The Nyveen family traces its origins to the northern Netherlands, in the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe, where both the name and the family itself appear to have taken shape in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. The name was originally spelled Nijveen, and is composed of two older Read more…
Several times a week, I get calls from scammers. The calls usually appear to come from random places around the US. If you answer, and they confirm that you are in fact a human gullible enough to answer a call from an unknown number, the scammer follows a standard script. They tell you they are calling from Microsoft support about a problem with your computer. Or they tell you there is something urgent that needs to be fixed on your credit report. Or they are calling from a government agency about something that needs your immediate attention. Or they act overly friendly, offering discounts on your services. If you hear an Indian accent and busy call center noise in the background, it’s almost certainly a scam. (more…)
Like any kid, I wanted to be a major league baseball player.
I played baseball in high school, but having spent most of my grade school years up in Canada, I was a little behind most of my American peers when I moved back down to the US for 11th grade. Being born on the wrong side of the cutoff date for grade placement didn’t help, making me almost a year younger than most of my peers. I wasn’t very good and spent most of the time riding the bench. (more…)
I just returned from a road trip that I took across Arizona with my mother for her birthday. We hit the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. All in all, a great adventure. Great sights, fantastic weather—but every time we reached a new town, we had to find a decent place to eat. In the Grand Canyon gateway town of Tusayan, we chose poorly. (more…)
It was my birthday weekend. My girlfriend Sam and I were in Philadelphia. It was her first time in the city, so after dropping our bags at the hotel, we set out to see the sights. (more…)