Saturday, October 7, 2023
Last week, my timing was impeccably bad. I got out of bed after 9 AM and went right to the computer to post my blog. Almost simultaneously, my lovely wife called out that there was fighting in Israel.
While this should be a concern for all, American Jews will likely be especially attentive. So many of us have relatives and friends of all stripes in Israel. Reading that Hamas fired “at least 2,200 rockets into the country by late morning, according to the Israeli military,” is chilling.
It
seems that no matter how ugly the conduct of the Israeli government and
vigilante groups (see https://www.nybooks.com/
. . .
A new analysis by the U.S. Department of Education found
that high school grades are up, but standardized test scores aren’t. https://www.chalkbeat.org/
The two most likely reasons are grade inflation or the inaptness of standardized testing, which is insisted upon by Stony Brook Steve, a very experienced educator. Not surprisingly, "[g]irls, overall, have higher GPAs than boys."
Sunday, October 8, 2023
Normally, I avoid the commentary of David Brooks, but I found this observation valuable. "Biden’s 40 percent approval rating may look bad, but in Canada, Justin Trudeau’s approval rating is 36; in Germany Olaf Scholz is at 29; in Britain Rishi Sunak is at 28; in France Emmanuel Macron is at 23; and in Japan Fumio Kishida is also at 23."
. . .
Last week, we looked at where new apartment buildings are
going up, finding New York with a big lead over Dallas and Austin in absolute
numbers. Now, examining, among other things, the number of days apartments remained vacant and how many
renters applied for the same available apartment, a study ranks "the
nation’s hottest renting spots." https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/
The top five markets are:
- Miami-Dade County
- Milwaukee
- North Jersey (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Union counties)
- Suburban Chicago (reaching into northwestern Indiana)
- Grand
Rapids, Michigan
This seems to indicate a renaissance of sorts for the
Midwest, encouraged by a lower cost of living than in some other parts of the
country. https://www.forbes.com/
Monday, October 9, 2023
One significant item adding to your cost of living is your automobile.
"Personal vehicles often become workers’ largest expense, on a par with housing, child care and food." According to the American Automobile Association, the average annual cost in the first five years of new-car ownership rose to $12,182 this year, including depreciation. That’s 16 percent of the median household income, before taxes.
Tuesday, October 10. 2023
An analysis of the terrible events in Israel this weekend in the New York Times starts with this observation: "Since its founding, Hamas has declared that Israel has no right to exist, that there are no Israeli civilians and that every Israeli citizen is a soldier of the state, and thus a legitimate target."
. . .
The Boyz Club's first gathering in the new year was understandably less gleeful than usual, but it was comforting having lunch with four friends at the ever reliable Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street. We ate well, beef lo mein, duck chow fun, honey crispy chicken, shrimp with lobster sauce and mushroom fried rice, all for $19 each. It might have been a great start to the year if we didn't read newspapers.
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Pop-Tarts are celebrating their 60th anniversary.
I have a confession to make. I have never eaten a Pop-Tart or any of its competitors. Admittedly, I was already a nominal grownup when they were introduced, but, although I rarely rejected sweet treats, I never found these appealing. These days, I save the calories for Häagen-Dazs.
Friday, October 13, 2023
Friday is "International Day of Action for Palestine, in defense of liberation, justice and freedom for the Palestinian people." Allow me to point out that in none of the three Palestinian regimes, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, are you likely to find traces of justice or freedom.
. . .
The Upper West Side's Power Couple is leaving today for a weekend in Eastern Massachusetts visiting the second and third generations. Reports to follow.
. . .
Get out your calendars. On Thursday, October 19th at 7 PM, Steven Zipperstein, Stanford University historian, will discuss his soon-to-be published biography of Philip Roth. You can attend live in person at West End Synagogue, 190 Amsterdam Avenue. I’ll see you there.
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