Posts by Brigid Cahalan

July 26, 1990: President George H. W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on the South Lawn of the White House. Described as "the world's first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities," this legislation broke new ground, building upon earlier legislation such as the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The New York Public Library acknowledges the 20th anniversary of this landmark law by hosting several events in July 2010.

Are you hearing the same mixed messages about the state of the economy that I am? Though some aspects seem to be getting better, other indications are not so bright... Whatever our age or stage in life, now more than ever we need to learn about personal finance.

Tom Deignan, writer of the weekly Sidewalks column in the Irish Voice and author of Irish Americans, spoke at the Mid-Manhattan, West New Brighton, and Riverdale libraries last month. The occasion was Immigrant Heritage Week — celebrated yearly in New York City — a great time to remember and honor our immigrant forebears. He has quite an encyclopedic knowledge on the topic of Irish America, and this time he chose to present 20 books that he considers to be required reading for Irish Americans.

Forty years of Earth Days... and each year we are encouraged to do something green. How are you doing with that? I've made a few changes—am making fewer copies, reusing paper, recycling lots of stuff. And today I shall eschew plastic bottles: it's just that superb NYC tap water for me. 

April is the cruellest month.
—T.S. Eliot, opening of The Wasteland.
 
What do you associate with April? April showers? April in Paris?
 

To celebrate Women’s History Month last year, I wrote about some women from the past who made history by doing amazing things in later life. This year I’d like to take a look at some superwomen over 50 who are making history right now.
 
First, let’s look at some of the women who have won the Purpose Prize, a prize awarded to several individuals over 60 each year for making extraordinary contributions in their encore careers.  Note: these are just a few of a cadre of dozens of wonderful women, as well as magnificent men who have won the Prize!
 

If you enjoyed reading this collection of essays, there's always lots more Nora Ephron to read--I recommend Crazy Salad: Some Things About Women for a start.

I do hope you've had a chance to read or listen to Nora Ephron's elucidating and entertaining collection of essays. If not, it's not too late—these questions will be here waiting for you whenever you would like to post your responses, or any thoughts about the book you'd like to share.

Nora Ephron was born in New York City in 1941, the first of what would be four daughters of screenwriter parents Henry and Phoebe Ephron. After growing up in Beverly Hills, she graduated from Wellesley College and has lived much of her adult life on the east coast, briefly working as an intern in the Kennedy White House.  She lives on Manhattan’s west side with her husband of over 20 years, writer Nicholas Pileggi.

Happy New Year! And welcome (or welcome back) to The Reader’s Den, now in its second year.

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron, a former #1 New York Times bestseller, kicks off the list this year. As the years roll by, many over a certain age move into an increasingly-complex maintenance schedule, and several of the 15 essays in the book examine these efforts. If we can’t ultimately win the war against aging—as each of us knows somewhere inside—we might as well laugh at it. As you read this book, you will laugh.

Marc Prensky coined the term digital natives to describe those born after the advent of digital technology, circa 1980. He posits that they differ fundamentally from those who came before. To carry the natives analogy a bit further, Prensky suggests that even if we digital immigrants learn the language, we will always have an accent.

Alvaro Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of SharpBrains and co-author (with Elkhonon Goldberg) of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: 18 Interviews with Scientists, Practical Advice, and Product Reviews to Keep your Brain Sharp will be discussing the growing field of research in this area at two NYPL locations this coming week: Wednesday, September 23, 10 A.M. at Bronx Library Center, 310 East Kingsbridge Road; and, Friday, September 25, 1:30 P.M. at the

Are you looking for a job? Perhaps you feel ready for a career change, were laid off, or realize that you retired too early and want—or need—to get back into the workforce doing... something...

If you’re over 60, maybe 50, or even 40 you might find the prospect of a job search daunting, especially when you see 20- and 30-somethings competing for the same positions. Well, take heart: there’s a lot of help out there for you. The following are a few information-packed books I found at Job Search Central at the Science, Industry and Business Library.

Now that I’ve become more aware of Sinclair Lewis thanks to It Can’t Happen Here, I’ve seen references to him everywhere. And will keep my eyes and ears open for staged productions of his works—Main Street is one I’ve been wanting to see on stage for a long time now.

Back to It Can’t Happen Here. If you have had a chance to read part, most, or all of it, how believable do you think the characters are? Do they seem like real people, who act in ways real people might? Or is each character starkly sketched, the author intending them to be the embodiment of a specific point of view? We can spot “good” and 

Are you caring for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease? Or perhaps you are watching a loved one who seems to be developing symptoms, and you wonder what the future holds?

HBO Documentary Films recently produced a 4-part film series entitled The Alzheimer’s Project (you can stream the videos from the link). I borrowed all the films and spent an evening watching them at home, wanting to immerse myself totally in the experience.

Wow.

I hope you’ve been able to get yourself a copy of It Can’t Happen Here. Or perhaps you’ve been reading it online, or listening to the e-audio version.

How do you like it so far? Or does "like" not apply here? Do you think Lewis meant for us to take the book as: a straight novel? a satire? a cautionary tale? a parable? something else?

Summertime--the time of year when I get the yen to dip into some of the literature I've heard about over the years but had not gotten around to reading. Sinclair Lewis's works fall into that category and he's the writer I chose. Did I select Main Street, Babbitt, or Arrowsmith? No, It Can't Happen Here caught my fancy. And once I started it I was hooked.

So the song goes. But may I ask—are you bustin' out all over? If so, it may be time to get moving. Even if you’re smooth, sleek and at your fighting weight, exercise is always a good thing and doing it with others multiplies the enjoyment.

This past Saturday I spent an energizing few hours walking from Manhattan to Ward’s Island, then to Randall’s Island, north to the Triborough Bridge (recently re-named the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge) and over it, back to Manhattan. If you didn’t know such a thing were possible, as I hadn’t until I did it, you too might consider taking a walk with the Outdoors Club. Walking with an interesting group of 

Old age is not a subject most of us enjoy dwelling upon. As Groucho Marx remarked, “Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.”

But since May is Older Americans Month, I have been thinking about older people, whether Americans or not. Friends and colleagues in their 70s, 80s, and one who just turned 100, are among those whose company I enjoy the most. Why? Is it because the elderly are wise? Maybe. Though I’ve heard it said that in Africa, especially, age is revered a little bit more and they consider you to have wisdom, even if you don’t.