This is a photo of Bronx, New York,-born Sylvia Bergman Kopstein, taken around 1931, when she was 21 years old. Both Sylvia and her twin sister, Blanche, embraced the fashions of the times. They loved to dress up in fitted skirts, cute hats and sweaters—including this sweater coat with a fur collar, which Sylvia most likely made herself.

She and Blanche hung out together at the Fishkin Sisters Knitting store in The Bronx. They both had many dates and sometimes, when one of the twins had double booked or just didn’t feel like going out, tried to fool the guys by passing themselves off as the other. The sisters also double-dated and attended lots of dances. They did the Charleston and the Black Bottom, which were popular at the time. They donned pastel chiffon and satin dresses, and put henna in their hair to get it reddish. Sylvia stayed red her whole life. Blanche dyed her hair blonde in her younger years, but later in life switched to Sylvia’s color, Honey Red … //READ MORE

Last week, I was enjoying a rare afternoon off at home when the phone rang. It was a cold call.

“Hello, am I speaking to Mrs. T-? This is David from Dodgy Computer Services Inc. How are you today?”

Like most people, I’m not a fan of sales calls. Especially when they’re from individuals who might be trying to hack into my PC. But what annoyed me most wasn’t the call itself. It was the way the salesman had addressed me.

I picked up the phone and said, “That’s not me!,” as I often do when callers have the audacity to assume I share my husband’s last name. “Are you telling me my husband is married—to SOMEONE ELSE? Called Mrs. T-? Who lives HERE? Where is she? … //READ MORE

It’s been two decades since John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil put Savannah, Georgia, in the spotlight. Unveiling a host of quirky characters in the telling of an infamous murder trial, the book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and became the longest standing New York Times best seller in history. By the time it was made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood in 1997, everybody who’d read it wanted to visit Savannah—and see for themselves all the eccentric personalities and mysterious places depicted on its pages.

During a recent visit to this historic coastal town, I noticed that what made Savannah famous before Midnight‘s publication—the stately antebellum homes, the abundant squares, the artists and jazz musicians that breathe life into the downtown area—was still intact. But what about the darker and more enigmatic aspects of Savannah that drew folks into Berendt’s story and gave the city a more lurid allure? And what about the real-life characters and colorful sites that fans attempted to track down through the years? … //READ MORE

These days, so many of us are lucky enough to be able to work from home. I know quite a few women who have recently transitioned from full-time jobs in the office to working from the comfort of their own house. It’s a fantastic option if you’ve got small children at home, as well as an opportunity to balance your professional and personal needs without too many compromises. Most women relish the opportunity to be able fetch their kids from school, while still being part of a corporate set-up and keeping their skill sets sharp.

However, there’s a downside to this newly gained freedom. Many females I know report that since they’ve been working from home, they’ve gained weight or … //READ MORE

Let’s be honest, we’ve all seen some porn. Some of us won’t admit it, but you can bet that almost every guy and woman you know has at least caught a glimpse of a skin flick. Let’s put it this way: The men are not the only ones with curiosity and a laptop.

I didn’t come into contact with porn until after college, when a boyfriend brought over an adult movie. Before that, the closest I got was sneaking a peek at my mother’s copy of Shirley Conran’s sexy bestseller Lace (Remember, “Which one of you bitches is my mother?”), which describes how a young Middle Eastern prince is sent away to be trained in the art of lovemaking. Since then, I’ve often wondered why all guys aren’t shipped out to learn a few techniques before being unleashed on the female population. Unfortunately, for this vital information most guys must rely on their dads, with their outdated birds-and-bees talks; their friends (God help us for the stuff we learn on the street); plus maybe some well-intended but insufficient sex-ed class. So how can we blame them for turning to the Internet to pick up some skills (as if that’s the only reason they watch)?

The problem is, porn doesn’t teach anyone how to be a good lover. Which may be why, although some women can tolerate watching with their partners, or alone to get turned on, they usually have their share of complaints about adult films. Studies have shown that the viewing of too much porn can desensitize someone enough to make … //READ MORE

It’s summertime, and there are a million fun things you’d like to do with your kids while the days are warm and long. However, cash is not exactly falling from the sky, so a vacation or a trip to a pricey theme park aren’t good options. So how do you keep the fun going for two months without going broke? … //READ MORE