For me, the “S” in Sunday stands for sloth; so after a breakfast of bananas and oatmeal, I remained in my fleecy robe and crossed into the living room to read. On the opposite wall, the computer screen glared accusingly. “Shouldn’t you be writing?” it seem
In the investment world, corporations are described as vertical or horizontal entities. A vertical business is one that deals with a narrow range of products, like a tire company or cheese factory. A horizontal business is one that engages in numerous ventures. General Electric is a t
SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY It doesn’t take much to make me feel insecure. If I watch a BBC mystery and don’t understand the killer’s motive, I feel inadequate. If someone tells a joke and everybody laughs but me, I feel lost. Sometimes I don’t even get the quips that appear on Fac
THE MORAL IMPLICATION OF A SMILE Recently I read two commentaries in a magazine that, together, left me feeling as though I’d been dumped on by a load of bricks. The first, excerpted from the “Wall Street Journal,” was about an ailing doctor and why, like others in his p
NOT ON THE STREET WHERE I LIVE Unlike Victorian children who were expected to be seen and not heard, American children, according to writer Daphne Merkin, have been protected and indulged to the point where they have a sense of entitlement. How, she wonders, will these little inhabita
FACING A DILEMMA As today marks the beginning of the third year of this blog, I am faced with a dilemma. In the past, my goals were simply defined: Reflect on the life of a writer, even a small potatoes one like me. Make connections between writing, literature and world events. Addres
A DAY OF CELEBRATION Today, I wish to thank my readers for their support and their loyalty over the past two years. March 22 marks the end of my second year as a blogger and I am staggered to think that I have written over 600 essays at the rate of five a week (M-F) on varied topics b
Normal 0 SOUTH SUDAN, AN OLD COUNTRY IN A NEW SHOE South Sudan’s decision to unite its 150 tribes by making English the country’s official language is a reminder to us all that words do matter (“A Civil Tongue,” by James di Giovanni, “Harpers” March 2012 pg 53
JUST SOUND — NO FURY AND NO POINT Besides touting their own books or writing reviews about the books of others, literary bloggers sometimes review people who pass themselves off as experts in the field. Okay, I’m going to say this up front so that my prejudice is not only cl