I'm offically a Telepone Standby Juror next week. I know it's my civic duty and half of me is very willing to do my part. The other half...not so much.   Apparently it's quite a cattle call. My number is 2757 and they start the week at 1001. However, they are calling in 600 people on Monday. My guess, I get pulled in on Thursday.   Last time I was called it had to be about 12 years ago. The video they played was really good. It was well produced with celebrities (I think Ed B...

When I was young I was one lazy slacker, warranting the nickname “Klein with the big behind”.   At some point in high school self loathing caused a light to go off and I started to play sports, do push ups and other exercises which I continue to do daily to this day.   Then came the running boom and I was hooked, running distance every day for almost 2 years.  They say the endorphins generated by exercise are addictive.   If it is an addiction it is a positive addiction! Now ...

Flo was curious. So she asked the first Millennial she saw — he happened to be a salesperson at a department store — what his favorite app for comparing air fares is.   He immediately replied with the names of two apps on his phone. I don’t have an app for comparing air fares but I have plenty of other apps on my iPhone. Though not as many as others have. The apps I use most often are CNN and a banking app. The coolest app is the one I have for creating my emoji. The most...

  2 weeks ago, I circulated an email on Fredslist, looking to make a meaningful connection with Sharon Kline.   Sharon Kline is the President of Family Wealth for Wilmington Trust in New York. I could easily connect with her internally, but I thought I’d give the opportunity for an introduction to Gotham, in the BIG APPLE. Just to see what would happen…maybe test the waters.   How deep does the proverbial net--work go? NY is a big place....well, SHAZAM! I attended Susan Zind...

I remember when my daughter left for sleep away camp. We all stressed about the limits on phone calls. I remember (like it was yesterday) the day of the “first” camp phone call. We were all anxious, and it went so fast. Hardly enough time to even catch a breath.   Now, Jaclyn is a world traveler. Over the last few years she has spent months at a time in countries half way across the world. Last week, she left for India to spend close to four months working at an NGO i...

As I write this blog I am, once again, filled with incredible sadness over a senseless act of mass violence, this time in New Zealand. I am also struck by the political posturing that is already taking place on both sides of the aisle, with respect to issues such as gun control, restraints on rhetoric, and regulations on the use of social media.   Anyone who knows me well, knows where I stand politically as to these issues. So, this blog is not about politics. When I think a...

I enjoy recognizing those who make a difference in our communities and the world. This explains my involvement in the Gotham Green Awards® – established by Gotham City Networking, Inc.® and Gotham Green® – which recognize people, businesses and organizations that work on environmentally sustainable initiatives and projects.   Indeed, as co-chair of Gotham Green®, I get to participate in this celebration of people and organizations, who work in ways big and small to make our ...

I recently pulled into the parking lot of my local 7/11 to grab a cup of coffee. There's always a spot up front at 7AM but I parked three rows out and walked up to the store. It was a beautiful sunny day.   As I made my way, I noticed that 6 out of the 10 cars parked in the lot were idling without a single soul inside any of them. They were all running with smoke coming out of their tailpipes.    I was surprised. It was about 50 degrees and sunny so there was no reason to kee...

In Key West there is a practice called the “Local Discount” of 10% for “Locals”.   We somehow qualify and appreciate it.  Usually we are noticed as “Locals” and automatically receive it.  When we are not, I sometimes request it.   A discount is certain amount or percentage deducted from the usual or posted price (a whole blog could be written on what is the actual price) of something.   Discounts are given, for instance, to Senior citizens, active military members, students, ...

This blog had to be rewritten. My blog asked the question “would you fly on a 737 Max 8?” The question has been rendered moot by the grounding of the planes in the U.S. yesterday afternoon. However, the issues remain and the question can be simply rephrased: “Would you have flown on a 737 Max?” Two accidents seemingly of very similar circumstances. Almost immediate action by several countries with an ever-increasing number joining. Yet, as I wrote the original blog, the ...

  Remember when you were a little person and you’d get a scratch or boo-boo and your mom would clean it, kiss it, put a band-aid on it and the wound would simply go away in a few days? Turns out, there is something magical about this little recipe.   Recently, I learned a lesson in modern medicine. While medicine continues to make great strides in treating disease, I believe we could do a much better job in dis-ease prevention. It amazes me that our doctors quickly dispense d...

I’m taking a survey. There are so many viewing options today. Netflix? Amazon Prime? Hulu? And how about streaming sticks like Roku or Amazon Fire Stick? To be honest, I don’t even really know what those are. That said, my current options seem limited. Netflix just isn’t what it used to be. What is your favorite mode of streaming? I’m ready to explore. ...

I was on the phone, with my sister-in-law this week, discussing an issue I that was having with a colleague at work. I loved something she said to me and chose to share it in my blogspace. In response to one of my complaints she told me, “Perhaps you should tell that person that their head should be where their feet are.”   In other words, try to take a moment to appreciate where you are before worrying about what is going to happen next. Wise advice.   Is your head where y...

When I wrote my then regular The Public Ought to Know column (on which my book of the same name), I routinely scoped out topics I planned to cover. Sometimes, current events or experiences changed the order or pushed back or supplanted topics; indeed sometimes entire columns as drafted faced delay or re-write, or both. My approach to this regular Gotham Sunday blog sometimes follow a similar vein; what I planned to write about a week or several days ahead easily changed when ...

I admit, I've been enthralled with SpaceX's Demo 1 mission - launching the Dragon space capsule, dock with the ISS and safely reutrn it to earth. It's a prelude to sending astronauts to the space station from American soil for the first time since 2011.   If you didn't know, we been hitching rides for the past 8 years on Russian rockets for about $75 million/trip.   The Dragon space capsule safely splashed down yesterday morning and they are saying that real live astronauts w...