Saturday, November 2, 2024
I can’t wait for the election to be over. The flood of television advertisements is exhausting. Let’s get back to the normal diet of psoriasis and erectile dysfunction.
. . .
Let’s hope that one other result of Tuesday’s election is a reduction in the legislative attacks on LBGQT rights in localities across the country. The febrile response to people who don’t exactly resemble us is too widespread for us to consider ourselves a caring, tolerant society.
Sunday, November 3, 2024
Out-of-towners, please sit down before reading this. An apartment featured in the weekend’s real estate section is listed at $2,345,000, a nice chunk of change. It is located in Gramercy Park, a nice neighborhood in the East 20s — nice, but not exclusive. However, what I want to call to your attention is the availability of a parking space within the building for a mere $385,000.
I just looked at fares for a ride from Gramercy Park to JFK Airport, one of the longest rides within city limits, ranging from $75 in a licensed yellow taxicab to $129.30 in a chauffeured luxury sedan plus tip in each case. Make that a total of $156.00 rounded up in the latter instance, which translates into 2,467 rides for the cost of the parking space or one ride a day to the airport for more than six years and nine months, half that for a round trip. Oh, by the way, you have to buy the car and maintain it as well.
. . .
In a phone interview with NBC, Donald Trump did not rule out several alarming public health proposals advanced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He said he would talk to Kennedy, the former independent presidential candidate who has endorsed him, and others and “make a decision” on banning certain vaccines. Trump added that he had not spoken to Kennedy about his proposal to ban fluoride in water, but said that the plan “sounds OK to me.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/
https://www.nbcnews.com/
Mens insana in corpore insano.
Monday, November 4, 2024
I hold a grudge against the leadership of a certain organization (is there a better way to express this?) because of an act that I consider unforgivable. But, is there such a thing? Doesn’t redemption or rehabilitation offer a path forward? Do they make the unforgivable forgivable? Must I then forgive?
. . .
The 2023-2024 school year recorded the highest instances of book bans and highest number of unique titles banned in the United States – over 4,000 unique titles were removed in over 10,000 instances of book bans, according to PEN America, an organization for the advancement of literature and human rights. https://pen.org/
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
At 11:15 AM, my polling place had the longest line that I have ever seen, longer than getting into a concert by The Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen. A one hour wait was estimated, so I left to go about my business, intending to return later when the wait might replace my nap.
. . .
While I try to be discreet about certain things, I definitely fly my freak flag when it comes to the New York Rangers. So, when my spiffy Rangers cap got damaged, I sought a replacement. Looking on the official National Hockey League website, I found 79 different men’s caps for the Rangers.
Greater variety even may be found on the Madison Square Garden website offering 99 styles.
That’s madness. Even in Greek mythology, the monster Hydra only had nine heads.
To usher in a new political era for better or worse, I asked Terrific Tom and Paul Bergman, Esq. to join me for lunch at The Corner, 698 Ninth Avenue, a much better than average Chinese restaurant. There were few other diners at lunchtime, a threat to its existence at this expensive location. Given its proximity to the theater district, I hope that Wednesday matinees and evening performances bring in sustaining crowds.
. . .
To usher in a new political era for better or worse, I asked Terrific Tom and Paul Bergman, Esq. to join me for lunch at The Corner, 698 Ninth Avenue, a much better than average Chinese restaurant. There were few other diners at lunchtime, a threat to its existence at this expensive location. Given its proximity to the theater district, I hope that Wednesday matinees and evening performances bring in sustaining crowds.
A $100 Groupon coupon supported our omnivorous efforts. I did the ordering, selfishly, as is customary, but went at least one dish too far, over extending our stomachs and wallets. We each had an excellent filet mignon egg roll ($6) and then shared tasty chicken
soong, coarsely ground chicken stir-fried with soy sauce, rice wine, celery, carrots and scallions wrapped in ice berg lettuce leaves ($16); “Creamy Lobster Noodles in Ginger & Scallion Sauce” good, but not as good as it sounds ($36); very spicy cumin lamb ($28); jumbo shrimp in lobster sauce, more soup than sauce, most disappointing ($28).
soong, coarsely ground chicken stir-fried with soy sauce, rice wine, celery, carrots and scallions wrapped in ice berg lettuce leaves ($16); “Creamy Lobster Noodles in Ginger & Scallion Sauce” good, but not as good as it sounds ($36); very spicy cumin lamb ($28); jumbo shrimp in lobster sauce, more soup than sauce, most disappointing ($28).
. . .
I returned to my polling place at 3:10 PM, found only 5 people ahead of me and was finished at 3:15. Now the prayers.
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
.png)
. . .
Election Day 1994 was November 8, almost exactly 30 years ago. It was not a presidential year, but there were many significant races, the most important to me was Mario Cuomo‘s campaign for a third term as New York governor against George Pataki, an obscure state legislator. I voted and left for the airport to take an overnight flight to Paris.
Weeks before, I started a job selling software for which I eventually proved ill-suited. I had the chutzpah to tell my boss that I was taking vacation just barely after I had located the bathroom. It was not that I had invested so much in the trip. The flight was free under an airline reward program and I was headed for a couch in the apartment Charlotte and John Stanley were renting during a sabbatical from UC Riverside. The trip was planned well before I got the job. It was to be my second trip to Paris and I could not be deterred.
The polls had not even closed when I got on the plane and, to my mind, the results stood:
Cuomo 1
Pataki 0
I got to the apartment in the 13th Arrondissement maybe 9 or 10 in the morning local time. John, professor of politics, was loaded with news. Cuomo had lost, along with many other prominent Democrats across the country. This morning, the parallels shout out to me, although the consequences are far more dangerous now. Also, at least I had Paris then.
. . .
Din Tai Fung, 1633 Broadway, the swanky dim sum place from Taiwan, gets a lukewarm review in today’s paper.
Several weeks ago, I had the temerity of walking in at lunchtime without a reservation. The woman at the desk was unmoved by my explanation of New York Chinese restaurant protocol and barred entry. The review indicates that I was spared paying too much for inconsistent results.
Besides raising that caution, the article offers poor advice for a critical part of the dining experience, eating a soup dumpling. “Mindful of the instructions placed on every table to prevent newbies from staining their shirts, I dabbed ginger and vinegar on top, nibbled a hole in the swirled knot [at the top] and blew on it carefully. I slurped, and I understood.” Actually, the most efficient and safest way to eat a soup dumpling is to place it on the ever-present porcelain spoon, nip at the side towards the bottom and slurp, allowing gravity to do most of the work. Go to Joe’s Home of Soup Dumplings, 7 East 48th Street, to save a month’s waiting time for a reservation and about $10 for a plate of dumplings.
Thursday, November 7, 2024
In
an attempt to act normal under these abnormal circumstances, I went to
New Jersey to have lunch with my brother at LouCas, 9 Lincoln Highway,
Edison, an Italian restaurant named for its chef. It's a very big, tastefully, but conventionally, decorated place, loaded with ladies who lunch -- Jersey style.
Service
was very attentive and prices were reasonable, especially considering
the high quality of the food. There was a long list of daily specials
from which I chose a salad with poached pear, baked goat cheese, candied
walnuts and tiny tomatoes over greens ($15). ("You had salad?" said my
young bride later.) My main course from the regular menu was an
excellent crab cake with a side of garden vegetables (French fries were
not an option) ($19). The portion of tiramisu for dessert was large,
fortunately because it tasted so good ($10). Worth noting is that LouCas
has a BYOB policy, allowing festivity with some economy. So, go visit
my brother and eat at LouCas.
. . .
No one would know of Karl Plagge except for the prodigious efforts of Dr. Michael Good whose mother survived WWII as a child in the Vilna ghetto. 98% of Vilna’s 100,000 Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Plagge, a Wehrmacht major, sheltered 1,000 Jews in a work camp that he ran, insisting that families be kept with the slave laborers. At every turn, he tried to protect his group, men, women and children, from roundups and deportation. Ultimately, 250 survived, including Good’s mother.
I heard him speak tonight about the underlying events and his five-year search for the story, extending to Germany, Lithuania, Israel and Uruguay. His book, “The Search for Major Plagge: The Nazi Who Saved Jews”, is available in print from Fordham University Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as an audio book and electronic download.
Friday, November 8, 2024
“The world’s 10 richest people got a record $64 billion richer from Trump’s reelection” https://www.cnn.
Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” Here we have the sequel, “When Good Things Happen to Bad People.”
No comments:
Post a Comment