January 2008

The Humanist Symposium

January 28, 2008

To my regular readers: Not too long ago, I (and thousands of others) stumbled across an article titled Atheists and Anger, an articulate, well-thought-out piece which I highly recommend. It had the welcome side effect of introducing me to the wonderful writing of Greta Christina. (Whose themes range far beyond atheism and are not for [...]

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More Things to Buy in India – The Growth of a Consumer Society

January 21, 2008

^ Buduram the mochi (shoemaker), Landour, Mussoorie, 1980 When I first went to India in 1977, there wasn’t a lot to buy anywhere in the country. The basics – food, clothing, shelter, transport – were all available, but the consumer goods industry was severely undeveloped, thanks to a government attitude of “Be Indian, Buy Indian”, [...]

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Gallery: Torino, January 2008

January 15, 2008

Another trip I never had time to write about: Enrico and I spent a weekend in Torino in January (in unusually warm weather, lucky us!).

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Decorating in Italy – Asian Style: Adding Some Eastern Touches to Our Lake Como Home

January 3, 2008

^ Tibetan prayer flags in Lecco When we moved to Lecco, we consolidated the contents of our household from Milan with Enrico’s parents’ stuff from their apartment in Rome (they were by then retired to a much smaller place on the seaside in Abruzzo). In this way we acquired some beautiful furniture, fixtures, knick-knacks, and [...]

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The Crafts Museum in Delhi

January 2, 2008

Sunday, my last day in India, I hired a car to go into central Delhi, where I visited the Crafts Museum (on the advice of friend and commenter Alice). The collection is very interesting, some of it so beautiful and well made that I had to wonder where one draws the line between “handicrafts” and [...]

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Favorite Restaurants, in Italy and Elsewhere

January 1, 2008

Note: All prices may be severely out of date. Quality not likely to have changed. Lake Como Area Belvedere Il Capriolo Crotasc Lanterna Verde L’Osteria del Viaggiatore These are full reviews – also see brief listings below for some more restaurants. Elsewhere Ristorante Tortella, Castelli, Abruzzo various in Austin, Texas American chain restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants [...]

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