Recently, a new women’s website hailed me as a Fabulous Fifty. I was, of course, thrilled to be honored, and it hurt for only a few hours that they knew I was over fifty. But you know the old saying: you can fool some of the people, some of the time……

Anyway, it got me thinking: why me? And the answer naturally is quite obvious; I’m a TV anchorwoman, a New York fixture, if you will. In other words, I have been blessed with having a public acceptance over so many years that the choice of me – or someone like me- is almost inexorable.

As a woman who’s been in the news business for many years, you can probably guess I am no fan of gender stereotyping. You can bet I encountered that a lot in my early years. And each time it happened, I’d think about that old song lyric, which I would silently spin in my head, "Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you….” It wasn’t always true though; as a young woman in the business, I had a lot to learn but the inadequacies of my skill set were attributable to my YOUTH, not my GENDER. And it gave me great satisfaction to see women coming into fields-----and succeeding there --- that were formerly men-only. And while many might disagree, a spin around the cable dial shows that the gender wars might be largely over.

Almost 30 families in Montcoal, West Virginia are now sitting stunned in their modest little homes in the coal-rich, verdant hollows in the mountains, wishing this were all just a nightmare. Their wish will never be granted, nor will they wake up to find their men – fathers, sons, brothers, and uncles - standing by the basin, trying to wash the coal dust from their faces and hands. These men, once they’re recovered, will be brought into the world’s bright sunlight, only to be quickly – and finally – buried once more.

My heart breaks for them and their families, and I think of the ancient Latin saying: Quis constodiet ipsos custodies? Who will watch the watchmen themselves?

OK, I know this is a small thing. But I'm wondering: just how far does this 'diplomatic immunity' thing go?

Most of us have heard, by now, about that cretinous jerk from Qatar - the third secretary at Qatar's embassy in Washington - who was taken off a United Airlines plane and into custody by federal agents after apparently trying to light a cigarette in the lavatory and joking that he was trying to light his shoe.

Some loyal readers of my blog have commented recently on how I normally don’t do anything political. That’s true. I prefer to write about New York living, funny things that happened on the way to getting to where I am today, funny things that happened on my way to visiting my Mom, that sort of thing. But lately, the interest expressed by folks like kman, and others, in my opinion on sundry issues has inspired me to try my hand at a few. Here’s another:

The Daily News reported on Tuesday that the city is going to start charging people who have income and are living in homeless shelters. Perhaps as much as 44 percent of their income. A family of three making $10,000 a year would pay $36 dollars a month, while a family making $25,000 a year would pay $926 a month. According to the News, Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs said:” We’re not doing this to close budget gaps. It’s really the principles…involved.” OK, I get that. Here’s the principle she’s talking about: You don’t get something for nothing.

Okay, dear readers! I’m off tomorrow, so let’s pretend it’s Friday and time for another of my yummy recipes. This comes courtesy of the Executive Chef at the Sheraton Laguardia East Hotel in Flushing, Queens. The way Kevin Wong prepares this Chilean sea bass dish is one of the most delicious I’ve ever tasted. Try it and decide for yourself.

Taking a stroll in a cool part of Manhattan this Sunday. Not a small thing when you have allergies like mine. What is a perfectly lovely day for most people is a profile in courage, as far as I’m concerned. Because just strolling yesterday brought tears to my eyes, puffed my face up in a truly attractive way, and closed all my breathing passages. But hey! I went for a stroll anyway. Because that’s what you do on a pretty spring afternoon.

Saw some really funny things. Here’s a sign that was posted in the window of a great, old-fashioned candy store. This store sell candy by the crate, it seems, and it was filled with parents and their kids. The store owners clearly have had experience with children all hyped up on sugar, hence this warning to parents:

I don’t know whether you know it or not, but Steven Seagal – Aikido master and maker of cinematic potboilers---was named recently as a defendant in a so-called ‘sex slavery’ civil suit. It seems this ‘Mojo Priest’ (the name of his latest ALBUM!) advertised on Craigslist (on CRAIGSLIST!) for an executive assistant.

Remember that case from Flemington, NJ last year? I’m talking about the one in which two parents gave their kids Nazi-inspired names. As you might recall, they tried to get a birthday cake personalized for their then-three year old, Adolph Hitler Campbell. At first, a Greenwich supermarket declined the order, but a Pennsylvania Wal-Mart later filled the order. And that started the publicity tsunami.

Chuck is one of my regular readers and over the past year of our very fun blogging acquaintance, he has sent me some of his artwork. This is one talented guy. Chuck’s artistic style reminds me so much of my teenage years, reading MAD magazine on the sly. My parents, as you all know by now, were very strict, and they simply did not appreciate the greatness that was MAD. They generally disapproved of comic books or anything resembling them, unless it looked completely innocuous, like Little Lulu. Or Archie and Friends.