Saturday, June 17, 2023
Today is America's Favorite Epidemiologist's birthday, a number that her appearance, energy and creativity thoroughly belie. I participated in the festivities by staying awake a few hours.
. . .
Late last year, there was the sad news that Ample Hills Creamery, producer of superior ice cream, was shutting down its 12 shops and production facility, victim of undisciplined expansion. Now, there seems to be movement back to the good times.
I can only hope that my recovery parallels theirs and I can again enjoy Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, Barclays Gridlock (coffee ice cream with chocolate flakes, salted peanuts, fudge brownies and chocolate covered pretzels) and Caught In The Rain (piña colada sorbet, organic pineapple juice, organic coconut milk, and just a splash of rum).
Sunday, June 18, 2023
In time for Pride Month, the all-Muslim city council of Hamtramck, Michigan just banned Pride flags from being flown on city property.
They were likely getting back at the Jews.
. . .
In my long adult life, I have lived in two places — the Holy Land and La La Land. The three years that I spent in graduate school are excluded, because I had not yet arrived at adulthood. Most of the time, I was a renter, yet I was particularly interested in this study of the economics of home ownership.
https://www.chamberofcommerce.
The rule of thumb that housing-related costs should not exceed 30% of one’s income is often violated throughout the country, but most evidently in Miami, Los Angeles and New York. While this fuels our homelessness crisis, it puts so many other people, working, paying bills, a narrow step away from losing shelter. While I have faced some tough times through the years, I have never faced sleeping on a sofa on the sidewalk or in a broken-down SUV parked at the curb, thank goodness.
In spite of our gloomy predicament with homelessness, the United States somehow shines in this worldwide look at housing affordability.
https://www.comparethemarket.
Typical high incomes offset high purchase prices to place us behind only Turkey. On the other end, South Korea and Israel are the least affordable. Of course, certain California and New York Zip Codes would probably turn the chart upside down, resembling what so many people actually face.
. . .
The kindness and generosity of family and friends continue and I am almost getting used to being infirm. Andrea and Nate dropped off Ghirardelli chocolates as they stopped in New York on their way to France. And David Prager, no doubt aided by Sarah, dug into the vault to give me precious memorabilia related to Gil Hodges.
Monday, June 19, 2023
If you consider yourself a student of Americana, you might try to match each state with CNN’s pick of its favorite food.
The few selections that I made seemed reasonable, but I lacked the energy to run the table.
. . .
One Brooklyn landlord made his negative food choices well known in listing two apartments for rent last week. The landlord, a vegan, banned the cooking of meat or fish on the premises.
The objection seemed to be olfactory not philosophical, because there was no ban on consuming meat or fish, just cooking it. Legal? Apparently so.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Stop the presses! "Hunter Biden to Plead Guilty on Misdemeanor Tax Charges." Can the Republicans get back to work now? You know, patrolling bathrooms.
. . .
The New York Times asked a bunch of columnists to
identify "the one piece of culture [that] captures the true spirit of our
country." https://www.nytimes.com/
I don't think that anybody came close, in my opinion, but the subject is very much a moving target. My own choice goes back in time to what was once "true" and should have remained so -- "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), winner of seven Academy Awards, and the highest grossing film in the United States and the United Kingdom at the time after the release of "Gone With the Wind."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Years_of_Our_Lives
The story involves three American servicemen returning from
WWII to their small town in the Midwest. They came from different
backgrounds and the war has had a shuffling effect, at least temporarily.
The Air Force Captain, a bomber pilot, was a soda jerk, while the Army
infantryman was a banker. Here is a collection of reviews, if you are not familiar
with the work. https://www.rottentomatoes.
There was no romance surrounding their service; the third man, a Navy petty officer, once a local athletic hero, lost both his hands in combat. The plot deals with their attempts to readjust to the world they left and adjust to the new post-war world. It's not easy, but you are left with the feeling that things will be better, fairer, kinder, an optimism that I don't usually express. In 1946, it seemed possible, but that was a long time ago.
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
The United States Supreme Court, returned from fishing and hunting expeditions, is poised to trash affirmative action in college admissions. It is a challenging subject, but this Federalist Society court will probably rush to the defense of beleagured white students whose hegemony on school lacrosse, waterpolo and ice hockey teams is threatened.
Here is a group of datapoints that illuminate/obfuscate the
issue, all from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/
Have you connected will Mr, Dillon??
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