More senseless football (soccer) related violence in Italy. This time a fan is killed, strangely while sitting in a car. I suppose authorities will dream up some wacky explanation as to how the guy sitting in the car was the most dangerous one at the brawl. Or maybe they’ll blame…

[Continuing the reuse of my “Don’t Go There” series, the Naples installment was written while I quietly whimpered in a corner of my hostel in November 2003. Unlike Berlin, Naples has apparently gotten worse in the interval since I visited.] I’d initially only intended to stay in Naples long enough…

[Also posted over at “This Is Why I Love Minneapolis (And Sometimes Saint Paul)”, due to cross-over appeal.] The story of how immigration agents at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport harassed, threatened and defaced the passports of some noteworthy Finnish visitors in September for absolutely no reason is still harshing my…

In clothing optional areas, inevitably it is the people that you would least like to see naked that go the distance. Double goes for Germany. [See the full “What I’ve Learned” list here. Start at the bottom and read up.]

In the timeless, venerated tradition of writers reusing their own material when they’re jammed with work, super hungover or just don’t feel like it, I’m rerunning a short but popular series from my travelogue entitled “Don’t Go There.” Chapter One, “Don’t Go to Berlin,” was written after a disagreeable visit…

I apologize for not posting anything substantial this week. This MSN gig is wailing on my ass so hard that I’d have nothing left if my ass weren’t already so perfectly firm, devilishly curved and indestructible. I have some serious doo-doo in store for you next week that should both…

Never take directions from a drunk person. [See the full “What I’ve Learned” list here. Start at the bottom and read up.]

In Italy “five minutes” means an hour. [See the full “What I’ve Learned” list here. Start at the bottom and read up.]

Take care in Romania when you try to use your Spanish language skills to compensate for your lack of Romanian. The very common word “muy” means “very” in Spanish. In Romanian, “mui” is the infinitive of “to give a blowjob.” [See the full “What I’ve Learned” list here. Start at…

My presumably much loved, but rarely commented on series “A Keyhole into Burma” is entering its second week over at Gadling.com. Even the hate mail has been pretty light. If you’re unimpressed, pretend otherwise and leave profound/reverent comments. Grazie.