May 2012 – Page 3

To see the Prez, it helps to be a whale

In Las Vegas, to be a "whale" — a high roller — you have to be ready to live large, even if it costs $500,000 an hour. It's a little like what you have to do if you want to get into the White House and see the President. Big bucks, as this graphic shows.Continue reading “To see the Prez, it helps to be a whale”

How to live forever: become a pop music star

This year at Coachella, the late great Tupac Shakur performed live with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. You can see it for yourself: Okay, yes, it's digital trickery, employing unimaginably vast quantities of data, but still — it's pretty awesome. I'm ready to see the Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain versions, which are promised soon.Continue reading “How to live forever: become a pop music star”

Rilke: gathering the sweetnessnesses of plant love

While walking the Appalachian Trail with a friend a couple of weeks ago, all through Georgia and into far western North Carolina I found myself in the company of wild violets. Brought to mind this quote from the fourth of Rilke's wide-ranging and ever-fascinating Letters to a Young Poet: …all beauty in plants and animalsContinue reading “Rilke: gathering the sweetnessnesses of plant love”