A couple of weeks ago, a reader sent me am article from the Wall Street Journal about a first novel that became an overnight success, (“Preparation for the Next Life,” by Atticus Lish. (Click here) The story is one that would make any struggling writer salivate. Tyrant, a sm
Since museums are run by people, it should come as no surprise that competition exists for the patronage of the ultra rich among these institutions. At the moment, a war of sorts is going on between New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Until
“The Hard Sell,” is an amusing complaint by writer Adam Resnick about well-meaning friends. (Town&Country, 2/15 pgs. 82-84.) In his case, the friend was a woman who insisted he watch a foreign film called, Lovers of the Arctic Circle. When she told him about the plot, it
The story didn’t make the major headlines of the day, but it caught my eye. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that in the interest of preserving civil liberties, federal law enforcement officials would no longer be allowed to seize property without evidence that a crime
Recently, President Obama held a press conference where only women reporters were given an opportunity to field questions. His conduct drew much speculation in the media, and the reason may have been a response to some released studies that show women tend to remain silent in foru
When I ran for public office, I described myself as a fiscal conservative but a social liberal. Over time, I came to see my description was facile and without meaning. What was I saying about myself? That I don’t want people to pay much in taxes, but I wanted day care and heal
A wonderful bakery exists two blocks from my new address so Sunday morning I walked over to buy some fresh croissants. On the way, I stopped at a newspaper stand and bent down to read the headline. Apparently, our city commissioners had passed an ordinance which required property
Joseph Stiglitz, American economist and winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics, has written a thought provoking piece in January’s Vanity Fair. In it, he looks at America’s future now that China has overtaken it as the world’s largest economy. Most certainly, he predict
We hear a lot about crowdsourcing these days — the seemingly democratic, web friendly enterprise that brings small contributors together with small entrepreneurs to promote new businesses or to help people who need surgeries raise the funds — a pitiful way to provide h
My computer is behaving badly this week. It’s not anything I’ve done. I haven’t stuck my tongue out at it. I haven’t kicked the thing. It’s having a fit on its own and I’ve got 3 experts working on the problem. That a computer can upset a person’s life in a na