Some people assume privacy is a right granted by the US Constitution, but it isn’t. The word appears nowhere in the document. The Supreme Court drew inferences to that right in 1965 through provisions in the 1st, 5th, 9th and 14th amendments. However, court interpretations can chang

Like Samson, Hillary Clinton admits the source of her political power lies in her hair. “If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle.”  What is it with women and hair? In the Middle East, they keep it under wraps. In art, we see it entwined around a

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld got himself into a little trouble a while ago for dismissing the notion that he should have racial quotas on his Web TV series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. His response, was “You’re funny, I’m interested. You’re not funny, I’m not interested.”

Today marks 4 years since I began my blog, March 22, 2010. Since that date, I have ruminated 5 days a week on matters concerning literature, writing and life as it’s viewed through the lenses of my fellow writers. I began as a party of one, sending my thoughts across the virtual wor

I have a friend who is old enough to be considering retirement, yet young enough for me to feel free to offer her advice about buying long term care insurance. As she is a mother who’s raised children alone and taken care of an ailing parent, I shouldn’t be surprised to learn I wa

When I was a junior in high school, studying biology was a requirement. The material was interesting but one picture in our text always sent shivers down my spine. The photograph was of a toad hatching little toads from holes on its back. For me, the picture was repulsive. For my pube

 “…almost all critical judgment…is in the main built on prejudice.” So wrote British writer E. E. Kellett. (“What is Literature?” by Arthur Krystal, Harpers, March 2014, pg. 93) His pronouncement came as a relief, as I’d just read and hated two bestselling novels for my

Cultural differences aren’t our problem; human nature is. Wherever people exist, they take their characteristics with them, improving or tainting every endeavor. Recently I read an article excerpted in The Week that makes the point. The piece was by Pakistani journalist, Nadeem Para

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 exchanged woes by email this morning. Mine were minor complaints compared to hers. Her job was getting her down. I sympathized, remembering being in a workplace where nothing seemed to go right. Wherever people gather, pain lurks in the crowd. According to Colin McAdam,