Monthly Archives: October 2008

Perhaps many of you read my last post and wondered why the heck chocolate is so much cheaper in Italian co-ops. I’m not qualified to give a full analysis and I haven’t even done any serious research into it (but I … Continue reading →

I’m back from Italy (and Germany, where the football hooligans were anticlimactic but I got to have a great random dinner encounter when I was seated at a table with some Israelis, and also have my most fluent conversation of … Continue reading →

I wish I had more time with the Federation, but it was a great 75 minutes. The headquarters was a modern, 7-story building, one of the largest in town. It was part of a cluster of co-op buildings, including Phoenix … Continue reading →

Yesterday I became overwhelmed. After church, Sara and I spent the rest of the morning at a crowded café on the piazza. There, we ran into someone from the conference who lives in Trento, and Sara had a long conversation … Continue reading →

I’ve had an internet drought, due to some intense restrictions that Italy places on access. Basically, everyone has to phsically look at your documentation before they let you on their network. Here in Trento they have free wireless, but before you can use it you … Continue reading →

My jet lag mitigation strategy didn’t go as planned. After less than 5 hours of sleep to catch a 7:30 flight, I quickly conked out and slept the whole way to Dulles. So of course I couldn’t sleep on the … Continue reading →

Tomorrow morning I leave for Italy. I’ll be attending the International Cooperative Alliance Research Conference, where I’ll be presenting a paper on how Judaism, Christianity and Islam share cooperative teachings and practices, which provide a basis for peacemaking, reconciliation, and … Continue reading →

I’m a big believer that anyone who says things should be different has an obligation to provide positive alternatives. Even in the best of times, mere complaining does little to solve the problem. And when things get interesting – like … Continue reading →

Today is my birthday, and tomorrow is our big national birthday. The annual collision of these two events has always been interesting for me, and this year its interesting enough that I think I’m going to avoid mentioning that guy … Continue reading →

Barack Obama has defied the odds and emerged as the Democratic Presidential nominee. This achievement is largely credited to his message of optimism and change. Senator Obama is giving people a lot of hope. His rhetoric of change is very … Continue reading →