Good Golly Miss Molly

Monday, May 11, 2020

When I learned that Little Richard died this weekend, I sent a message to Jitterbug Jon headed "Little Richard R.I.P."  He promptly responded, "Whop bop a looah, whop bam boom!  It's hard to imagine him resting at all."  https://nyti.ms/2SSdQqB

. . .

Joe Biden has announced that he intends to choose a woman as his running mate for vice president.  Many names have been bandied about, but I suggest that he seek inspiration from abroad.  "Taiwan’s Weapon Against Coronavirus: An Epidemiologist as Vice President."  https://nyti.ms/2LdgbZ1

Now, I don’t want to name names, but I can think of one person who fits both categories nicely.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

I wrote last week that the motto for many of those urging an aggressive reopening of the American economy is “My money or your life,” twisting Jack Benny’s immortal dilemma.  Many of the haves are suddenly expressing concern about the fate of the have-nots, losing income and opportunity.  But, as the economist John Kenneth Galbraith observed, our plutocrats and their apologists are engaged in “one of man’s oldest, best financed, most applauded, and, on the whole, least successful exercises in moral philosophy.  That is, the search for a truly superior moral justification for selfishness.”

Since other people’s lives are being considered for sacrifice, there is some attention to what is really at stake.  I’m talking where Lincoln and Jackson shake hands, in the cash register, America’s common denominator.  There is no federal government standard on the value of human life, needed for legal settlements.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission uses $8.7 million; the Environmental Protection Agency, $7.4 million; the Department of Transportation, $9.6 million.    https://nyti.ms/3cnXFJg

For a biblical perspective, we can look to Leviticus 27:1-5. 

“God told Moses to instruct the Israelites that when anyone vows to offer God the value of a human being, the following scale would apply:

for a man from 20 to 60 years of age, 50 shekels of silver;

for a woman 20 to 60 years of age, 30 shekels;

for a boy from 5 to 20 years, 20 shekels;

for a girl from 5 to 20 years, 10 shekels;

for a boy 1 month to 5 years, 5 shekels;

for a girl 1 month to 5 years, 3 shekels;

for a man 60 years or over, 15 shekels;

for a woman 60 years or over, 10 shekels.”

Today, a New Israeli Shekel is worth $.28.  The exact value of a biblical shekel, however, is almost impossible to determine.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shekel

A shekel was originally a measure of weight applied to agricultural products as well as precious metals.  “Mister, do you want your change in silver or barley?”  A half shekel coin dating from the 2nd Century B.C.E., excavated in Israel 20 years ago, had 6.87 grams of silver, today worth $3.30, making 1 shekel worth $6.60.  More important than the precious metal content of a coin might be its purchasing power or the effort needed to earn it in those days before rock 'n' roll.  I got dizzy trying to calculate those values.

Of course, according to Matthew 26:15 in the New Testament, Judas Iscariot infamously sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, possibly shekels, but maybe other coinage.  https://www.grandrapidscoins.com/blogs/entry/how-much-were-judas-iscariot-s-30-pieces-of-silver-worth

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

I am sure that we all mourn the loss of coronavirus victims, whether we knew them personally or not.  Jerry Stiller falls somewhat in between for me.  We never met, but as fellow residents of the Upper West Side, our paths crossed, usually at or near Zabar's.  I felt that we could have conversed; he seemed open and friendly, quite unlike Frank Costanza.  But, I was too cool to bother him, a legacy of my New York upbringing.

. . .

We can't predict if we will be stronger individually and/or collectively once (if) we survive this pandemic.  When practical, my first oasis is likely to be Chinatown, that is if there is still a Chinatown.  “'It is not dramatic to say that we don’t know if Chinatown is going to be here when we come out of this,' said Jan Lee, 54, who owns two mixed-use buildings in the neighborhood, including one that his grandfather bought in 1924." 

Mr. Lee and I are both referring to the original Chinatown in Lower Manhattan, where real estate has dramatically appreciated over the last several decades.  At present, his rental income is threatened, a situation faced by landlords almost everywhere.  While I have no way of reviewing Mr. Lee's financial management and the conduct of his affairs, I would prefer to own a building that has been in my family since 1924, awaiting rent checks from stressed tenants, rather than being one of the stressed tenants.

In any case, I hope that Mr. Lee and I will be able to see what street compares to Mott Street in July. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJsa0OfWcGA

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Earlier this week, Elon Musk defied the cautionary health measures in effect in Alameda County, California in order to reopen his Tesla automobile factory.  He said, “If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.”  I only wish that he had said that in Brooklyn, where the police have been beating the crap out of perceived violators of the current social distancing rules.  In case the police would hesitate, they should be reminded that he was born in South Africa.

. . .

A staff writer for The New Yorker made this brilliantly obvious observation: "We can be so moved by the way people come together to overcome hardship that we lose sight of the fact that many of these hardships should not exist at all."
. . .

In spite of being soundly chided by Sharon Slodki, who has Microsoft on her side, I continue to double space after a period at the end of sentences.  Somehow, I came to believe that it was the proper, more dignified, thing to do.  I realize that the same faux propriety has influenced my spelling, particularly in always choosing forego over forgo, foregone over forgone.  There is a meaningful difference, but I have ignored it, snobbishly imagining that spelling judgment correctly allowed me to forego forgo.    https://writingexplained.org/forgo-or-forego-difference#Summary

Friday, May 15, 2020
We have to be careful that the sense of deprivation and loss that we are experiencing during the Trump Virus doesn't lead to romanticizing the good old days of 2019.  Many of us led lives of relative comfort and ease, but others faced chronic challenges in providing the basic necessities, with the national government actively pushing wealth and privilege upwards.  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/13/opinion/inequali
ty-cities-life-expectancy.html 
. . .

Here's a simple way to spread joy in the world.  Make ice cream at home in a few easy steps.   https://nyti.ms/2Wlc2bT
Then, tell other people how easy it is to make ice cream at home in a few easy steps.