Saturday, October 25, 2025

Welcome Back, George

Saturday, October 18, 2025
Commuting George Santos’s prison sentence solidifies Trump’s role as the Law and Order President. Additionally, George is back on the streets in time for volleyball season.
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This squib from the New York Times should delight at least 21 people on my contact list. “In the interview, Mr. Mamdani [the Democratic Party’s candidate for New York Mayor] was quick to acknowledge the main reason he chose Bronx Science: ‘I couldn’t get into Stuyvesant.’”

Sunday, October 19, 2025
Over time, real estate has been the best investment for many Americans. “Since 2014, Idaho and Florida have witnessed the most significant growth, with median home prices increasing by 155.5% and 132.2%, respectively. Other top states include Washington (+129.1%), Utah (+127.5%), Georgia (+126.0%), Nevada (+125.7%), Arizona (+123.0%), and Tennessee (+122.6%).”

The survey below tells another story: “In some cities, home prices haven't budged in more than a century.” Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh are the leading examples. The purchasing power of your proceeds from selling a home there today “wouldn’t really differ from the purchasing power of the money you spent on it 135 years earlier.”

Meanwhile, a home in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego or Boston will have appreciated 400% or more in purchasing power.
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Gift certificate in hand, we went to dinner at Miriam’s, 300 Amsterdam Avenue; its “cuisine is uniquely, distinctly Israeli.” That was sufficient  to make it a target for vandalism in the recent past. Tonight, the 30 or so two-tops inside and out were mostly occupied, making the joint noisy, but peaceful.

Madam had a tomato & nectarine salad with goat cheese and braised figs ($19) followed by spanakopita, Greek spinach pie with Swiss chard, feta, cherry tomato confit and harissa ($16). I had chicken schnitzel with creamy mashed potatoes, cured lemon sauce and beet ketchup (surprisingly tasty), a small dish of chopped salad on the side ($26). It was a very generous portion with a very crunchy crust.

Monday, October 20, 2025
It was another Daily Double, two doctor appointments today. I might start my own medical school, train them and send them over to work on me.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Is rugelach singular or plural?
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Eater.com is the Michelin Guide for the rest of us, honest appraisals of food we can afford. This is confirmed by “Best Iconic New York City Foods.”

I am familiar with many of the choices and they would be mine too. So, you might print out the list and keep it in your wallet with the $2 bill that you got from Paul Hecht.

Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Donald Trump commuted George Santos’s prison sentence, because “Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” Before this he commuted the sentence or pardoned eight other former Republican members of Congress.

It seems that being a Republican member of Congress carries the risk of being deported to El Salvador under a future president.
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While Eater.com guides you to quintessential New York dishes, the New York Times directs you to 25 best local pastry items.

It’s an interesting collection, although I wouldn’t label a knish or a baguette as pastry. On the other hand, the maple cruller at Daily Provisions, several locations, and the chocolate babka at Breads Bakery, several locations, deserve the recognition and your attention.

Thursday, October 23, 2025
Its appearance on the Eater.com list drew me back to Charles Pan-Fried Chicken, 144 West 72nd Street. I had been disappointed on my only other visit (May 29, 2023), because of the woefully small serving size. No, I will not say paltry poultry portion. Since that was back in 5783, I thought to give it another chance.

I ordered the Classic Combo, two pieces of chicken, I chose thighs, mashed potatoes with gravy, a side from a group of 10, and cornbread, a bit dry without butter, honey or jam ($10.99). The chicken and potatoes were good, the chicken not as crackling as deep-fried versions, such as Popyeyes, still my favorite. The only drinks are house-made sweet iced tea, strawberry punch and limeade, all $3. If I return, I might sneak in a Diet Coke. There are only four stools at a counter to the left of the front door, a disincentive to lingering. However, if you want to eat and run, it's not a bad choice as long as you grab a handful of wipe & drys before you touch any article of clothing, yours or anyone else’s.
 
Friday, October 24, 2025
Is this a great country or what? You can buy a piece of the White House and you can hire the United States Army. And soon, Republican Senators will be available to hand out hors d'oeuvres at your next soirée. 
 
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Saturday, October 18, 2025

Whoops!

Saturday, October 11, 2025 
White House communications director Steven Cheung offered this modest appraisal: “President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will.” https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5548992-cheung-trump-nobel-peace-prize-snub/

 

Displaying his own modesty, President Trump said Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado accepted the award for him. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/white-house-says-nobel-committee-places-politics-over-peace-2025-10-10/

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I went to services at Temple Israel Natick this morning and you might recall that I went to JCC Harlem for the High Holy Days. I’ve stopped going to my old shul after 20 years, but I found that there is one thing that I miss especially. After establishing myself as a regular, I became the Undesignated Old Man, you know, the guy who wanders around the rear of the shul. He might answer a question, “What page are we on?” or “Where’s the bathroom?”; he grunts at strangers and familiar faces; he carries a prayer book, which he occasionally slaps to curb enthusiasm. Undesignated Old Man was almost a perfect fit.

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Going out for a quart of milk in Florida just became more exciting. Publix Super Markets, Florida's largest grocery chain, announced that customers will be allowed to openly carry firearms in its stores. 

https://www.aol.com/news/publix-allow-open-carry-firearms-182733387.html

 

Sunday, October 12, 2025

At midday, we went to the playing fields at Natick High School to see the battle between the Natick 7th and 8th graders and their rivals from Arlington, Massachusetts, incidentally the home of Andrea and Margo, Charlotte and John’s daughters, but that’s another story. The weather and the result were both gloomy, although we accumulated substantial grandparents’ points by attending.

 

I chose to offset the agony of defeat by having lunch at Legal Sea Foods, 50 Worcester Road, Framingham, a joint I seek out whenever in the vicinity. I started with a bowl of New England clam chowder, probably the only instance when Manhattan is second ($11). Then, I had an oyster bánh mi ($21), the Vietnamese national sandwich, excellent if it only were Grandpa Alan-sized instead of the petite version. Of course, that left plenty of room for dinner.

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Speaking of sports, forget doctors, lawyers. Mama, let your babies grow up to be college football coaches.
 
Only one of the top 10 highest paid college football coaches is paid under $10 million a year. Note, note, note that only one of the  top 10 most profligate educational institutions is private, University of Southern California, the rest are public, you know taxpayers and all that.

Monday, October 13, 2025

In the excitement surrounding the release of 20 live Israeli hostages today, I want to remember the forgotten man, Joe Biden. During his presidency, 153 live Israeli hostages were returned, 135 by negotiations with Hamas, 5 by Hamas voluntarily and 13 rescued by the IDF.

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The Orthodox Union is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. It supports synagogues, educational centers, and a variety of community organizations here and abroad, as well as being the leading certifier of Kosher food. A recent issue of Jewish Action, its quarterly magazine, featured cantorial music, illustrated by a page of untitled sheet music on the cover. Someone who could at least read music whether or not they could read Hebrew spotted the song as “We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Two out of three ain’t bad. 1) I had the pleasure of the company of former Navy officer Sam Fuchs at Madison Square Garden tonight. 2) We had free food and beverages at the Chase Lounge; mozzarella sticks, coconut shrimp, “Original & Chicken Pigs in a Blanket”, “Jarcuterie” (cheese, salami and grapes), washed down with Diet Pepsi. 3) The Rangers lost.

Thursday, October 16, 2025
We limousine liberals rarely went to NASCAR races or South Eastern Conference football games, so we probably didn’t hear chants often of “Let’s go, Brandon.” I heard it once from the guy sitting next to me at Madison Square Garden and understood it was a substitute for “F*** Joe Biden.” I was reminded of that listening to Rabbi Amie Hirsch, typically sober and reasonable, discussing Zohran Mamdani. 

Mamdani, the leading candidate for New York Mayor, refuses to acknowledge the underlying meaning of two slogans popular with his supporters, “From the River to the Sea” and “Globalize the Intifada.” Just as Joe Biden understood the meaning of chants, we Jews understand these. They are not simple calls for justice. Jews, get out, get lost, get gone. While they will prove ultimately futile, they are insulting and are obstacles to meaningful discussions. 

Friday, October 17, 2025
I must be the healthiest kid on the block. I’ve seen four doctors this week, two today. This morning, Dr. Brucker put Botox where you would not normally expect to put it. Then, this afternoon, I saw Dr. Yoo, a neurologist, who aimed much higher. She specializes in motion disorders and my motions have been ruled out of order under Robert’s Rules of Order. She set me straight.

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Saturday, October 11, 2025

Pronunciation Lesson

Saturday, October 4, 2025
It may be coincidence, but so many current administration policies that depart from established norms threaten our health, safety and security. The firing of military leaders, infectious disease researchers, federal prosecutors, climate scientists, Voice of America staff, among others demonstrate a pattern of either disregard for our nation’s future or a conscious effort to weaken us. It seems no different than capitulation to our enemies.

Sunday, October 5, 2025
Kristi Noem, the well-coiffed Secretary of Homeland Security said that people should not attend the Super Bowl unless they are “law-abiding Americans who love this country.” Of course, they will probably also have very deep pockets, because, as of this morning, four months in advance of the event, three and a half months before the teams are picked, the cheapest seats I could find on Seat Geek were $7,592 and $8,102 on StubHub. I think that the pickings for ICE will be pretty slim under these circumstances. And, I wonder who will be paying for the agents whom she promises will “be all over” Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, next February for the NFL game.
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We went to a matinee performance of “Ragtime” in preview at Lincoln Center. It’s a revival of the 1998 musical, set in the early years of the 20th century. The main focus is a successful Black musician whose hopes for the future are destroyed by confrontations with racism. A secondary plot is the upward mobility of a Latvian Jewish immigrant. Together, it’s the story of America. The music is very good, the performances generally excellent.
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At the curtain, we rushed off to make a six o’clock reservation at Kebab Aur Sharab, 247 West 72nd Street, a thriving Indian restaurant. Regular readers will have noted that dinner with my young bride is frequently Indian while lunch with the boychiks is likely Chinese.

KAS is a large joint with an attractive South Asian decor. We ate up front in an atrium facing the street. Madam had Kerala fish curry ($36), branzino in a coconut-based curry sauce. I had Famous Butter Chicken ($30), eight or so small pieces of boneless chicken in a rich, creamy sauce. Plus naan ($7) and basmati rice ($7) added up to a pricey, but very good meal. It also left us just over a couple of blocks from home.

Monday, October 6, 2025
When I was a little Jewish kid in Brooklyn (never really little, actually), I went to Hebrew school one hour a day in the afternoon five days a week from age eight to 13. The purpose was very simple, learn to read Hebrew so I could chant the prayers and Haftorah (readings related to the Torah) associated with my Bar Mitzvah on or around my 13th birthday. 

What I learned back then, among other things, was that Saturday was Shabbos, a prayer shawl was a tallis, a circumcision ceremony was a bris and the Fall harvest festival was Succos. Today, the language has changed, sounding more formal, and it’s Shabbat, tallit, brit and Sukkot. As a broad-minded guy, I am trying to go along, although I lapse occasionally.

Which brings me to tonight, when we celebrated Sukkot at a dinner famously prepared by Aunt Judi. She served a mushroom and chestnut soup: barbecued beef ribs; marinated chicken thigh meat on skewers; boneless chicken breasts, dipped  in honey mustard horseradish sauce and coated with diced fried onions; faro with onions; roasted cauliflower; leek pie; coleslaw and fudgy chocolate brownies, all deliciously made in house. I also had a small piece of blueberry buckle, a blueberry filled coffee cake with a streusel topping, baked by Helen Z., another guest. I then took a large piece home. 

There was a variety of beverages, including an excellent Kosher wine, Baron Edmond de Rothschild Rimapere Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Although I was the driver tonight, I took a few sips, enough to recommend highly.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Today is another day that will live in infamy. When FDR originally spoke those words almost 84 years ago, I imagine that they stirred many folks shaken by the events at Pearl Harbor. Now, in difficult times, we hear a word salad that may encourage some folks, but confounds many others.
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There is a strong element of superstition in Chinese culture. Eight is considered a very lucky number. Accordingly, the Beijing Olympics began at 8 PM on the eighth of August, the eight month, 2008. 

I’m not sure if there’s a connection, but eight seems important to Jews too. The Sukkot, Hanukkah and Passover holidays are all eight days long. While commands from on high supposedly set these rules, we don’t know if the Almighty did so with fingers crossed.
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"Harvard may be partly to blame for encouraging student absences, with a policy that allows students to enroll in two classes that meet at the same time.” Ya think?
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Some happy news -- the hockey season starts tonight.

Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Profile in courage
Republican Congressman Wesley Hunt announced his candidacy for a U.S. Senate seat, saying “You cannot author gun control legislation in Texas.”

Thursday, October 9, 2025
Mr. & Mrs. Stony Brook Steve are leaving for a European trip this weekend, while my young bride and I are headed merely to the Boston area. This was sufficient cause for him and me to have lunch together. We went to the Fairway of 74th Street Cafe, 2121 Broadway, a simple choice for us simple guys. I had their daily special, a $5 Burger, $10 with French fries. a very good deal.
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I can't help but cite Andy Borowitz who says "Indicting People Who Lied to Congress Would Overcrowd Prisons." Accompanying the article are photographs of Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Clarence Thomas. 

Friday, October 10, 2025
The Upper West Side's Power Couple hit the road to visit the second and third generations in Eastern Massachusetts. Our new car is less than six months old and has less than 2,000 miles on it. So, a trip like this still feels like a new adventure. An exciting part is being able to get in and out of the car unassisted. 
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Saturday, October 4, 2025

Father Figure

Saturday, September 27, 2025
If you walk around Manhattan, you won’t get very far before encountering scaffolding, playground monkey bars transferred to the sidewalks, known as sheds in the trade. They are installed as part of building or renovation projects to protect those below from falling objects. I still remember the tragic tale of a piece of lumber falling from a construction site on Columbus Circle, near where I was working, ricocheting off a building opposite and striking a young actor walking below. His head injury was fatal. This and similar events prompted legislative action.

Today, there are over 8,400 sidewalk sheds around the city.

The problem is that many of them never seem to move. More than 300 of them have been up for more than five years. “One stood in front of the headquarters of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for 15 years.”
Recent rule changes address the permit process and penalties for abuse. Time will tell.

Sunday, September 27, 2025
Every so often in the past, at this time of year, I have responded to the teachings of my faith and asked someone(s) for forgiveness. I'm not good at it and do it reluctantly, although I don't deny the need for the gesture. What concerns me is the other direction, hearing from those who have trespassed against me. Sometimes waiting in vain for the well-earned apology. I know you did it; you know you did it. It was no mistake. I prepare myself to be gracious, but nothing is forthcoming. Wait 'til next year?
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The publication of “107 Days” by Kamala Harris has renewed focus on the 2024 presidential election and specifically Harris’s nomination. She pushes back against the idea of a mini-primary, advocated by Nancy Pelosi, among others. Two questions or maybe 1 + 1 questions. Who would have beaten Harris in a primary? Would Candidate X have done better against Donald Trump?
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Everybody wanted the Mets to win except the Mets.
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Fortunately, I did not lose my appetite entirely over the disgraceful end to the baseball season. Madam and I went to Baazi, 2588 Broadway, a conveniently located Indian restaurant that we have enjoyed before. It has two levels, the first with 15 two-tops and one large table for eight. One long wall downstairs is mirrored; opposite is a drawing of the Red Fort, located in Old Delhi, built of red sandstone in the mid-17th Century. I can’t describe the upstairs, because I’ve never ventured there and my knees will not allow it in the future.

We had familiar dishes. Madam ate saag paneer, cheese cubes in puréed spinach ($19). I had “Dumpukht Gosht Biryani,” an Indian version of lamb potpie ($22). 

Monday, September 28, 2025
Jill Lepore is in the midst of a great career. She has a chair in history at Harvard and is a professor in its law school. Additionally, she is a prolific staff writer on The New Yorker. 

Tonight, we went to the main branch of the New York Public Library to hear her discuss her latest book, “We the People,” an examination of the United States Constitution, before a packed house. She focuses on the amendment process and how it deals or fails to deal with political, social and economic changes. She maintains that the very presence of an amendment process denies the basic premise of originalism, the Constitution as a static reference.

Tuesday, September 30, 2025
I’m not sure whether it was the last lunch of 5785 or the first of 5786, but six members of the Boyz Club sat down at Jing Fong, 202 Centre Street. There was a constant flow of carts loaded with dim sum coming at us. As usual, it was too hectic to keep track of the 15 dishes that we had, the shrimp rice roll and the siu mai and the har gow and the spring roll and the vegetable dumplings and the shrimp rolls in wonton skin and so on. Net result - $25 each.
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PBS, remember it?, had a program tonight on the "Hard Hat Riot," when construction workers in Manhattan turned on anti-Vietnam war protesters on May 8, 1970. I think that it was an under appreciated event and a harbinger of the future through this day. The Republican Party went from blue bloods to blue collar. The sight of working class men, veterans, sons of veterans and fathers of soldiers, battling draft-deferred college students helped Richard Nixon to a historic landslide victory in 1972. The classic alliance of the labor movement with the Democratic Party was broken and has never been restored.
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Speaking of conflict, Secretary of Raw Pete Hegseth gathered all the country's top military leaders for a lesson on leadership today. He told them, “At every level, either you can meet the standard, either you can do the job, either you are disciplined, fit, and trained, or you are out.” I agree totally and believe we should start right at the top.

Wednesday, October 1, 2025
It’s unlikely that you would recognize Elisha Wiesel, the only child of Elie Wiesel. He has had a successful career on Wall Street and now manages a hedge fund while most of us, at best, trim hedges.

I encountered him in 1992, visiting my young friend Nate at Yale University during intersession. As we walked across the barren campus, we saw a young man who well might have been auditioning for a vacancy on The Ramones. His head was unevenly shaved, his black leather motorcycle jacket had chains dangling and slogans painted in white. Nate, discreet, then and now, whispered, “That’s Elie Wiesel’s son.” 

I burst out, “For this he went to Auschwitz?” although probably out of hearing range. And that’s my Yom Kippur lesson.
 
Thursday, October 2, 2025 
We ended Yom Kippur with a lovely meal hosted by Connie Goldfarb. Rochelle Goldfarb made a delicious zucchini and cheese quiche served along with lox, whitefish, herring in cream sauce, herring in wine sauce, bagels, cream cheese and luckshen (noodle) kugel from Russ & Daughters, the premier New York appetizing store, which probably makes it #1 in the country. It is so popular that Connie had to place her holiday order in August. 

Hey, Grandpa Alan, I’m not from around here. What’s an appetizing store? It’s a store that sells lox, whitefish, pickled herring and accouterments which collectively keep Jews at home on Sunday morning.

Friday, October 3, 2025
What I learned today.
The term "algorithm" originates from the name of the Persian mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, who lived in the 9th century and wrote influential works on mathematics. He never took over his father's tailor shop.



 

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Saturday, September 27, 2025

Fruit Loops

Saturday, September 20, 2025
I don’t know if you noticed, but last week’s love letter omitted any mention of food, no restaurant meals or other notable treats. I’m sorry to say that this did not represent moderation of my normally avaricious habits. Rather, I was deferring to the stitches in my lower gums patching me up after some messy surgery. Instead, I was left to deal with violence, here and abroad. There’s always enough of that to go around.

Sunday, September 21, 2025
I have very little personal experience with the Taliban, so I don’t know if they are particularly competitive. Also, I don’t know how much they are keeping up with news from the land of the free and the home of the brave where we are clamping down on libraries, college students and professors, and television comedians. The Taliban on their part have taken a broader approach, removing books written by women from their university system, which admits men only. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/taliban-ban-books-written-women-234137258.html 
 
Of course, anything that Jane Austen said can probably be found in "The Art of the Deal."

Monday, September 22, 2025
The United Nations General Assembly convenes today with the area around First Avenue and East 42nd Street as friendly as the Ukraine-Russia border. I had a doctor’s appointment this morning on East 38th Street between Second and Third Avenues. I traded dollars for aggravation and took a taxicab. We found a relatively unjammed route that allowed me to walk (stumble) very few steps.

Good Doctor Ji gave me two shots in my tuchus directed at my spine, which he believes is the source of much of my non-political discomfort. Initial relief begins in a couple of days with the full benefit in a couple of weeks after my payment clears.
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To speed the healing process, Terrific Tom joined me for lunch at Schnipper’s, 620 Eighth Avenue, street level in the New York Times Building. The big, airy, plain vanilla space offers excellent hamburgers. I had a special today, French Onion Soup Burger ($13), though not served  on French bread or a croissant, but on an English muffin. Otherwise, it was true to its name, oniony, cheesy, a bit sloppy. The fries were called House, not French ($5.25) and they indeed transcended national boundaries. I’m feeling better already.
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In 1935, the United States Supreme Court decided that the president could not remove independent regulators without cause and solely over policy disagreements. Humphrey's Executor v. United States, 295 U.S. 602 (1935). Today, our current majority of justices said, “No problem. Independent, shmindependent.” Fire away!

Tuesday, September 22, 2025
We returned to JCC Harlem, 318 West 118th Street, for High Holy Day services. It’s good to gather with other Members of the Tribe on this occasion. However, the group of one hundred or so people was neither a congregation in a formal sense nor a community in an informal sense. It was akin to a group of people on a subway platform waiting for the next train. Their common purpose was narrow and momentary.
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On the other hand, we had a sense of belonging at dinner with the Posmans and members of their family, including a delightful three-year old who spoke English, Hebrew and Serbian. The food was equally impressive.

Wednesday, September 23, 2025
President Trump spoke at the White House on Monday about autism and to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. You know, Tylenol and “kill all the cows.” If an ordinary person had said much of the same thing, the hoots of derision might still be echoing. If Joe Biden were the speaker, Congressional Republicans would have the pitchforks out and be chanting the words of the 25th Amendment.
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America’s Favorite Epidemiologist labored long and hard to produce a wonderful meal for a group of our friends today. There was no lack of affection and community around the table aided by the quality and quantity of food provided. 

Thursday, September 25, 2025
The Holy Land is home to 56 billionaires, more than any other location. 

If we go slumming and look at millionaires, we also have the highest number, a remarkable 384,500.

What constitutes a millionaire is undefined. Net worth or annual earnings? Once upon a time it was probably net worth, but real estate appreciation has put a lot of folks in that range. It loses a lot of glamor when the secret of success was just sitting still in your cooperative apartment.

The richest New Yorker is Michael Bloomberg, 13th of the Forbes 400, formerly mayor 2001-2013. Income inequality preceded him and succeeded him, which I think will be the case with the Democratic Socialist likely to be the next mayor. Zohran Mamdani will be the youngest mayor in over 100 years, the first Muslim and the poorest, at least when entering office.

Friday, September 26, 2025
What do Donald Trump and a banana have in common? This morning I had my traditional breakfast of cold cereal with fruit. There were raspberries, a peach (just about the last of the season) and a banana, which had been purchased on the weekend. It had not quite defaulted to squishiness, but its skin was very thin. As bananas age, their skin gets thinner just like the Dear Leader and unlike normal human beings who are attributed with thickening skin as they age, experience life and learn.
 
 

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