In the summer of 2007, much was right with the world. The stock market was riding high and home values continued their seemingly endless rise. A few months later, bam! The world as we knew it began to unravel. Bear
Read MoreLast week I reported on the recently completed $13.7 billion purchase by Amazon of Whole Foods. To me, this represents a sea change in food retailing that potentially will top the impact of Amazon’s stranglehold on virtually all hard goods
Read MoreBy Bill Primavera The harbinger of trouble ahead with any product or appliance in the home is usually just a little kink in its operation. Once that whiz is heard or blip is seen, it’s only a matter of time
Read MoreBy Bill Primavera I’ve written many times about various established contractors and their work in this column who rely on the quality of their work and good reputations to stay in business. But I’ve learned the hard way to take
Read MoreEvery day, the incessant influence of the Internet rears its head in any number of ways. Just when I think its mesmerizing, all-consuming effect on my life is under control, another aspect invades my psyche and my mindset, drawing me
Read MoreAs I sit at my computer contemplating this week’s column, I find myself caught in the dichotomy between the benefits and pitfalls of wine (and other alcoholic beverages) consumption. Over the course of years of my research and reporting, I’ve
Read MoreBy Bill Primavera For many years, I lived in a high-maintenance house, as high-maintenance as it could be: an early 18th century colonial with very few modern updates when I first bought it. In fact, there was still an outhouse
Read MoreBy Bill Primavera As I sat one morning in an old Hitchcock kitchen chair that had been hitting me at the wrong place in my back for more than 25 years, I grumbled to my wife, “Why do I subject
Read More“Hello, this is Mr. Tsitra Macs from Fine and Rare Wine Investments. May I speak to Mr. or Mrs. B. Boomer?” “This is Mr. Boomer.” “Good evening, sir. I understand you are presently retired.” “Yes, I am; been retired for
Read MoreBy Bill Primavera Have you ever heard the word “fake” more often in your life? While most of it is concentrated in our political arena pointing toward the media, one area where you wouldn’t have heard it in a long
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