Ten days before the polls will close, millions of Americans have already voted by mail. Contrary to the odd conservative hullabaloo about the evils of early voting four years ago, the practice is gaining ground here in strides. In some states a majority of ballots...
I write from the Harbor Inn in Philipsburg PA (pop. 2770). First thing I saw when coming into the room last night was two roaches in the sink. So, the toothbrush stayed in the bag (the “Kulturbeutel” as the Germans call it). The American motel is not what it used to...
Let’s just surf the surface in assessing that mother of all TV debates and quickly address the topic du jour which is eating cats and dogs. First, the assessment. Yes, the debate made for good entertainment but the partisans of rational political discourse might be...
Hi L and P, You know what happened. Plan B – biking to the Rhine on Monday, train to Switzerland on Tuesday – was thwarted when I learned that the seemingly eternal German railway strike would resume on Tuesday. I had to reschedule the train leg for Monday which was a...
Dear L and P, From Philippsthal I set out for Fulda, then along the Kinzig river and toward Frankfurt, all bikepathed and bike-routed, even well marked (Bike markers are green-on-white in Germany, sometimes very well and sometimes rather shoddily placed). Before...