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New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — a fighter against sexual harassment — finds herself accused of fostering it. Photograph by Rebecca Hammel for the U.S. Senate Photographic Studio.

Gillibrand's glasshouse

March 12, 2019

So now New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — who has made zero tolerance for sexual harassment the cornerstone of her heretofore successful career — is facing her own #MeToo moment. It comes with revelations in Politico that a young woman who worked for her resigned after she said the senator failed to take appropriation actions when a close aide allegedly made unwanted advances toward her. Gillibrand has defended her office’s response to the situation, saying that the aide, who has also served as the senator’s driver, was denied a promotion and given a final warning.

Study for Norman Rockwell’s “Murder in Mississippi,” an illustration that accompanied a June 29, 1965 Look magazine article about the June 21, 1964 murders of three civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Photograph by Louie Lamone. From … — Study for Norman Rockwell’s “Murder in Mississippi,” an illustration that accompanied a June 29, 1965 Look magazine article about the June 21, 1964 murders of three civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Photograph by Louie Lamone. From the Norman Rockwell Museum.

The week that was (thus far)

February 27, 2019

If you’re a blogger, these are boon times. Every day seems to bring a fresh controversy, a breaking news story.

Donald Trump's female troubles

January 25, 2019

Ann Coulter called Donnie a “wimp.”

And Nancy Pelosi proved she was right.

On yet another Farewell Friday — goodbye, Roger Stone — President Donald J. Trumpet announced that a deal had been made to end the 35-day government shutdown that held 800,000 federal workers and the rest of the nation hostage. Translation: Senate Majority Leader “Mitchie” McConnell told Hair Furor that he didn’t have the votes to keep the repudiated Repubs in line and so Donnie Two Scoops was forced to cave.

The future Queen Anne of Great Britain as Princess of Denmark, painted by Willem Wissing and Jan van der Vaart (1685, oil on canvas). Scottish National Gallery.

Camera obscura on female power and rivalry -- 'The Favourite'

January 2, 2019

“The Favourite” — a diabolically dotty Oscar contender about a diva of sorts supplanted by a younger rival — owes something to the 1950 Oscar winner “All About Eve.” Call it “All About Eve” for the PBS' “Masterpiece” set. Like “Eve’ it offers the reminder that life, the ultimate power player, often dictates that winners might actually be losers and losers, winners.

Home Secretary Theresa May with Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010. It’s her show now. Courtesy UK Home Office.

Saving face while losing themselves?

December 18, 2018

It was no minor metaphor when British Prime Minister Theresa May’s car door stuck as she strove to exit recently to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who waited with characteristic stoicism on the red carpet for yet another go-round in May’s futile attempt to negotiate a better Brexit deal. Brexit has been the ultimate stuck car door for May and the British people, a frustrating rigmarole with no satisfactory conclusion in sight.

Bartholomäus Spranger’s “Minerva (Athena) Victorious Over Ignorance” (circa 1591), oil on canvas. Kunsthistoriches Museum.

Fire and ice in a week that burned

November 18, 2018

It was another challenging week bookended by ice and snow on the East Coast and wildfires in California. I have no expertise to offer in alleviating the devastation wrought by wildfires, but I do have some thoughts on preventing the havoc wreaked by six inches – yes, a mere six inches – of snow, sleet and rain in New York.

The Dems claw their way back

November 6, 2018

For a while there, it was looking like déjà vu all over again, with Democratic hopes raised only to be dashed. But by golly, if the Dems didn’t snatch victory from the jaws of defeat to come back late in the evening of a nail-biting election day to take back the House of Representatives.