Tabs on Writing

The Atlanta Freelance Writer had to take a deep breath and expel it this morning after reading this article about New York City schools: “They have trouble with spelling, grammar and showing up to class on time — and we’re not talking about the students. The city tried to expel 26 teachers from the classroom last year [...]

The infamous, tragic shipwreck of the cruise liner off the coast of Tuscany may also be a literal environmental disaster for the nearby pristine island of Giglio, which means “lily” in Italian. This symbol of purity will be at high risk as the the actual pumping of diesel fuel begins on Saturday, and that process alone could [...]

When traveling in the Liguria Region of Italy a few years ago, I learned that the basil capital of Italy is the Genoa area. This aromatic herb, basil, together with  parmesan cheese, olive oil, pine nuts and crushed garlic,  is a key ingredient for pesto, a sauce for pasta that dates back to the  Romans. Three hundred [...]

The late Art Linkletter used to host a television show on which he would interview pre-school and grammar school-age children who would respond with hilarious results. He later immortalized these remarks in his humorous book entitled, Kids Say The Darndest Things. I can attest to that statement by relating some of the cute things my little granddaughters have spoken [...]

The Golden Globe Awards presentation last evening honored the PBS drama, Downton Abbey, as the best mini-series/TV movie for 2011. The period drama, shown on the Masterpiece Theatre program, features scandal, humor and exciting twists of fate during the pre-World War I era. It contrasts the upper crust classes of earldoms, comfortable in their castles, [...]

One of my favorite television programs is “Antiques Roadshow.” Host Mark Walberg (no, NOT Mark Wahlberg, the actor) tours the country with a cadre of experts from America’s best auction houses. It bills itself as “part adventure, part history lesson, and part treasure hunt” that has garnered nine Emmy® Award nominations. As PBS’s highest-rated series, the show [...]

The British, er, rather, the Parisians are coming! The Parisians are coming! That is, a new gourmand retailer, Ladurée, has just opened its first store in the U.S., on Madison Avenue in New York. Ladurée has survived since 1862 in Paris as a purveyor of the sweet delicacy known as the macaroon (macaron in French). A [...]

Today my dermatologist performed Mohs surgery on my scalp, which is microscopically controlled surgery used to treat common types of skin cancer. In order to stanch (verb) any bleeding from the wound, the nurse assistant heavily bandaged the back of my head. Having had to experience several pre-cancerous and cancerous dermatological issues, I am a staunch (adjective) [...]

Attended the Cobb Social Media Meetup today, a one-year old organization promoting the growth and use of what is also termed Web 2.o, which includes Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, wikis, etc. Each second Tuesday of the month the group meets at the Cobb County Public Library, Main Branch, from 11:30AM-1:00PM. If we only had one [...]