Did you know that right now, to be licensed as a Farm Brewery, any beer brewed in the State of New York must have 20% of its ingredients (besides water) grown right here? Apparently the current acreage devoted to growing the ingredients for beer cannot support the need. And...that the number of breweries being built in the NYC area alone are expe …
Upon the passing of Lou Reed this week I mentioned that I knew him and he had played my fraternity party in Roslyn on New Year's Eve December 31, 1962. This inspired Cayce Crown to nickname me Zelig. She references Woody Allen's Leonard Zelig a nondescript enigma who pops up everywhere. I don't know if I can live up to Zelig's ubiquity, but I …
I am happy that the Red Sox won the World Series and I'm happy that they won the final game in Fenway Park. It is more fun to watch sports if you'e routing for one of the teams, and, for that reason, I had to choose between the Red Sox and the Cardinals. I was routing for the Red Sox. I'm a Mets fan and after the New York teams ended their seas …
I heard Chuck Schumer on the radio today. This is not going to be a partisan attack on him (or an attack on him of any kind), as I believe that regardless of your political ideology, many could relate to his feelings on an emotional level. He made a statement pertaining to the (paraphrased) immorality of the premium increases for flood insurance …
It’s a little eerie looking back one year ago. Early in the day, we could not have anticipated what would soon be upon us. Sure, there were warnings and advanced preparation. All transportation had shut down as did the NYSE for a nearly unprecedented second day. But still, I don’t think anyone really understood what was coming. Seriously, how coul …
Fred, as he loves to do, wrote a comment on Erik’s blog this week that exasperated me. Fred wrote: “Single parent homes is one of our greatest problems.” I was a single parent for eight years. During that time, I was faced with many preconceptions about my children as a result of my marital status. Thus, I am very sensitive to Fred’s sentiments. …
As a younger man, ailments were nothing more than ailments, something to see a doctor about and treated without much fanfare. Closing in on 60 however seems to have created a more gloomy perspective. Now aches and pains appear to surely be the result of something fatal. The hacking and choking cough and chest tightness I suffered in August led …
Sometimes sleep comes easy and sometimes not. This night I'm up writing this blog and it's in the wee hours of the AM. My mind keep running...clients...projects...relationships... It's tough to shut off. I turn the TV on and hope that watching the machines that make pencils put me to sleep. The experts say that no matter what time you go to sleep …
The Gotham Film Festival featured some short films that featured some great short films that told some great stories. I get to see Fred Klein ooze some joy as the Film Festival becomes an Annual Gotham cultural event. Tuesday night brought many Gotham members, families, and friends to a wonderful display of young cinematic talent. This year's Go …
Seventy years ago, George Horner was a prisoner in Theresienstadt, a concentration camp outside of Prague. He was a musician and played the music of Karel Svenk, another prisoner. They played cabaret pieces, the Theresienstadt March, and “How Come the Black Man Sits in the Back of the Car?” for other prisoners. By some historical accounts, music, a …
Most people have heard about the Running Back Adrian Petersen's two year old son who was beaten to death by his mother's boyfriend. At least two different sports columnists wrote pieces decrying Petersen's personality and lifestyle choices for having multiple children with different mothers without being involved in their lives. Both or these rep …
Part of what we hope Gotham does best is to provide a forum to build relationships from which we know great things follow. As a result, we are rolling out a new program for 2014, “The Gotham Touch”. We will actively encourage our members to get together with one another between regular meetings. Any type of connection is great, a phone call, l …
I am writing this blog early as my husband and I will be in Europe for the two weeks before it is posted. I am so excited about this trip as I have never been in Europe before. Along with my excitement, however, is my growing sense of anxiety. As I’ve written before I have a fear of flying. And the thought if being on a plane for seven and a hal …
Give me a good biography, a Skinny Cow chocolate ice cream bar, a couch and a lamp and I am very happy. Fiction is a struggle, and much of it, unfinished, is on my bookshelf. Recently I have plowed through biographies of Hamilton, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Einstein, and now about to finish Steve Jobs. Strolling past the biography section, I see …
The Affordable Health Care Act, affectionately know as ObamaCare, is getting so much attention these days. It was the focus of a government shutdown but this blog is not about the politics...it's about the website. Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services, is responsible for the development and operation of the site and she is ge …
