The stock market is going through a hiccup phase, a series of ups and downs which, I suppose, is better than the plummet of 2008. Still, constant fluctuations are nerve-racking, so when I saw an article on investing by the “Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffet, I gave it my attention.

I received an email this morning which looked like a reply from an literary agent. Surprised to hear from her after so long an interval, I opened the message with my heart aflutter.  “Hello,” the greeting began. That no name was appended to the salutation was a clue this was a pi

I admit it. I’m old and my jowls are sagging, but I still enjoy fashion. In my youth, runway models were celebrities in their own right. Today, actresses seem to have replaced the super models. I’m not surprised. Glamour shines brightest at the nexus between fashion and stardom. T

A friend and I were debating a story we’d heard on the news about an 80-year-old woman with a PhD who for decades taught as an adjunct at a university. Recently she lost her job and died in poverty, her body committed to a cardboard box. As adjuncts comprise 50-70% of college workfo

“If you do not have a happy-for-now or happily-ever-after ending, you aren’t writing romance. You will let your readers down.” Lynn Lorenz, a romance writer gave that advice to novices at a conference held in Las Vegas last August. While literary authors like Phillip Roth or Mar

“A human being has a natural desire to have more of a good thing than he needs,” Mark Twain once observed. (Following the Equator) He’s right, of course. Who doesn’t desire a little luxury in life? Still, some carry their aspirations too far. Kim Kardashan and her fiancé rece

Like others, I’ve taken my swipes at Goldman Sachs. (Blog 8/30/13) But after reading Anne Vandermey’s article, “Yes, Goldman Sachs Really is a Great Place to Work,” I came away less sure of my opinion. (Fortune, Feb.3, 14 pgs 97-104). As The author remarks, not only are the co

What’s a living wage? The president thinks $10.10 is the magic number. The governors of some states think it’s more. Some think it’s less. I’m not sure how our leaders come up with these figures but in my mind a living wage shouldn’t be a specific number. It should be a perc

For some time, I’ve been twisting my brain inside out, trying to appreciate trends in modern art. A recent article in Vanity Fair, suggests my struggles have been in vain. According to author A. A. Gill, what I need to understand about the new form of expression is that understandin

If I could add another amendment to The United States Constitution it would read: Section I: Congress shall enact no laws that a person of average intelligence is unable to understand. Section II: Any administrative rules created to regulate, enforce and/or clarify said law shall be l