A couple of weeks ago, I wrote in my column, “Watergate analogies apply to Obama, not Trump,” that President Obama’s Justice Department planted a spy in the Trump campaign. I said I used the term “spy” because this was a counter-intelligence operation, not a criminal investigation, where the term informant would have been proper. That statement has been brought into question as unsourced except as a tweet by Trump himself. This is what happens when I try to show that the beloved Obama went Nixon, but further.

I’ve loved Broadway musicals since I was smaller than a piano bench. That’s one reason I enjoy writing about local productions in this space. The more people who go to musicals, the happier it makes me. I didn’t realize how old-fashioned about musicals I could be, though, until my wife Elyse and I at long last saw “Wicked.” It only took us 15 years to get there. Last week (on July 12), it became the sixth-longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassing “A Chorus Line.” Here’s the ...

Since decorating mistakes can be very costly and time consuming, I always urge my clients to do their homework before undertaking any redecorating project. What kind of homework?  A good way to begin is to flip through design and decorating magazines, and visit websites dedicated to interior décor. Start collecting pictures of various design products and styles that appeal to you and you can visualize as your own.  Once you start identifying colors, designs, and various furnishings that illustrate your dream room, ...

I’ve decided to devote a lot of time this summer to exploring health and wellness. Being a person who has no preoccupation with age but still has a young child, this is probably not a bad idea. However, full disclosure: we have launched a new healthy lifestyle magazine here at Halston Media, so my pursuit isn’t always just for me. No complaints, though, because I am just embarking on this journey and already it’s been very cool. My calendar is already full of inspiring restorative experiences, classes, and treatments. I ...

Dear Dr. Linda, I am in second grade and have a problem about math. My teacher just keeps giving me homework and it’s driving me crazy. Because she keeps giving it to me on weekends and spring and summer breaks. And it’s only one level and it’s too hard. But the other people who have special needs get to be moved into a higher or lower group and they learn even more because it’s their level. I’m feeling very overwhelmed. Emi Dear Emi, It’s not that often that a second-grader writes to me. Thank ...

Dana Stahl, a learning specialist and educational consultant, will address educational questions and concerns that parents may have regarding their children’s academic development and progress in school. Topics can center on such concerns as how to handle homework dilemmas or what questions to ask at a CSE meeting. Questions can range from “How best do parents advocate for their children?” to “How do parents interpret formal tests that have been administered?” to “Which schools and colleges are right for my ...

National Save for Retirement Week was observed Oct. 18 – 24 this year. And this week has some weight behind it, as it is recognized by the U.S. Senate for its importance in encouraging Americans to prepare themselves financially for retirement. Are you doing all you can? Many of your peers aren’t. About a third of working adults have no retirement savings or pension, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve. And more than half of workers report that the total value of their household’s savings and investments, ...

Immediately after passing the $1.5 trillion tax reform bill last December—further enriching the “one-percenters” and exploding the national debt—House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke to a throng of fellow conservative legislators in the U.S. Capitol rotunda as they congratulated themselves on their dubious achievement.  “House Republicans will aim to cut spending on Medicare, Medicaid and welfare programs next year as a way to trim the federal deficit,” he said. “We’re going to have to get back ...

2 Hollowbrook Place, Cortlandt $550,000.00 This unique 3 family home boasts tremendous curb appeal with a stone and brick exterior. Each unit offers 2 spacious bedrooms, 1 updated full bath, updated kitchens, separate entrances and separate patios. Two of the three units have beautiful brick and stone fireplaces that create a warm and cozy atmosphere in the living rooms. There is plenty of backyard space for tenants to use and ample parking via 1 car attached garage, driveway, gravel parking lot on side of house. Additional unit used ...

Did you watch “Roseanne” last week? The reboot of the popular show from the ‘90s opened to huge ratings. So huge, in fact, it earned the highest ratings of any network program in the last six years. More than 18 million people tuned in to watch both of the first two half-hour episodes. That’s quite an accomplishment for a show that had a terrible final year and then took a 20-year hiatus.  I am just going to put it right out front. The reason for this huge opening is that both the character of Roseanne Connor ...

I was always very impressed that my dog could bark on command and come when I called his name, until I read in the newspaper about a dog that saved his owner’s life by calling 9-1-1. Apparently, when his owner had a seizure, the dog pushed a speed-dial button for 9-1-1, barked into the receiver for help, and then opened the door when the responders arrived. Honestly, though, it’s not a fair comparison. That dog had been trained to save lives, and my dog has been trained… to go potty outside. Still, it did get me ...

Harry, despite all the recent cold weather, cannot for the life of him understand why anyone wouldn’t like winter. Nothing is biting or stinging, your underwear doesn’t stick, poison ivy and the immortal deer tick lay buried in the snow. Sleep is better. There’s the electric blanket to warm the sheets or a dark cavern of covers under which to hibernate for eight hours. And how can anyone compare the romantic glow of evening by the fireplace to…air conditioning? But the best thing about winter, at least in ...

We spend so much time teaching our children not to bully one another and not to gossip, but all too often adults don’t practice what they preach, especially given the often toxic and viral nature of social media. Given the series of events last week regarding a disputed story involving the Somers girls and Yorktown boys lacrosse players, it seems that Somers school administrators were bullied into making premature statements. Many people are so quick to judge—and to judge publicly—without any deference to due process ...

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly, at least to start.  As a recovering perfectionist, I have learned to get started on a project even if I don’t have all the pieces together. Sometimes just puttering, tinkering or moving the parts around will help me sort out my brain enough to give me an idea of how to tackle a project.   I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started a project indirectly by doing something else. This could start by picking up around the house or folding laundry. I joke to my husband ...

To me, pizza is the perfect food. It contains all your major food groups: dairy, vegetables, bread and meat. It needs no alterations, no improvements, no changes. It is perfect in its pristine, glorious incarnation—unless you are in Chicago. I don’t know what the hell that thing is. But like any good meal, the key to stellar pizza is the recipe and the quality of the ingredients. And like everything in life, there must be balance—the cheese-to-sauce ratio has to be just right. The pizza should have an orange-y ...