Matt: Did you ever hear of the Great Boston Molasses Flood, sometime back in the 1920s? Lots of people drowned in a nasty, sticky, slow death. Details, please. -- Tim, not in Boston Just my …
March 24, 2005
North America
The Great Boston Molasses Flood
Rachel Pink in Manhattan
WEDNESDAY In a desperate search for Febreze I headed to the Astor Place Kmart. I try to visit my not-at-all-friendly Manhattan Kmart on a quarterly basis. Something about visiting a chain store makes me guilty. …
March 17, 2005
March Madness
Head out the door, find a freeway, and drive to Lindbergh Field. Get on a plane and fly to Des Moines, Iowa. Rent a car, motor north on I-35, turn right on Highway 20, turn …
March 17, 2005
Rachel Pink in Manhattan
My blog, Rachelpink Rides the Bus, started as a lark over a long weekend. At first it was an exercise in self-restraint. I thought I was talking too much, talking all the time. I figured …
March 10, 2005
A Florida Newspaper Writes
A Florida newspaper writes, "Louis XIV, a San Diego foursome set to release its major-label debut on Atlantic in April, is better when it locks into a tight, retro groove: Big, dumb, loud rock 'n' …
February 17, 2005
High-Energy Mullets
'I t seems that everything's gone wrong since Canada came along. Blame Canada! Blame Canada! With all their hockey hullabaloo, and that b***h Anne Murray too! Blame Canada! Shame on Canada!" On Saturday, February 12, …
February 10, 2005
On the bus from Rosa's Cantina to home sweet Broadway and First
Why buses are better than planes, part one. Flying to El Paso, my plane (ironically, an Airbus) began emitting strange high-frequency blips and unexplainable static from various locations above the passengers' heads. After an air-mile …
December 9, 2004
Extravaganza
“I was going to be a pseudo-lab-and-cellar guy. I thought, ‘I’ll get to see all the different aspects.’”
Spirit and Flesh: Life in a Fundamentalist Baptist Church
Spirit and Flesh: Life in a Fundamentalist Baptist Church. Alfred A. Knopf, 2004; 435 pages; $27.95. FROM THE DUST JACKET: In an attempt to understand the growing influence of the Christian Right, sociologist and documentary …
November 24, 2004
They tried to cut the roof with an ax
Colombia was the world's foremost vehicle-armoring country until about ten years ago when Mexico rose to prominence in the field. That's how Luis Cano Salazar, owner of a Mexico City-based armoring outfit called Total Shield, …
November 24, 2004
A garden for squares
Hey Matt! Why do they call Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden? It certainly isn't a garden, or square. Shouldn't they call it Madison Round Arena or something? Or maybe name it after a bank …
September 9, 2004
Cafe Blocks City Land-Grab
On July 30, the Michigan Supreme Court stuck a dagger into government's abusive use of eminent domain -- seizing property from one private owner and handing it to a richer owner in the name of …
August 12, 2004
Scripps Digs Florida Money Pit
Scripps Research Institute's overhyped and overblown plans for a Florida biotech research facility could possibly go overboard, particularly since taxpayers suddenly realize they will be hit with more than $1 billion in costs, almost double …
July 1, 2004
Shrunk
Del Mar psychiatrist Gerald E. Nelson, author of several books about bipolar disorder and an ex-faculty member at UCSD, has finally had his license lifted in his home state of Minnesota, reports the Saint Paul …
March 27, 2003
Stages of corruption
Former Old Globe managing director Doug Evans, who stirred controversy here when he touted popular drama over the traditional Shakespearean fare expected by local audiences, is causing consternation in his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut. Under …
March 27, 2003