Alexis Rankin Popik's Blog, page 31
December 13, 2015
CATS AND CHRISTMAS
If you want people to read your blog, you’ll greatly improve your chances by including cats in the title and photo. No matter how much time I spend trying to write thoughtful, well-crafted essays, the ones that get the most readers … Continue reading →
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December 6, 2015
WHAT I’M READING: ALICE MUNRO
I prefer reading books of fiction for pleasure. I wish I could get as excited about non-fiction and sometimes I do; Atul Gawande, John McPhee, Daphne Merkin, Michael Pollan, Janet Malcolm snag me every time. However, fiction is my first … Continue reading →
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November 30, 2015
TRUCK STOP IN BELIZE, PART 2
Sunday, November 29, Ben and Joanna Popik opened The Truck Stop restaurant, ice cream shop and bar in four shipping containers in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize. The Truck Stop had a “soft opening” the previous Saturday, but yesterday’s event … Continue reading →
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November 22, 2015
A TRUCK STOP IN BELIZE
A truck stop held an important place in my childhood. On the way home from my family’s annual camping trip to Big Basin Redwoods state park, we would eat at a truck stop near Tracy, California. That place was the real deal–on the … Continue reading →
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November 15, 2015
BOOKS AS COMFORT FOOD
In times of stress, some people turn to comfort food; I turn to books. Books don’t have any calories and they give us comfort food for thought. This weekend, in the aftermath of Friday night’s horror in Paris, BuzzFeed Books’ … Continue reading →
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November 8, 2015
IMAGINE YOU ARE A REFUGEE
Imagine this: You are having a pleasant late-night dinner in a restaurant in Kavala on the coast of northern Greece. You hear whistles and see a line of police forming along the sidewalk . A young cop tells you, “The Syrians … Continue reading →
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November 1, 2015
Politically Correct
It’s popular to make fun of being “Politically Correct” nowadays. It works for Donald Trump but will it work for Princess Jasmine? In an example of politically correct overreach, my Japanese-Caucasian granddaughter’s Princess Jasmine costume created a pre-costume-screening stir in the … Continue reading →
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October 18, 2015
ON TURNING 70
A couple of months ago I had my 70th birthday. I’m now the same age as Helen Mirren, that perennial example of “ageless beauty.” It took me a few months to decide to write about being 70—not because I keep … Continue reading →
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October 4, 2015
A RABBI, AN IMAM AND A PRIEST…
A rabbi, an imam and a priest walk into a bar…Uh oh–that’s a different story. But if you want to see a rabbi, a priest and an imam together, visit The Hartford Seminary (THS), the US’s first center for the … Continue reading →
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September 27, 2015
THE POPE AND POMP
Watching Pope Francis tootle down Fifth Avenue in his little Fiat gave me a warm feeling. Sure, the unpretentious little car is only a symbol, but symbols are important. The pope’s Fiat is a symbol of humility, a virtue you … Continue reading →
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