And why it’s a bad idea It’s the kind of thing that happens to all of us now and then. Just the other day, I was having lunch with a somewhat imposing young film student to talk about the possibility of his doing a YouTube video to promote my novel. He was both handsome and 
Why Cuomo, Bloomberg and even Christie should be talking that day The plan for this year’s 9/11 commemoration sounds an awful lot like last year’s, especially since word came down that no public officials will deliver remarks. No speeches, especially anything deemed “political,” shall mar the reading of the names of those lost on that 
by Alan Chartock Conservative predictions about gay marriage haven’t come true What was all the fuss about? Gays and lesbians wanted to marry. You’d have thought the world was going to explode. Nothing made for better news copy. Some evangelicals literally raised hell; we were Sodom and Gomorrah. God would punish us. Leviticus in the 
Political Opportunist To the Editor: Kirsten Gillibrand is a political hack and opportunist if ever there was one. (“Why Kirsten Gillibrand Could Have It All,” July 26). She shamelessly scouts for headlines to jump on and take what her handlers advise are “populist” positions. An example is Gillibrand jumping on the “Miracle in the Hudson” 
Hollow arguments from opponents to a ban on large sodas Bodegas, you see, are some of the New York City businesses that will clean up at the expense of the “little guys,” like pizza parlors and McDonald’s, if, as expected, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s new soda policy goes into effect in September. That was just one 
A smile can make everything better “I could show the world how to smile, I could be glad all of the while…” Well, there’d be infinitely more to smile about if songs like that again topped the charts. Ah, but the physical act of smiling does makes us feel better. Supportive research must get out 
Cuomo is dedicated to anything but transparency By Alan S. Chartock You cannot have democracy without good information. How are any of us expected to vote intelligently if we don’t know what is going on? Andrew Cuomo campaigned for office on a platform of transparency in government. As attorney general, he employed Blair Horner to 
It’s not uncommon for strangers to incite impetuous conversations at any given moment. After all, there are many inscrutable bullet points that warrant discussion from someone who may know more and the desire for conversation becomes ever the most apparent when you begin to unfurl your Sunday newspaper. Like, does anyone have the crossword puzzle
Unleashing our inner bitchy selves I was on my way out of St. John the Divine, on 112th Street, after a Saturday night concert when I heard a woman behind me say in a loud, distinctly annoyed tone of voice, “But I don’t understand; why don’t they allow dogs in here?” At first I was 
