ARCHIVE / AND WHOSE PRESIDENT ARE YOU?

PAUPER TO THE PEOPLE.

A fascinating front page feature appeared this weekend in the New York Times on the world’s poorest president.  Reporter Simon Romero in Montevideo, Uruguay penned “After Years in Solitary, an Austere Life as Uruguay’s President.  It’s an eyebrow raising real life tale of Uruguay’s incumbent chief executive, Jose Alberto “Pepe” Mujica Cordano. 

Simon Romero

Reporter Romero’s first paragraph says it all: “Some world leaders live in palaces.  Some enjoy perks like having a discreet butler, a fleet of yachts or a wine cellar with vintage Champagnes.  Then there is Jose Mujica, the former Guerrilla who is Uruguay’s president.  He lives in a run-down house…” and gives away 90% of his salary to charities.

Check it out at this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/05/world/americas/after-years-in-solitary-an-austere-life-as-uruguays-president.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&smid=fb-nytimes

New Mexico-born and Harvard grad, Simon Romero is an American journalist who has been the Brazil bureau chief for NYTimes since November 2011, based in Rio Janeiro. In this assignment, he covers Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Romero was previously the paper's Andean bureau chief, based in Caracas, Venezuela, from 2006 to 2011. He joined the Times in March 1999 as a contract writer.

NATIONALLY IN PRINT.

Free-lance writer Ann Jarmusch has a bylined art review in the January issue of ArtNews on artist Cecelia Condit. “I had the privilege of meeting Cecelia, a very fine adventurous video/artist/photographer, and reviewing her solo show at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in Wisconsin.  For more on Condit go to

https://sites.google.com/site/ceceliacondit/home.  For more on Jarmusch go to facebook.

Tom Shess freelanced an architectural travel column for Arts & Crafts Homes winter 2013 edition currently on newsstands.  “In Maybeck and Morgan country,” is a tour of Berkeley and Oakland’s architectural heritage.  If you are interested in the architecture of Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan, the column is organized in a day-trip format.  Shess is creative director at San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine.

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KID.

Kristin Conard is an editor at Matador Nights [http://matadornetwork.com/] as well as a writing instructor in California.  She recently penned an article on how to say “Cheers” in 50 languages.  Now, you can show off the ending of your emails with something more than cheers.  Here’s a few you might try tonight:

Dutch: Proost  [Prohst]

Japanese: Kanpai [kan-pie]

Polish: Na zdrowie  [Naz-droh-vee-ay]

Spanish: Salud [Sah-lud]

Swedish: Skal [Skawl]

Vietnamese: Do [Jou]

Yiddish: Sei gesund   [Say geh-sund]

Hebrew: [L’chaim]

Greek: [Yamas]

German: Prost  [Prohst]

French:  Sante [Sahn tay]

Chinese/Mandarin: gan bei [gan-bay]

KUSI's Brandi Williams by Martin Mann

GREAT WITH PEOPLE.

In the January issue of San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, the magazine’s director of photography, Martin Mann, who is responsible for photographing so many beautiful San Diego homes, began his career as a celebrity photographer.  His photos supporting a feature on KUSI’s new onair host/reporter Brandi Williams are examples of his first rate portrait skills.

MOST ADMIRED COMPANIES.

San Diego Metro magazine, a downtown based business monthly, recently posted its annual update of San Diego’s Most Admired Companies.  Entire list is available on the following link:

http://sandiegometro.com/2012/12/most-admired-companies-%E2%80%94-2012/

SD Metro editor Manny Cruz says the feature presents companies and organizations that have earned the trust and loyalty of their constituencies by adhering to high standards of professionalism, integrity and accountability.

TRAVEL TIDBITS.

The SD Business Journal recently reported: “…San Diego ranked sixth overall in a recent online “America’s Favorite Cities” survey by Travel + Leisure Magazine. According to Travel + Leisure, the online survey asked readers to rate and comment on 35 major U.S. metro areas, in 66 categories.

“In the “best time to visit” categories, San Diego placed first for July 4th, spring break and Valentine’s Day. It also placed first in the category of best cities for active and athletic people, and second in the weather rankings. The region placed second for pet-friendly vacations, and third for family vacations…”

So who was first?

“…New Orleans topped the survey in the overall rankings, according to the magazine’s website…” reported SDBJ.