If you have any Nalgene bottles, read this

I missed the previous stories on this type of plastic and have a few of these bottles in my travel pack. It's true that these bottles are great for travel and indestructible but you might want to read up and decide for yourself. The linked article has a photo, because Nalgene has two types of bottles.

My own Nalgene bottle story, after the jump.

Before heading into Laos a few years ago, I read that water could sometimes be questionable so I bought my own water purifying kit, just in case. Since I already had a few Nalgene bottles in my arsenal and loved them, I bought a purifier that fit the Nalgene bottles. Sure enough when we arrived in a remote village outside of Luang Namtha, the only water was what was pulled out of the river.

Even after boiling the water for almost an hour, it still looked like tea, with floaty things in it. I was still in Western form (i.e. only a few weeks on the road from my Paris flat) so I decided to filter the "water" with my new filter. It immediately changed from gray and chunky to clear. Hooray, my filter at least makes it look nice! As I drank this lovely clear water, the others in our group all begged me to use the filter.

It was the most hot and humid place I ever visited so it was easy to drink four liters or more every day. I also probably was sweating due to constant leach attacks, who loved me. I was a magnet for those revolting little things. Anyway, my great little filter worked its magic for weeks in Laos and has served me well elsewhere. I guess I need to find some new bottles though. I loved those plastic bottles, but this new story just creeps me out. Even more than those leeches. Read More......

Merry Christmas

Wow. Made the mistake of buying dad a new photo printer. Just spent 3 hours trying to make it work. Good God, put me out of my misery. Otherwise, had a great day with the family: cold weather; great food; and screaming kids. What more could anyone want out of Christmas :-) Read More......

Celebrity hot tub

Eddie Murphy as James Brown. Read More......

A (belated) Christmas Eve submission

I sent this out last night to an email list I'm on with some friends, mostly blogger and journalist and wonk types (people of the Village! oh no!), and I'm making it public by popular demand. Enjoy. [Update: Just to clarify, yes, this is an original (other than the obvious original source poem) -- if I was lifting it from somewhere I'd cite! I'm just a good rhymer : ) ]


Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the net
Not a creature was stirring, not even bad debt.
The arguments sent through the tubes with great care
In hopes that persuasion would cut through the air.

Reporters were nestled all snug in their scoop
With thoughts of the bonuses soon they'd recoup.
And some on their websites and others with mags
Rememb'ring days when they wrote for the rags.

When on the campaign trail there 'rose such a clatter
Scribes sprang from the bar to see what was the matter.
Away to the stump speech they flew with a flash
Tore open their notebooks and made quite a splash.

The candidates spun to the journos with glee
Saying "I will win Iowa by ten points, you'll see!"
When what to their wondering eyes fast appears
But the most open race for the preznit in years.

With a maverick, CEO, preacher and more,
The right provides fodder and stories galore.
Experience takes on hope in the fight on the left
With a charming attorney increasingly deft.

More slick than an oil spill the candidates seem
As the White House draws near in their eyes there's a gleam.
And they pander and fundraise and talk themselves out
In the hopes that the voters will lose any doubt.

Now Rudy! Now Romney! Now Edwards and Clinton!
Obama! Fred Thompson! But will anyone listen?
To the top of the polls! To the top of the caucus!
Now speechify, ague, make white papers glisten!

With the bloggers and writers and wonks all atwitter
Just wondering who of them all would deliver.
A flick of the pen and a parsing of claims
Soon gave me to know that I'd see all the games.

And laying their finger aside the computers
And giving a nod to their old econ tutors,
They sprang to the screen, to their editors gave a whistle
And away they all typed like propelled by a missile.

But I heard them explain, ere they plucked at the keys,
Happy campaign to all, and bring free food please. Read More......

A really good story from 2007: Coach Luma and The Fugees

This has been a long year, filled with a lot of tough, bad news. Sometimes it seemed like all we wrote was negative. But along the way, there were a couple stories that brought a smile.

My favorite was The Fugees. I wrote about the soccer team, coached by a truly great human being, Luma Mulfeh, on January 21st. I learned about the team from a The NY Times article (now in archives) featuring Mulfeh and her refugee soccer players -- and it was one of those stories I couldn't get out of my head. The kids are from war-torn countries who resettled in the U.S. Over the course of the year, the team captured the attention of much media. Here's a video of Coach Luma on CNN:
Still makes me smile every time I read about the Fugees. Read More......

Christmas Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Is there peace on earth yet? Read More......

Merry Christmas, from Paris

More window shopping from the shops around Madeleine. The French love bûche (translates to "log") for Christmas. I admit, I'm not a big fan of them though a few of these just might tempt me. La Maison du Chocolat options looked the best, with one even being filled with chestnut creme filling, along with chocolate.

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
More bûche, after the jump.





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