August 2009

Discovering my Grandfather: a piece of Russian history

31 August 2009

Some years ago I lived near Cambridge in a wonderful flat that was the top floor of a large Georgian house. The owners, Terrence and Iris Armstrong, were friends as well as landlords and I was often invited to Sunday lunch which I enjoyed since they almost always had interesting guests. One time they particularly wanted [...]

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Neptune Confuses the US Health Care Debate

19 August 2009

What is going on with the US health care debate, if you can call it that. A street brawl more like. The much-needed proposal to reform health care that most Americans seem to want is, if the media are to be believed, losing ground. On one level it is very clear why. The powerful  insurance and pharmaceutical [...]

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Parking and the Kindness of Strangers

10 August 2009

Unlike Blanche DuBois I do not depend on the kindness of strangers but when it comes to me I feel restored in my spirit. I experienced kindness just the other day when I had the misfortune to scrape the bumper of another car while trying to park near my home. My first hope was that [...]

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