If you’ve ever wondered whether your vote makes a difference, consider what’s going on in Virginia. Three races for seats in the Virginia House of Delegates are in the midst of recounts. Yesterday morning the reports were that one of the candidates had a one vote lead. That one seat could also shift party control in the House. (Yesterday afterno …
Reflections from the subway. I am an occasional subway rider. However, I was on the subway yesterday. Walking in the tunnels connecting the Times Square stations. I could not help but think about the incident on Monday. The planned bomb that, thankfully, did not cause the intended result. I am confident that I will continue to take subways. I’m l …
Yesterday, the morning after Gotham announced its Networkers of the Year and recipient of the revered Red Bandana Award, Time magazine announced its Person of the Year — the Silence Breakers — the women who came forward to hold Harvey Weinstein accountable and bring him down. Inspiring, and inspired by, #MeToo, the Silence Breakers began a conversa …
There is so much going on. Sometimes it’s a relief to just talk sports. There is something I don’t like about the Eli Manning situation. The Giants have been awful this season — one of the worse I can remember. Eli, the Giants’ quarterback and long-time face of the franchise, was abruptly told that he would not be starting this Sunday’s fire 210 st …
On this day, there are so many things to be thankful for.... As I sit at our Thanksgiving table, surrounded by family, I expect that my thoughts of thanks will focus on two things: First, having just survived the annual Thanksgiving basketball game, and Second, the two newest members of our family who are celebrating their first Thanksgivng this ye …
I’m not one who pedals conspiracy theories but I do marvel at some coincidences. We live in stressful times. Cable news attests to that. Is it any wonder that the standards for hypertension have been lowered? More blood pressure medication will flow. And the new head of Health and Human Services comes from Big Pharma. And all this came in one …
I attended a talk among glass artists who were discussing their approach to their craft. One artist mentioned that he never went to college and observed that he was not enamored of formal education. As he explained further, he clarified his observation that teachers only taught what they knew and that students are acknowledged for repeating what t …
As I watched the coverage of Tuesday’s terrorist attack and the reality set in, two recurring thoughts came to mind. I remembered our walks along that stretch of the path along West Street and I remembered an off-Broadway play that we saw many years ago. I don’t remember the name. The play, set in Israel, depicted scenes of everyday life — a visit …
Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing and speaking to Dan Clayman. Dan is a glass artist who has a significant installation at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. I strongly recommend both the Grounds and Dan’s installation. While speaking about his works, Dan mentioned the three most influential men in his life: his father, the hea …
Recently we have been witness to the incredible strength of nature. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the wild fires of California. Nature at its strongest....and worse. Last week, we were walking in the Town of Huntington and saw nature at its strongest. Against a barren brick wall, in the crack between the wall and the concrete sidewalk, a wh …
The flight had open seating. As we settled into the seats we had chosen, we heard coughing nearby. It was the young man in the seat in front of us. The young man with the eye patch. As he continued to cough, one of his colleagues asked how he was feeling. “Not so great. The medicine hasn’t kicked in yet...and the doctor isn’t sure whether it’s bac …
I gazed at the half-full coffee mug on my desk as I stood up. I had to walk down the halls to another attorney's office to discuss a case. I thought about taking the mug with me. Nice to be able to sip the rest of my morning coffee. But something made me think twice. I took the mug anyway. As I was walking back to my office someone came rushing aro …
An incident reported to me: Standing at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street waiting for the light. A man in front is standing off the curb -- in a bike lane. A tandem bike going north on the Avenue (the wrong way) screeches as it glances the pedestrian. The bike stops for an instant, words are exchanged and the bike darts on its way. The p …
Last weekend, we were at a family wedding in Schroon Lake, New York in the Adirondack foothills. Many of the festivities were in the town of Lake George. Being there for a few days caused me to rethink my life-long voiced preference for beach over mountains. I love the beach. However, I have come to accept that looking o …
As I tore myself away from CNN to write this blog, a zipper across the screen reported that power would be restored in eastern Florida by this weekend and in western Florida by September 22nd. I reflected. That's about the length of time that it took to restore electricity to our home after Sandy. Empathy. "The capacity to understand or feel wh …
