Republic of Pirates, now in Hungarian

I'm especially pleased to announce the Hungarian language edition of my third book, The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and The Man Who Brought Them Down, as I called Budapest home for nearly five years between 1989 and 1995.

The new edition, Kalózköztársaság, is from Könyvmolyképző Kiadó in that most paprika-worthy of cities, Szeged. At this writing it's even on sale at their website -- just HUF 2764. I gather the official release date is February 24, but it seems to be available now.

Republic of Pirates, the inspiration for the NBC drama "Crossbones", is also available in US, UK, Spanish, Portugeuse, Polish, Danish, and, shortly, Taiwan Chinese editions.

Maine DEP weakens, endorses disclosure rule for toxic phthalates

For those following Maine's ahead-of-the-curve effort to regulate toxic chemicals in consumer products, I have an update in yesterday's Portland Press Herald.

Regular readers will recall "Lobbyist in the Henhouse", an award-winning investigative report published in 2013 that revealed that the state's commissioner for environmental protection, Patricia Aho, a longtime corporate lobbyist, had been strangling many of the laws she'd unsuccessfully fought against on behalf of her clients, including the Kid Safe Products Act, disliked by chemical manufacturers.

Aho's DEP, compelled by activists' petitions to rule whether manufacturers of four phthalates will have to disclose which consumer products sold in Maine contain the substances, has endorsed a weakened rewrite of the rule that effectively excludes products likely to expose fetuses and pregnant women. Details in the story.

Talking American Nations with Monocle 24

While in Marrakesh for Atlantic Dialogues 2014, I sat down with Monocle editor Andrew Tuck to talk about the thesis laid out in American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America and why its essential for foreigners seeking to understand the United States.

That interview airs during the current edition of "The Urbanist" on Monocle 24, the magazine's radio arm. It's available online here; my conversation with Tuck begins at almost precisely 0:35.

I also have an essay in Monocle's recently released Forecast publication for 2015. It's not available online, but here's a preview of the edition, which is currently on newsstands in Britain and the capitals and airports of at least several global cities.

Thanks to Monocle for their interest.

Maine DEP, headed by chemical lobbyist, to rule on chemical disclosures

In today's Portland Press Herald, I have an update on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and its handling of the execution of a law designed to protect babies and children from toxic chemicals.

Regular readers will recall "Lobbyist in the Henhouse", an award-winning investigative report published in 2013 that revealed that DEP commissioner Patricia Aho, a longtime corporate lobbyist, had been strangling many of the laws she'd unsuccessfully fought against on behalf of her clients, including the Kid Safe Products Act, disliked by chemical manufacturers.

Now Aho's DEP must rule whether manufacturers of four phthalates will have to disclose which consumer products sold in Maine contain the substances. Details herein.

A Times-Record profile

Thanks to the Times Record, my nearly hometown paper in Brunswick, Maine, for this kind profile of what has, admittedly, been a pretty good couple of years.

Which reminds me: this blog kicked off five years ago tomorrow, with this brief posting from Iceland, where I was covering the aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse for the Christian Science Monitor and Chronicle of Higher Education. I'm not surprised that the country has bounced back so well.