Looking Ahead

Saturday, August 1, 2026

Speaking of the New York Times, as subscribers we get home delivery and unlimited online access. I go back and forth between paper and pixels. Lately, however, I've become annoyed by a timing problem. I will read an article online that doesn't appear in print for many days. While my buddies are normally up to date on the daily paper, they may not have same online reading habit as I do. I am disappointed when my usually loquacious companions only produce a blank stare in response to my inquiry: "What did you think of Donald Trump, Jr.'s critique of The Catcher in the Rye?" 

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I think that I belong on this chart.

Sunday, August 2, 2026

Happy Birthday Burt.

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Jacob’s Pickles, 680 Columbus Avenue, takes up half the block between 84th and 85th Streets and almost every inch of it, indoors and out, was taken by the brunch crowd today. I moved right to the bar to avoid the crowd still waiting to get in.

Last week, I had probably the biggest fried chicken sandwich ever at Bob White Counter, 34 Avenue C. Jacob’s came awfully close, piled high with shredded lettuce and pickle chips ($22). It may have also been the worst fried chicken sandwich that I’ve ever had. The chicken was room temperature and had the texture and taste of an item that had been forgotten in the back of the kitchen. The French fries were only a slight improvement. I did not finish my meal. I repeat, I did not finish my meal.

The final indignity was the $4 Diet Coke, one of those tiny bottles that might have come from a child’s play kitchen.

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I salvaged this trip out of the house by going to Trader Joe’s, 670 Columbus Avenue, and then Zabar’s, 2245 Broadway, to shop for things to delight my young bride upon her return home tomorrow.

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Wirecutter is the New York Times’s embedded version of Consumer Reports. When I read its recommendation for T-shirts, I was convinced. 

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/comfort-colors-t-shirt-review/

The last two of the 14 that I ordered in various colors came today. They have more colors, but I exercised self-control.

Monday, August 3, 2026

“Belgian Jewish Organization Sues Local Railway Operator For Holocaust Deportations"   https://share.google/gCZLMLiI7mVGtZUq4

Reading this article took me back 25 years. I had no job when I graduated law school, so I volunteered to do research for a group of real lawyers who were suing SNCF, the French national railroad, for its role in the Holocaust. SNCF rented boxcars to the Nazis to carry Jews and others to Auschwitz and other death camps. And when the war ended, SNCF billed the de Gaulle government for unpaid Nazi charges.

We lost the case, because the relevant U.S. statute did not extend to these circumstances. My research showed that the statute was drafted incorrectly, misunderstanding the historical precedents. However, that’s not an argument that wins in court. 

Justice was eventually served years later. SNCF was trying to sell technology to U.S. railroads. Okay, just pay remaining survivors and the descendants of victims and you have a deal.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30351196

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“Using travel data, Tel Aviv University researchers estimate that between 45,000 and 50,000 Israelis left the country in each of the past three years, amid war and increased political strife.”

https://share.google/TzAbXOzfq7uniG7TE

This movement is a crucial brain drain and ultimately a threat to Israel’s security, because these emigrants are among its most highly educated citizens.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/brain-drain-12-of-israelis-with-phds-lived-abroad-last-year-finds-state-report/

As a liberal Zionist, I fervently hope that the Israeli government ceases its foreign adventures and concentrates on rebuilding the trust and support of its population. Israel’s future lies in Tel Aviv not Tehran.

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

I mentioned Wirecutter above. Today, I received another message from them that I swear could have been written by George Costanza. “Change Your Toilet Seat, Change Your Life.”

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/advice-change-toilet-seat/

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Profiles in Porridge - "The [committee] vote paves the way for Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general."

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

“Despite only being 1% of the Canadian population, Jewish Canadians made up 68% of reported religiously motivated hate crimes and 18.8% of overall reported hate crimes in 2024—the largest in either category.”

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/canada-holocaust/antisemitism/campus-antisemitism-student-experiences.html

Closer to home: 

"Hate Crimes Against Jewish New Yorkers Surge Amid Heightened Antisemitism"  https://www.wsj.com/us-news/hate-crimes-against-jewish-new-yorkers-surge-amid-heightened-antisemitism-b7a78a44

Anti-Israel                    Anti-Zionist                Anti-Jewish

Anti-Jewish                  Anti-Israel                  Anti-Zionist

Anti-Zionist                 Anti-Jewish                Anti-Israel

There are some people who can distinguish these terms, but it's too much trouble for many.

Thursday, August 6, 2026

Madam and I stayed indoors all day to avoid the ugly hot and humid weather outside. That gave us the incentive to go out for dinner. We headed to Canto, 2014 Broadway, with its high ceiling arches and large, hanging faux floral arrangements. It was crowded and noisy. Most of the two dozen tables were occupied inside and some brave souls were eating outside. 

Cantu does a good job with a conventional Italian menu. My young bride was very satisfied with her salade niçoise (French, I know), "Grilled Tuna Loin, Lettuce, String Beans, Olives, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Onion, Anchovies, and Hard-Boiled Eggs in a Lemon Dressing" ($22). I had Bucatini alla Carbonara, pancetta, egg, and a parmesan sauce over thick spaghetti  ($27). 

We were happy with our dessert choice, buying a 1.5 quart tub of Tillamook’s Salty Caramel Pretzel ice cream at the Morton Williams supermarket conveniently located in the middle of the short distance between the restaurant and Palazzo di Gotthelf ($8.99).

Friday, August 7, 2026

You don’t get out of a visit to Dr. Englebert in a hurry. Before he sticks a needle in your eyeball, his specialty, you get drops in your eye six times at roughly 15-minute intervals. By the time that he appears, he might as well be wielding a chainsaw. Just get it over with!

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Groucho Marx's trick question was "What's a paradox?" For me it was my Double Doctor Day. Dr. Lipsky, a psychiatrist, is monitoring my pharmaceutical input. Actually, I reported an elevated mood, because Dr. Englebert cleared me for cataract surgery by Dr. DeLuca. Imagine that. Happy to have surgery, that's how low I've sunk.