It’s Home Improvement time for the Kelleys. We had contractors replace our wood front with new vinyl. We also replaced our 28-year-old windows in the front of our house with new high-tech insulated windows. Diane likes the change. What do you think? Any home improvements happening for you?

Back in 1964, I watched these episodes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.–they were in black & white (remember that?)–featuring the suave Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and the ironic Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) who traveled to exotic locales and defended the world from Bad Guys. I also liked Leo G. Carroll (remember Topper) as Alexander Waverly, their boss. My favorite guest stars were William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montelban, and Ken Murray. I found this set of 29 episodes for $16.99 at BJ’s Warehouse, certainly a Bargain of the Week! What are your memories of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.?

Last Spring, a team of professors from China visited the Colleges and Universities in Western New York. One of the professors requested to “sit in” on a Marketing class. The Chairman of my department asked me if she could observe my class. “Sure,” I said. Zhen showed up in February and observed my teaching methods until the end of April. She never missed a class. Zhen laughed often at the interaction of my students. Apparently, that doesn’t happen in a Chinese classroom. When Zhen was about to leave to fly back to China, she gave me the gorgeous cross-stitch that Diane and I had framed. What a wonderful gift! And, what a pleasant professor! Her students are very lucky!

Celebrating its 14th year, Wingfest–the national celebration of chicken wings–is featuring 30 chicken wing vendors, offering 120 flavors of chicken digits. Lloyd, the taco truck, will be selling chicken wing tacos. This year local craft beers like Resurgence, Big Ditch, Flying Bison and Community Beer Works will be pouring brews. Tons of chicken wings are consumed at this 2-day event. Hundreds of thousands of voracious chicken wing eaters descend on Buffalo from all over the world. If you’re in the region, be sure to check this out!

I’ve been a fan of Hank Davis’s anthologies for years. Davis’s latest, Future Wars, presents a variety of short stories from top-notch SF writers. There are classics like Frederik Pohl’s “The Abominable Earthman” and Clifford Simak’s “Honorable Opponent.” But Davis includes an original story like “Who Goes Boing?” by Sarah A. Hoyt to liven things up. If you’re a fan of classic science fiction, you’l find a lot to like in Future Wars. There’s something for everyone with Davis’s well-balanced selection.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Martian Front” by Hank Davis © 2015 by Hank Davis.
“The Abominable Earthman” by Frederik Pohl originally appeared in Galaxy, October 1961. © 1961 by Galaxy Publishing Corporation.
“Honorable Opponent” by Clifford D. Simak original appeared in Galaxy August, 1956. © 1956 by Galaxy Publishing Corporation.
“Sentry” by Fredric Brown originally appeared in Galaxy, February, 1954. © 1954 by Galaxy Publishing Corporation.
“And Then There Was Peace” by Gordon R. Dickson originally appeared in If: Worlds of Science Fiction, September 1962. © 1962 by Digest Productions Corporation.
“Fool’s Mate” by Robert Sheckley originally appeared in Astounding Science-Fiction March, 1953. © 1953 by Street and Smith Publications, Inc.
“Airborne All the Way” by David Drake is © 1995 by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. Magic: The Gathering® and Wizards of the Coast® are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
“Mr. Jester” by Fred Saberhagen originally appeared in If: Worlds of Science Fiction, January 1966. © 1966 by Galaxy Publishing Corporation.
“Custer’s Last Jump” by Steven Utley & Howard Waldrop originally appeared in Universe 6, © 1976 by Steven Utley and Howard Waldrop.
“Project Hush,” copyright © 1954, 1982 by William Tenn, first appeared in Galaxy.
“The Day They Got Boston” by Herbert Gold originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, September 1961. © 1961 by Mercury Press, Inc.
“The Gentle Earth” by Christopher Anvil originally appeared in Astounding Science-Fiction, November 1957. © 1957 by Street and Smith Publications, Inc.
“Who Goes Boing?” by Sarah A. Hoyt appears here for the first time. © 2015 by Sarah A. Hoyt.
“Historical Note,” copyright © 1951, 1979 by the Heirs of the Literary Estate of Will F. Jenkins.
“Into Each Life Some Periwinkles Must Fall” by Hank Davis appears here for the first time. © 2015 by Hank Davis.
“Success Story” by Earl Goodale originally appeared in Galaxy, April, 1960, © 1960 by Galaxy Publishing Corporation.
“The Spectre General” by Theodore R. Cogswell originally appeared in Astounding Science-Fiction, June, 1952. © 1952 by Street and Smith Publications.

It’s allergy season in Western NY and I have a stuffed up head with a dry cough. Over the years I’ve used Claritin and Allegra (antihistamines) with some success. But last year, when I was visiting my son in Albuquerque, New Mexico and I had an allergy attack, I tried Zyrtec-D. Friends of my mine with severe allergies recommended it to me. And, sure enough, after a couple doses, the worst of the allergy symptoms dissipated. I’m taking Zyrtec-D now and I’m starting to feel better. A Zyrtec-D tablet works 12 hours and I’ve had few side-effects. If you get an allergy attack, you might want to give Zyrtec-D a try.

With all the gyrations in the Stock Market lately, I thought I’d try to achieve a little sanity and perspective by reading Jason DeSena Trennert’s memoir, My Side of Wall Street. Trennert has worked on Wall Street for over 30 years. He’s seen it all: ups and downs. Currently, Trennert is chairman of Strategas Research Partners. If you want an insider’s view of Wall Street, this slim book will give you that. What I liked was Tennert’s appendices where he recommends great books and movies. Check out Tennert’s picks:
GREAT WALL STREET BOOKS:
The Money Game by Adam Smith
Free to Choose by Milton & Rose Friedman
Where Are the Customers’ Yachts? by Fred Schwed
Once in Golconda by John Brooks
Manias, Panics, and Crashes by Charles Kindleberger

GREAT INVESTMENT BOOKS WORTH READING IN TIME OF FINANCIAL CRISIS:
The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes
The Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed
The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto
The Panic of 1907 by Robert Bruner & Sean Carr
Pictures of the Socialistic Future by Eugene Richter
This Time is Different by Kenneth Rogoff & Carmen Reinhart
When Money Dies by Adam Fergusson

WALL STREET MOVIES WORTH WATCHING CLOSELY:
Other People’s Money
Rogue Trader
Working Girl
Margin Call
Wall Street

Today is the First Day of classes at my College. I’ve been teaching for over 30 years yet the excitement of meeting students for the first time still is a thrill. Many of my students are older (our average student’s age is 26). Some have lost their jobs and are returning to College for retraining. Some students are recovering from broken marriages, divorces, and failed relationships. Whatever their motivation, many of the students I meet today desperately want to learn how to be successful after experiencing its opposite. And I will try my best to help show them how to make Better Decisions with the New Knowledge I present each class.