The REAL Elaine’s

June 14, 2011
I recently read that Elaine Kaufman, who ran "Elaine's" in Manhattan, died, causing the restaurant to close. Since the décor was doubtful and the food was terrible, it couldn't go on without her. Kaufman ran it like a private club,... continued

Those Who Can

May 30, 2011
There's an old saying, "Those who can, do--those who can't, teach." As an ex-teacher, I've always resented this statement, but after coming from a recent conference where Whitley and I were the only non-academics, I'm beginning to see the truth... continued

A Really BIG ONE, This Time

May 18, 2011
I'm now home recuperating from yet another kidney stone operation, but even though I followed all the "rules" and drank lots more water after my kidney stone operation 3 years ago. It turns out that some of us are "stone... continued

You Can’t Have It Both Ways

May 12, 2011
When I hear the right wing attacks on Planned Parenthood--which are really attacks on abortion--I remember something I used to say to the conservative ladies I knew in Texas: You can't have it both ways. Actually, the whole controversy should... continued

Bin-Laden as the Purloined Letter

May 4, 2011
In his story "The Purloined Letter," Edgar Allan Poe writes about a man who hides a letter he doesn't want found in plain sight, amongst the other letters and bills on his desk. Whenever I've wanted to hide something, I've... continued

A Forgotten Hero

April 6, 2011
I consider PFC Bradley Manning, who gave Julian Assange most of the military information for Wikileaks, to be a hero, despite the fact that he is now a prisoner at Quantico, a top security military prison, AND being tortured with sleep deprivation, by... continued

Thanks, Liz

March 29, 2011
It was almost 7 years ago: Oct. 16, 2004 to be precise. Whitley was scheduled to be on Coast to Coast AM that night, starting at 10 pm. His friend Art Bell was still hosting the show at the time.... continued

Ponderings on Lemon Cake

March 18, 2011
Whitley and I are always on a diet, and as I recommend in my diet book, we allow ourselves one treat a week--whatever we want. Often it's the lemon cake with incredibly rich icing from our local bakery. If one... continued

Rules

March 11, 2011
I just saw an extraordinary film: "Of Gods and Men." This is based on the true story of a group of French monks living in Algeria in 1996 when Muslim fundamentalist terrorism was just taking hold in the country. At... continued

Communicating with a Light Switch

February 23, 2011
On a recent trip to New York City, we stayed at our favorite small hotel. We had scheduled meetings with some of our publishers, as well as a breakfast meeting with an old friend who is in the midst of... continued