Brave New Year

Sunday, September 13, 2026

Just as the Jewish New Year period was coming to an end, sundown Friday to sundown Sunday, we got a surprise gift here at Palazzo di Gotthelf, the freezer portion of our refrigerator stopped working, defrosting its contents and leaving puddles of water. Whether a minor repair or a major replacement is needed can only be determined tomorrow morning. 

This evening, I identified a credible replacement appliance, if needed. I spotted some possible vendors as well, but I will be missing the initial household excitement tomorrow morning because I will be having some personal excitement — cataract surgery on my right eye. 

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By the way, I am well aware that not all of you dear readers are Jewish. So, while we often-chosen-for-the-wrong-reason people contemplate our coming year, I want to offer the rest of you some spiritual support.

Monday, September 14, 2026

I was up and out early to have my cataract surgery. It went well as far as I can tell with one eye completely bandaged.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the first miracle of 5787 seems to have occurred. The freezer compartment of our refrigerator, emptied of everything and wiped dry, resumed normal operations on its own. Just as we were preparing to place a rush order for a replacement, an ice cube tray left behind froze up normally.

My multi-talented young bride had rescued the defrosted beef and chicken by cooking it to be used in future meals. Now, it is watchful waiting even as I contemplate which ice cream I should purchase to restock my freezer.

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Well before I went to law school, I was interested in constitutional law. It was a small component of the introduction to American government class that I taught centuries ago. It is the critical glue to our ongoing experiment in democracy and I urge all of you to have command of some of the basic principles: case in controversy, standing to sue, the role of precedents.

A simple guideline to evaluating the opinions of the current Supreme Court is Alito is Wrong. Whenever the Court faces the opportunity to broaden democracy and narrow the control of selfish interests, Samuel Alito is a consistent opponent of progress. His opinions harken back to a history and morality of his own invention, independent of the lessons of our own past.

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By coincidence, with the arrival of 5787, Trader Joe’s reopened at 2073 Broadway, at the very busy intersection of West 72nd Street. It had been closed for four months to install new escalators and elevators for this entirely subterranean enterprise. Some of their products were so attractive that I would occasionally shop at their store at 670 Columbus Avenue at West 92nd Street or even 123 West 125th Street in the interim. Try the tangerine juice, 100% pure juice ($3.49/quart), if you need convincing.

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Dr. DeLuca removed the bandages from my corrected right eye this morning. As my vision adapted to the new circumstances, I was able to find my way to Pastrami Queen, 1125 Lexington Avenue, to meet Michael Ratner for lunch.

We were able to benefit from the Twin Tuesday special, pastrami and corned beef each on a dinner roll, coleslaw, pickles and a small order of French fries, for $22.95. Additionally, I had a 10% off coupon as a regular customer. This was an excellent start for my corrected vision.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Our youngest grandchild had her Bat Mitzvah earlier this year. Her older brother recently graduated high school and is in Israel for a gap year before college. Allison and Will have been married for 10 years, Irit and David for 22 years. This means that there is no anticipated major lifecycle celebration on our calendar for the foreseeable future. Our progeny, therefore, are unable to benefit from the largesse of Umar Kremlev, a regular attendee at Vladimir Putin’s gin rummy games.

Kremlev, who recently paid for a substantial part of Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding festivities, seems eager to show Americans how to have a good time. He has established the Russo-American Bureau of Hotcha Happenings to handle applications and coordinate events. My lovely wife and I await word whether a public renewal of our wedding vows will qualify for Mr. Kremlev’s generosity.

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A couple of weeks ago, to satisfy my curiosity, I did a simple poll of likely Democratic voters of my acquaintance. I asked their personal preference for the 2028 Democratic presidential candidate and their prediction as to the candidate. The preferences were scattered mostly among Andy Beshear, Kentucky Governor; Mark Kelly, Arizona Senator; Gavin Newsom, California Governor; Jon Ossoff, Georgia Senator and Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Governor. Several people, Jewish people, explicitly rejected Jewish candidates: Rahm Emmanuel, former Chicago Mayor; Ossoff; JB Pritzker, Illinois Governor and Shapiro. No women seemed to want a woman either.

The predictions were much narrower, Beshear and Newsom named most frequently.

Thursday, September 17, 2026

The Thai restaurant that we picked for dinner before the theater was too crowded. So, we went down the block to Yum Yum Too, 652 Ninth Avenue, where we were immediately seated. 

The menu was pretty conventional and we didn't order much. We both had noodle dishes, Madam had Pad Thai with vegetables, stir-fried rice noodles, egg, tofu, peanut, beansprouts and scallions ($21) and I had Pad Woonsem with beef, stir-fried glass noodles, egg, scallions, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, dull nevertheless ($17).

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School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play, written by Jocelyn Bioh from a Ghanaian family, is a revival from 2017. It is set in a Ghanaian girls school where the Queen Bee feels threatened by the arrival of a new student who is richer and paler. Combining melodrama and comedy (America's White Castles are thought of as palaces of privilege), it addresses colorism, status and the Eurocentric standards of beauty. However, these legacies of colonialism seem readily adopted by these young people 30 years after Ghana's independence.

Friday, September 18, 2026

This illustrates the budget for football at America's leading (football) schools. CCNY, my alma mater does not appear; it hasn't had a football team since 1950. It's just that I like the colors.