ABCs

Monday, December 14, 2020 

Enough politics.  Let's change the subject to something lighter.  Heroin addiction.  "Panic in Needle Park," made in 1971, is streaming on  http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/

It was Al Pacino's first leading movie role; he had made one minor film appearance previously.  He plays a heroin addict, who introduces his girlfriend to drugs as their lives spiral downward.  While I love watching Pacino act, whether he is taking big bites out of the scenery or just nibbling on some minor decorations, it is where the movie is set and filmed in part that fascinates me.  

In the 1960s and 1970s, "Needle Park" was identified as the combination of Sherman Square, a very small triangle at West 70th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, and Verdi Square, a block-long, roughly rectangular space above West 72nd Street, also between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.  The name came from the frequent presence of drug addicts gathering there, a situation that also afflicted Bryant Park, the very large space immediately behind the main branch of the New York Public Library, and Union Square, bordering 14th Street downtown. 

In all three locations, heightened policing and redesign of the areas intended for rest and recreation eventually returned these spaces to the civilian population for peaceful purposes.

The changes were also facilitated by the gentrification of much of Manhattan.  Glossy high-rises replaced commercial properties and old housing stock that could not keep up with the pressure for residences befitting the influx of highly paid, white collar workers employed in the exploding financial, technology and consulting sectors.  Which brings us back to Needle Park, sitting about 500 feet from Palazzo di Gotthelf.  Poised between and around us are apartment buildings, tall and taller, commanding high purchase or rental prices.   

The neighborhood improvements were not all benign.  As the removal of brush, litter and miscreants from Needle Park attracted real estate investors it also hastened the departure of nearby small businesses and modest rental units.  Can we find a reasonable balance, local businesses owned and operated by local residents?

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If I were to address politics today, I would look at the issue of college student loan forgiveness.  "Student Loan Cancellation Sets Up Clash Between Biden and the Left." https://nyti.ms/374qTws

It seems like an easy policy to promote.  However, Jerry P***** points out that it would disproportionately benefit white, middle class families, further marginalizing many Blacks and the white non-college population.  If you would like to know more, I'll give you Jerry's phone number, since I'm skipping politics this week.

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One place where I escape politics is in a crossword puzzle.  This essay helps explain the palliative effect of unpuzzling.  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/crosswords/crosswords-essay-thiesen.html

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I want to share the prodigious efforts of Linda Rich, gathering items of Jewish interest available to the public. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zDMMnnQvPJy4TlMoBG3wvkQeSna72k2r/view

This edition covers the next 6 weeks, listing events (lectures, exhibits, seminars, conferences) of cultural, historical, theological and ritual interest to Jews and those who love us, even reluctantly.

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The first local use of the Covid-19 vaccine took place this morning.  If you recall, the second person in Great Britain to be vaccinated was named William Shakespeare.  It hasn't been disclosed, but I hope that we offered early protection to a Mickey Spillane. 

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

"If It’s Fiction, Can It Be an Invasion of Privacy?" https://nyti.ms/2VT3mZf

The case at hand is set in France and has very specific details.  Here in the USA, each state has its own legal standards of privacy, but, as a general topic, I think that it raises good questions.  In libel and slander actions, truth is a rock-solid defense.  Could you argue that it can't be invasion of privacy because it isn't true?   

. . .

If it were not for "Saturday Night Live," I would never have heard of Chance the Rapper or Megan Thee Stallion.  Following their example, however, I will be known henceforth as Grandpa Verily Alan. 

Wednesday, December 15, 2020

The following story makes me a bit squirmy.  "Black Student Expelled After Mother Complains About 'Fences'"   https://nyti.ms/3nmKA8D

The mother of a 14-year old Black student at an elite private secondary school, with a mostly white student body, objected to the reading in class of "Fences," August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play dealing with a working class Black family, set in the 1950s.  According to the newspaper report, "her main concern was that the themes were too mature for the group and would foster stereotypes about Black families."  As a former teacher and a somewhat freethinker, I am reluctant to bar controversial matters from the classroom, assuming the teacher has a modicum of good sense in picking and teaching the material. 

I recognize, of course, that 14-year olds may not necessarily be able to deal with some adult or complex issues.  In this instance, the mother does not seem to be questioning her son's ability to handle the subject matter, but, rather, what the reaction of his presumably privileged white classmates would be.  That seems to be an inherent risk given the composition of the student body, an evident fact to any parent choosing the school.  I don't think that conflicts of this sort could be avoided under the circumstances nor should they automatically be.  By recognizing them, the class is offered a classic "teachable moment."

The mother may have intended to avoid placing more challenges to the development of her adolescent son, an inherently risky business.  Her conduct that precipitated his expulsion is unrecorded.  Finally, how would we regard a similar complaint from a white parent?  Attentive parenting?  Hysteria?  Bigotry?

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As you know, I have turned my back on "Best of" year end lists.  However, this is a different order of magnitude.  "What Are the Greatest 2,020 Songs Ever?  Philadelphia Is Deciding"   https://nyti.ms/3nj8928

A radio station in Philadelphia has mounted this quest and, unlike the typical "Best of" list, it is the product of the laity; no experts allowed.  I've made no attempt to parse the list, but I spotted one item at #1093 that always moved me, Edith Piaf's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien."   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Kvu6Kgp88

My affection for the song is not even spoiled by its recent use in a GEICO commercial.  I must note, however, that it would be a very different experience hearing the song from a hulking brute than from a petite woman who has been battered by fate.

. . .

Oh, my goodness!  "Fifty Years of Tax Cuts for Rich Didn’t Trickle Down, Study Says."  For the details, see http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/107919/1/Hope_economic_consequences_of_major_tax_cuts_published.pdf

Thursday, December 16, 2020

"Happy Birthday, dear Ludwig,

Happy Birthday to you."

Beethoven is 250 years old today.  If you choose to celebrate with milk and cookies rather than or in addition to cake and ice cream, Oreos might be on your menu.  Which brings me to the surprising news that since celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2012 "Oreo has introduced 65 flavors, including, in the last three years alone, Hot Chicken Wing Oreos, Wasabi Oreos, Crispy Tiramisù Oreos and Carrot Cake Oreos."  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/style/oreo-flavors.html

For better or worse, Hot Chicken Wing Oreos and Wasabi Oreos are available in China only.  That may justify a trade war, right there.

. . .

In a certain perverse way, this comment about opposition to Covid-19 vaccination pleased me.  "Falsehoods about Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist who supports vaccines, have also increased, with rumors that he is responsible for the coronavirus and that he stands to profit from a vaccine."  Gates is a goy, about as goyish as they come.  That takes the heat off George Soros, symbol of international Jewry, at least for a while.

 

Friday, December 18, 2020

Okay, so heroin addiction wasn't such a big departure from politics.  Give me another chance to sail into calmer seas -- the integration of New York City public schools.  Mayor Bill de Blasio has released a plan eliminating "all admissions screen for middle schools for at least one year . . . About 200 middle schools, or 40 percent of all middle schools, use metrics like grades, attendance and test scores to determine which students should be admitted."  The result has been schools that are whiter than the general school population.  "Now those schools will use a random lottery to admit students."  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/18/nyregion/nyc-schools-admissions-segregation.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

 

Additionally, geographic preferences for some high school admissions will end.  Oddly or maybe not so oddly, these preferences applied to some "of the whitest and wealthiest of the city’s 32 local school districts."  No plans were announced to change the single test admissions requirement for the city's top 3 high schools, Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech, which are insulated by state law.  

 

The mayor deserves some credit for using the near shutdown of public education due to the pandemic to rethink and retool some policies.  And, for a change, he has avoided targeting the 3 top high schools for symbolic purposes.  I can't predict the value of the temporary reforms aimed at middle schools, which contain about 250,000 students.  It seems to be a big challenge with a limited horizon.  I hope that they also seek to change to content of classes, not just the complexion.  

 

Reform efforts should not be limited to the school building.  Having the kids at home has exposed more parents than ever before to the challenges of education.  Keep them engaged, get them more engaged. The efforts of a good student and the talents of a good teacher are substantially enhanced by support from home.