Saturday, December 13, 2025
Happy Birthday to my big brother who is approaching old age.
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S.J. Perelman, one of the greatest humorists of the last century, declared, “I don’t know much about medicine, but I know what I like.” Interestingly enough, he said this long before people who don't know much about medicine were put in charge of our national health system. However, what they like is already doing harm.
Sunday, December 14, 2025
When I got up this morning, I saw a steady snowfall, the first of the year for us. Then, I looked at my phone expecting an update on the shootings at Brown University, killing two people and leaving others seriously injured. The lead story was worse, however. 11 people at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia were shot to death by at least two gunmen. I contrasted this immediately with the thought of my own Hanukkah gathering later in the day, two to three dozen people, not all Jewish, celebrating peacefully.
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Scroll down to this heading "How a Broken Benchmark Quietly Broke America" in this website https://www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-life-is-a-lie for an interesting discussion about an uninteresting sounding topic, the poverty line. What's income inequality without a poverty line?
Monday, December 15, 2025
The news of the murder of Rob Reiner and his wife possibly by a family member added to the glumness arising from Brown University and Sydney, Australia. As if it couldn't be worse, the president, aiming to solidify his credentials for vile narcissism, responded to the terrible crime by putting himself in the center of the story. "President Trump blamed the late Rob Reiner's death Monday on the director's political views, saying he died from a 'mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.'" https://www.axios.
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Olde City, 201 Amsterdam Avenue, opened a couple of months ago. Well, opened a bit, because until a few days ago it was closed for lunch. A sandwich shop closed for lunch, not a brilliant marketing strategy. It is a tiny joint, occupying a space that previously held one unsuccessful Chinese dumpling place after another. It has no seating, only two short ledges to stand at, which deters a leisurely lunch.
Today, I finally got in, but only put it to a modest test. It specializes in cheesesteaks and the decor is strictly Philadelphia. I was in a hurry and on the way to physical therapy, so I passed on onions, peppers, sharp cheese, mushrooms and had merely a seven-inch toasted baguette with a generous portion of shaved beef and a dab of provolone ($17). It leaned to the bland side, which was my goal under the circumstances. Next time, full indigestion.
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Another reason for a conservative lunch was my date with Gentleman Jerry and Gary Fix-It for the Ranger game tonight at Madison Square, preceded by free food and eats at the Chase Lounge, free that is after buying some expensive tickets for the game. Still, only a couple of hundred people out of the 18,000 attending get this perk. We had tacos, empanadas and skewered fruit. I am sorry that I failed to record more details, almost as much a failure as the Rangers on ice later.
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
I hope you are able to access this fascinating story from the New York Times describing how Jeffrey Epstein, a high school math teacher without a college degree, got into a world of wealth and influence.
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After all these years, I learned that, in Hebrew, Hanukkah means dedication. If you think about it though, just about every religious holiday evokes dedication.
Thursday, December 18, 2025
"[D]rug overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 years old." https://www.nytimes.com/
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A couple of weeks ago, four of us went to The Corner, 698 Ninth Avenue, for a nice Chinese lunch, except we arrived well before the chef. Today, a different four tried again, successfully this time. As I've said before, The Corner has the disadvantage of being clean and at street level, unlike some of my Chinatown favorites. However, we persevered. It is tastefully decorated with distinctive Chinese touches including an array of fans pasted on one wall. There is a full bar, but we never got beyond Diet Cokes.
We shared sesame cold noodles ($8.24, credit card price); filet mignon egg rolls (2 @ $6.18); orange peel chicken ($19.57); beef chow fun ($16.48); Tuxedo Bomb, a chocolate cake base layered with milk chocolate & white chocolate mousse and covered in chocolate ganache ($10.30). We will return, hopefully the chef does too.
Friday, December 19, 2025
Aunt Judi, the Queen of the Kosher Kitchen hosted us this evening. There were 15 people, from me the oldest through her two great granddaughters. I can't speak for them, but I had a great meal: parsnip soup, health salad, string bean salad, corned beef, roast turkey (I got the drum stick), potato latkes, applesauce, vegetable kugel, frozen chocolate mousse, Coke Zero. My only regret is that leftovers are too far away.
