Caught my first live show of 2025 last week: "John Lodge Celebrating 58 Years of Days of Future Passed with special Guest Jon Davision of Yes." The concert was at Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair. My fave Moodie is Justin Hayward. I was not sure what to expect when I decided to go. I found a few YouTube clips of some prior shows with Davison sin …
Another unbelievably true story. No one was injured, but many potatoes were lost when a tractor-trailer hauling a load of curly fries caught fire on a Maine highway last Wednesday. The firefighters used about 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish the flames, but the tractor-trailer and its spud snack cargo "were a total loss," firefighters wrote …
When I was a boy I was made aware of the "Red Scare" (fear of the spread of Communism). It was an abounding tsunami of hate and recrimination abroad in the land. For instance, people were called before congressional committees, found in contempt and jailed for refusing to name names of alleged communists or "fellow travelers." Most prominent in t …
From Aruba. The ordeal of standing in line at the Palapa Hut in the late afternoon heat to reserve a palapa was a time-honored tradition. Now that tradition is replaced by an app. All reservations are by app. The lady at the hut simply confirms your reservation and points you in the right direction.I am reminded of a story told to me by Stu who int …
My father has a saying "take the good with the bad". As a child, that was not an easy phrase to accept. Why would I accept bad with good things? As an adult, I have learned a deeper understanding for it. With all good things, there will be moments that follow or precede it that are not so great. It still isn't any easier to accept, but my view poin …
I’ve been under the weather for a few days, not unlike many others around me. I’ve had three meetings cancelled in the last week alone because someone else was under the weather. I suppose it was my turn. But that started me thinking about this particular phrase. What does it mean and where did it originate? With a little research I learned t …
A friend of ours recently received a daunting diagnosis. The way his two adult daughters are reacting to the diagnosis are profoundly different. One is optimistic believing that, with the right treatment, he will be okay. The other feels that she is being more realistic in terms of the effect of this diagnosis. I do not know which daughter is right …
For some the pitch about joining Gotham involves business opportunities. Members seek to sell their services or wares. That may be a primary reason to network. But for this member who complains not at all about business opportunities here, I submit Gotham offers much more. As many know here I chair the board of a senior agency. Two fellow boar …
It would appear a judge is fed up with incarcerating offenders who appear before him in court. A Michigan Judge Jeffrey Clothier is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters, ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring arrives. He hopes this unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. He …
Legend has it that cockfighting abounded in Key West and was a Hemingway favorite. Then it was outlawed in 1986 and the roosters were set free. Unfortunately, in 1998, Hurricane George spread the fowl all over our tiny, pristine Paradise and they have been multiplying ever since. You know why a rooster crows, don't you? Mitigation has failed misera …
I sometimes wonder what I would take if I could only take what I could pack in one suitcase. I’m not talking about packing for a vacation. I am imagining taking and not returning. Perhaps it is the turmoil and catastrophic events that pervade the news… but that’s my imagination.And as I wonder about the contents of that suitcase, I always find myse …
Fred’s last blog about his dog Charcoal got me thinking a lot about our pup, Luna. The bond that has developed between us in just three months, is amazing. We can sense each other’s needs and know when something is not right with either of us. One fascinating aspect of this is when it gets close to her mealtime. Luna has a particular bark, but real …
This past week brought big and happy news in our family. She said yes!! While on a cruise through Italy, my son got down on one knee right in the middle of Naples and asked the love of his life to become his life partner. He took the ring he had been carrying around for weeks out of his backpack, carefully opened the box and through her abject …
I was watching the movie Vengeance this week and, in the opening scenes, two male characters are discussing commitment. Their view on commitment was essentially, in this time of social media and instant gratification, why should they have to commit to anything? With endless options at their fingertips, why commit to personal relationships or long t …
A week ago this morning found Shelly and I at the Legislative Breakfast of the Queens Jewish Community Council (“QJCC”) at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates. Shelly does not usually join me at these breakfasts but this year our daughter got installed as a director by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. I posted the proud parent moment to …
