Saturday, December 2, 2023
“Penguins Take Thousands of Naps Every Day”
We can learn a lot from penguins.
Monday, December 4, 2023
The Oakland Unified School District (California) reports that "Public Schools in Oakland Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 21% (versus the California public school average of 34%)." https://www.
Maybe more classroom time is needed rather than distracting the students with empty theatrical gestures. "Dozens of Oakland teachers are planning to share pro-Palestinian lessons with their students [Wednesday] as part of an unauthorized 'teach-in'." https://
On the other hand, on Monday, November 27, a city council meeting held in Oakland featured a parade of community members voicing support for Hamas. “One person called the October 7 massacre ‘fabricated’ and claimed that the Jews killed were actually killed by the IDF, not Hamas.”
A wasted mind is a terrible thing.
Last week, we learned that Israeli intelligence may have had prior knowledge of a forthcoming attack by Hamas. Today, CNN reports that there was “a ‘significant’ and ‘unusual’ spike five days before the attacks in short selling in the most popular fund linked to Israeli companies.”
. . .
La Caridad 72, 130 West 72nd Street, is open just over one week, but it traces itself back to La Caridad 78, founded in 1968, closed in 2020, one of the Cuban-Chinese restaurants donated to us by Fidel Castro.
The new premises are bright, one long wall of white-painted brick opposite an off-white wall. The furniture is dark wood and faux leather, balanced by oak-stained wainscoting.
The menu features 22 lunch specials, $12.95-13.95. I had “Fried Chicken Crackling,” four medium-to-small pieces of dark meat chicken, deep fried a little too long. A very generous portion of yellow rice and beans comes with it, guaranteeing that you don’t leave hungry. I’ll return for some of the Chinese dishes.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Duty calls; jury duty, in fact. I almost returned to the scene of the crime, because I worked for 14 years solely on civil actions and today criminal court beckoned. Actually, it didn't matter, because the morning was occupied by paperwork, orientation and pep talks. Of course, the courthouse abuts Chinatown.
For lunch, I went to the nearby New West Malaysia Restaurant, 69 Bayard Street. Arguably, this is the New New West Malaysia Restaurant, having moved recently from the alley between the Bowery and Elizabeth Street. Its new location has its own interesting history. 69 Bayard Street was long home to 69 Bayard Restaurant, whose every vertical and horizontal surface was plastered with dollar bills and other low denomination currency from around the world. Now, the walls are bare brick with nary a negotiable instrument in site.
I ignored the menu and quickly ordered roti canai, my litmus test for Malaysian food, and was pleased by my choice ($5.95). The pancake had the right balance of flaky and flexible, although slightly small in diameter. The buttery curry sauce was delicious with a big chunk of potato floating in it. The Baby Oyster Omelet covered the entire dinner plate and was enhanced by the small dish of sweet and spicy sauce on the side ($12.95). Amply fueled, I returned to the courthouse to render justice without fear or favor.
Unfortunately, justice had been fully dispensed, because we were dismissed at 3:40 PM, to go home for the next four years. I was truly disappointed, not only because I was ready for some true-crime action, but I had planned my next several lunches in Chinatown. Actually, I am only excused from the New York State judicial system. There's hope that the federal courts will reach out to me, with the Thurgood Marshall and the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouses sitting right down there.
Thursday, December 7, 2023
I never heard of "cum ex trading" and I'm sure that I'm not alone in that regard. That demonstrates that we are mere sheep in the great stockyard of finance.
According to today's paper, cum ex trading has cost Germany about $30 billion, France lost about $17 billion, and smaller sums were lifted from Poland, Norway, Austria, Italy and others in this scam. And you majored in Art History.
. . .
The word of the year for 2023 is "rizz," according to the publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary.
It supposedly means charisma, however, with more than 3 weeks left in 2023, another word has exploded into prominence and deserves consideration. The congressional testimony of major university presidents on campus anti-Semitism promoted CONTEXT to the head of the class.
When the President of the University of Pennsylvania was pressed on the hypothetical question of whether students calling for the genocide of Jews would be disciplined under the university’s code of conduct she responded, “It is a context-dependent decision.”
Friday, December 8, 2023
An article today discusses Germany's attempt to curb anti-Semitism in and around the arts. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/
An American philosopher and cultural critic claims "that
Germany’s overzealous approach to combating antisemitism had turned
into 'hysteria' that 'threatens to throttle the country’s rich cultural
life.'" In 1933, Germany arguably had the richest cultural life and legacy of any country anywhere. A lot of good that did.
. . .
We were invited to celebrate Hanukkah at dinner with Aunt Judi and Uncle Stu. That means another great meal by Aunt Judi. The menu: matzoh ball soup, Aunt Judi's meatballs, roasted vegetables (onions, carrots, sweet potatoes), onion-crusted chicken breast, California roast (beautifully roasted beef), latkes (potato pancakes), apple sauce, savory carrot cake -- everything homemade. Need I say more?
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