An Infographic by Open Colleges
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Let Texas Secede from the Union
It's a little known fact - though it gained more prominence with the weak and fated presidential campaign of the hapless Governor Rick Perry - that petitions to secede from the union creep up in Texas every now and again - even every year. It seems to be a regular bit of Texas business for one of their state legislators to introduce a resolution of secession into the Texas legislature. However, with the re-election of President Barack Obama, the calls for secession were bound to grow louder, and now it's official.
Texas wants to secede from the Union.
Actually, about 30,000 Texans want to do so. And a smattering of citizens nationwide in as many as twenty other states want to secede as well. The number of signatures on a petition submitted to the White House website is enough to reach the "respectable" level where the administration usually responds. It will be interesting to see if they do on this one. My hope is that they will, and I already know what the response should be.
Go then.
Let Texas secede. There isn't necessarily a lot of great reasons to force them to stay. And I'd be sort of amused to watch Texas exercise its sovereignty. In many ways, Texas has always been a reluctant member of the United States of America. And Gail Collins offered a fascinating study of how the reach of Texas influences the country - and mostly not for the better - in last year's best seller As Texas Goes: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda. The country is certainly not in favor of more George W. Bush or Rick Perry or Ross Perot. And there isn't much favorable to say about a state school board committed to censorship and ignorance.
So, let's not too hastily reject their offer.
Maybe we should let Texas secede.
Texas wants to secede from the Union.
Actually, about 30,000 Texans want to do so. And a smattering of citizens nationwide in as many as twenty other states want to secede as well. The number of signatures on a petition submitted to the White House website is enough to reach the "respectable" level where the administration usually responds. It will be interesting to see if they do on this one. My hope is that they will, and I already know what the response should be.
Go then.
Let Texas secede. There isn't necessarily a lot of great reasons to force them to stay. And I'd be sort of amused to watch Texas exercise its sovereignty. In many ways, Texas has always been a reluctant member of the United States of America. And Gail Collins offered a fascinating study of how the reach of Texas influences the country - and mostly not for the better - in last year's best seller As Texas Goes: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda. The country is certainly not in favor of more George W. Bush or Rick Perry or Ross Perot. And there isn't much favorable to say about a state school board committed to censorship and ignorance.
So, let's not too hastily reject their offer.
Maybe we should let Texas secede.
The Amazing Race - To be Continued?
As the most recent episode of The Amazing Race neared its conclusion - and the top of its prime time hour - I was wondering how the show would wrap up with several contestants still out and more than one task to complete. And, then it became apparent the show was going to continue next week. The "To Be Continued" message was somewhat of a shock because the Race has never ended quite this way. Normally, the episode will be a longer one with multiple teams out when it "cuts off," or it will be an episode where Phil tells contestants on the mat "You are still racing." So, this ending was a bit unorthodox.
I am quite disappointed by the travel fiasco of the goat farmer and Abby/Ryan, though it has, I guess created this conundrum which is "To Be Continued." The key question is how they can catch up being "nine hours behind." Certainly, the expectation is that Abby/Ryan will go on because the Goat Farmers can't complete the swim and the Lawyer/Rock Star will be eliminated for losing their travel documents. Trey and Lexi may be out front but I can't imagine too many people rooting for them - they're just so ... vacuous. And, of course, the Sri Lankan Twins continue to annoy most people. The twins' nasty language and contempt for each other makes them almost unwatchable. And I can't wait for them to slip up. But time is getting tight, and we might be cursed with the Twins in the final.
I am quite disappointed by the travel fiasco of the goat farmer and Abby/Ryan, though it has, I guess created this conundrum which is "To Be Continued." The key question is how they can catch up being "nine hours behind." Certainly, the expectation is that Abby/Ryan will go on because the Goat Farmers can't complete the swim and the Lawyer/Rock Star will be eliminated for losing their travel documents. Trey and Lexi may be out front but I can't imagine too many people rooting for them - they're just so ... vacuous. And, of course, the Sri Lankan Twins continue to annoy most people. The twins' nasty language and contempt for each other makes them almost unwatchable. And I can't wait for them to slip up. But time is getting tight, and we might be cursed with the Twins in the final.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Nate Silver & the Rise of Math Geeks
"Nate Silver is God."
At least that's the sentiment of people like Jon Stewart and Democrats across the country who have been calmed and reassured by Nate Silver for the past year that Barack Obama had a 70-90% chance of being re-elected, despite all the press and the abysmal first debate in Denver. Much of the rest of the country is just now waking up to the significance of this man and his particularly astute mathematical models for prediction and probability. So, who is Nate Silver? And how does he know what everyone else didn't?
Nate Silver is a writer and statistician who publishes his insights on election probability on a the blog FiveThirtyEight.com for the New York Times. He rose to prominence among the geeks and nerds - and Democrats who read the Times - during the 2008 election when he accurately predicted all fifty states within percentages of 1%. The key, according to Silver, is his aggregation of the results of numerous polls without bias or prejudice. Though Silver is clearly a Democrat, he confidently asserts his predictions are simply about algorithms, and the rest of the country - most notably people like Karl Rove - simply don't understand the difference between probability and prediction.
Nate Silver caught the nation's attention the final weeks before the election as many Republicans began to publicly criticize his predictions that Mitt Romney only - at his best polling - had a 25% chance of winning the election. In fact, after MSNBC conservative commentator Joe Scarborough publicly chastised Nate Silver for "claiming this is anything but a toss-up," Silver responded by crossing the line of journalistic integrity by publicly betting Scarborough $1000 (to the charity of the winner's choice) that his calculations were correct. While Scarborough didn't - as far as we know - follow through on the bet, the clear winner in this battle is Nate Silver and statisticians.
Nate Silver, who has heavyweight math degrees from both the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics, entered the career of mathematical probability and statistics by honing his craft with number crunching in the world of major league baseball. This approach of sabermetrics, known to the masses now from the movie and film Moneyball by Michael Lewis, who publicized the approach used by Billy Beane with the Oakland A's and Bill James with the Boston Red Sox. The phenomenal success of the Oakland A's again this year, despite a low payroll, has continued to validate the role math can play in the unlikeliest of places. Of course, Nate Silver is the current rock star of mathematical probabilities, and for those who seek to understand it better, he has published a engaging and surprisingly readable book The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail but Some Don't. As a testament to Nate Silver's newfound significance, Silver's book sales jumped nearly 800% in the days after the election, as the nation sought to catch up with the "boy who knew."
Mathematics - and geekiness - is definitely basking in some glory right now, as the press shines a spotlight on not only Nate Silver but also the mathematical models that were able to accurately predict the coming threat of Hurricane Sandy. The role math can play in election prediction or baseball recruiting or even gambling in Vegas - which was glamorized in Ben Mezrich's fascinating "realistic fictional novel" Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions - is great publicity for math and the promotion of STEM emphasis in education these days. Certainly, this is a logical development of the rise of people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs twenty years ago. Being smart - really, really smart - can be cool.
At least that's the sentiment of people like Jon Stewart and Democrats across the country who have been calmed and reassured by Nate Silver for the past year that Barack Obama had a 70-90% chance of being re-elected, despite all the press and the abysmal first debate in Denver. Much of the rest of the country is just now waking up to the significance of this man and his particularly astute mathematical models for prediction and probability. So, who is Nate Silver? And how does he know what everyone else didn't?
Nate Silver is a writer and statistician who publishes his insights on election probability on a the blog FiveThirtyEight.com for the New York Times. He rose to prominence among the geeks and nerds - and Democrats who read the Times - during the 2008 election when he accurately predicted all fifty states within percentages of 1%. The key, according to Silver, is his aggregation of the results of numerous polls without bias or prejudice. Though Silver is clearly a Democrat, he confidently asserts his predictions are simply about algorithms, and the rest of the country - most notably people like Karl Rove - simply don't understand the difference between probability and prediction.
Nate Silver caught the nation's attention the final weeks before the election as many Republicans began to publicly criticize his predictions that Mitt Romney only - at his best polling - had a 25% chance of winning the election. In fact, after MSNBC conservative commentator Joe Scarborough publicly chastised Nate Silver for "claiming this is anything but a toss-up," Silver responded by crossing the line of journalistic integrity by publicly betting Scarborough $1000 (to the charity of the winner's choice) that his calculations were correct. While Scarborough didn't - as far as we know - follow through on the bet, the clear winner in this battle is Nate Silver and statisticians.
Nate Silver, who has heavyweight math degrees from both the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics, entered the career of mathematical probability and statistics by honing his craft with number crunching in the world of major league baseball. This approach of sabermetrics, known to the masses now from the movie and film Moneyball by Michael Lewis, who publicized the approach used by Billy Beane with the Oakland A's and Bill James with the Boston Red Sox. The phenomenal success of the Oakland A's again this year, despite a low payroll, has continued to validate the role math can play in the unlikeliest of places. Of course, Nate Silver is the current rock star of mathematical probabilities, and for those who seek to understand it better, he has published a engaging and surprisingly readable book The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail but Some Don't. As a testament to Nate Silver's newfound significance, Silver's book sales jumped nearly 800% in the days after the election, as the nation sought to catch up with the "boy who knew."
Mathematics - and geekiness - is definitely basking in some glory right now, as the press shines a spotlight on not only Nate Silver but also the mathematical models that were able to accurately predict the coming threat of Hurricane Sandy. The role math can play in election prediction or baseball recruiting or even gambling in Vegas - which was glamorized in Ben Mezrich's fascinating "realistic fictional novel" Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions - is great publicity for math and the promotion of STEM emphasis in education these days. Certainly, this is a logical development of the rise of people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs twenty years ago. Being smart - really, really smart - can be cool.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
50 Wall Streets & the GOP Revival
Fascinating little bit of soul searching going on in the GOP these days in the aftermath of the disillusioning Democratic victory in the 2012 elections. Many voices are offering excuses and explanations, but the party really needs to "look backward to go forward" according to writer Craig Shirley in today's Wash Post. I am fascinated by Shirley's comments on the ideas of limited government according to conservatism:
While the GOP has simply come to be known as the party of the wealthy who seek to avoid higher taxes and redistribution, it should divorce itself from mindlessly defending "wealth." Clearly, there are deep ethical problems with the business world - and blaming the poor for draining the Treasury is simply not enough. Thus, the GOP needs to honestly accept the role an unregulated financial system played in the problems of the past twenty years.
Craig Shirley's comment on the need to create 50 Wall Streets is truly fascinating to me - and it is the purest idea on the idea of state's rights in face of a growing federal government I have heard. Living and teaching high school in Colorado, and being a proponent of a return to Career and Technical Education, I have often hoped to see the state become the "Germany of the United States" by developing a reformed education system and manufacturing base in spite of the denials of the rest of the country. As Shirley notes, the open nature of the Internet economy offers more opportunity for individuality and self-reliance and personal responsibility and growth.
Think Globally but Act Locally has long been a catch-phrase of the Left. However, the idea of self reliance is every bit as much a conservative idea, as noted by such Crunchy Conservatives as Rod Dreher and Joel Salatin. From home schooling to organic farming, conservatives might think about supporting true self reliance and individuality by cutting ties with multinational organizations such as Monsanto and Dow Chemical and Archer-Daniel-Midland and General Electric and Bain Capital and Goldman-Sachs. These large companies might need to be busted up to protect self-reliance just as Republican Teddy Roosevelt did to bring about the end of the Gilded Age.
There is a solid way back for conservatism, and it includes returning to their roots which preceded a blind faith in low taxes and "job creators."
Just a thought.
But conservative populism should not stop there. If we rightly fear all concentrations of power, then the first order of business must be to break up the five big banks. The rationale is simple: Since the banks used illicit means via lobbyists and government to acquire such power, then government can be used to undo their ill-gotten authority.
Wall Street is too fearsome and corrupt for anyone’s good. We should find a way to create 50 Wall Streets so that money can stay in the states, and corruption can be kept to a minimum and law enforcement to a maximum. In the era of the Internet — which empowers the individual — can there be any doubt that scrutiny of local Wall Streets would keep bankers and brokers on their toes?
While the GOP has simply come to be known as the party of the wealthy who seek to avoid higher taxes and redistribution, it should divorce itself from mindlessly defending "wealth." Clearly, there are deep ethical problems with the business world - and blaming the poor for draining the Treasury is simply not enough. Thus, the GOP needs to honestly accept the role an unregulated financial system played in the problems of the past twenty years.
Craig Shirley's comment on the need to create 50 Wall Streets is truly fascinating to me - and it is the purest idea on the idea of state's rights in face of a growing federal government I have heard. Living and teaching high school in Colorado, and being a proponent of a return to Career and Technical Education, I have often hoped to see the state become the "Germany of the United States" by developing a reformed education system and manufacturing base in spite of the denials of the rest of the country. As Shirley notes, the open nature of the Internet economy offers more opportunity for individuality and self-reliance and personal responsibility and growth.
Think Globally but Act Locally has long been a catch-phrase of the Left. However, the idea of self reliance is every bit as much a conservative idea, as noted by such Crunchy Conservatives as Rod Dreher and Joel Salatin. From home schooling to organic farming, conservatives might think about supporting true self reliance and individuality by cutting ties with multinational organizations such as Monsanto and Dow Chemical and Archer-Daniel-Midland and General Electric and Bain Capital and Goldman-Sachs. These large companies might need to be busted up to protect self-reliance just as Republican Teddy Roosevelt did to bring about the end of the Gilded Age.
There is a solid way back for conservatism, and it includes returning to their roots which preceded a blind faith in low taxes and "job creators."
Just a thought.
5 Qualities of an Effective Secondary Education Teacher
Are you thinking of working toward a master's degree in secondary education?
As a veteran teacher of twenty-plus years, I've counseled many young people and adults about the teaching profession, and I am always excited to speak about the career of molding and inspiring young minds. I am always amused by people who are surprised and impressed that I can spend my days with teenagers and not go crazy. It is a true calling, and it's a labor of love - both of content and people.
If you have aspirations of a teaching career, you should consider the qualities of secondary education teachers. What makes a great teacher? Do these qualities fit your personality and style? If the following qualities match your identity, teaching may be a great career option. And the field needs qualified and inspired people who seek to improve the world through education. Consider the following qualities. Do they sound like you?
As a veteran teacher of twenty-plus years, I've counseled many young people and adults about the teaching profession, and I am always excited to speak about the career of molding and inspiring young minds. I am always amused by people who are surprised and impressed that I can spend my days with teenagers and not go crazy. It is a true calling, and it's a labor of love - both of content and people.
If you have aspirations of a teaching career, you should consider the qualities of secondary education teachers. What makes a great teacher? Do these qualities fit your personality and style? If the following qualities match your identity, teaching may be a great career option. And the field needs qualified and inspired people who seek to improve the world through education. Consider the following qualities. Do they sound like you?
- Passionate - Students can read a teacher very easily, and they respond to people who are passionate and excited about what they are teaching. For, if the teacher doesn't care deeply about the subject - about the class and the lesson - why should the kids? No matter what you are teaching, you must be passionate - you must find something about the topic which excites and inspires you. When you are a teacher of secondary education, you may end up teaching a course or a lesson or a topic you don't absolutely love. However, it's important to avoid letting this lack of enthusiasm show to your students. They follow your lead, and finding something engaging about the topic is essential to success. Approaching a new and less-than-appealing course with an open mind, you may be surprised by the joy you find there.
- Creative - See the world - and your subjects - the way a teacher or artist or inventor does, with a fresh eye. Avoid simply teaching straight from the book, and, instead find a new angle when planning lessons. Consider what might excite you, or how you may connect the subject to something you enjoy. That could be a story or a movie or a game or a personal experience. Read voraciously and look for connections to your lessons. Switch up and adapt materials on a regular basis to keep students engaged. A successful class is an engaged one. The world - and your school - is filled with creative teachers willing to share ideas. Look online, follow some blogs, attend conferences, and network with teachers to keep creative ideas flowing.
- Flexible - Any programs for a master's degree in secondary education will emphasize the importance of flexibility in teaching. Teaching is a fluid and always changing career - from year to year and day to day, your teaching schedule is never set in stone. While it's important to plan ahead and be prepared each day, it's important to be comfortable with change. No lesson plan should be so rigid it can't be adapted to meet the changing nature of the day - a fire alarm or an assembly or a teachable moment or a great digression can take precedence. That's OK. It's always about what is "best for kids." If students seek extra help, be available for them. Work the time for extra help or review sessions into your schedule. If students come for extra help, embrace and appreciate that desire for learning.
- Openness to Integration and Connection - Subjects become more meaningful to students when they understand how it connects to other subjects as well as the real world. Be that connection - or connector - for them. Justify and explain why what you are offering is valued. Seek out opportunities to present real world examples and integrate other disciplines or subjects with your own. The teaching profession is about integration and connection. Share your thoughts and connect with others. You don't need to invent every lesson yourself. There is nothing wrong with borrowing from the best and making it your own for your classroom.
- A Mentor and Educator, Not a Friend - Any program for a master's degree in education will address the unique nature of the teacher-student relationship. However, this quality isn't always fully understood by teachers until they are in the classroom. In an era of Facebook, the personal connection between teacher and student can be blurred. And students often see no difference between caring about them and being their friend. And some teachers feel they can create better relationships by being friends with their students. But they have friends - what they need is a teacher. They are looking for educators and mentors. Embrace this honor and do it well. They look to you for leadership and guidance.
Teaching is a wonderful and inspired and necessary and meaningful career. A master's degree in secondary education is a great investment, and one that is in demand.
The previous entry is a sponsored post.
Friday, November 9, 2012
University of Illinois - Top Party School for High Post-Grad Paychecks
Having attended the University of Illinois for a degree in secondary education, I have fond memories of both my social life and education. That view has been endorsed by Payscale.com in an article which found that of the top twenty party schools on the Princeton Review, graduates of Illinois could expect the highest starting salary after graduation as well as the highest mid-career salary. While Illinois is located in the heart of the Midwest and surrounded by a hundred miles of corn and soybean fields, it has a thriving social scene on the campus of nearly 40,000 students - and it's located in a metro are of Urbana-Champaign, twin cities of more than 100,000 residents. Illinois' party reputation comes from its extensive greek system which is the largest fraternity-sorority system in the country. The high pay expected by graduates results from one of the top engineering programs in the world, as well as highly ranked finance and business programs. Illinois is definitely a great investment for the finance and the fun.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Can Liberals and Conservatives Ever Understand Each Other
"Can't we all just get along."
These words - a frantic plea really - from Rodney King after the LA riots have almost become a punch line in contemporary America. And, of course, the recent never-ending campaign season did nothing to soothe the divide among the American people.
Writer Stephanie Pappas investigates the dubious nature of our political in-fighting, and she cites some great insight from the obscure field of "political psychology." Basically, liberals and conservatives simply see the world differently and emphasize different values.
The most important avenue on the way to consensus and understanding is the ability to see the other point of view. And psychologists advise asking questions and listening to answers as a way to move in that direction. People establish their views based on six domains:
These words - a frantic plea really - from Rodney King after the LA riots have almost become a punch line in contemporary America. And, of course, the recent never-ending campaign season did nothing to soothe the divide among the American people.
Writer Stephanie Pappas investigates the dubious nature of our political in-fighting, and she cites some great insight from the obscure field of "political psychology." Basically, liberals and conservatives simply see the world differently and emphasize different values.
The most important avenue on the way to consensus and understanding is the ability to see the other point of view. And psychologists advise asking questions and listening to answers as a way to move in that direction. People establish their views based on six domains:
- Care versus harm
- Fairness versus cheating
- Liberty and oppression
- Loyalty and betrayal
- Authority versus subversion
- Sanctity versus degradation.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Mail-in/Drop Ballots are the Way to Go - Florida Fails Again
It didn't even take until election day for the clueless state of Florida to screw up the voting process again. As voters attempted to navigate the early voting process, Florida was plagued by the sort of election incompetence that has become synonymous with their name since the fiasco of 2000. A strong democratic republic deserves better than this, and the voting process should not be this hard. While this sort of disaster has become great fodder for humorists like Dave Barry, electoral ineptness at the state government level is no joke.
The easy solution to this voting problem is a mail-in/drop off ballot like we've been using in Colorado for years. The system is very well run, as I simply receive my ballot in the mail, vote at my convenience, and mail in or drop the ballot off at any one of numerous voting centers up till election day. Years ago, I knew several elderly voters who would request absentee ballots because "they needed more time" and the burden of making it to the polls was prohibitive. About that time I realized any citizen could request the ballot and take the necessary time to vote at their convenience - not the election bureau's. Soon, it seemed Colorado election leaders listened, and we adopted a statewide system for getting ballots early and dropping them off as we could.
Get a clue, Florida. Voting should not be difficult. Of course, with a governor like Rick Scott, I guess we have to recall the words of PJ O'Rourke on the GOP and government - "Republicans run on a platform that government doesn't work - then they get elected and prove it."
Monday, November 5, 2012
Amazing Race Ignores Cheating and Stealing
Last night's episode of The Amazing Race was truly disappointing for what didn't happen - the two teams of the Twins and the Texans were not penalized for basically stealing the money of the Rock Star and the Lawyer. Obviously, Race officials and videographers knew about the act because they made such a big deal out of the Twins "finding" the money and the Texans debating what to do with it. And I fully expected a huge penalty when both teams checked in - but nothing. Phil didn't even mention the "loss" of the money to the Rock Star/Lawyer team.
Several years ago, a team was heavily penalized for hiding some necessary Race materials from another team. It was dishonest and interfered with the team's ability to complete their tasks. The same is - or should have been - true for this theft. I am still not liking the Twins at all, and this just further exemplifies what kind of team and people they are - manipulative, crass, dishonest, and classless. Very disappointed in the producers of The Amazing Race for letting this crime slide.
Several years ago, a team was heavily penalized for hiding some necessary Race materials from another team. It was dishonest and interfered with the team's ability to complete their tasks. The same is - or should have been - true for this theft. I am still not liking the Twins at all, and this just further exemplifies what kind of team and people they are - manipulative, crass, dishonest, and classless. Very disappointed in the producers of The Amazing Race for letting this crime slide.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
How to Become a Straight A Student
School just seems to come easier to some students - and that leads many others to believe they just can't "do school." Much of the earlier success can be pretty easily linked to family background and the sort of structure and social expectations that lead to success. I must admit that my k-12 experience was pretty much a breeze, not due to any particular effort on my part. That said, once I got to college, I had to learn how to learn all over again. Graduate school brought even more challenges. And, as a teacher, I realize that many students are not well-equipped or trained to be successful.
So what happened to study skills, huh?
Having become a stronger proponent of teaching reading, rather than just assigning it, I am giving more and more thought to how students learn. In the course of my recent reading, I have been impressed by some study assistance from MIT professor Cal Newport, who has written several books about being a successful student. One worth picking up - or recommending to students - is How to Become a Straight A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less. Professor Newport - both as a student and a teacher - took the time to study and document how those "uber-students" do. And he has crafted a really helpful - and readable - guide to academic success.
Among other things:
So what happened to study skills, huh?
Having become a stronger proponent of teaching reading, rather than just assigning it, I am giving more and more thought to how students learn. In the course of my recent reading, I have been impressed by some study assistance from MIT professor Cal Newport, who has written several books about being a successful student. One worth picking up - or recommending to students - is How to Become a Straight A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less. Professor Newport - both as a student and a teacher - took the time to study and document how those "uber-students" do. And he has crafted a really helpful - and readable - guide to academic success.
Among other things:
- Don't Read Everything - there is no way to successfully digest all that is asked of students these days, so they need skills in determining "what is important."
- Manage your time using lists and calendars - seems like common sense, but many kids need help in the field of time management.
- Choose where, when, and how long to study - those marathon sessions are beast and not helpful.
- Utilize resources
Peter Mayle Returns with French Culinary Fun
Hard to believe, but it was twenty-one years ago that British expatriate author Peter Mayle first entertained us with his whimsical tales of A Year in Provence. At that time I was a newly transplanted young expat living and teaching English in Taiwan for Hess Language School, and I was first drawn into the wonderfully engaging world of really great travel writing. For a short time, I imagined myself in the career and made several fated attempts at creating similarly engaging tales of living in Southeast Asia. Needless to say, I was gloriously unsuccessful, and I decided years ago to leave the travel writing to the experts. And Peter Mayle is one of the best. Now, Mayle returns with new tales of the lifestyles of southern France in a The Marseille Caper, which is superbly reviewed this week in the Denver Post by travel and food writer Tucker Shaw. Mayle (and Shaw actually) has a way of capturing French culture and viewing it through a culinary lens that makes us all want to chuck it all and escape to the French countryside - or at last go out for a great French and some excellent French wines. Mayle's latest once again casts the French lifestyle against an expatriate - this time an American named Sam. For a delightful adventure in southern France, consider returning with Mayle once again.
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