Just because you can do something, does that mean you should? Florida Pastor Terry Jones can legally burn the Quran (on 9/11) in response to his opposition to the Islamic center near Ground Zero – so should he?
Of course not. Self-centered, idiot of the week, month year, decade… is cleverly couching a bigger plan behind [...]

Forget about doctors, lawyers, investments bankers, editors, and designers. Dime a dozen. Ever wonder what the least common jobs are?
The Huffington Post looked at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) most recent employment and wage data to find out. They came up with 13 uncommon offerings.
Here’s number 8: geographer. Take a look at the [...]

How is happiness quantified?
Ask the researchers at the Gallup World Poll. Between 2005 and 2009, they surveyed thousands of people in 155 countries in order to measure two types of well-being.
The key questions to respondents: How would they rate their lives on a scale from zero to 10 (worst to best), and thoughts on positive [...]

How does a country that only gave up its “absolute monarchy” status in 2008 (because its then leader, King Jigme, insisted) transition to the 21st century?
Slowly, very slowly.
Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia bordered primarily by India. Bhutan is unique: it measures its success by GNH (Gross National Happiness) instead of GNP (Gross [...]

Fifty years ago, Harper Lee wrote To Kill A Mockingbird. The novel was published on 11 july 1960. It immediately became a best-seller, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1961, and was made into an Academy Award-winning film in 1962.
The novel has never gone out of print and 11 july 2010 is its golden jubilee.
I saw [...]

Oh those vuvuzelas. Love them or hate them. Right now, they rule.
Before the FIFA World Cup began this year in South Africa, I wonder how many people knew about the vuvuzela – other than world soccer (football) fans. Did you?
What it is
Traditionally made of horn, the vuvuzela is now a two-foot long plastic horn producing [...]

H A P P Y Summer Solstice 2010!
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens 2xs each year, when the Sun’s position in the sky reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes. As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still.

The name is derived from the Latin sol (sun) [...]

Here are my reviews of two recent reads which I found quite exhilarating for totally different reasons.

Really it’s a cliffhanger
In his most recent book, K2: Life & Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain, American mountaineer Ed Viesturs focuses on the six most dramatic seasons in K2 history. K2 – located in the Karakoram Range [...]

Back on 1 may, the curious g posted In NYC, Cubs are the mane attraction. The newly-born trio of cubs at the Bronx Zoo needed names. A naming contest ensued and the results are in.
Depending on which source you believe, there were either over 30,000 entries or over 300,000 entries. I’m thinking the former, but [...]

It’s that time again.
With massive cuts to transportation services here in NYC, the world famous subway map is getting an update. Within a few weeks, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will unveil its revamped version.
It’s amazing that while few NYers actually use the map, these updates never fail to generate discussion and oh-so-much controversy. Back [...]