Category Archives: Friends and Family

Listen to the Lion

Three weeks just fly by, when one is engaged in engrossing and challenging work in a novel environment. Teaching Torts and Contracts and Remedies in a posh precinct of London so full of museums it seems to serve as a … Continue reading

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Hats On the Henley

As a seasoned veteran of  many Head of the Charles Regattas, held on the Charles River every fall, we felt an obligation to attend the august English equivalent, the Royal Henley Regatta at Henley-on-Thames. We have never actually ROWED on … Continue reading

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Trashing the Tate

Here in London, the only place we see panic and dismay at the recent rash of attempted car bombings in Great Britain is on the softly glowing screens of the Toshiba TV in our London flat and our trusty laptop. … Continue reading

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Pre Post Practice

Wandering about Old Blighty, the Dowbrigade has escaped to a tranquil English Garden belong to his new friend Norm, of DynEd fame, while recovering from the transatlantic flight and preparing for the legal decathalon which begins Monday. It’s been 36 … Continue reading

Posted in Blogging, Friends and Family | 7 Comments

Berkman Denizens Take Home the Gelt

Three of the top Berkman denizens were rewarded for their brilliant ideas, but more than that, for their ability to transform their ideas into concrete programs that actually improve people’s lives in the real world… The future of journalism is … Continue reading

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Watertown Armenian Extreme Bingo

We awoke this morning at the crack of dawn, 6 am, when the weak sunlight seeped through the as yet unspring-cleaned dingy window. We lay in bed thinking about aquatic mammals – specifically, why they don’t die of thirst. Can … Continue reading

Posted in Friends and Family, Humor, Prose Screeds | 10 Comments

Stay Away From the Chips

After years of applying for every exotic posting, niche program, foreign conference and off-shore exchange related to our professional position, the Major Boston University where the Dowbrigade has been gainfully employed since ’88 (a good year), despite our reputation as … Continue reading

Posted in Friends and Family, Wacky News | 3 Comments

High Holy Days

In Israel they won’t be passing many dubbies this Passover. The country’s pro-pot Green Leaf Party ("Aleh Yarok") has sent a mass e-mail to its members warning that hemp-related products may be a no-no for those who keep Kosher during … Continue reading

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A Christmas Story

Despite the season of peace and goodwill, the Dowbrigade household has for the past week been enveloped in an acute pre-Christmas crisis. Nothing as mundane as a cash-flow shortage, or as dramatic as domestic abuse, it was mysterious and disturbing … Continue reading

Posted in Friends and Family | 5 Comments

Shoppin’ Fool

The Dowbrigade is a sucker for a bargain. On rare occasions this means we stumble onto a true, historic bargain. Even a blind pig comes up with a truffle now and again. However, much more often we wind up being … Continue reading

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One Man’s Wurst…

BOSTON — A Boston University grad is raising some hackles with his new book, "The Absolute Worst Places To Live in America," which names Fitchburg, Mass., and Boston’s Allston neighborhood as among the worst. Dave Gilmartin, 30, originally hails from … Continue reading

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Black Helicopters Back in Boston

So, yesterday, we were with our son Gabriel on a US Naval Base, waiting in line to go through a rather strenuous security check, when another unmarked black helicopter flew overhead, low and tilted forward, like an angry wasp, meaning … Continue reading

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