It’s Black History Month, and sellers everywhere in America are trying to promote their products with the spirit behind the celebration—just like me with my black jagua tattoos kits. But I just want to point out that some people should refrain from attempting to burnish their image by associating themselves with Black people and The Month. For example, Ivanka Trump tweeted the following on February 1st: “During #BlackHistoryMonth, we celebrate heroes like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who Read More…

  Lately it’s been hard to avoid all the talk about the misogynistic ramblings of our Republican nominee—the things he said on that recently released tape, and the awful way he speaks about women on a daily basis. (Yes, I realize Bill Clinton and millions of men are careless, suspect and sexist in the way they treat women. I’m not talking about all those other guys right now; I’m talking about The Nominee.) But I’m a businesswoman, so here’s where my Read More…

Remember when having an opinion was no big deal? You would read about something outrageous like, well, just about everything in the news lately. Let’s pick a random story from last week: New Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte won the election even after saying he would have liked to be first in line to rape an Australian missionary who was gang raped and murdered during a 1989 prison riot in the Philippines. Or George Zimmerman, who killed Trayvon Martin, decided to Read More…

Back when I was 15 years old, I decided that television shows were insultingly stupid, and turned off the set for good. Maybe one laugh track too many sent me over the edge, I can’t really remember. I am in my fifties now and still don’t watch TV, even though I know it is considered the ultimate medium for modern, envelope-pushing entertainment. I do try to watch the occasional cable show that trusted friends rave about and insist I sample. Read More…

As consumers we take some comfort in knowing that by using a credit card to pay for products and services, should something go wrong, we can always ask the company to reverse the charges. Typically, the credit card company will investigate the dispute and come down on one side or the other. Case closed. But what happens when certain guidelines are written by some well-meaning executive named Mr. Not That Smart? Or Miss Didn’t Think It Through? In one case, Read More…