Yesterday, the morning after Gotham announced its Networkers of the Year and recipient of the revered Red Bandana Award, Time magazine announced its Person of the Year — the Silence Breakers — the women who came forward to hold Harvey Weinstein accountable and bring him down. Inspiring, and inspired by, #MeToo, the Silence Breakers began a conversa …
I’m not one who pedals conspiracy theories but I do marvel at some coincidences. We live in stressful times. Cable news attests to that. Is it any wonder that the standards for hypertension have been lowered? More blood pressure medication will flow. And the new head of Health and Human Services comes from Big Pharma. And all this came in one …
I attended a talk among glass artists who were discussing their approach to their craft. One artist mentioned that he never went to college and observed that he was not enamored of formal education. As he explained further, he clarified his observation that teachers only taught what they knew and that students are acknowledged for repeating what t …
As I watched the coverage of Tuesday’s terrorist attack and the reality set in, two recurring thoughts came to mind. I remembered our walks along that stretch of the path along West Street and I remembered an off-Broadway play that we saw many years ago. I don’t remember the name. The play, set in Israel, depicted scenes of everyday life — a visit …
Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing and speaking to Dan Clayman. Dan is a glass artist who has a significant installation at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. I strongly recommend both the Grounds and Dan’s installation. While speaking about his works, Dan mentioned the three most influential men in his life: his father, the hea …
Recently we have been witness to the incredible strength of nature. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the wild fires of California. Nature at its strongest....and worse. Last week, we were walking in the Town of Huntington and saw nature at its strongest. Against a barren brick wall, in the crack between the wall and the concrete sidewalk, a wh …
The flight had open seating. As we settled into the seats we had chosen, we heard coughing nearby. It was the young man in the seat in front of us. The young man with the eye patch. As he continued to cough, one of his colleagues asked how he was feeling. “Not so great. The medicine hasn’t kicked in yet...and the doctor isn’t sure whether it’s bac …
I gazed at the half-full coffee mug on my desk as I stood up. I had to walk down the halls to another attorney's office to discuss a case. I thought about taking the mug with me. Nice to be able to sip the rest of my morning coffee. But something made me think twice. I took the mug anyway. As I was walking back to my office someone came rushing aro …
Last weekend, we were at a family wedding in Schroon Lake, New York in the Adirondack foothills. Many of the festivities were in the town of Lake George. Being there for a few days caused me to rethink my life-long voiced preference for beach over mountains. I love the beach. However, I have come to accept that looking o …
As I tore myself away from CNN to write this blog, a zipper across the screen reported that power would be restored in eastern Florida by this weekend and in western Florida by September 22nd. I reflected. That's about the length of time that it took to restore electricity to our home after Sandy. Empathy. "The capacity to understand or feel wh …
One of our annual traditions on Martha's Vineyard are challenge matches of Skee Ball and Air Hockey. So, after dinner nearby, Flo and I made our way up Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs to Ryan's Amusement Center. Our ferocious games of air hockey drew a crowd of young onlookers and we left the hockey table for them as we moved to Skee Ball -- our real …
I was going to blog about our star -- the Sun -- and the eclipse. Where was I, where were you? But there was another "star" on Monday worth noting. At a concert at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, Billy Joel wore a yellow Star of David (actually, he wore two -- one in front and one on his back) reminiscent of the Stars of David that Jew …
It is against the backdrop of our day to day routines and the challenges of these interesting times, that I look forward to Monday's solar eclipse. My daughter and son-in-law are heading south to be in the Path of Totality. I'll settle for the partial eclipse here in New York. As I ponder the upcoming astronomical event (some say, of a lifetime), …
Welcome August. I love the month of August. It's my birth month (which I proudly share, both month and day, with fellow Gothamite, Lisa Waterman). I'm a summer person. Perhaps it has something to do with the timing of my birth. I like the heat of August and the cooler nights that descend as the month moves to September. August is ocean and sand …
The recent report confirmed what was generally believed. Football is dangerous. Brain damage was found in 99% of the professional players whose brains were studied post-mortem. Even providing for statistical variations, the results seem clear and are troubling. The NFL will, no doubt, take steps to address the problem -- changes to rules …
