I was just talking to someone who recently retired as COO of a large not for profit. I asked him how he felt and whether he missed it. Not at all, he said. In fact, that same not for profit pays him well to consult. As a consultant all he has to do is give his opinion. No decisions, no pressure, no responsibility. He tells them what he think …
Ebola Hazmat costumes. It's the new rage for Halloween this year. The CEO of a company in California that's selling Ebola Hazmat costumes says "people want that shock and awe." Most costume retailers carry the hazmat suits because of the "Breaking Bad" craze that was popular during Halloween of last year and now many people are planning to repurp …
I have never tired of "After The Gold Rush" and have always been a fan of the great Neil Young. Most recently, I was fascinated by his book "Waging Heavy Peace" and his professed love for his long time wife and collaborator Pegi. But then he divorces the love of his life for a Mermaid. Love can break whose heart?
I can't remember the last time we were in a Buy Buy Baby store. But we found ourselves in one last weekend. Shopping for a status symbol. They only had one starter Scooter to choose from. A take off on the Flexible Flyer sled of old. We passed on the scooter -- for now at least. We were in search of status. So many choices. Some more versatile t …
I saw it on the news, but specifically avoided the social media assaults. Anonymity too easily draws out the ugliness in people. She walked the red carpet, in what was titled the "Elle Women in Hollywood Celebration." Is this really something to celebrate though? I don't know if she had suffered from excessive plastic surgery and went th …
I try. I really do. But it is hard to keep track of all of the school zones in my neighborhood. And to make it worse, they are barely marked. But, since the local law changed recently, none of that really matters. Anyone who lives or works in Nassau County knows what I am talking about. The whole thing makes little sense to me and particularly sin …
For the past several weeks, I have been following the story of Brittany Maynard. For those of you that are unfamiliar with her story in January 2014, at twenty-nine years old and married for just one year, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and told she had three to five years to live. Two months after she underwent surgery to remove part of the …
Having nothing to do one afternoon, my son Max and I went to see Annabelle. I have always been a fan of horror movies. There are basically three kinds. Monster movies, movies where young people are ripped or shredded to pieces, or movies about demons and the devil. For me that last catergory is by far the scariest. Just the other night I was …
An article in the Wall Street Journal today stated "A third of Kurdish Fighters are Women, Defying Mideast Attitudes and Altering Kurdish Sociatey." These Kurdish women are training and fighting on the front lines against the Islamic State and having success. It is such a total departure for the role women play in the Middle East. They have joine …
On Tuesday night October 21, 18 Gothamites who are also members of the Friars Club will meet for drinks in the Club's Lucille Ball Bar to discuss important issues of the day. On the agenda is expanding Friars Club membership in the Tribe. At present, the following Gothamites are fellow Friars: Bruce Swicker, Daniel Hochler, Danny Mizrahi, David Ste …
It was a large group -- about forty people -- invited to cocktails in the penthouse apartment on the sixteenth floor with a nice view of the city (not New York). The sole elevator came down to the lobby to carry a second group to the penthouse. We watched as the elevator loaded. It looked a little too crowded. We weren't going to make it on for …
If you haven't been watching the Major League Baseball Playoffs, something incredible is happening. The Kansas City Royals, perennial impoverished bottom-dwellers, made the playoffs for the first time since 1984. They finally built a team that was young and fast with great defense and pitching. Those are all things that people knew about heading …
When I first started driving more years ago than I will admit, I had lots of patience. Driving along on the Belt Parkway was a treat (yes, I was born and raised in Brooklyn) even when that sea of red lights showed up ahead. I remember so distinctly just turning the radio up and doing a lot of singing. Mostly Barry Manilow, Billy Joel and Bruce Spri …
Jane Jacobs posted a very intriguing question on Facebook last week, “What book do you wish you could read again for the first time?" I immediately answered “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood. For me, it’s the perfect blend of a tale of a futuristic society that appeals to my nerdy side coupled with a female main character who tirelessly str …
A full page in the Times on Friday advertised a coming auction at Sotheby's of a Mark Rothko painting. It is called No. 21 (Red, Brown, Black and Orange). Here is a picture of it. Not being a student of modern art, I have not heard of Rothko though apparently he is one of the most famous post war American artists along with Andy Warhol, Jackso …
