Every once and awhile, wisdom comes from unexpected places – like, say, a comic book movie. “With great power comes great responsibility.” – Uncle Ben in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” I learned, thanks to Wikipedia, that those words in the world of Spider-Man originated...

It’s Valentine’s Day, and this past week was International Random Acts of Kindness Week. Plus, Random Acts of Kindness Day is coming up Feb. 17. In short, it’s a good time to focus on spreading love and on treating others with kindness and understanding. The shootings in Chapel Hill remind me of...

Telemundo came to Val Verde Thursday night. They weren’t there to cover the potential expansion of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, which would have been a perfectly reasonable reason for them to be there. Nor were they there to cover a sensational act of violence or a sexy story of fraud or something...

When two jumbo jets struck the World Trade Center, I was at the YMCA in Dorchester, Mass., and watched the events live, like so much of the world. And like much of the world, I watched in horror, but among strangers. Many people were at home when it happened and watching either alone or with loved ones....

Last of three parts. Here’s the rest of my A-Z list as I look back at 2014. U is for Ukraine – The Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent violence that followed dominated headlines for much of the year and made many question Putin as Russia’s leader. Many doubted his motivates and the...

This time of year is often a time for reflection. I decided last week to write my own A-Z list for 2014, highlighting the past year’s news that stuck out for me. I drew inspiration from some great A-Z lists I’ve read lately, most notably “The A to Z of Women in Film 2014” in Indiewire’s Women...

This is the time of year for reflection. I’ve read some great A-Z lists lately, my favorite being “A to Z of Women In Film 2014” in Indiewire’s Women and Hollywood blog. I’ve decided to use the A-Z format, as well. Here’s the first part of my A-Z of this past year’s news, highlighting the...

…is for eyes to be opened and lives to be renewed and validated. Starting with myself, I realize I often do not feel I am “enough.” I need to be a better mother. I need to work harder for my company. I need to do more, more, more. But when I step back, I face the reality that even if I achieved...

I was taking a long bus ride about 15 years ago from Cairo to Jerusalem to spend Christmas Eve in Bethlehem with my “new boyfriend,” who is now the father of my two children and both my business and life partner. That Christmas Eve celebration was amazing – beautiful in so many ways, but especially...

Rather than making a New Year’s resolution for 2014, I selected a guiding word for the year, and the word I chose was “compassion.” The selection feels even more appropriate now. At the start of the year, I embraced my guiding word with a “14 Days of Loving-Kindness Challenge” on my blog. As...