Editor's Note: We apologize but somehow we missed the first of these contributions from Lee White. It should have been published a week ago (June 17), but -- in the simplest of terms -- it wasn't. However, we can't (nor do we want to) just skip it because Lee's recipes are too good to miss and also the story in her preamble is in two-parts, so you need to read last weeks before … [Read more...] about A Bumper Edition of A la Carte: Pad Thai & Scampi (with ‘Metro Bis’ & ‘Trader Joe’s’ Connections Respectively)
Columnists
Legal News You Can Use: What to Do, What to Avoid When Creating a Co-parenting Plan
When a couple with minor children gets divorced, they face areas of adversity that childless divorcees or those with children, who are of legal age, will never know. Co-parenting may become the new reality for parents after divorce. The couples that make it work are willing to make some minor concessions, create a plan that works for the children, and stick to … [Read more...] about Legal News You Can Use: What to Do, What to Avoid When Creating a Co-parenting Plan
Gardening With ‘The English Lady’: Tips for June “When the World Smells of Roses”
“Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is out,” is an old English saying that means do not put away your long johns until May is over -- well, we certainly have had a few very cool nights recently, which is just wonderful, allowing one to sleep with the windows open. I cannot remember the last time we had a real spring like the one we are experiencing this year, with plenty of rain. … [Read more...] about Gardening With ‘The English Lady’: Tips for June “When the World Smells of Roses”
Reading Uncertainly? ‘The File’ by Timothy Garton Ash -“A Chilling Portrait of Treachery and Compromise” (LeCarré)
Another sleeper! A neighbor and compulsive reader -- as I am too -- gave me this paperback with her encouragement. As I started to read, I was somewhat dubious. After all, what is there to interest me in reading about a young Oxford grad student going to Berlin in 1978, and then on to Humboldt University in East Berlin in 1980 to continue his work. But ... it seems this … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘The File’ by Timothy Garton Ash -“A Chilling Portrait of Treachery and Compromise” (LeCarré)
Talking Transportation: Is Commuting Dead?
These columns run in some publications under the title "Getting There." Am I going to have to change that name to “NOT Getting There”? That’s what Governor Lamont says. Post-COVID he predicts the end of daily commuting as we know it. Lamont told Bloomberg that his New York business buddies tell him they’re saving so much money by having people work from their homes they may … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Is Commuting Dead?
A la Carte: A Princess Calls it ‘Filthy, Sexy Mush’ … So Much More Exotic Than ‘Zucchini Pasta Sauce’!
Oh, my, it was a long-overdue restaurant week and perhaps it will never be a forever restaurant week. But those restaurants lucky enough to have an outdoor space may now see our faces, and we theirs. Yes, it is still distancing and wearing masks and will be so until there is a vaccine that works and is available for everyone. But last week was wonderful. Last Wednesday I met … [Read more...] about A la Carte: A Princess Calls it ‘Filthy, Sexy Mush’ … So Much More Exotic Than ‘Zucchini Pasta Sauce’!
Legal News You Can Use: US Senate, House of Representatives Pass Modifications to PPP
Congress has enacted legislation that modifies a number of provisions in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that was implemented as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act and its response to COVID-19. The new legislation gives business owners more time and more flexibility in using loan proceeds received through the PPP, and modifies … [Read more...] about Legal News You Can Use: US Senate, House of Representatives Pass Modifications to PPP
Talking Transportation: The Road Ahead … for Rail Commuters: Will They Ever Go Back To Metro-North?
The road ahead for commuters may be less crowded ... or maybe more. One theory has it that, as people gradually return to work, they will shun mass transit out of safety concerns and commute, instead, by car. That could create problems on our roads if people try to drive five days a week. The other speculation is that the “new normal” will mean less commuting overall as … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: The Road Ahead … for Rail Commuters: Will They Ever Go Back To Metro-North?
A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 2: Nazi Aggression through “A Rain of Ruin from the Air” on Hiroshima
Nazi Aggression through “A Rain of Ruin from the Air” on Hiroshima Part 1 ended with a review of Theodore Roosevelt’s extension of the Monroe Doctrine to enable the United States to exercise “international police power” in the Western Hemisphere. I continue my review of significant speeches with one of Winston Churchill’s wartime speeches. As noted last time, my selection … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 2: Nazi Aggression through “A Rain of Ruin from the Air” on Hiroshima
Talking Transportation: Cruise Ships Hit COVID Storm, What Happens Next?
Have you ever taken a cruise? According to that industry, something like 28 million people worldwide took to the high seas last year. But that still leave 80 percent of Americans who have never cruised, enjoying the midnight buffets, spas and casinos at sea. Obviously, cruising has lost its allure since the megaships became epicenters of COVID-19 outbreaks, trapping … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Cruise Ships Hit COVID Storm, What Happens Next?
A la Carte: Going to Grill, But No Idea What? How About Bourbon- & Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops
I grew up in a house where, if something needed fixed, my mother called someone. My brother also grew up in the same house and, generally speaking, he didn’t learn how to fix things, either. I went to college and majored in English. My brother went to MIT undergraduate and then got himself a masters and Ph.D. in metallurgy at RPI. I married a man, who also majored in … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Going to Grill, But No Idea What? How About Bourbon- & Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops
Legal News You Can Use: Does Mediation Make Sense for Your Divorce?
If you and your spouse are pursuing an amicable divorce, going through litigation may not make sense. No matter what your feelings are toward each other, you may both be clear communicators and able to work together. If you have children, you may want to avoid a contentious process to protect them, too. In these cases, mediation may be your solution. Yet, it’s … [Read more...] about Legal News You Can Use: Does Mediation Make Sense for Your Divorce?
Reading Uncertainly? ‘How Democracies Die’ by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
Two learned Harvard professors open this provocative challenge to many of our conventional beliefs with a brief sentence: "We feel dread ..." Their worry – that “democracy” as we have known it may be seriously threatened: “Democracies may die at the hands not of generals but of elected leaders ... who subvert the very process that brought them to power.” They cite Hitler, … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘How Democracies Die’ by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
Letter From Paris: Thoughts on Life Under Lockdown in Fontainebleau, How France Has Coped With COVID-19
There have been many deadly pandemics in the history of the planet but this is the first time ever that one has affected so many people. COVID-19 forced half the world population - or more than three billion - into confinement. I guess this is the price one has to pay for living in a globalized world. Each country handled the coronavirus crisis in a different way. How did … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Thoughts on Life Under Lockdown in Fontainebleau, How France Has Coped With COVID-19
Gardening With ‘The English Lady’: Tips for the Merry Month of May
“The darling buds of May” is such an apt phrase for one of the most enchanting months, bloom on bulbs and trees and the fresh foliage on trees winking in the sun. By now, you have probably removed most of the winter debris, pruned broken branches and re-edged borders. Do not however, apply that spring layer of composted manure as the soil needs to warm up to 60 degrees for … [Read more...] about Gardening With ‘The English Lady’: Tips for the Merry Month of May