in return for their vow of silence.

The next day the local newspaper ran a story about the late-night occurrence. The paper reported, “While you may have heard that a plane crashed last night on the runway at Ashgabat International Airport, it did not. There was no plane crash.”

Walking around the capital city of Ashgabat, it feels as if you’ve ended up on an empty movie set. Grand marble apartment buildings line the streets, but they are vacant. Landscaped parks line the roads, adorned with dozens of bubbling fountains, yet no one is out. As my husband and I walked downtown by the ministries and the parliament, we counted policemen stationed every 50 meters. Unlike other cities —
there are no people. The markets are quiet, the roads empty. This isn’t a living,
breathing place. It is the creation of a madman."

A Photo Show Like No Other at the Cafe

Our first ever art opening was a success at the cafe last night. Rick and Suzanna came and so did Cindy, Jack and some of the photographers who had gone on the trip to Sicily. A few of our regulars also came by, the photographs on the computer screens looked really brilliant. Sicilian wine and my fruit and cheese platters were well received by all.

I think a show like this brings photography into an entirely new realm; being able to see 250 different photos on the screens gave such a full and clear look at Sicily. I was proud to have been behind this, and appreciate Rick's help in getting the photos up and on the screens.

Today is a grey day, business a bit 'soft.' But to inspire me again I put the Sicily slideshows back up, and so, when the students come in to learn about eBay, they will be greeted by these wonderful images.

You Can't Ask Bobby Any More

This morning's Boston Herald's Inside Track had the sad story about an unpaid writing gig.

“The treatment I received from the Boston Globe and its Web site boston.com was outrageous,” Godes said. “(They) expected me to write a daily relationships blog/online advice column for one full year without any expectation on my part of any compensation whatsoever.”

Well, that seems rather cheesy, doesn’t it????

Here’s the story: When he was 12 years old, Godes pitched an idea to the then-Herald American to write an advice column for young people. The paper went for it, and “Dear Bobby Simpson” was born. (Godes chose the nom de plume for his favorite member of “The Brady Bunch” and former football hero O.J. Simpson.)

Godes/Simpson achieved a respectable level of fame during the early ’80s, doing the talk-show circuit and publishing a book of his columns. He kept at it until 1990 when he quit the job to go to college full time.

After eight weeks of hard work - and no money - Godes was feeling put-upon. So he sent a detailed memo to Agrella outlining his efforts on boston.com’s behalf and asked for a rather paltry $50 to $75 a week in return.

“It is truly way too much on the part of Boston.com to expect me to continue to put in all of the hard work that I’ve been doing thus far, week in and week out . . . without any compensation whatsover in return,” he wrote. “Such an arrangement, by any reasonable person’s definition, is simply unfair.”

Boston.com dropped the column, citing 'it wasn't particularly well received."

Bush in Budapest Doesn't Tell the Real Story

Last June I was in Budapest, in the same spot near the regal Parliament building as our president was yesterday. Bush made a speech to celebrate Hungary's resistance in 1956 to Soviet Russia...an effort that failed, partly because the US did nothing to help. In the Washington Post, Charles Gati laid out facts about that time in October '56, so well memorialized all over Hungary in statues and monuments that we saw on our trip.

"Washington offered a sad variation on NATO: No action talk only. After 13 days of high drama, hope and despair in Hungary, the mighty Soviet army prevailed. Until the tanks rolled in, Hungarians believed that the US would help them. The only action was that Radio Free Europe in Germany broadcast lessons on how to make a molotov cocktail.

Gati argues that the US, while fearing what might happen if we defended against a Soviet client state, could have gone to the UN, or tried to negotiate with the Soviets. He believes we owe the Hungarians an explanation about why Ike had no interest in helping them out, other than to hold 'prayer breakfasts' to appeal to immigant voters in the 1956 elections.

Shouldn't Billionaires Have Deeper Things to Worry About?

Tom Dahlberg, an AP sports columnist, got it right when he ripped Mark Cuban. Mostly because this billionaire owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks has become the focus of television coverage over his bad behavior and millions in league fines. And ABC TV can't stop showing the whiny foot stomping owner every time a play is called against his team.

"Shouldn't billionaires have deeper things to worry about? Bill Gates is the richest man in the world, with that kind of money he can buy Mark Cuban 100 times over. Gates probably doesn't even know who is playing in the NBA finals, but he can sure tell you about the $29 billion foundation he runs that tackles problems of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis in the developing world. Cuban has weighty issues on his mind too. He worries about whether Dwyane Wood was really fouled and whether Shaquille O'Neal gets away with too many things because he's Shaq.

You see, the NBA is out to get the Mavericks, as anyone who is paying any attention at all to these playoffs probably already knows. There is something endearing, after all, about watching a spoiled billionaire complain that everyone is out to get him and that it just isn't fair.

What's next? A screaming fit before Game 6, at which time Cuban will simply take the ball and go home?"

Telling Him Yes on 11 Across and 14 Down

The SF Gate published a profile of Will Shortz--puzzle-master from the NY Times.

"Shortz, an avuncular, mustachioed man of 53, has become famous for his clues. Under the sharp point of his witty pencil, the clue for DERRIERES goes from the predictable "tushes" to the devilish "many moons?" For GRANDMA, the elementary "folk artist Moses" becomes the juicier "she may be off her rocker." For THEATER, the overly New York-centric clue "Hirschfeld or Schubert, for example" becomes the clever "it has wings but doesn't fly."

When Shortz took over in 1993, the first thing he did was jettison the old rules. He started including clues about rock music, television and sports. He included more slang. He put in clues like "unknown element" (X FACTOR), "wake up" (FACE IT) and "babe or fox" (HOTTIE).

And then there was the time Shortz got a call from a young lawyer who wanted to propose to his girlfriend through the crossword. Shortz' first reaction was that it was a preposterous idea. The New York Times crossword was an august institution, a puzzle consumed by a huge global audience. It was no place for dispensing personal favors. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized it could be "very cool." So he assigned the crossword to one of his regular creators, and coordinated with the boyfriend about when the puzzle would appear in the paper. On the agreed-upon day, the man and his girlfriend went out for brunch, and on the way, they picked up the Times, just as they always did.

At the restaurant, she opened the crossword page, as was her custom, and started doing the puzzle. He pretended to read the front page, but in reality, he was watching her. He'd only slept 15 minutes the previous night. The theme of the puzzle was "A Modest Proposal," the title of a Jonathan Swift pamphlet. "Oh look, your name's in here," she said at a certain point. "Oh, my name's in here, too," she said a few minutes later. One of the answers was THIS DIAMOND RING, a '60s hit by Gary Lewis and the Playboys; another was WILL YOU MARRY ME, the title of a Paula Abdul song. She looked up. "This puzzle," she said. "This puzzle!" The moment was right. He got down on one knee and asked for her hand. Her reply, too, was in the crossword, under the clue, "hoped for response." The answer was YES.

In a Well-Armed World, Fewer Reasons to Fear Us

Robert D. Kaplan wrote in the Washington Post in April about what we really should be afraid of.

"Despite the dangers they represent, such crushing, Dear Leader tyrannies are not our major concern. The future problems of the United States lie more with regimes that thrive on information exchanges with the global media, using it as their megaphone, in the way Chavez does, and ones in such a condition of underdevelopment, tribal animosity and physical insecurity (take Taylor's Liberia) that the state, to the extent it exists, becomes psychologically isolated from any mitigating global forces.

We are entering a well-armed world, with more players than ever who can unhinge the international system and who have fewer reasons to be afraid of us. That's why a resentful state leader, armed with disruptive technologies and ready to make use of stateless terrorists, poses such a threat.

Hussein was a wannabe in this regard. According to a Joint Forces Command study, parts of which appeared in the May/June issue of Foreign Affairs, he was preparing thousands of paramilitary fighters from throughout the Arab world to defend his regime and to be used for terror attacks in the West. Looking ahead, Ahmadinejad would also be a prime candidate for such tactics, as would Chavez, given his oil wealth and the elusive links between South American narco-terrorists and Arab gangs working out of Venezuelan ports.

We face a world of unfriendly regimes, even as our European allies are compromised by burgeoning Muslim populations and the Russians and Chinese deal amicably with dictators, because they have no interest in a state's moral improvement. Never before have we needed a more unified military-diplomatic approach to foreign policy. For the future is a multidimensional game of containment.

Fun Facts About America's Favorite Fuel

I learned a little bit about gas today at lunch. On the History channel was "Gasoline," the story of the world's favorite fuel. Among the grainy shots of old oil derricks was newer footage of the process of refining crude oil into gas. They showed jolly looking antique trucks that used to transport the fuel in gallon jugs, many of which ignited unceremoniously on their way to people's homes. It was big news in the 1930s when someone rejiggered an oil derrick and invented the gasoline pump.

I learned also that gas is indeed, no different from gas station to gas station. In fact a barrel of gas sent into a pipeline in Bayview Texas is different from the one that emerges in Everett, MA. Because Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, BP and the rest all use the same transcontinental pipes. The gas is barely separated among the regular, super and super duper, either. Any brand difference or quality claim is only a result of additives that are put in just before the gas is loaded into 10-wheelers for delivery to a local gas station.

The different kinds of gas such as diesel, high test, and regular gas are sent through the pipeline and separated by a device known as a pig. The stuff that merges in between is sold to places that can use combined fuels. There are also pigs that go through the pipes and clean out all of the crud in the pipe. It's amazing when you look at how much gunk gets into those pipes...mounds and mounds of sludge.

"We Used to Hang Up on our Readers"

San Jose Mercury News executive editor Susan Goldberg made a graduation speech at Medill School at Northwestern University, that says a lot about the newspaper business...now and in the future.

"News is now – or anytime I want it. And not because I'm an editor – a news gatekeeper, with some special source. Now, there are no more gatekeepers; real people have the same privileges and access I do.

That change -- news anytime, anywhere, available to anyone -- is profoundly re-shaping our industry, turning what were once-a-day readers into real-time viewers and listeners of streaming video, audio, multimedia and online graphics.

The impact of this will affect each of you. It means that while my career has been a lot like those of the generations who came before me, your career will be far, far different.

My life has been ordered by the rhythms of a daily, morning newspaper. We wake up late, go to bed late and do it all over again the next day. The cycle never really varies, barring the kind of catastrophe that causes us to print an extra - a twice-in-a-career occurrence for me.

Now, there is no industry-defined news cycle. The cycle is the outbreak of news.

Newsrooms used to be noisy, smelly places. There was the clatter of typewriters, when I started. The intoxicating odor of the rubber cement we used to paste the pages of our stories together. The whoosh of the pneumatic tubes whisking that copy away to the backshop.

In my career, we told our readers what was important and when they disagreed, we used to hang up on them. The fact is, we didn't care what our readers thought; we knew best – and we had the power of an information monopoly to prove it.

Our circulation didn't grow, but didn't fall much either. Advertising paid the bills and our big bosses - the storied companies and families that owned us - got rich. There was no such thing as a hostile takeover. "

A TV Show---With Strings

On Friday we had a call from a man who said he made television programs for National Geographic TV, Pax Network and other cable outlets. He was Robert, then 'Bob.' He said that his food-themed TV show would be interested in coming to interview us, and do a television show about how our website provides travel information about exciting trips. We set up a time and he called again on Monday afternoon.

His company is based in Florida, and they buy time on these channels, he said, and they promote, and write, and film it all on location. They wanted to get more info about us to run it by the General manager.

Wow, I thought. Great things...Then Bob continued. "We do have one thing, though, that we have to discuss. It's our...licensing fees. For this project it would be $19,700. You see we have to get licensed to put the show on the air, and this is just a fraction of the value of this....the show is aired on more than 200,000 homes every month."

Hmmm. Well. I asked him if there were any other options than us paying them for content for their TV show. "Of course, we have to present this to the GM before we can say for sure....You're one of more than 10 people we're talking to. But no, you would have to pay."

Sorry Bob. I think you're gonna have to ask at least 1000 more people before somebody puts up $20K for this 'episode purchase.'

Thank God, honey, They Cancelled...Yippee!

Today's NY Times style section included a story by Alex Williams about the joys of cancelled appointments.

"Who among the harried professional class does not breathe a secret sigh of relief when drinks with an old friend, lunch with a potential client or a Saturday dinner party with college classmates falls through? Driven by 12-hour workdays, never-ending networking "opportunities," work that follows us home on the Internet and the Treo, not to mention weekends crammed with kids' play dates and dinner parties, many people are admitting that one of modern life's most underappreciated joys is to be dropped by others, at least occasionally and when done in the right spirit.

The act of canceling a meeting or dinner date can constitute the most precious gift one busy professional can bestow on another. Both parties tacitly acknowledge that the empty calendar is the greatest luxury of all, one that even the rich — especially the rich — can't buy.

"Of course people love it," said Beth Rudin DeWoody, an art collector and busy supporter of the arts in New York. "We're all overwhelmed."

In recent years, she said, invitations to fund-raisers seem to have quadrupled, as new charities pop up and old ones ramp up fund-raising efforts. More invitations mean more hope that something — anything — will be canceled, even commitments with friends who, one would hope, share the same feelings. "There's no guilt involved," Ms. DeWoody said. "So many times we all make commitments, then when the time comes we say, 'Oh, God, I'd really rather stay home and watch TV.' "

Loose Ends and Bears Back in Holyoke

A busy Saturday, with good things popping up all over. First, I got my scooter back, after months in the shop. The horn isn't working and I have to kick it to start it, but it's running and I'm happy for that. I stopped by the Learning Circle, where my grandson Nathan goes each day, and saw where he hangs out. They said he loves touching the other kids faces, and he is a happy bright little one. He is so special, I just love having him around me. Last night we wheeled him around in the wheelbarrow, his face lights up and he points his tiny finger in the air with delight.

Today's a big tag sale day, seems that everyone is having sales of this or that. I investigated a few of these sales, and then Cindy called and told me that the bear was back in her yard. This time she was a little more brazen, she went out and called me while she watched the ursa ramble back up the hill. Scary. Now she won't have any more finches since we found out that bears do like thistle...not just sunflower seeds.

We're getting ready for new photo show at the cafe, we took down the Iraq photos, and Monday we'll hang lovely new photos from Sicily. Stay tuned, the artists reception is next Friday!

No Novocaine for This Tough Son

This morning in the car, I listened to Scott Simon interview a man who sounded tough. Turned out it was Teddy Atlas, a former boxer and trainer who had stories to tell.

When Atlas was a kid, his father was a well-known doctor. He got a bad cut, and was taken to his dad's office. Most patients usually had to wait about four hours to see the doc, but the nurses assumed that Tony would go right in and be treated. No way. His doctor dad made him wait four hours too...then when he was going to treat him, they gave him a novocaine-filled syringe to apply before he put in the stitches. "No, no, he doesn't need that," his dad told the nurse. "If he wants to play rough, he's gotta learn to take the punishment."

Atlas talked about Mike Tyson, his one-time fighter client, whom he trained. Tyson was 190 lbs when he was in grade school, and was a notoriously bad kid. He would go into the lunchroom at 10 am and demand food. When he was refused, he'd throw milk cartons at the poor old ladies, and often threaten other little kids. He'd steal their lunch money and he instilled fear in everyone. Atlas refused to let him into the gym, trying to show that there was an effect of bad behavior. But Cus D'amato, the other trainer, would sneak Tyson in, regardless of how bad he was.

Later in life, Atlas heard from one of his father's patients that his dad had spoken highly of "his son the trainer." That was as close as Teddy Atlas ever got to being recognized and told he was loved by his dad. "I told him I loved him when he was dying," Atlas said. "I don't know if he was conscious, but it was the best I could do."

Stuck in the Muck of Angola's Capital City

Angola was on page one of today's NY Times. Sadly, this was a portrait of a Malthusian crisis, with mountains of garbage, rivulets of raw sewage, kids sliding into the muck and more than 40,000 often fatal cases of cholera.

It would have taken 22,000 dump trucks just to haul away the trash, back in 1994, when the city of Luanda had half the number of people it has now. Ironically, the country is awash in oil revenues, ringing up more than $16.8 billion this year, with a third more expected next year. "Economists say the government simply has more money than it can spend...yet it seems powerless to address even the basic issues of clean water and sewers that would make such epidemics entirely preventable--a paradox that critics attribute to corruption, incompetence or the hangover of a 27-year civil was that flooded the capital with refugees, or all three."

The story is painful to read, of 450 tanker trucks that suck up 1.3 million gallons of foul polluted water, that in turn they sell to more than 10,000 vendors who sell it for 12 cents a gallon to slum dwellers. The government that has all of the oil money put forth a pittance--20 trucks were ordered to supply free water, compared to the 300 private trucks that supply the poor for profit now. Doctors Without Borders is organizing distribution of free chlorine, forcing the vendors to purify the water before they sell it. The cholera is now abating, but the problems of corruption and disease will linger.

The Coffee Business is Up Up Up!

Today's a lovely day and my heart is full and upbeat. Perhaps that's because it feels like the cafe is finally reaching a point of success. People come in who've never been here before, they always say how nice it is in here, and at the same time our regulars show up and make the place their own.

Rocky, a nurse who comes in daily, showed us a legal ad in the paper that said our friends Sean and Darren Pierce are getting out of the cafe business. Their Javahut Roaster's cafe in Sunderland is being turned into a Dunkin' Donuts. Egads, that's sad....but not that surprising. The Pierce brothers moved their roasting operation up to Greenfield, that's where they put their energy.

While I am always sad to see a fellow local cafe fold, I think of my friend Curtis Rich, owner of the five Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters cafes. He told me that their Northampton store, on busy King St, does fantastic business two stores down from DD. In Shelburne Falls, he said a former employee opened up a cafe two doors down, but still there's enough thirst for good coffee that his business has thrived.

I read that the fine coffee business amounted to $5 billion in 2003 and $8 billion in 2005. That's why Mickie D's and Burger King now tout new gourmet blends and DD offers lattes. Starbucks has turned Americans into coffee snobs. God bless 'em.

Plumber Gets More than He Bargained for

Reading the Republican in the cafe. A story out of Southwick told of a plumber who made an interesting discovery in the bathroom vanity he purchased at "a major retail chain." Inside, packaged in what appeared to be parts for the vanity, was a stash of $150,000 worth of cocaine and pot. Somehow 40 pounds of dope and three kilos of coke had been stashed there by parties unknown. The cops didn't charge the plumber nor the store.

"It is just unbelievable," said Det. Lt. David Ricardi. He added that there was a second pot-and-coke filled vanity unit at the store. Perhaps the drugs were smuggled in from the country where they made the bathroom unit.

Quelle Horreur! Readers Decide What's News

The American Journalism Review ran a story about the effect popularity rankings of stories on the web has on the people who decide what goes on the front pages of newspapers.

"At the Washington Post's daily 2 p.m. story meeting, editors report on the popularity of stories published on the Post's Web site earlier that day. "What I use it for, personally, is to see what is interesting to the public," Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. says. "We don't rely on it exclusively..but it's a helpful tool to have along with letters to the editor, e-mails and other information."

Television-like ratings are coming to print journalism as newspapers move to the Internet and harness technology that, for the first time, shows which stories attract readers and which do not.

Downie joins top editors at a number of papers, including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Cleveland's Plain Dealer, who routinely scrutinize summaries of traffic on their Web sites. The ability to track interest may point the way for newspapers to engage readers in the Digital Age. Or, some fear, it could fuel a paparazzi-like rush to tabloid journalism.

Not everyone is so sanguine. Douglas C. Clifton, editor of Cleveland's Plain Dealer, says he shudders to think of a newspaper industry in which readers, rather than editors, call the shots. Yet he foresees papers not only paying more attention to story rankings but also offering readers the ability to set up their own customized page at Web sites to gain quicker access to only the news that interests them. "The wonder of a newspaper is that it gives this banquet of material," he says. "The reader, of course, can choose not to read it," he adds. "But he gets the subliminal message that it's important news."

Banned TV Ad Tries to Sell Trucks by Penis Size

Bashed Door With Brick....Then What?

Boingboing.net today has a story about the owner of a new Seattle art gallery's encounter with an absolute ass.

"As we were closing up, some drunk mouth-breathing knuckle-dragger starts banging on the door demanding to be let in. After Damion tells him that the gallery was closed, the Moron says "I'm going to smash your door in with a brick!" Damion at the time was talking to a couple of bad asses who offered to kick the guy's ass for us and looks like we should have taken them up on it, as an hour later, the guy pulls up to the gallery in his car, double parks, pulls a brick out of his car, and smashes BLVD's door a couple times.

Cool huh? No one was in the gallery -- but the guy who lives upstairs heard it and called Damion. Also -- there is a bar a few storefronts away from us and I guess the folks on the patio saw it all. But it gets better. Moron turns to go back to his car and finds he's locked himself out. Har har! So he tries to smash his own car window in with the brick, which doesn't work... so he goes into the Rendevous to use the payphone to call a locksmith which is where he got nabbed by the cops."

Sweet justice.

Learning How To Work in My Cafe

Today I got a bit of a jolt when Alan, our main barrista at the cafe, said he felt sick and had to go home. He works the whole day on Mondays, so I knew I'd have to step into the breach. Egads, I am not really that good at this. I fumbled with the coffee ice cubes and messed up the register...but our regulars, god bless 'em, were kind enough to correct me when I charged them too little. Now that's the kind of customer any cafe would want!

It wasn't a particularly busy day, but a steady stream of folks came in. One of our regulars is a woman who rides an adult trike, she walks with difficulty but always is smiling and friendly. She brought with her an adorable little Jack Russell puppy, a rambunctious little white thing, he rode in the back of her trike on a blanket.

Another customer working on her laptop asked me politely if I could play music without words. I replied that the music comes from my Ipod, and you never know what you'll get...but I didn't have a playlist without words. But turning it down and making her a perfect mango smoothie seemed just fine and she was happy.

Shooting the Bride's Thong

The newest trend in wedding photography is a no-holes-barred look behind the scenes. The Wall Street Journal had this story today.

"Joelle Nieto, a 28-year-old from Miami, was looking for an "informal" photographer to document her Sunday-morning wedding last May. Stephan Maloman's site caught her eye, and she liked how the photographer had documented previous proceedings from beginning to end. Early on the day of her ceremony, Ms. Nieto was showing her mother a pair of underwear a friend had given her. Mr. Maloman seized the moment. The result: A photo of Ms. Nieto's unzipped trousers, belly-button ring and a pair of panties with the word "bride" written in sequins on the front. "I guess we're just more relaxed about certain things," says Ms. Nieto. "My husband loves that shot."

Brides and photographers point out that the pictures almost never depict full nudity, and say they're rarely any more salacious than those in a Victoria's Secret catalog. Still, they may be the wedding-day equivalent of a tattoo -- something that seemed like a good idea at the time but has the potential to haunt later. And in some families, the images can create awkward moments between generations.

Hours before her son's wedding in New York City two years ago, Lisa Brettschneider was a little taken aback by the scene in the suite of her daughter-in-law-to-be at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. A twentysomething male photographer was snapping photos of the bride, Alison, and her 12 bridesmaids in their underwear. At one point, the bride-to-be posed on the bed in a silky robe. "It was like a Playboy shoot," says Mrs. Brettschneider, who lives in Larchmont, N.Y.

When the family got the proofs, Mrs. Brettschneider deemed a few images inappropriate for public consumption, including one of Alison's favorite shots, which showed her G-string and back tattoo. "My in-laws weren't too happy about that," says the bride, now 29, who owns a women's clothing showroom in Manhattan. "But it was such a cool shot." Adds her mother-in-law: "I kept saying, 'You're going to have to show them to your kids one day. She didn't put any of those pictures in my album."

Bus Uncle Is the Star of a Hot New Video

Woke up in Holyoke to a grey day, the temps barely reaching 60, we both cursed our New England clime. On the web I read about Bus Uncle. You can always rely on Readuponit to keep you on the cutting edge.

Bus Uncle is a video that has gone 'round the world. I watched it today on Google video. In the five minute clip, shot by videophone, an irate man leans on his seatback and balls out a younger man who had the audacity to tap his shoulder when he spoke loudly on his cellphone.

The older man, who the youngster referred to in deference as 'uncle' was fuming, finger pointing and threatening to 'f**k your mother' because of this great injustice of being asked to quiet down.

"I have pressure. You have pressure. I f**k your mother." He ranted with his threatening finger right in the young man's face. The captions in English and Cantonese kept the score, as bus uncle demanded a handshake, then threatened again, and fumed, finally ending the video when he got another call.

What Happened to the other Engines?

Saturday at the cafe. In a few, I teach a class in beginner computers. Should be fun. Last night I went out on the town. Spoletos on a Friday night. I got the coveted corner seat, and beside me sat a man who had only been to Noho once before. His name was Mike, he worked in IT for a plastics company with a plant nearby.

Mike told me about a film called "Loose Change." He said that in the film, questions are raised about 9/11. Such as why the hole in the Pentagon was smaller than the width of the jet that crashed; that the huge titanium engines were not all recovered from the crash, and nobody ever talked about the passengers aboard that flight.

"I'm not a crazy conspiracy guy, you know, but this bothers me, and it is big issue being looked at in this film. I send the trailer out by email to everyone I know, I think this is big."

I thought about that, and figured, hey, maybe passing the word on my blog might make somebody cough up answers.

Caligula Walked on Heated Floors on his Ships

Today the History Channel told the story of the Lake Nemi ships, huge floating palaces that were found on a lake bottom in Italy. They belonged to the emperor Caligula, and some of the features of these large ships amazed the architects over the centuries.

The ships had heated floors. Pipes were laid under the ornate mosaic tiles so that the emperor and his family walked in luxurious comfort. A statue of Diana turned on a series of ball bearings, rotating around, this proved that these devices were invented 1400 years before Leonardo da Vinci as previously thought.

Since the Renaissance, historians have known about the two big ships that lay only 60 feet below the water. But it wasn't until Mussolini's day in the 1920s that they were able to do it. His idea was to redig the tunnels that had been bored into a mountain by the Romans in ancient times, and use these to drain the lake to reveal the ships.

Voting Isn't Easy in Springfield, MA

I listened to the radio today and a liberal talk show host had a caller from Springfield, MA. The caller, a young white guy, had moved a few years ago to a mostly black poor neighborhood. And he has not been able to get registered to vote since. For some reason, most of the people who live where he does are not on the rolls. Technical reasons, nobody is sure why, have made it impossible for this guy to vote, for mayor, for senator, even for president.

The caller recalled that in white Northampton, MA, the local paper decried the
low voter turnout, yet his experience was that he couldn't get his vote to count.

I remember voting booth irregularies in Florida in 2000, and in Ohio in 2004, but I didn't realize that Springfield, MA too, has this distinction of making it very difficult for some of the poorest residents to get registered and cast votes.

Be Careful If You Threaten Boing Boing

Last night Cindy asked me what I was reading as I pored over my laptop on her kitchen table. I find the most amusing things to read. It was a story from Wired News about a man who had a high powered magnet implanted in his ring finger. The effect is amazing; it allows one to tell which wires are hot and if your hard drive is about to spin. The little magnet gives that finger a special power; it twitches sensing magnetic power around it. There are people who really like having this in their fingers.

Then on Boing Boing, a letter written to the editors threatening them if they stream any videos from the upcoming World Cup. Cory Doctorow replied that all of the editors there hate pro sports and would never post anything about any sport. And they went on to chase down some nasty details about attorneys who work at the London law firm of Baker and McKenzie. One of the barristers caused a stir when he tried to get a secretary to repay him 4 pounds for having his pants cleaned when she accidentally spilled ketchup on them. This is the guy making 100,000 pounds a year! The secretary sent out an email ridiculing his silly dunning of her and he was embarrassed as the email went 'round and round and eventually made its way into a London tabloid.

Be careful when you threaten the world's most popular blog!

Sicily on Film and Press Coverage for GoNOMAD

Today I firmed up plans with my friend Rick Newton for the next extravaganza at the cafe--a photo exhibit with a multimedia twist. We're going to show off photographs shot on film in Sicily by UMass students. Rick takes students to this lovely island each year, and they shoot glorious photos. We are going to exhibit the photos on the walls and show another 200 photos on our cafe computer, as slideshows. It will happen next Friday, if all goes as planned.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette's Rachael Hanley interviewed me for a story about WiFi. I referred them to a few of our customers who use their laptops at the cafe. We sat outside at cafe's sidewalk tables and talked about the bright future of WiFi, the web on telephones and other future-is-now topics.

We are also watching Google news alerts for a story by the Associated Press that includes quotes from GoNOMAD's founder Lauryn Axelrod. She was interviewed by Melissa Rayworth about taking her son around the world. Her trip was partly financed by yours truly, making monthly payments when I bought the site back in 2002. The story will include our link and will be sent out to 2500 of their member papers.

We Used to Charge Extra for that...

Brett Arends writes in the Boston Herald about the NY Times vaunted "Times Select," where people pay extra to read the big name columnists like Friedman, Krugman and Dowd.

There are 482,000 who have signed up for the service so far. "However, the paper further admits that 62 percent of those users get the service for free, because they already subscribe to the print version of the newspaper. In other words, only the other 183,000 users are willing to pay $50 a year to read the likes of Friedman, Maureen Dowd and Paul Krugman, online.

Total visitors to the Times Web site last month: 11.9 million, according to the latest Nielsen survey. Clearly there is huge demand for the paper’s news. But just 1.5 percent of those visitors, or 1 in 65, are willing to fork over extra money to read the columns online. One in 65."

I got into thinking about this because today the Boston Herald announced they've abandoned charging extra to read their columnists. I love reading Howie Carr, now I can do it without having to pull out a credit card.

The other big newspaper news is that the Daily Hampshire Gazette is switching to morning delivery in September. Wow! That makes sense, as much as it will change the lives of the editors and reporters who will no longer be home for dinner.

Head for Humping Hill

In Horea, Romania, there's a new hot tourist spot, particularly if you're into ... well, "humping". I found this item on the 'net this afternoon.

"The Romanian village of Horea has become a tourism hot spot thanks to a "humping hill" which is said to help childless couples conceive. Corneliu Olar, the village's mayor, has even planted more bushes and trees on the hill to make sure lovemaking couples are not disturbed.

"The hill is well known for its mystical powers in helping women to have children. You only need to look at our village to know it's true," said Mayor Olar. "Most of the people living in Horea were conceived by their parents on the hill, and now people come here from far and wide in the hope of fulfilling their wish to have children.

"It has been a tradition for more than three centuries. Romanian kings have come and gone, but the humping hill has always been there. People here are used to seeing couples heading up the hill, and we like to be able to help others now by sharing our holy hill with the many visitors we are now getting," said the mayor.

Stephanie and her Five Friends at Dinner

Sunday night's dinner was with interesting company. My pal Joe had us over for dinner with Stephanie and her five girlfriends. I had not spent time with this many young women in a long time.

The vivacious 30-something gals were vibrant and energetic. We talked about the cafe, and my grandson, and their interesting jobs. One woman named Kim was introduced as Kitty. She works at a local college raising money. In July she is getting promoted, now she'll focus on the 'whales' the biggest donors who have the potential to bring in the really big funds.

"Abby Johnston," I told her. "Her dad started Fidelity Mutual Funds, and she is probably the richest women in Massachusetts." I wonder if she'll remember that name when she starts her new job, I've always thought that Abby would have a soft spot and the means to make any charity's day.

I turned to Rachel, a massage therapist. She told us that she had tried to change her first name several times in her life, but had never succeeded. Now she uses only her first and middle name in her business--she doesn't like the name her family was left with after it was shortened two generations ago in Europe.

Our host Joe was enveloped in Stephanie's loving arms. With her warm smile and sweet manner, you could tell she was proud of her new beau in front of all her friends.

Coffee with Shoul and Bronze Mustache in China

Today I met my friend Paul Shoul at Northampton Coffee. What a comfortable place: strong coffee, deep china mugs, a window to look out of. We talked about Paul's upcoming blog, (watch for a link to it here) and then I read the NY Times.

Found a story about "online throngs," in China. Here is a snippet.

"Let's use our keyboards and mouse in our hands as weapons," one person wrote. "to chop off the heads of these adulterers, to pay for the sacrifice of the husband. It was in reaction to a letter posted to a site in China, where a husband denounced a college student he suspected of having an affair with his wife.

Within days, the hundreds had grown to thousands, and then tens of thousands, with total strangers forming teams that hunted down the student, hounded him out of his university and caused his family to barricade themselves inside their homes."

It's Internet Hunting, China Style. Imposing a stern morality on society.

In recent instances, people have scrutinized husbands, suspected of cheating on their wives, fraud on internet auction sites, the secret lives of celebrities and unsolved crimes. On case that drew a huge following involved the poisoning of a Tsinghua University student. Clever Internet names are a part of this story.

"Bronze Mustache" was the subject of the mob, and he made a six-minute video refuting claims he had an affair with Quiet Moon--despite the accusations by Freezing Blade.

Customers and Neighbors Dropping by the Cafe

It's a crappy grey day at the Cafe. Yet the customers, slowly but surely, are coming in the door. It was a treat today to man the counter for a while, and talk to a young couple who had come in for the first time. "How long have you been here," they asked.
The admired the photos of Iraq on our walls and asked if they could put up some of their photos from their trips. Sure, I said, just as long as they're nicely framed.

"We used to live in South Deerfield, but we moved to Amherst. There was not a reliable way to get to class with only one car." Outside a bus idled, it was headed for Northampton, not UMass. I spoke with one of the drivers, asked him why he didn't turn off the belching diesel while he parked. "If I did that it wouldn't start again, these old buses are in bad shape."

Later on a neighbor Jay Stryker came by the cafe. He wanted my advice on how to revive his friend's business, selling old books. I spent time with him showing him how Google Books can pinpoint books and show what's inside; I showed him how you can buy keywords and get your ad next to where people search for those kind of books. I told him about finding websites that are similar and buying ads on them...all of that stuff that I give away...made me think I should have charged him. But I was being neighborly, so I suggested he send his poor friend in and we could talk.

GM Deserves to be Swallowed by Toyota

I sat outside the cafe today, rain threatening, since reading the paper out there helps bring people in. The Republican had Thomas Friedman's column about the Big Three automakers, again, making a mistake. He chided them for their recent ad campaign, where they give away gas cards to keep the price at $1.99 for anyone who'll buy a gas guzzling Tahoe, Hummer, or other large GM Car.

Encouraging Americans to drive more, he says, is like giving booze to the alkie. It's just the wrong idea. Friedman believes we've got to get the taxes raised to get the price up around $3.50 a gallon. While no politicians dare bring this up, this is where oil has to be to really kick alternative energy and fuels to the market.

One of Bush's most egregious errors is how he has refused to even consider serious conservation efforts. Remember he's the one who suggested that America go shopping after 9/11, that's the remedy. Watching the corruption of the establishment on fuel economy and how deaf they are to this real problem is sickening.