this week i

published this description and analysis of the regulatory definition of affordability in the health reform law.

consider movement as addictive as any other drug: the more i travel, the more i want to travel.

left the land of sodas and seatbelts on buses.

followed the clouds across gibraltar.

landed with rainbows encircling our wings..

..in time for another african sunset.

walked both from and to the airport.


saw ramadan in full bloom..

which means nobody eats till sunset

..but when they do, they make it count.

weaved through every alleyway in the old city.

found an oasis..

..run by a friendly french innkeeper with razor-sharp cartography skills.

tried a gritty local hammam, half ymca sauna room, half tuberculosis incubation chamber.

rank marrakech high on the list of great cities of the world.

motorcyclists whip through crowds like there's no tomorrow

satellite dishes observe unidirectional positioning reminiscent of prayer toward mecca

cats congregate around butcher shops hoping to enjoy some intestine a la sidewalk

traditional wares make life feel both simple and rich

shoulders to lean on are never far away

spice merchants compete in the open air, and everybody's nose wins

tourists who have a hard time saying no, well, they look a little silly

..and traffic snarls are usually melon-based.

left morocco.

re-read aesop's fables, the hare and the hound and the wolf and the lamb definitely the best.

stole away to stratford-upon-avon..

..where local artists continue to embody shakespeare's sophistication.

took the tudor walking tour.

shakespeare wuz born here

shakespeare wuz educated here

shakespeare iz here

suppose it's beautiful, but i can do this later in life.

don't do it for the money, do it for the funny.

can still sniff a dollar store a kilometer away.

don't get it.  it's clearly not.

spent a few more days in london.

worked from the standing desk overlooking the water..

 ..and, when that got tiring, a ramshackle coffee shop.

8/25/11