The World’s Mothers in 2012
May 11th, 2012
When State of the World’s Mothers 2012 was released by Save The Children this week, timed to commemorate Mother’s Day, the American media pounced on one point made in the 70-page report: The U.S. ranked #25 in a tally of which countries were the best and worst places for being a mom.
The Lost Power of Profanity
May 3rd, 2012
As written for the Daily Dose on MSN. Watch your language if you find yourself in Middleborough, Mass., anytime soon. The town’s police chief wants to curb public cursing by slapping your foul mouth with a $20 fine. WTF, Officer Prig? Aren’t you immune to expletives like the rest of us, having become inured after hearing [...]
The Adolescent World
April 26th, 2012
As written for The Daily Dose on MSN.com At the United Nations this week, the focus is not on nuclear arms, peace in the Middle East, or the downhill tumble of the global economy. A subject even more central to the well-being of the planet is in the spotlight of the world stage: the health [...]
Navigating through Eurozone
April 17th, 2012
For most Americans, knowing how healthy the euro may be is a simple matter of measuring U.S. dollars against the standardized currency of the eurozone. If the dollar is strong, exchange rates will be good in the 17 member states of the European Union that have transitioned to the euro; if not, well, maybe you [...]
Goodbye, Jim
April 5th, 2012
Back in 2003, I received a phone call from an editor at Backbeat Books asking if I’d be interested in writing the biography of Jim Marshall. The iconic designer of Marshall amplifiers was turning 80 years old and his stateside distributor, Korg, wanted to pay tribute with a book about not only his amps but [...]