I am pleased by the outcome of the Apple case -- when the FBI sought to compel Apple to assist in breaking into the iPhone of the San Bernardino terrorists. Although I was leaning toward upholding privacy even in the face of national security, I was not completely comfortable with the prospect of a Judge deciding and establishing a rule of law betw …
The refugee crisis is on everyone’s mind. Discussed. Debated. The topic brings out the best, and the worst. Recently, Flo and I were at the Public Theatre on Lafayette Street. There’s a plaque on the building: “This plaque is dedicated to HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which occupied this building from 1921 to 1965. As the international m …
Sometimes there are things that are right before your eyes, but you never notice. Or you never realize what you're looking at...or exactly what it means. Also, you're never too old to learn something new. That's how I felt a few months ago when I learned that the little gas pump symbol on your car's dashboard has a little arrow that tells you wh …
There is no doubt that the picture accompanying this blog is worth a thousand words. It is a picture of my mother holding her newest great grandson a few days ago. Four generations in a single picture. (Yes, although not immediately visible, I am in that chain from my mother to my grandson.) It is a beautiful picture. One that I will cherish foreve …
Sidney Rosen passed away last weekend, a day after his 92nd birthday. Many in our Gotham family had met Sidney over the years as he accompanied my mother to Gotham events. Mom and Sidney had twelve wonderful years together -- sharing their love, companionship, friends and families. They both grew and blossomed over those years. There ought to be a …
While we were in Hawaii recently, we were told that there is no word for “hate” in the Hawaiian language. I am not sure whether it's true. But we heard it several times. Nevertheless, the notion that there is no word for “hate” in a language is a beautiful thing. Imagine (with a nod to John Lennon) a culture developing without the need to find a …
As the family took up the chairs next to me at the pool, I focused on the children. Three of them - ages about four to seven. As I looked over at the parents, they appeared to be a little younger than me. Flo and I had been away for about a week and I missed our grandson, Jackson, and the upcoming birth of another grandson was foremost on my …
I like beaches. And I like walking on beaches. During such walks, I often pick up beach rock, shells, and, occasionally, a piece of beach glass. A recent walk on the beach in Kaua’i yielded a few small pieces of lava stone. One in particular resembled a miniature volcano. A perfect momento of our trip. Then I learned of a Hawaiian legend -- perhaps …
Do you take a camera on vacation? We are packing for a trip to Hawaii. Beautiful scenery. At the last moment, we considered whether to pack a camera. We have a digital SLR with three different lenses and a compact digital point and shoot -- both remnants from a time gone by when the camera in our cell phone was less sophisticated. I dust …
We were at the local diner. Seated in a booth by the window overlooking the stairs leading up to the front door. A perfect perch to view those coming and going. I noticed the couple as they walked carefully from their car to the stairs. They were elderly. As he reached to hold her hand and help her toward the stairs, it was with the tenderness of t …
It started with a little tickle... (or was it a little scratch?) in my throat. Ignore it. Within an hour, there was no denying. It was my winter cold 2016. By the time I gave it the attention it deserved, it had taken over. “Don't respect me? I'll show you!” What to do? Take zinc. Take vitamin C. Drink plenty of liquids. Starve it. Feed it. …
Last weekend, Flo and I took our grandson, Jackson, to the Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden. For an hour or so, I looked at the world through the eyes of a three-year-old. I shared his amazement as the G-scale trains circled the reconstructions of the great sites of New York City, past the historical buildings and over the famous br …
It was several years ago. We had a few days left in Italy before our return flight to New York when we got a phone call from the airline that an airport strike was planned for noon the next day and we could catch an early flight to Paris. That would leave us with the whole day in Paris before our evening flight back to New York. We had it all p …
December 31st sixteen years ago and we were all worrying about the imminent disaster of “Y2K” that was to occur when computers did not recognize the year 2000. Without such concerns looming today, we are able to reflect upon the past year and formulate our hopes for the coming year. May today be a day of reflection and may all of our hopes for the …
This blog is not written by Scroog. However, I noticed that I received fewer holiday cards this year than ever before. Several years ago the trend of fewer paper (and mailed) cards replaced by eCards became more and more apparent, but this year I received fewer holiday greeting cards of either kind. I am not sure of the reason for this phenomeno …
