Potomac Fever

Neat piles of garbage and debris from the flood line the streets at intervals. At the New Season Hotel, faint traces of mud reach half way up the front side of the reception desk. The marble floors still show traces of water drying out. While the 7-Eleven is still empty and just beginning to restock, the McDonald's is in business and serves a fine Egg McMuffin and rich cup of coffee. Hat Yai is waisting no time getting back to business. Last week, an aerial photo in the newspaper brought to mind New Orleans after Katrina... city blocks marked not by streets but by canals of cream-colored coffee. The city thrives on the trade corridor from Malaysia. Along the four-lane highway to the south, groves of rubber trees, papaya and palm thrive. Further south, the city of Sadao manages the never-ending flow of people back and forth across the border with Malaysia. Thais, western tourists, monks, muslims in traditional dress. And trucks. Lots of trucks.

Try Hoboken. Yes, Hoboken, New Jersey. Meryl Streep may have had you thinking this was Paris, from the scene in Julie & Julia where she went to the train station and the camera shot was pretty much the same as in this photo, looking up the stairway, but no, it's actually Frank Sinatra's hometown. The building is the Hoboken Terminal , and after more than 100 years still a major transportation hub in the New York metro area. Today it serves rail, ferry, bus and light rail transportation. The light rail connects the terminal to Jersey City, New Jersey, which may be where the original wrought iron banisters may have been manufactured. Anybody care to confirm? There's a lot of rich detail like Tiffany stained glass and other fine touches. The terminal is also close to a riverside park with an excellent view of Manhattan.

This marks the spot. Find this place in Cleveland and you are in striking distance of fine design, wine, chocolate, more wine, and fiery food, all within a few steps of each other. Take a walk along Starkweather Avenue, starting at: 733 Not far south of the city center, the Tremont area is home to St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral and its onion domes, a textbook example of Byzantine-style church architecture, according to cleveland.com , which adds "St. Theodosius is just one of 25 churches in a one-square-mile area, proving once again that God has you surrounded." A reflection of another immigrant tidal wave, Eastern Europeans in the late 19th century, the cathedral is now surrounded by signs of urban renewal. New apartments and stores coexist with vacant lots and abandoned or restored older structures. 751 One new resident: Wine&Design (web site under construction as of this writing). The sleek, modern candle holders, trays, lamps and tables look ...

If you're driving around Florida, you don't have to settle for the McDonald's or the chain restaurants to get fed. Satisfying local flavor, often close to the water, can be had at Ft. Lauderale, Na ples, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and St. Augustine. Start at the beach, Ft. Lauderale beach. In a historic Spanish colonial structure that was one of the first homes in the city, Casablanca offers seats with a view of the Atlantic Ocean as well as the eclectic mix of pedestrian and motor traffic along highway A1A. Try the grouper sandwich. Head to Alligator Alley (I75), west to Naples, but before you get into town, stop at Joe's Crab Shack , 1355 5th Avenue (if your were arriving by fishing boat, you could pull up to th eir dock). Sit outside with a bucket of seafood and look at the Everglades, but even if you do, be sure to stop after lunch at the nearby Tin City complex, with its collection of stores and restaurants. Among the restaurants, a bigger, more upscale and ver...

Two feet of snow... SO FAR! More fun to come soon! Those of you in places equally blessed as Washington DC, oh, let's say Canton/Akron, probably don't need to see pictures like this .

I propose that Congress pass a law that defines speech as an act that can only be performed by a human being. I this feasible? Anyone want to take a stab at writing it?

Can a corporation "speak" with one voice for all of its employees and all of its shareholders? The latest Supreme Court decision raises not just a few questions, assuming such an entity as corporation has "speech." What if a corporation "speaks" with donations of money in support of a cause or candidate that some of its employees or shareholders do not support? Is that an infringement of their free speech rights? Should they be compensated by that corporation for the infringement? Economist Robert Reich offers an interesting proposal to protect at least the shareholders.

It's been a batty Christmas getaway for the snowbirds, starting with the palm tree Christmas tree at the bat cliff on the beach of south Florida. That lovely weather was brutally replaced by 40s and 50s temperatures on the other side of the peninsula, where your humble correspondent was forced to wear his North Face as he watched surfers in full-body wet suits on the shark-tooth beach. The Crab Shack on Tampa Bay was a warm and cozy refuge from the weather. Later gator (hah! hah!)