Monday, September 24, 2018
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told a group of religious conservatives this weekend to "keep the faith." I think that this was wise advice, since so many religious conservatives, in these days of Trump, have abandoned integrity, morality, honesty and fairness, little else is left to them.
. . .
As
she often does, America's Favorite Epidemiologist educated me in
response to my dismissal of "The Best Cities to Raise a Child" last
week. Having raised two children with fabulous results, she pointed to
my adult-centric view, stressing cultural, intellectual and recreational
opportunities in greater abundance in the cities placing low on the
list, notably the Holy Land.
She
described the typical consumers of a parent's time -- carpooling,
homework helping, visits to the pediatrician, school nurse, emergency
room, parent-teacher conferences, soccer practice, ballet lessons,
birthday parties, bedtime storytelling, among other things -- leaving
scant time or energy to go to plays, concerts, Ranger games, Met
games, lectures, quilting bees, Chinese restaurants and other endeavors
which occupy my schedule.
With this renewed appreciation of parenting, a phase that passed me by, I hope that those who graduate from it, if they are ever allowed to, will be able to enjoy adulthood.
With this renewed appreciation of parenting, a phase that passed me by, I hope that those who graduate from it, if they are ever allowed to, will be able to enjoy adulthood.
Of
course, one way of enjoying adulthood is on foot. In contrast to last
week's list of the ten best cities to raise a child, this week's real
estate section lists the ten most and least walkable American cities. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/
This
list is close to a reverse image of the earlier one. New York ranks as
most walkable, followed closely by San Francisco, numbers 84 and 89 on
the kid list, while Raleigh, North Carolina, number 6 on the kid list is
second from the bottom in walkability.
Another
view includes access to public transit and bicycling. Again, places
shunned when baby is on board predominate when the comfort and
convenience of the rest of us are considered.
https://www.walkscore.com/
. . .
https://www.walkscore.com/
. . .
Last
week, I lamented the increasing floor space in the Strand Bookstore,
828 Broadway, given over to canvas tote bags, refrigerator magnets and
T-shirts. Well, it could be wurst, as has happened in a bookstore in
Germany. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/
Buchhandlung Frühauf in Bad Sooden-Allendorf and the Strand Bookstore in Greenwich Village have different motives for diversifying. Buchhandlung
Frühauf, nearly 100 years old, sits in a town of 8,500 people. As
other businesses folded, it added food and baked goods to its stock in
order to serve its local population. The Strand's miscellaneous
merchandise, almost none meant to be eaten, is directed to the visitors
from near and far, who, when not shopping, stand in the middle of busy
sidewalks, looking around, thereby impeding our walkability.
. . .
. . .
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told a group of religious conservatives this weekend to "keep the faith." I think that this was wise advice, since so many religious conservatives, in these days of Trump, have abandoned integrity, morality, honesty and fairness, little else is left to them.
. . .
Normally,
you have to wait until the springtime to hear about the fabulous meal
that Aunt Judi sets out for friends and family, when I report on her
Passover seder. Last night, however, in observance of Succoth, the fall
harvest festival, she magnificently fed a dozen of us, pious and
impious alike. Well, maybe 11 pious and me.
The menu, entirely Kosher as always, consisted of:
Let's hear it for Aunt Judi.
Zucchini pear soup
Osso bucco over pasta (something you don't expect in a Jewish home)
Beef brisket with mushrooms
Cinnamon chili chicken with carrots, butternut squash and sweet potatoes
Zhatar roasted cauliflower with tehina, pine nuts, chick peas and honey (zhatar, za'ater, zaater or za ater -- a mixture of sumac, sesame seed, and herbs used throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean)
Vegetable salad (a salad that I really liked)
Broccoli with garlic and olive oil
Apple cranberry crisp
Carrot cake
Cantaloupe and watermelon
Chocolate chip cookie dough (faux) ice cream (could have been real as far as I was concerned)
Let's hear it for Aunt Judi.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
I visited Las Vegas only one more time after August 1979. That trip was
memorable for three reasons: it was the last time that my original wife
and I spent any civilized time together; the outside temperature never fell
below 100 degrees, day or night; I saw Bill Cosby perform live. It was
the funniest show that I have ever seen in any medium or venue. I cried
from laughing so hard at his perfectly honed tales of children and
childhood. It may have been the thousandth time that he did his routine, but it came off fresh and brilliantly funny.
Yesterday, Cosby was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated assault and was labelled a "sexually violent predator." His fall from grace is almost mythical, but it offers valuable perspective on the issue of the public person vs. the private person. Go know.
. . .
Savour
Sichuan, 108 West 39th Street, is heavy on decor, attempting to resemble a pagoda inside. It has a very long
menu and Vogue listed it among the 10 best local Chinese restaurants
earlier this year. https://www.vogue.com/article/
Thursday, September 27, 2018
9 Down - Card letters
. . .
I
have previously expressed my admiration and respect for Dean Alfange,
Jr. I am not alone in this regard; his former students at the
University of Massachusetts-Amherst have created a lecture series on
constitutional law in his honor. This afternoon, we visited the campus
to hear Nadine Strossen, law professor and former president of the ACLU,
deliver this year's talk. She contended that hate speech in itself is
not cause for censorship. This is right from my hymn book, but UMass
and nearby Smith College have had several recent bias incidents, so some
of the (many) students in attendance may not have been ready to
chill, but they listened respectfully and asked good questions.
Friday, September 28, 2018
That guy should not be on the US Supreme Court. He has a history of sexual abuse; he is an unrepentant liar. He belongs in the White House.
. . .
Here is our closing headline for the week, in case your were feeling good:
28,000 Public Servants Sought Student Loan Forgiveness. 96 Got It.
. . .
Answer - STL
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