Monthly Archives: March 2005
RSS Esplained
Down here in Ecuador, we have been spending a lot of time trying to explain, in Spanish, what exactly a Blog is. The closest we have come is by using analogies to a "Best places to go" travel guide for … Continue reading
RSS Esplained
Down here in Ecuador, we have been spending a lot of time trying to explain, in Spanish, what exactly a Blog is. The closest we have come is by using analogies to a "Best places to go" travel guide for … Continue reading
OSS Hitler File Available Online
It has long been known that FDR commissioned a psychological profile of Adolf Hitler from the OSS, predecessor to the CIA. Now, 62 years later, it is available on the Cornell University library web site. He was a feminine boy, … Continue reading
Crewel and Unusual
Full disclosure: It is a little known fact that the Dowbrigade is an embroiderer (and not just of our stories) and once created designs for a company named "Crewel and Unusual." The NY Times has a related article on how … Continue reading
Virtual Sword Kills for Real
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Shanghai online game player stabbed to death a competitor who sold his cyber-sword, the China Daily said Wednesday, creating a dilemma in China where no law exists for the ownership of virtual weapons. Qiu Chengwei, 41, … Continue reading
American Babel
2005 has been officially designated the "Year of Languages." Who knew? In November 1979, I was part of a presidential commission that asked the federal government to commit $180 million in new funds to create a language program that might … Continue reading
New BU Dress Code
In a scathing report examining the exposure of three Boston University researchers to tularemia last year, Boston public health authorities yesterday called on BU to strengthen internal oversight of safety in medical school laboratories. The study by the Boston Public … Continue reading
Gossip Jumps the Pond
The news, in today’s New York Times, of the takeover of that Dean of American Journalism, the National Enquirer, by a team of Brits, inspires a mixed reaction. On one hand, what does the stodgy British press know about sleaze, … Continue reading
Campus Notes
The New York Times has an article about Liz Smith and the difficulty of being a star-friendly gossip columist in a world of smarmy and snide blogs… In today’s gossip world, being kind is hardly an option. "The Internet and … Continue reading
Viva la Revolucion
We are writing from the lobby of the Hotel Hilton Colon, located in a zone of recently constructed high rises on the outskirts of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Of course, the Dowbrigade is not staying at the Hilton. but as many penny-pinching … Continue reading
Careful What You Ask For Dept.
A new chewing gum, which its makers claim can help enhance breasts, is proving to be a big hit in Japan. The makers claim Bust-Up gum can also help improve circulation, reduce stress and fight aging, if chewed three or … Continue reading