This week I came across an article about identify theft which offers tips worth passing along. As the author Laura Sinberg observes, “Hackers have become sophisticated at using one bit of information as a wedge to pry out more.” (“Build a fortress around your finances,” by Lau

“What the American public always wants is a tragedy with a happy ending.” So wrote William Dean Howell, author and literary critic, to the great American writer Edith Wharton, (“Root and Branch” by Gary Greenberg, Harpers, June 2013, pg86) I had to smile when I read those word

In 1897 Father Damien, a Belgian, arrived at the leper colony in Molokai, Hawaii to minister to the sick. In 1884 he altered his Sunday sermon by beginning, not with his usual salutation, “You lepers…” but with a new one: “We lepers.” I remember weeping years ago when I came

Yesterday, I read an excerpt from a book, Give Me Everything You Have On Being Stalked, by James Lasdun. It’s a harrowing account of one woman’s relentless effort to use the internet to destroy the author’s reputation. Stephen King couldn’t have run a deeper chill down my spin

I received a partial acceptance for a short story last week. The caveat was that I had to cut off the beginning and end, no small amputation from my point of view. The editor’s concluding sentence tried to be encouraging: All in all, this story has potential especially if you focus

“Any species that is wholly contented, perfectly adapted to its environment, runs a real risk of its extinction.” So begins Walter Kerr, theater critic, lyricist and Broadway director of several successful productions, in his 1962 publication, The Decline of Pleasure. (Paperback e

The other day, a young woman with whom I have a business arrangement referred to me as “sweet.” The word has been applied to me before and each time I blanche at the description. Believe me, gentle reader, I am anything but sweet. I take no offense at the word. I simply have no wi

One of the ironies of life is that a writer depends upon critics as much as he or she depends upon readers. Without the critic there is no chatter and a new book lies as neglected as a homework assignment after graduation. Haruki Murakami’s magnum opus, 1Q84 came out in English tran

Recently, on his PBS television program, Bill Moyers interviewed two women whose job it is to lobby against lobbyists. As they talked, the pair cited many instances where big money and big government worked together against the interest of the common man. Moyers, a former Washington i

Recently, I wrote a blog about data mining – how researchers track our electronic habits while we e-shop or use social networking. We pay for the convenience by opening ourselves to practices that invade our privacy. (5/20/13) I see no way to avoid data collectors unless we unplug o