Here's an interesting article about the impact e-books are having on traditional book sales. Incidentally, it mentions HTEA...

Thanks to the blog Book Discussion With Myself for posting a very nice review of HTEA!

Here's a video my friend Neil made. (I helped him a very little bit.) It's a recipe for an Italian soup. I can attest that it's squisito!

Pasta e Ceci is a deliciously thick Italian soup that consists of pasta and chickpeas. This video demonstrates how to make it at home using an easy to follow recipe with commonly found ingredients. Buon appetito!

A visit to the cat sanctuary in Rome, 6 March 2010. The private sanctuary cares for more than 200 stray and abandoned cats among the ancient ruins at Torre Argentina. For more information or to make a contribution, visit its website at www.romancats.com.

A couple people have asked me about the story behind this picture. The truth is, there isn't much of one. I was working as a reporter at KWMU, the public radio station in St. Louis, and Kurt Vonnegut came in to appear on a program that was hosted by an old friend of his (Joe Pollack). He (K.V.) came into the newsroom and introduced himself to everybody. It was a very nice gesture. (That's my colleague Bill Raack, now KWMU's news director, in the middle.) Fortunately KWMU had a photographer on hand to capture the moment. Though as somebody pointed out to me, I should've taken my other hand out of my pocket...
Shaking hands with Kurt Vonnegut, St. Louis, circa 1997.

This is a trip my friend Neil and I made to the Mercato Esqualino in Rome, 26 February 2010. (Includes some helpful tips for shopping in Rome!)