Saturday, April 29, 2023
The writers for Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and “Saturday Night Live” must have thanked their deities, their lucky stars, their four-leaf clovers, their amulets and their patron saints when they read about the Dutchman who fathered as many as 500 children as a sperm donor.
You probably couldn't have stopped the jokes from coming.
. . .
The most interesting thing about the list of the wealthiest cities in the world, determined by the number of millionaires, is not the Holy Land at #1, but Beijing and Shanghai in the top 10. That’s where the Communists live.
It’s no surprise, by contrast, that cities offering subsidies for moving in fail to make the wealthy list. https://www.
Maybe they need more Communists.
Sunday, April 30, 2023
My cousin Jerry Latter, the genial genealogist, and I went to a meeting of the Zuromin Society today. His paternal grandfather and my paternal grandmother, brother and sister, were born in Zuromin, Poland in the 1870s. Zuromin is a town 120 kilometres northwest of Warsaw, now judenfrei.
The meeting, with lunch, was held at Noah’s Ark, 493 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, New Jersey, a Kosher delicatessen that I visited last on December 12, 2022 with unsatisfactory results. Lunch today was satisfactory, on the other hand, maybe because it didn't cost me anything.
Besides pickles and coleslaw on the table, there was a plate of grilled chicken strips and honey mustard to nibble on. I started with a very good matzoh ball in salty, lukewarm chicken soup, followed by a corned beef sandwich. The meat was very good, but not generously allotted. I never let a big bowl of excellent hand-cut French fries get far from my reach. Small carafes of soda and seltzer were regularly refilled.
While we did not find any relatives, we enjoyed meeting José Weissman, from Montevideo, Uruguay, now resident in San Diego. His grandparents left Zuromin in the late 1930s, a lifesaving move. Our ancestors were long gone by then.
Monday, May 1, 2023
I prefer pumpernickel.
. . .
Michael Ratner and I had lunch at Coatzinga Taqueria, 76-05 Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights, a section of Queens loaded with Latin American and South Asian restaurants. It has 10 large booths covered in red and green Naugahyde, the colors of Mexico’s national flag. Two big flat screen television sets were showing a soccer game from afar. The menu is a comprehensive road map of Mexican cuisine.
I kept it simple, huevos con chorizo with yellow rice, a scoop of guacamole and four fresh tortillas ($12.45). There was as much sausage as egg in the dish and plenty to eat overall. We were about the first customers at the lunch hour and service was prompt.
If you are not a sports fan, skip to Tuesday below. Michael and I were here, because the #7 train was right upstairs to take us to Citi Field for an afternoon game, Mets vs. Braves. It was a strange game, not just because the Mets lost. There were 17 runs scored, 18 hits, 11 pitchers and, thanks to the new rules, it was over in less than three hours. Amazing.
. . .
Amazing is not the word I would use to describe the behavior of the Florida Panthers as they plan for the second round of the Stanley Cup playoff series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. https://www.espn.com/
The Panthers, exercising the sort of juvenile bravado that their governor displays, are limiting ticket sales to US citizens, barring eager Canadians from following their team. Another reason to root for the Leafs. Of course, if the New York Rangers did not lose to the New Jersey Devils tonight in their deciding playoff game, I would not be looking to any other team.
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
According to the results of a national test, about 40 percent of eighth graders scored “below basic” in U.S. history last year, compared with 34 percent in 2018 and 29 percent in 2014. https://www.
This is consistent with declines in reading and math scores. I see possible reasons for this, both general and specific to the subject matter:
- Zeitgeist. There seems to be a general retreat from seriousness in our society fueled by cultural distractions.
- Computers, especially the Internet, putting information at our fingertips, replacing the need to know.
- The political divide making the subject matter too "heavy," fraught with controversy.
- Teachers ill-prepared for or inhibited from handling the subject matter appropriately.
We have had generations of universal education and an abundance of tools and resources (though unevenly distributed), yet we and/or our children seem to know less.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Well, here's a child who isn't falling behind. Grandson Boaz was among the winners of a stateside (Massachusetts) essay contest, a chip off the old blog.
. . .
The Holy Land has several food specialties, such as pizza, cheese cake, and bagels. However, for fried chicken we tend to be importers rather than innovators. Once upon a time it was Kentucky Fried Chicken, fortunately replaced by Popeyes. Now, Korean fried chicken seems to predominate. Today, I had lunch at GAI Chicken & Rice,158 East 45th Street, which purports to bring Thailand to the table.
It's a very tiny place, with only two stools at a ledge in the front window. Similar to many joints in this neighborhood catering to office workers, most of the business is takeout. Ordering is via a tablet leading you through your choices and options. I had Crispy Chicken & Fries, with sides of spicy mayo and sweet chili sauce ($11.95). The crispy skin could have been served as a delicious dish by itself. The fries were also notable, shaped like potato sticks, but several times thicker, very thoroughly fried without being greasy.
If you don't have a cubicle nearby, you might consider bringing your own folding chair in order to enjoy this good food.
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Stony Brook Steve, Terrific Tom and I had lunch at Capizzi Pizzeria, 647 Ninth Avenue, in the shadow of the ramps leading in and out of the Port Authority Bus Terminal. (Was I the only kid who thought it was the Port of Authority?) I couldn't find out when it started, but this joint looks like it was here before the Flood. Photographs on the wall show family, school and random groupings of various vintages. Funky fits here.
Although a handful of salads and desserts are offered, this place is all about pizza cooked in a wood-burning stove visible at the rear. Every 12" pizza has a slightly charred crust and very fresh tasting ingredients. Several pies were drizzled with honey, something new to me. Old fashioned me had the Loaded Pizza ($22.95) with mozzarella, provolone, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, roasted peppers and whole roasted garlic, loaded indeed. It was wonderful.
While Capizzi serves desserts, we walked barely two blocks to the Little Pie Company, 424 West 43rd Street, another long established institution. Although primarily a commercial baker, it has a few tables indoors and outdoors for retail customers. I had an excellent cup of coffee ($3) and a freshly baked chocolate walnut brownie ($5) to end the lunchtime and signal the approaching start of nap time.
Friday, May 5, 2023
We drove up to Amherst, Massachusetts today to attend the memorial service for Dean Alfange, Jr., a friend since graduate school. 
Dean had a long career teaching constitutional law at UMass. Former students, colleagues and friends came to express their admiration for him personally and professionally. Professor Bruce Murphy, once a student of Dean's, spoke of the recasting of the United States Supreme Court as a political agent, cherry picking precedent and history to achieve partisan goals, something I heard Dean lamenting in recent years.
In one sense, Dean's memory deserved a happier tribute, but Murphy spoke with honesty and integrity, true to Dean's spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment