Two weeks ago I posted my "No Thanks Given" blog (listing my reaction to irksome conduct of others) on the day after Thanksgiving and received a healthy 19 comments. The comment which motivates and foretold this blog came from Dinner Group member Ted Lanzaro who wrote: All of these are "princess problems". Being truly grateful means being thankful …
It was to be expected. The other evening we were caught in one of the many protests in New York City after the non-indictment in the death of Eric Garner. We were in our car, leaving the City and traffic came to a halt. Protesters, accompanied by police, blocked the road, walked past our stopped car in the opposite direction and were gone. As t …
This week the New York Rangers held a Press Conference announcing one of their best free agent signings yet. A young kid out of New Jersey named Chris Falcone. Falcone had been playing ice hockey since the age of 7, when at the beginning of his Freshman year, he was diagnosed with cancer and told that he would never play hockey again. After b …
Over the years, I have heard more than a snicker or two as I ordered a glass of wine. I am not shy about my order. I ask for my sweet white wine loudly and clearly. Seriously, at Passover I look forward to the Heavy Malaga Concord Grape Manischewitz. That should give you an idea about how sweet is sweet in my world. For a long time, I ordered a c …
You cannot turn on the television, radio, or even your computer without hearing that another woman has come forward to claim that she was assaulted by Bill Cosby. When I see the photographs of a seventy-seven year old Mr. Cosby, I almost feel sorry for him. Then, however, I listen to the story of the alleged victims and my sympathy for him dissipat …
Heartland Brewery was under fire last week for a slogan attached to one of its beers, which was a dark Bavarian. The theme of the beer was S & M, and the label (see photo) was a woman with a whip standing over a submissive man. Whether you like that image or not, it is supposed to be a good beer. The controversy was over the advertising of …
Every time, I think or hear that name I feel a sense of greatness. What a strong name, befitting of the person he was born to be and the person he was at the time of his death. This Tuesday at the Friars Club annual party as I stood with Abby Siegal and Mitch Tobol I listened as I do every year, to Mr Crowther speak of his son...I hear every sy …
The Gotham Foundation gave four Summer of Giving grants of $5500 each at our annual Holiday Party this Tuesday. The grants are one of the best things we do and personify our "It's better to give than receive, but what goes around comes around" mantra in so many ways. As you know, the money was collected at meetings over our extended Summer in small …
Let's congratulate Gotham's Networkers of the Year -- Liz Saldana and Larry Sprung and this year’s recipient of the Red Bandana Award -- Cindy Somma. When someone asks me what the Red Bandana Award is about, I respond that it is our Gotham family's way of recognizing the best fulfillment of our mantra -- “It is better to give than receive...” I …
When I posted my blog last week, I like many people in this country were in pain. There is nothing I said that was wrong factually or morally. Yet, it didn't feel good. It wasn't incorrect, just lacking something. It wasn't in those who supported me or who opposed me. It wasn't a lack of compassion or a lack of understanding as some might feel …
I know that for most of the summer you all indulged my blogs about getting ready to send my oldest child to college. Thank you, your indulgence was much appreciated. I have purposely refrained from giving you all a play by play description of the college transition process every week thinking that might be pushing it a little too far. But we’ve j …
As the holiday season begins, I have tried to think of some creative gifts for my children. My daughter will be graduating with her Masters in Social Work in May, which requires a special gift. I approached her with the idea of purchasing an expensive watch as a combined gift for both Hannukah and her graduate school graduation. Her response, “That …
This was a weekend of old family traditions, snowed out traditions, and new ones. We spent it in the Berkshires. There were about twenty of us, young and old. It has been a number of years since the extended group (almost) all assembled in Lenox. One of our traditions is touch football on the golfcourse just a few yards from the house. This y …
About Thanksgiving..celery and olives were considered standard appetizers for over 100 years. There are actually 12 claims to where the “first” Thanksgiving took place: two in Texas, two in Florida, one in Maine, two in Virginia, and five in Massachusetts. President Jefferson called a federal Thanksgiving proclamation “the most ridiculous idea ever …
As an alternative to this Season's usual profusion of expressions of Thanks I would like to publish a "No Thanks Given", if not worse, list of inappropriate everyday conduct and things which I hate. "Hate" is a very strong word and has a highly negative connotation so maybe I should say "greatly dislike", but you get my drift. Here we go:1) The Cr …
