The couple on the patio of Palmenhaus, a popular café in the Burggarten in Vienna, is clearly enjoying the unseasonal September sun. They are young, happy, and pregnant. “The baby is due in November,” the wife said to an American reporter at the next table. The husband and wife (they declined to give their names) […]
Author Archive | Constance DeVereaux
Hey Pard’ner
Here in the Wild West (we still think that way, don’t we), doing for ourselves has a long tradition. In the early days of the American republic, we couldn’t always rely on Washington, D.C. to lend a helping hand. Not because we didn’t want the help. It was just a heck of a long way […]
Flagstaff Voters Deciding on Bond Issues
Flagstaff’s City Charter requires that any bond issuance demanding a pledged guarantee of city tax revenues must be submitted to public vote. On Nov. 6, a special Bond Authorization Election will decide two important ballot questions. The Core Services Maintenance Facility Bond (Ballot Question 406) will provide for a new site and building for maintaining […]
Predictions for the Winter Sport Season
Picture it: Furry forest creatures provisioning for the coming season; amassing stores of nuts and other morsels to ensure their winter feasts. According to Dave Smith, director of sales and marketing at Snowbowl of Arizona, the habits of forest fauna are one indicator of what we can expect for the coming snow season. “The animals […]
Have I Got a Story for You!
The 1982 hit, “I Melt With You,” by Modern English was the kind of fractured love song that appealed to twenty-somethings finding their way in a new millennium. Growing up during the Cold War, having experienced the tumultuous 70s, and bearing the many sorrows of the Vietnam era produced a generation that understood the fragility […]
Barcelona’s Crisis Observed
The waiting room at the police station on Nou de la Rambla in Barcelona is full on the day a visiting reporter makes an unwanted detour to help a friend. Barcelona pickpockets are particularly skilled. Stories of wallets and cell phones stolen from right under your nose are fairly common. The station features a 24-hour […]
I Have No Clue What I’m Talking About, But Neither Do You
Pre-digested opinions about political matters appear to be the norm, and the persistence of mistaken perceptions (the belief that something is true though all evidence points to the contrary) afflicts many more people than just the late-night hangers-on at Flag Brew. These pernicious human tendencies prove problematic for democratic society whenever important decisions have to […]
Pearls Before Guys
I like practical books. It’s fine to read about the exploits of successful business gurus. But I’m always left wondering if their success might be more a matter of luck than the sure-fire strategies they wave about with so much bravado – starting with the fact that most of them are men. Face it, ladies! […]