Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car! (If only.)

I am spending the week in Harris County, a.k.a. Houston, a.k.a. the death penalty capital of the world. I nearly got permanently lost in its subterranean tunnel system, but have otherwise have had a lovely ol’ time here and have not been murdered once, or even had to put anybody to death. And then, I …

Mr. Squiggles, you are no Hampelmann

There was one thing I wanted to do last month in Berlin after I was done with all the smoking, drinking and glamrocking: buy wooden toys. Unfortunately, they don’t come cheap. If you look closely at the picture, taken at a Berlin toy store, you can see the €19.99 price tag. That’s almost $30 for …