Dudeism, Dudes! The new religion that’s not exactly sweeping the country, but could be the perfect theology for these troubled times. Actually, it’s not that new: it was formed in 2005 by journalist Oliver Benjamin, inspired by the cult movie, The Big Lebowski, featuring The Dude, AKA Jeff Bridges. I just learned about it now from a feature on TV about a NYC...

Stranded by Hurricane Irene . . . With lots to eat. Lots to drink. Lots to read. But no working toilets. Whoops. To tell the truth, we weren’t exactly in the Hamptons when Irene hit, but close enough —on the island of Shelter, where Hugh Carey’s ghost roams the golf course and so many high end restaurants are sprouting up that this lovely getaway may end...