Planned Obsolescence

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The holiday season kicked off in our family, as it always does, with Thanksgiving and our wedding anniversary. Now, having just returned from a long weekend away with my beloved, I’m making my lists for the annual giftapalooza, figuring out what to buy, and what to avoid, for all my special people. While a 15th anniversary is certainly noteworthy, I … Read More

Lies, Damn Lies, Statistics and the End of the Recession

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Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th century British Prime Minister, once said that there were three types of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Never have those words been truer than now, as I read and listen to the debate about the state of our current recession. According to Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, the “recession is very likely over”. … Read More

Elegy for a beloved companion

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Many years ago, I began writing a book with the words, “I have a dog, and his name is Angus Mor. Angus is very loving and cuddly, and he makes Wookie noises when he’s not getting his way. All in all, Angus is a very cool dog. Angus is also one of the terrors of the neighborhood.  What is handsome … Read More

Vacation Extras

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It probably comes as no surprise to you that the “as-sold-on-TV” exercise program, promising flat stomachs in 90 days, works only for those who already have a six-pack, and cubic zirconium jewelry will never be mistaken for diamonds by anyone in the know. What’s advertised doesn’t always represent reality. My family’s recent West Coast vacation is case in point. A … Read More

A World without Oil

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Unilateral truths exist in each of our lives. One of mine is that I don’t watch horror movies. No Jaws, The Shining, or The Omen. I read The Silence of the Lambs; three weeks of checking nightly under my bed and in the closets convinced me to skip the movie. So, when I had the opportunity to watch A Crude … Read More

Foreign Trade

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I lead a very cosmopolitan life. Or, more accurately, the things that populate my life do. This morning’s grapes came from Chile, the bananas from Columbia. My Egyptian cotton clothes were manufactured in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Guatemala, my car comes from Japan and my spinning wheel from New Zealand. Even my stove is a bilingual Canadian. And lurking in the … Read More

Retirement and Social Security

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Each spring, as tax season comes to a close, I am reminded of my own mortality. The physical toll of too many hours at my desk, sleep deprivation and a weary brain elevates the simplest tasks, those that were inconsequential in November, to huge endeavors by early April. At this time of year, everything hurts. If the death throes of … Read More

Hello world!

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What can anyone say about a person who quits a good, well-paying (if slightly overwhelming) job for the uncertainty of self-employment in a new place, far from family and friends? I think I’ve heard it all – from questions over my sanity to expressions of envy to concern over the absence of any sort of business plan. There’s no question … Read More