Nancy’s recent blog about the scandal in the English royal family-Fergie’s acceptance of money for guaranteed access to Prince Andrew-made me curious about another scandal currently brewing in another royal family. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will be married on June 19, 2010 to Daniel Westling. In an apparent break with the tradition of the Swedish Church the bride is insisting that her... More >>

A holiday weekend in the summer means one thing. Barbecue. Or barbeque, or BBQ, or B-B-Que, depending on how you want to spell it, all of which are acceptable. I read that the origin of the word may be "sacred pit fire," and that it is.

There is an art to the barbecue, though I don't know it. I have been experimenting, however that can be dangerous and has led to two fires and a lot of char... More >>

As the app phone wars heat up, naming them has been very interesting to watch. Apple started it all and can stake the simple name iPhone. It will most likely, or maybe has already, become a household name.

The other names that will be introduced shortly, the Kin phones from Mircosoft (there are two and they call them Kin One and Kin Two, Dr. Suess anybody?) And then there's HTC's new one calle... More >>

Some would say I'm a control freak. Whether or not, when I screw up it is a major blow. Here are just a few instances:

1)Sleeping though the PSATS.

2) Leaving a list of my assets in a suit pocket of a suit sent to the cleaners (the list came home pinned to a neatly pressed suit).

3) Leaving a reserve key hidden in my soon to be stolen car.

4) Losing my 2 young boys at the 1984 LA Ol... More >>

I am not sure how many times I've heard the stories, but listening to my mother with a group of about fifty Gotham members and guests this past Tuesday was special. Every time I hear her speak, I learn something new or appreciate a new insight. I marvel at her manner. I am comforted by her message. I wonder, as I did when I was younger, whether I could have survived the ordeal that she survived.... More >>

In continuing the monthly spirit of musical references, I was listening to a CD in my car the other day. It's by the prototypical flower child of the 1960's Melanie Safka. Her music is something that I have always kept to myself, not just because it is not the most masculine music for a guy who grew up in the 80's, nor because it's not exactly idealogically cohesive for a self-professed conserva... More >>

Have you seen the tape recording of Sarah Ferguson accepting money in exchange for access to Prince Andrew? Maybe the better question is how many times have you seen the tape.

The most recent installment in Sarah Ferguson’s fall from grace has been plastered across the media for just north of 24 hours. There have been multiple installments in this adventure to date but this one appears to b... More >>

Is it just me or have you noticed that a lot of celebrities no longer look like themselves? And I’m not just talking about the most obvious example, Joan Rivers, who may not have a line on her face but also looks nothing like the Joan Rivers I used to enjoy watching guest host “The Tonight Show.” There are so many other examples. Look at recent pictures of Raquel Welch, Melanie Griffith,... More >>

On my way to Cape Town a few weeks ago on a stop over in Johannesburgh, I killed some time in a bookstore and found what looked like an interesting book. It is called "Around Africa On My Bicycle", written by a South African, Riaan Manser. I bought it.

A number of years ago, finding that he was not happy with his life nor looking forward to work on Monday, Riaan decided to buy a bicycle and r... More >>

You know those dreams where you wake up and you feel as if it was real? I had one of those and it was a bit freaky.

It was about a very good friend of mine who passed a couple of years ago. Although in the dream he was alive. Not a replay of some scene but present day. I felt surprised and really happy. He was giving me one of those devilish smiles as, I think, we were going to play golf or he ... More >>

One of my inadequacies is that although I love to listen to music I virtually never listen to the words. As a consequence I was shocked to read in the liner notes to Neil Young's "After The Gold Rush" that Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1974 "Sweet Home Alabama" was written in reaction to Young's "Southern Man" on his 1970 "Gold Rush" album (that's what they called them back then).

Once I read this I was... More >>

I often wonder whether it's fate or coincidence? Last weekend gave me new cause to wonder.
We were in Boston for a tour of glass artists' studios. The tour was scheduled to end on Sunday evening and I questioned whether I would be able to drive back to New York late Sunday. I had made the trip many times in my "college days" --- but I am no longer in my "college days".
... More >>

It seems that people around the country have finally woken up to some of the problems going on in the South with regards to immigration. Though more and more people seem to be paying attention to the problems that are becoming more and more imposing, we haven't gotten less comfortable with letting the media and factioned interests divide us along the traditional lines which seem to benefit those ... More >>

Did you ever wonder why it is that human tendency seems to always lead us to procrastinate and leave things until the last minute? I seem to be thinking about that more and more lately as eighth grade is coming to a close. My personality is that I pack so much into the day and try to get involved in almost every opportunity that comes my way.

I'm starting to really feel some pressure now due ... More >>

Within the next two years, both myself and my husband as well as several of our dearest (notice my avoidance of the use of the word “oldest”) friends will be turning fifty. I have noticed that a lot of our conversations lately have been focusing on this event, from topics such as, I can’t believe how hard it is to lose weight at fifty to I don’t remember anything anymore, it must be my age... More >>

Last night I dragged Eve to see Iron Man 2. When I say drag, I kind of mean it. She told me maybe I should see it with the boys, but the boys are not around, and she is, and so we went.

I always look forward to super hero movies. As a kid I devoured Superman and Batman comics, and never missed an episode of Adam West in the old hokey Batman TV series. But it always seemed that the TV Batm... More >>

Last Tuesday we (Gotham) had our annual Spring Cocktail Party. This year it was at the Terrace Club and at a much lower price in response to feedback we've been hearing about the cost of having it at the Friars.

A lot of the comments I heard regarding the Terrace Club was about the food. I'm surprised no one enjoyed the small, delicate quiches or the perfectly greasy spanikopita or the pigs in... More >>

1939 produced at least 3 great movies: Gone With The Wind, Wuthering Heights and The Wizard of Oz.

Of course, Gone With The Wind won the Academy Award as best picture and set long standing box office records, but for me The Wizard of Oz takes the cake. It being far more creative, memorable, thought provoking and, best of all, out lasting the test of time.

I will never forget seeing it my ... More >>

I am sitting in a theater watching the play when suddenly a flicker of light catches my peripheral vision causing me to turn toward the light. In the row in front of me, off to the left, a person is checking his/her Smartphone. No ring. Just the light of the phone's screen.
I attended a lunch last week. We were seated at tables of twelve, perhaps twenty tables in all. The topic was the po... More >>

Last week we raised the spectre of the Kent State killings. Others contributed their thoughts and memories of the landscape of the time. That night, when we turned on the news, we saw a frighteningly comparable situation arising in Greece.

People were protesting in the streets. The anger had escalated so badly that riots had ensued. Then the unthinkable happened, some people firebombed a ... More >>

President Obama made history yesterday and nominated Elena Kagan, U.S. Solicitor General, to the United States Supreme Court. She is nominated to fill the seat being vacated by Justice John Paul Stevens who is retiring at the age of 90 after almost 35 years on the Court. [If Kagan is confirmed, she will join two other women on the court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. This will be a h... More >>

While we all receive a vast number of different benefits from Gotham it is, at its core, a networking group. We all know that when we walk into our respective Gotham meetings, or any other networking event, our goal is to nurture our current business relationships and, hopefully, establish new ones.

Conversely, whenever Fred asks me to speak about the blogs at Gotham meetings I invariably star... More >>

I just got back from South Africa, visiting my son Max who is taking a semester abroad at the University of Cape Town. When he first considered studying overseas I hoped he would go to Europe so when I visited I could buy some nice new shoes in Italy. But he would have nothing of Europe and insisted on South Africa.

The first four days I stayed in Cape Town and we took a long very steep hik... More >>

The other night I attended the INN Gala. I was invited by a good friend and networking colleague. Before the event he had requested I send him some brief copy of what I do and the day before he called asking me what are some of my hobbies and unusual past experiences.

This came to fruition that night. He handed out a packet of everyone's write up of what they do professionally (for networking ... More >>

On February 15, 2008 I wrote a blog entitled "He Drinks Alone" about a former "Golden Boy" high school mate I encountered drinking alone at a local bar. To best understand and accept my apology please click on February 2008 on Archives on the blog roll next to this and read "He Drinks Alone" to get the full flavor of this apologetic blog before continuing here.

Okay, now that you are up to ... More >>

Last Saturday night, Flo and I had tickets to see the Addams Family on Broadway. You've all heard what happened. We were there. Here's the view from the ground.

We had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants -- Socarrat on 19th Street in Chelsea -- the best paella in the City -- and walked up Eighth Avenue to the Theater District. As we crossed 42nd Street, the crowds grew... but that wa... More >>

Echoes possibly the most haunting song I've ever heard felt. Yes, it is a song that you don't just hear, but feel. It's not a song you tap your feet to or hum along with. I heard on the radio, today, a cover of the Neil Young song (with C, S & N of course) by a band from Canada played in honor of the fortieth anniversary of the shootings at Kent State. There will be no message to this blog, hid... More >>

Often these days I am asked to develop and present training sessions about the explosion of Social Media in the Workplace. Truth is, this has become one of my favorite topics to talk about, largely because it is so very complicated.

At a recent series of trainings, we talked at great length about the power of the web. With a few quick keystrokes, and often without any cost, you have availabl... More >>

I began my legal career, over twenty years ago, in the litigation department of a large law firm. My department had approximately twenty male associates, myself, and four partners, only one of which was a woman. The female partner also was the only woman partner in the firm. As a result, she admittedly could not mentor me or the other female associates in the firm as she needed to spend her time e... More >>

Cindy Somma here, guest blogging for HHDB as he visits his son is South Africa....I'm hoping he had an equally fabulous time as Steve and I did in KW.

My husband and I reccently returned after a week long vacation @ Fred & Joanne's house in Key West. It was one of the best vacations we've had, not just because my parents stayed in NY with the kids.....but the weather was fabulous and had we wan... More >>

I attended a networking event last Thursday evening which Gotham was a partial sponsor. It was at the Holocaust/Tolerance Museum in Glen Cove. For some reason, I was not looking forward to it. I was tired and a bit jaded to be discussing the incredulous events in Germany in the 40's. However, when I got there I was pleasantly surprised. The grounds are beautiful and before entering I took a stroll... More >>