Back to Havana

Published 3:07 pm Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Getting to know you: The United States and Cuba soon will open embassies in each other’s capitals, as the longtime antagonists restore ties after more than a half-century of hostilities.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry said the U.S. embassy in Havana will open July 20, which means the State Department has just three weeks to hire a staff of cigar aficionados who also happen to be career diplomats.

Surfing the vast cultural wasteland: A new competition show on Fox called “Boom” boasts a novel twist: Losing contestants are showered with mac ‘n’ cheese.

Spoiler alert: A contestant named Homer S. intentionally loses so he can get the mac ‘n’ cheese shower.

And another thing, get off my lawn: The latest in home security gadgets warns homeowners when somebody steps or drives on their driveway.

The alarm rings a chime inside the house if the intruder is a walker or driver, and an air-raid siren if it’s the scruffy neighbor kid on a skateboard.

— Mark Carlson, Herald staff