Posted by Will on December 3rd, 2008 in dublin, ireland and usa
I started listening to NPR’s Planet Money podcast to understand why The Reserve money market fund broke the buck. I’d read several recommendations for the Planet Money’s analysis, but the financial crisis didn’t shock me until a major money market fund failed to meet my lowest expectations.
My second shock came when I heard a collaborative investigation by NPR and the New York Times that focused entirely on one link in the world’s economic mesh: between Kenosha and Dublin. The story was compelling and illuminating, aside from its personal relevance. It was also riveting to hear how millions of dollars (on paper) moved in 2007, along with me, from the northernmost suburbs of Chicago to the city of Dublin. Continue reading “Kenosha and Dublin: financially bound”
Posted by Will on November 29th, 2008 in travel
We saw a lot of central Rome on October 27th, so there are two sets of photos on Flickr for that day.
During the morning, we visited the Pantheon and a variety of churches. Take a look at our photos for the morning of the 27th.
In the afternoon, we walked through Rome’s Jewish Ghetto and the Trastavere area on the other side of the Tiber River. As evening approached, we had a scare, but you’ll have to get through the entire set to see it! See our set of photos for the afternoon of the 27th.
In other news about ancient Rome, Continue reading “Walks around Rome: Photos from Oct 27″
Posted by Anita on November 26th, 2008 in culture, expat, ireland, mental state and usa
There are many things that I love about living in Ireland. There are a few things that annoy or trouble me. But there is one thing that I clearly hate — the fact that butter comes in a single chunk of butter — 454 grams, to be precise. Why is it 454 grams, you ask? Because that is as close to one pound of butter as you can get in metric terms.
I could deal with a big block of butter if only there were measurements on the wrapping.
Continue reading “Give thanks for your butter”
Posted by Will on November 21st, 2008 in award
Here’s your second photo, ready for clever and comic captioning:
Continue reading “Caption This! Round 2″
Posted by Will on November 20th, 2008 in administrative, award and entertainment
The Bakker Bugle is proud to announce another contest for its beloved readers!
- BuglePoints™ for your captions!
- For the next few weeks, you can earn BuglePoints™ by making up funny, wry, tendentious, or otherwise pleasing captions for the photos that the Bugle staff post in special CaptionPosts™. Be sure to include your name with your caption, so we can award you the BuglePoints™ you’ve earned!
- A few days after a CaptionPost™ appears, the Bugle staff will add its own comment to that CaptionPost™, letting each of you know how many BuglePoints™ you’ve earned on that CaptionPost™.
- If you’re looking for an example, check out the Coming Soon: foto di Roma post. Although some people have earned points already, you’re welcome to add your own captions and get your BuglePoints™ total started!
- The goal
Continue reading “The Caption Contest Rules”
Posted by Will on November 18th, 2008 in travel
Another day of photos of Rome is ready for your viewing pleasure. We spent October 26th in the diverse environs of the northern part of Rome — gardens, museums, fountains, and of course, piazzas. (Pizzas, too, for dinner that night.) Here’s the link for the set. Continue reading “More photos of Rome: north of the ancient city”
Posted by Will on November 14th, 2008 in administrative and links
Hi there, Bugle readers!
For a long time, I’ve wanted an easy way to share tidbits of text, web links, and photos with you. I also didn’t want to crowd out the more substantial posts of the blog with such nonsense. I think I found the solution in a Tumblr feed, which you can now find in the sidebar to the right. Continue reading “Bit of Business: Bugle Tumblr”
Posted by Will on November 10th, 2008 in travel
We worked diligently this weekend to post photos of our trip to Rome in late October. The collection is growing bit by bit. Continue reading “Roman Holiday: Photos, Oct 25″
Posted by Will on November 3rd, 2008 in administrative, award and travel
Anita and I spent all last week in Rome — on vacation no less! There will be lots of photos on Flickr soon.
To get us started on the right foot, the Bugle is delighted to announce a new contest with a Very Special Prize. Continue reading “Coming soon: foto di Roma”
Posted by Will on November 2nd, 2008 in expat, mental state, travel and usa
Through a FOIA request submitted this summer, it has come to the Bugle’s attention that all American tourists travelling to Europe received the following instructions:
From: North American Tourist Authority
To: US and Canadian Citizens bound for Europe
Date: [redacted]
Dear US and/or Canadian citizens bound for Europe,
Tourists from North America have always been drawn together by the sound of their non-British accents. For decades, the Standard Greeting among these travelers was, “Where are you from?” or “Where ya from?” or some variation thereof.
As of [redacted], 2008, the new Standard Greeting is “So, what about this election, huh?” Please use this Greeting when encountering any person with a non-British accents in Foreign Countries.
An image of the letter, as received by the Bugle in response to our FOIA request, is available in PDF form.
The Bugle already sent a letter to the President of NATA with the following message:
We respectfully request that American expatriates receive timely notice of any future changes in the Standard Greeting. NATA should be aware that expatriates with American accents may be disoriented when visiting tourist sites around Europe without having prepared a Suitable Response to a new Greeting.
That is all.
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