The first useful trick I learned as an aspiring journalist was cynicism. No, that's not quite right. Off-handed, world-weary cynicism. That was the ticket. "Of course, everyone knows that Madoff is hardly the first upper-crust hustler to pull off a Ponzi scheme."

It's hard to overstate the outsized benefits...

Sigh. Recalculating....Where I'm Going In 2009

My first run-in with a global positioning device was last fall in Warwick, Rhode Island. Yes, I still use maps printed on paper. You'll see why after this story. I was in town for the grand opening of a NYLO hotel with my...