Sunday, July 31, 2022
A woman employed by Legoland as a master builder, who identifies as L.B.G.T.Q., is very pleased with the freedom of expression that she is allowed personally and professionally. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/
“Her miniature figures are blind and plus-size. They have prosthetic legs and wear burqas. Recently, she created a Hasidic Jew.” But only God can make a tree.
. . .
I don’t think that I am the only person who has taken to averting his eyes from the front page of the newspaper. There’s just too much nutsiness and craziness in the world these days. Instead, my attention is drawn to inconsequential matters, or what some people might consider inconsequential.
For example, the weekend’s book review looked favorably at a novel by Felicia Berliner entitled “Shmutz,” the Yiddish word for dirt. Except, everybody knows that it should be spelled SCHMUTZ. Berliner is a Jewish name; I had a boss named Berliner. So, maybe we should blame her editor.
For example, the weekend’s book review looked favorably at a novel by Felicia Berliner entitled “Shmutz,” the Yiddish word for dirt. Except, everybody knows that it should be spelled SCHMUTZ. Berliner is a Jewish name; I had a boss named Berliner. So, maybe we should blame her editor.
Monday, August 1, 2022
“‘Most people think I’m Jewish anyway,’ Trump reportedly told his future son-in-law when Jared Kushner informed him that he was going to marry Ivanka Trump and that she intended to convert.”
No.
. . .
“In 2020, it was estimated that the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio was 351.1 in the United States. This indicates that, on average, CEOs received about 351.1 times the annual average salary of production and nonsupervisory workers in the key industry of their firm.”
https://www.statista.com/. . .
For lunch, I returned to Urban Space, 570 Lexington Avenue, a food court where Gen Me was outnumbered by Gen Them in the same ratio as the earnings of working slobs to CEOs. As a sign of economic recovery, the place was busy with all the available food kiosks up and running, a substantial improvement over my last visit.
I chose the Classic sandwich at Bull Chicken, specializing in Korean fried and BBQ chicken, fried chicken, pickles and buttermilk ranch dressing in a package with shoestring fries and a Diet Coke ($13.98). It was an excellent choice, the chicken as good as any in Koreatown.
Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Happy Burt’s Day.
. . .
It is well known that where you grow up plays a critical role in where you wind up on the socioeconomic ladder. However, a new study offers an important footnote to this concept. “[C]ross-class friendships — what the researchers called economic connectedness — had a stronger impact than school quality, family structure, job availability or a community’s racial composition.” https://www.nytimes.com/
This economic connectedness doesn’t come easy. “[I]f poor children grew up in neighborhoods where 70 percent of their friends were wealthy — the typical rate of friendship for higher-income children — it would increase their future incomes by 20 percent, on average.” A poor kid with so many rich friends, 7 out of 10, is far from commonplace, but this study encompassing 72 million people is going to yield some of everything.
In addition to Alexander Hamilton, some notable examples of upward mobility by osmosis are found in fiction. "The Talented Mr. Ripley" comes to mind along with Jay Gatsby. You have to exclude one-to-one relationships, such as Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins and the suspect arrangement between Batman and Robin.
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
This article associates the setting of many elite universities with their alienation from their neighbors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/
This corresponds with my personal experience. CCNY sits on a hill that leaves most of Harlem below and beyond. Famously, Cornell University is "far above." The article contains one clunker, however. "[U]rban state universities . . . have done a much better job integrating with their environments than elite private universities — with the possible exception of N.Y.U." NYU (real New Yorkers don't come to a full stop) has been devouring much of Greenwich Village and vicinity over the years.
In spite of its name, I went to Bareburger, 2233 Broadway, for chicken. Its eight outdoor two-tops were empty as the temperature approached 90, while the four booths and six two-tops in the air conditioned indoors were almost all occupied during the lunch hour. I had the "Southern Chix," Nashville hot buttermilk-fried chicken on a fresh brioche roll, with pickled green tomato, organic lettuce and buttermilk ranch dressing ($12.95). A very good sandwich, spicy and just goopy enough.
I must warn you, however. The unsweetened ice tea is nominally offered in several attractive fruit flavors, but $3.95 gets you just wet ice cubes.
Thursday, August 4, 2022
The Great Resignation is a term that only emerged last year, identifying a significant shift in occupations and employment patterns supposedly unleashed by Covid-19.
https://www.weforum.org/
Here are data from the US Census Bureau on the actual comings and goings by job type.
https://usafacts.org/projects/
What’s most notable, and least surprising, is how job tenure or stability generally correspond to one’s position on the totem pole of status and income. Surgeons high, bartenders low. One truism that turns out to be false, however, is the alleged defection of doctors and lawyers due to burnout. The numbers aren’t there. Maybe 7 out of 10 of my friends, practicing doctors or lawyers, do no more than gaze fondly at greener pastures.
. . .
“Statistics Canada said that the Jewish community, comprising about 1% of the population, were victims of 14% of reported hate crimes. Jews saw a 47% rise in reported hate crimes compared to 2020, according to the bureau.”
Friday, August 5, 2022
The free exchange of ideas on Broadway between 68th and 69th Streets @ 9 A.M.
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