Category: Blogs

MARMOMACC, Day 2 – "This year," said a U.S. stone-tools seller during a quick chat here, "breaking even is doing good."

   MARMOMACC, Day 1 – In Verona, North Americans used to look for European products to sell in the United States. It’s a sign of our current economy that several American companies are doing the reverse … and selling their products to European customers.

   HEATHROW — It's a nicely appointed airline lounge, with gray leather seats and sharp Swiss granite flooring and countertops holding light eats and drinks for the very frequent traveler.

   There’s no point in hiding any longer – yes, I’m Derivative Man, and one of the four people in the world who really understand Wall Street finance. I’ve been huddled with our nation’s leaders for six days on the bailout,  and you don’t want to be in a room with these people for 16 hours straight. When Sen. Charles Schumer decided to give a working example of naked shorts at midnight last Wednesday  ….

   Granite countertops seem to be fading from local TV screens – save for some consumer advertising – but don’t think the reports on radon and radiation are gone for good. If there’s any life in the theme for getting back on the tube, it’s slightly more than a month away.

   No, that wasn’t a piece of malicious spam that hit the mailboxes of the masses in the stone industry this week. The letter for StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas bearing my name is authentic, right down to the mug shot. (Who else would claim to look like that?)

At last – a government agency story that doesn’t include radiation, radon, falling slabs, silicosis or any other hazard where someone in Washington thinks they have the best answer. In some ways, though, it’s worse: Water features using natural stone are naughty.

   Finally, a memorial of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, will be dedicated at one of the three sites of our national tragedy. The fact that there’s only one is a sad story in itself.

The vigil finally lifted at 7:47 a.m., as NBC’s “The Today Show” broadcast its report on granite countertops and radon/radiation. The network originally indicated a Sept. 2 air date, but the force of Hurricane Gustav and the Sarah Palin whirlwind bounced the segment around (an teaser ran during the show’s third hour yesterday, but the report didn’t make it) before this morning’s appearance.

I could probably write several large blog entries on why I don’t watch the Olympics anymore, but the sentiment boils down to this: These people are strange.