The baristas at local gourmet coffee shops here in the DC Metro area pulled a lot of extra shots for many of their regular customers this morning, as the resident hordes of federal contractors made bleary-eyed tracks for their office desks. They had all been up rather late for a Sunday in Washington, a town… Continue reading Happy New Year!
Category: Economics and Finance
Al-Maliki and the Forty Thousand Thieves
Being my private secretary is not a job for the faint-hearted, and mine is as tough as nails. But even she has her limits, and those were nearly breached on Friday afternoon, when, between meetings, she knocked on my office door with a well-controlled “Mr. Collins? May I come in?” that was, nonetheless, just a… Continue reading Al-Maliki and the Forty Thousand Thieves
Severely Surreal Safari
Yesterday when I got back to the office after lunch, my private secretary put through a call from Mr. Punda Limpopo, a Finance and Economics Attache stationed here in Washington at the Embassy of Zimbabwe. I can’t say I was pleased to hear from him. I considered my dealings with Mr. Limpopo to be concluded. … Continue reading Severely Surreal Safari
Bombs Bursting Over There
Cerise and I romped until dawn, so it wasn’t all that pleasant to be awakened at 8:38 this morning by a telephone call, but Caller ID said it was from my sister Rose, therefore filial duty required that I pick up instead of letting it roll over into voice mail. Rose: Tom, Hank’s scared to… Continue reading Bombs Bursting Over There
You Are What You Eat
I was relaxing in the hot tub with the New York Times on Sunday afternoon, when my dear little brother Rob Roy came walking up the deck steps. He took a seat in one of the chairs I have set up around the hot tub and pulled a long face, waiting for me to notice… Continue reading You Are What You Eat