The perfect spring break, or: Famous potatoes

My German friends are often amazed when I tell them I’ve been to their home town — whether it’s Darmstadt, Bremerhaven, Görlitz or any of dozens of smaller places. Many of them have traveled around the world without ever having explored much of their own country. I wasn’t any different when I was growing up. The world I knew was … >>

Getting America back on track

Ordinary Americans, and members of Congress, needed a deep breath to think about spending another $787 billion to get the derailed US economy back on track. Only one-sixth of the total was for projects in infrastructure and science, but a small item received an undue amount of attention. It was a $1.3 billion subsidy for Amtrak, the national passenger rail … >>