PicoBlog

Bars with secret passwords hidden behind the back doors of boutiques, lounges set inside refurbished warehouses, and even places visible to the naked eye, Buenos Aires is a hot topic when it comes to speakeasies and the craft cocktail movement. Run by passionate bartenders dedicated to the art of mixology, many of these spots take on an old-school New York style. Historically, Argentines have been die-hard wine drinkers (which is easy to understand when you consider the standard of the nation’s wine).

I know most of you tune in to my podcast to hear my beautiful voice (and excellent English) but on today’s show I have a guest with a voice that you know and love even more than mine! Michele Norris. Michele was a star on NPR’s All Things Considered, at ABC News and the Washington Post. Throughout her career, she has interviewed all kinds of people: supreme court justices, CEOs and presidents.

I went a last week to the big Marché de la poésie (Poetry Fair) being held in the square outside St Sulpice, an enormous church poised somewhere on the boundary between very beautiful and actually sort of awful — but the square outside it is undeniably lovely, and I’ve grown very fond of the church too, with the sort of affection we sometimes feel more for the not-quite-perfect. Anyway, the poetry fair is an amazing annual event, with dozens of stalls run by more small poetry presses and journals than you’d have thought could exist, as well as readings and performances and so on.

Ponta Delgada, a vibrant coastal town in São Miguel Island, Azores, is a beautiful place where culinary excellence meets breathtaking natural beauty. I invite you to embark on a gastronomic adventure like no other. Prepare to tantalize your taste buds with various flavors, indulge in fresh and locally sourced ingredients, and savor the unique culinary traditions that make Ponta Delgada a haven for food enthusiasts. Discover some of the best restaurants in Ponta Delgada that serve amazing Azorean dishes.

The explosive success of the Demon Slayer franchise has had a profound impact on the manga industry, clocking in as the 9th-best-selling manga ever and one of the highest-grossing media franchises in history. As we delve into some of my favorite facts about the series and its meteoric rise, we find an intriguing intersection of marketing strategies, art styles, and authorial influences. When we compare the sales of Demon Slayer's manga before and after the release of the anime, we observe an interesting dynamic, albeit a common one for manga series.

It seems very dramatic.  Two drones and one small explosion were filmed over a tower of one of the Kremlin buildings.  Without providing any evidence, or giving any reason why such a thing might be true, Russian authorities blamed Ukraine, claiming that it was an assassination attempt directed against Vladimir Putin.  The Russians have lied about every major event in this war, and have always presented themselves and their president as its victim.

If you’ve ever considered becoming a paid subscriber, here’s my annual end-of-year plea to take the plunge (and if you’ve never considered it…I urge you to consider it.) Subscribing gets you access to extra essays, but it’s also just a way to support the ongoing effort if you enjoy reading these. Subscribe in the next week to get 20% off (annual subscriptions only). Happy New Year! One of my more vivid memories from the haze of Y2K-era television is an MTV Cribs episode in which Tommy Lee reveals the fully staffed Starbucks that he’s installed inside his Malibu house.

There aren’t as many places on the internet that talk about the COLLEGE part of college sports. Extra Points is one of those places. This newsletter covers all the off-the-field stuff that shapes college sports, from the largest FBS schools to the smallest NAIA programs. Four days a week, you’ll get commentary, analysis and original reporting on major issues like NIL legislation, how college athletic budgets function, how athletic departments fit (and don’t fit) with the rest of the university, and how the entire enterprise really works.

In today’s issue we explore the cocktail behind the Paper Plane, and most importantly NOT use Aperol. We also dig into how software businesses and their clients should together go about building meaningful relationships - maybe we can even call them partnerships. I look forward to your comments and thoughts. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Cheers! “Fuck Aperol!” is a running gag between me and my mixology friends.