In the mass transit world, time waits for no man – even for the head of Prague’s public transportation kingdom
Czech Business Weekly
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Prague’s trams and metro cars run on a tight schedule, and so does Martin Dvořák, general manager of Prague transit operator Dopravní Podnik hl. m. Prahy (DPP). His cut-to-the-chase economy of words, demand for efficiency and on-the-spot accountability have not endeared him to all, but few can argue with the 37-year-old executive’s track record at taking on management challenges in unwieldy organizations.
Before coming to Prague’s public transit authority (known in English as Prague Public Transport Co.), he built up his managerial skills at Czech commercial station Prima TV, former state-owned telecom monopoly český Telecom, and Czech tire giant Barum Continental.
Cleaning up Reno by cracking down on low-budget motels
Police Magazine
The Star of Reno shines no more. Luck ran out a long time ago for those who lodge at the Roulette Motel. And you’ll find more grime than glamour at the Monte Carlo.
Welcome to downtown Reno, Nevada, where once-tony tourist “motor hotels” have declined into low-budget, high-crime economy motels, and turned the city center into a modern-day haven for drug dealers, prostitutes, convicted felons and addicts of every stripe.
Brush with the Law : When inmates say ‘I was framed’ they’re talking about artwork
The Dallas Morning News
FLORENCE, Arizona – You can buy chocolates, roses or a romantic, candlelit dinner at a fancy French restaurant. But nothing says “I’m a prisoner of your heart” quite like a Valentine’s Day portrait of your sweetie painted from inside the Big House.
Artistically talented inmates of the Arizona Department of Corrections and assorted private prisons throughout the state can provide just the gift … and at prices so reasonable some might consider them – ahem – a real steal. Custom portraits, which inmates draw or paint using photographs that clients submit through the state’s prison arts and crafts store, sell for as little as $20.
A Feast for the Eyes: Decadent Desserts
Tucson Guide
TUCSON, Arizona – Dessert. It’s the ultimate ephemeral art form – creations meant to be admired and consumed within scant (yet sumptuous) minutes. This culinary artist’s medium makes a sonata or cinema eternal by comparison.
Whether incorporating scoops of rich, roasted-banana gelato, fragile sheets of decorative chocolate, or whisper-light chilled vanilla mouse, these sublime confections threaten to melt away before the eyes of those who tarry. Their fleeting nature makes them only that much more seductive. (more…)