Saturday, June 28, 2025

Make America America Again

Saturday, June 21, 2025
I report in real time more or less. If it happens on Tuesday, I usually write it on Tuesday. Last night was an exception, too much to write about when we got home late.

The Supper Club went to the Film Forum, 206 Houston Street, to see the premiere of “Familiar Touch,” a film written and directed by Sarah Friedland, first cousin once removed of Administrative Jerry, a Supper Club member. It wasn’t just the familial relationship that brought us downtown, however. When Sarah was making the film, she recorded the Supper Club chattering to serve as background for some scenes and we got a screen credit.

Kathleen Chalfant does a great job as an 86-year old woman, suffering dementia, who is placed in an assisted living facility by her son. The place, a real institution, appears comfortable and well-run. Yet, the woman has trouble adjusting. For instance, she marches into the kitchen and tries to take over meal preparation. 

If you know what Spring Chicken means, the Supper Club ranges from Fall Chickens to Winter Chickens. So, for us watching “Familiar Touch” brought to mind the Leonard Cohen lyric, “I’ve seen the future, brother, it is murder.”

After the film, we joined Eva and Jerry at dinner and I must apologize to Danny Macaroons. Last week, I chastised him for only opening his new pizzeria for dinner. “Hey, Danny, I want pizza for lunch.” And tonight I had a great pizza for dinner at Briciola Pizza Bar, 14 Bedford Street. After a good Caesar salad (needing more anchovies) that I shared with Jerry, I had the Salsiccia Pepperoni Coppola pizza, crumbled Italian sausage, pepperoni, Spanish onion and Fior di Latte (mozzarella made exclusively with cow’s milk), one of the 15 12” personal pizzas costing only $12. At that price, it was a ridiculous bargain. I was so euphoric that I drank an IPA instead of Diet Coke.
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Nothing to be proud of. “The Brooklyn 2025 Pride festivities will not include an interfaith service this year after at least one group allegedly pulled out due to the hosting synagogue’s ‘public alignment with pro-Israel political positions.’”
https://www.jta.org/2025/06/10/united-states/brooklyn-pride-interfaith-service-cancelled-allegedly-over-synagogues-public-alignment-with-pro-israel-positions 
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My country ‘tis of thee. “The measure passed by the House last month and on track to be considered in the Senate next week would cover part of the cost of extending and expanding large tax cuts by cutting social safety net programs including Medicaid and nutrition programs, including SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.”
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Speaks for itself. “Trump Judge Gave Jew-Hating Neo-Nazi Coveted Academic Prize”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-judge-gave-jew-hating-neo-nazi-coveted-academic-prize/
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In addressing the nation last night, Our Leader said that he and Bibi “worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before.” Abbott and Costello, Beavis and Butt-head, Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn?
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Kebab Aur Sharab, 247 West 72nd Street, is a very good Indian restaurant very close by, only open for dinner. It was busy and noisy and expensive. The space may be described as having colonial era decor with filigreed wood and peacocks. The menu has 10 sections, but, except for beverages and breads, the distinctions are not obvious. Some dishes are familiar, such as Kashmiri Tandoori Chicken ($32), others not, Mushroom Galouti, “Smoky Mushroom Paté, blend of aromatic spices, Sheermal" (saffron-flavored traditional flatbread) ($24).

I had Nawabi Lamb Seekh, minced lamb, ginger, garlic, coriander roots and aromatic spices, shaped into two 7” kebabs ($29). They tasted very good, but needed a third piece to justify the price. I didn’t go hungry, however because my regular beautiful dinner companion ordered Lasooni Sabzi Palak, “Spinach Pureé, Confit Garlic, Aromatic Blend of Chili Rogan” (fortunately not related to Joe Rogan) ($28). It was delicious and the large portion allowed me to dig in.

I couldn’t help but do some calculations in my head. If Kebab Aur Sharab weren’t almost around the corner and we took a taxi, the evening would have cost pretty much the same.

Monday, June 23, 2025
Happy Birthday, Lord K.
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I have no objection to regime change in Tehran if only we can have regime change in Washington. 
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The obituary for the founder of FedEx observes that “thanks to the corporate tax cuts that Mr. Trump signed into law in 2017 — cuts that FedEx had lobbied for — the company's tax bills plunged to zero, from $1.5 billion.” 

Anybody see $1.5 billion lying around?

Tuesday, June 24, 2025
The B-2 is the most expensive airplane ever made, $2.2 billion each. 

It was an amazing accomplishment for two of them to fly for 37 hours from Missouri to drop 30,000 pound bombs in Iran. Sunday night, we heard the President proudly announce that "Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." Even people outside the MAGA orbit were taking a victory lap and breathing a sigh of relief for removal of an existential threat to Israel and other neighboring countries. 

Whoa, Nellie! It seems like Trump’s first word is never the last word. CNN.com says, “Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy  nuclear sites, sources say.” 

The New York Times says, “Strike Set Back Iran’s Nuclear Program by Only a Few Months, U.S. Report Says.”  
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/us/politics/iran-nuclear-sites.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Where is Kellyanne Conway now that we need her? But, maybe we don’t need her with Pete Hegseth on the job. Earlier today, he said “Based on everything we have seen — and I’ve seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons.” Calls to his ophthalmologist went unanswered.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Male bovine excrement! I yelled into the telephone this morning when a strange voice from a strange number told me that my (non-existent) loan application file had just landed on his desk. I await the development of an app that allows me to reach through my smartyphone and throttle the caller.
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The result of yesterday’s New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary was as big a surprise as the 2016 Presidential election. While there are obvious differences between the two winning candidates, I perceive significant similarities — inexperience and questionable ideas wrapped in glitz. Regarding the current crop of "progressive" Democrats generally: When are they going to start beating Republicans?
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Speaking of New York mayors, you can't keep a good man down. Rudy Giuliani is returning to public service as a member of the Department of Homeland Security's Advisory Council.   
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The Secretary of Education expressed her concern for “the indignity of unfair and unsafe competitions” when trans athletes are involved and who would know more about unfair and unsafe competitions than Linda McMahon, co-founder, president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

Thursday, June 26, 2025
I am a person of inconsistent morality. I do not advocate a total ban on capital punishment, although I prefer that the state rarely if ever execute a criminal. Yesterday, Mississippi executed Richard Gerald Jordan, a 79-year-old man who was sentenced to death in 1976 for killing and kidnapping a bank loan officer’s wife in what was described as a violent ransom scheme.

A 49-year interval between conviction and execution seems crazy to me. Whose interest is served at that point in executing a 79-year old man for the acts of a 28-year old man? Shakespeare had it right in “Macbeth.” 
 
“If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well
It were done quickly.”
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The Washington Post presents fascinating data which is worth navigating around its paywall to see — the changing demography of every county in the United States. The pluses and minuses of Hispanics, Non-Hispanic Whites, Asians and Blacks since 2020. 

While U.S. children outnumber older adults, older adults’ share of the population is growing. It concludes that “[i]mmigration is driving U.S. population growth and helping offset a broader demographic shift as the baby boom generation ages, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.” America For Fewer Americans may be the new chant heard in Washington.

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Time Out New York offers a valuable service in trying to identify the “11 Best Ice Cream Shops in NYC.” https://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaurants/best-ice-cream-shops-in-nyc

I’m neutral on the subject, because of my uncritical acceptance of all ice cream, although I adored the original Ample Hills Creamery (and have not tried the resurrected version). The problem with this list is mechanical not gustatorial. A lot of stuff intervenes on my screen as I go down the list, frustrating my search for truth.
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Gentleman Jerry and I bought lunch from a food truck today, but not an ordinary food truck. Chef Kwame Onwuachi, who presides over the highly rated, highly expensive restaurant Tatiana, has stationed a food truck on the plaza at Lincoln Center selling delicious curry chicken patty sandwiches on coco bread (Jamaican bread made with coconut water and yeast) with green aioli, jerk barbecue sauce and ginger cabbage slaw ($19.50). They are sloppy, spicy and taste great.

With the heatwave over (Monday  96°, Tuesday 100°, Wednesday 96°), at least temporarily, we ate outdoors on the triangle in the middle of Broadway opposite Lincoln Center. Caveat -- The food truck, called Patty Palace, only offers flavored seltzer at $5 a can. We sought street vendors for Diet Coke instead.
 
Friday, June 27, 2025
I'm going to offer a poor excuse for not commenting on today's and other recent terrible U.S. Supreme Court decisions. I've run out of space.
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Saturday, June 21, 2025

Sense and Sensibility

Saturday, June 14, 2025
“Antisemitism is a light sleeper.” Conor Cruise O’Brien, Irish writer and politician.
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Aiming to make chicken salad, we have begun looking into bringing the family together in Israel for Passover 2026. I was stunned (well almost) by the other worldwide Passover destinations offered to wandering Jews. Mexico, Bahamas, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Thailand, Vietnam, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Turkey, Panama, Costa Rica, Tunisia, Monaco, Canada, South Africa, Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Japan and Dominican Republic. Are there even enough Jews to go around?

Sunday, June 15, 2025
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America” said the President of the United States. You know the guy who wants to “knock the crap out of them,” “just shoot them,” “punch him in the face,” see hecklers “carried out on a stretcher” and promised “If I don’t get elected . . . it’s going to be a bloodbath for  the country.”

Monday, June 16, 2025
Bon voyage, American Airlines Flight 142 from New York to London, purchased from Booking.com, designated as “British Airways Operated by American Airlines,” with two empty seats which I have been unable to cancel in spite of repeated calls to each of the named parties. In fact, two of the three, American Airlines and British Airways, agree that flying to London is pointless since we are unable to proceed to Israel on our “multi-city” (JFK-LHR-TLV-JFK) trip. However, Booking.com demurs, insisting that their choice to record the transaction as three separate trips locks me into the initial New York to London segment inflexibly. 

Incidentally, Booking.com has refused my offer for it to retain $996, the assigned value of the New York to London segment, and apply to a round trip to London at a future date.
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I tried not to take it all out on Stony Brook Steve when we met for lunch at the brand new Shanghai Dumplings Fusion, 158 West 72nd Street, formerly the site of Seven Hills Mediterranean Grill, a pretty good Turkish restaurant, which succumbed to Covid.

No trace of Asia Minor remains after the move to Asia Major. A sign out front announces a “soft opening” and the scene and the waiter seemed a bit tentative. However, the food was good, the portions generally medium sized and the prices a bit high.

We shared sesame cold noodles which could have had more of that cheap peanut butter flavor that I like ($10.95). Steve had a scallion pancake ($9.95) and a large plate of sweet and sour eggplant ($17.95). I had chicken soup dumplings, five pieces for $11.95, better than average because the wrappers were not gummy. I also had a scallion pancake with sliced braised beef ($9.95).
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Speaking of Chinese food, there has been a monumental development in one of Chinatown’s culinary monuments. Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street downstairs, has expanded to street level. 
When I was at Wo Hop just ten days ago, I saw no evidence of such a radical innovation. Of course, we will soon test out the new operation. Whether being above ground in clean, bright and airy surroundings actually is an improvement has to be determined. By the way, do not confuse Wo Hop City, 15 Mott Street at street level, with either the original Wo Hop or its new extension. 

Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Today is my beautiful wife’s birthday. However, international strife, domestic chaos and our own travel problems have denied her the pleasure of fully enjoying the occasion. I hope that coming days bring her the delight and pleasure that she so richly deserves.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Not all of you pay as much attention to the National Hockey League as it merits. I will, therefore, inform you that last night a team from Sunrise, Florida beat a team from Edmonton, Alberta for the Stanley Cup, the cherished championship trophy. Significantly,  no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since 1993. Might that incentivize the 51st State Campaign?
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Terrific Tom joined Stony Brook Steve and me for lunch at the cafe at Fairway Market, 2131 Broadway. Our entrance reminded me of this memorable scene.

Thursday, June 19, 2025
If you read some columns, the problem in the United States is not the extra-constitutional exercise of power by the president, but the perceived sclerosis of the Democratic Party. Today, discussing the need for fresh blood in New York politics in opposition to Andrew Cuomo and national politics generally, we read: “For the last decade, a group of uninspiring politicians have stomped out competition and held on to power.”

The author continues, “Mr. Cuomo is winning big among Black voters and white moderates.” So, let us turn away from our core constituency and reach for something new and shiny.
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The temperature is in the high 80s and the humidity was not far behind. I really wanted Chinese food which I had not had for 72 hours, so I took the short walk to Simply Noodles, 267 Amsterdam Avenue, which could be called Mostly Noodles. The small place, 10 two-tops, was full once I sat down. It is easily overlooked as you head somewhere up Amsterdam, but it deserves your attention.

I ordered Spicy Scallion Oil Rice Noodles with chicken, chopped peanuts, sesame seeds and half a medium-boiled, tea-stained egg, a very satisfying dish ($16). I emerged to run into the leading edge of a rainstorm, the first of three in the next four hours. Trader Joe’s was across the street and I only got wet enough to feel relief from the heat. 

Friday, June 20, 2025
I got a note from Danny Macaroons reminding me that, in addition to the second location of his Super Nice Coffee and Bakery, he has opened Super Nice Pizza, 975 Amsterdam Avenue, actually a bistro with pizza. I have a complaint though; so far, it is open only for dinner. Hey, Danny, I want pizza for lunch.
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I hope that my friend Burt remembers our introductory German classes at CCNY as fondly as I do. They were just about the only “A”s that I got outside the Government Department. Professor Kahn was a tall, elegant man with silver hair. He must have been Viennese. 

I particularly recall the exercises in writing sentences, demonstrating our command of grammar and vocabulary. Believe it or not, I was a bit full of myself in those days and took pleasure in composing absurd sentences, technically correct, but even beyond the bounds of Monty Python. “The girl ate the sky on Wednesday without salt.” 

And so we come to Donald Trump. Lawrence O’Donnell, the left-liberal commentator, goes on at great length about “the stupidest man in the Situation Room.”
O’Donnell looks at some Trump utterances as examples of his (un)intelligence. That’s wrong. What Trump does is what I was doing in German classes, making sounds that fit the rules of language without attempting to make sense, maybe even trying to avoid making sense. “His third dog painted the swimming pool with green chicken fat.”




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Saturday, June 14, 2025

Delaying Gratification

Saturday, June 7, 2025
Bertrand Russell, British philosopher (1872-1970), writing about public support for World War I: “I had supposed that most people liked money better than almost anything else, but I discovered that they liked destruction even better.” 
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The Z-word is the N-word for many “progressives” today. They are only catching up with right-wingers who have long spoken of ZOG, the Zionist Occupation Government, in reference to the United States and other western nations. 
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On the other hand, we have Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the Anti-Defamation League, blatantly pandering to a group of Jewish Republicans by equating anti-Israel student protesters with al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Greenblatt succeeded Abe Foxman, a CCNY classmate and friend, who led the ADL honorably for decades, navigating some troubled waters. If the ADL is to remain an effective voice for justice, Greenblatt must go.
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Gentleman Jerry and I went out for a cup of coffee so that he could tell me about his two-week trip to London. It was wonderful to hear about places that he and the ever-charming Melanie visited, both familiar and unfamiliar to me.

We went to Patisserie Chanson, 2040 Broadway, corner of West 70th Street. It’s a small place, easy to miss. It seems to be struggling, trying to dampen its high prices with a variety of discounts by time of day and day of week. We each had an iced latte and shared a chocolate hazelnut tart and a “Burnt Basque Cheesecake” for a total of $35.49. That used to be dinner for two when America was still great.

Sunday, June 8, 2025
The Upper West Side’s Power Couple hit the road to Eastern Massachusetts to join the second and third generations in celebrating one of the major social events of the season — the MetroWest Jewish Day School’s Eighth Grade Graduation. Folks are gathering from near and far for this significant rite of passage. In preparation for tomorrow’s ceremony, the Kahns, parents of a graduate, hosted a lovely party at their home in Newton. Since I was driving our nine-day old, pristine, Supersonic Red sedan, I eschewed alcohol and freely indulged in Coke Zero. It well matched the abundant spread of Middle Eastern food served, including the silkiest hummus that I have had in a long time.

Monday, June 9, 2025
Words matter. New York Jewish Week offers this ethnocentric headline “2 Jewish delis make the New York Times’ 2025 ‘Best Restaurants in New York City’ list.”
The chosen ones are Barney Greengrass, 541 Amsterdam Avenue, and S&P Sandwich Shoppe,174 Fifth Avenue f/k/a Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop. The problem is neither is a “Jewish deli” although they might properly be labeled Jewish eating places. Barney Greengrass is an eminent appetizing store with table service. As I have previously explained, appetizing is a Jewish catchall term for lox, whitefish and herring. While Barney Greengrass also serves pastrami, corned beef, tongue and turkey, they are secondary offerings. Also, their presence alongside the cheeses on the appetizing menu prevent a Kosher designation. And, as is understood throughout the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of Katz’s in New York and Langer’s in Los Angeles, good deli is Kosher deli.

S&P, which I have not been to since it was Eisenberg’s, appears to be a very good sandwich shop or luncheonette in local parlance. While eater.com, the Michelin guide for people who work for a living, extols the pastrami at S&P (https://ny.eater.com/2022/10/26/23422337/best-pastrami-sandwiches-prices-review-s-p-nyc-restaurants), the tuna melt often gets first mention in reviews. Its menu includes matzoh ball soup, egg creams and latkes, earning a firm Jewish stamp, but the heterodox menu overall disqualifies the Kosher and deli labels. Also, S&P has a famous counter with stools and everyone knows that at a Jewish deli you either eat a hot dog standing up or sit at a table with a wisecracking waiter.

Monday, June 9, 2025
We had lunch at Legal Sea Foods, 50 Worcester Road, Framingham, a longtime favorite of mine, that has 20 branches in and around Boston and a few more in New Jersey, Illinois and the D.C. area. I first encountered it on a business trip almost 40 years ago and, in spite of continued patronage since then, I have never again had fig newton ice cream for dessert.

I had a lunch special, a cup of clam chowder, a small lobster roll and a small portion of French fries for $30. Not cheap, but a savings over a regular lobster roll at $45. 
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After my nap, we were off to the graduation ceremony. Noam was preceded at MetroWest by his brother and his sister remains in attendance. All of the children thrived in this very small school with resources disproportionate to its size. How small? Five kids in this graduating class. The future of the school hangs by a thread.
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While I was napping, Law Professor David was testifying before the Special Massachusetts Commission on Combating Antisemitism. You can find him at 1:15:00. 

Tuesday, June 10, 2025
R.I.P. - Myron Poloner

Wednesday, June 11, 2025
When you hear the word “influencer,” think instead of “influenza” and protect yourself.
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A full-page advertisement in the New York Times is not unusual except for the one that appeared today. Tom Thibodeau had been the coach of the New York Knickerbockers basketball team for five years. Physically unprepossessing with a few strands of hair on top of his head, he never seemed pleased by his surroundings. He was fired after leading the team to its best record in a generation. Under the heading “Thank you,” he addresses “the best city in the world with the best fans in the world.” That’s classy.

Thursday, June 12, 2025
I picked up the newspaper this morning and saw a theater review of “Angry Alan.” While I was surprised to find my persona on such public display, I was not concerned about defamation, but rather how can I collect royalties. Reading further, I learned that the title character, an “internet personality” (Yes!), “teaches that women, far from being the victims of a male-dominated society, run the world” (tell that to Hillary and Kamala). So, you will have to wait for a more accurate theatrical representation of me.
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It is Anne Frank’s 96th birthday and 10,000 copies of her diary are being given out throughout the city to honor her memory. 
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Gee, Bibi, things are getting quiet in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Yemen. How can we maintain a state of menace in our own people and our neighbors?
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“Protests Go Beyond Immigration to Include Array of Left-Wing Causes”

Let’s lose our focus, spread ourselves so thin that autocracy can rumble on without a coherent opposition.

Friday, June 13, 2025
Early this morning we learned from several Israeli friends that “Israel air space is closed and will stay closed for sometime” and “all work places schools universities etc. are closed.” Even if we could fly to Israel five days from now, the prospects for a joyous celebration of my beautiful wife’s birthday with children and grandchildren are very dim. At 7 AM, we have not taken conclusive action and we are trying to remain hopeful.
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It started as a simple lunch with a couple of guys, but, by the time one o’clock rolled around, there were six of us gathered at The Corner, 698 Ninth Avenue, a “nice” Chinese restaurant that I have visited before. We dug in. Cold Sesame Noodles w. Peanut & Cucumber ($9); scallion pancakes with beef (two pieces, $16); filet mignon egg rolls (two pieces, $6); walnut shrimp ("Crispy giant prawns are quick-fried and tossed in our Grand Marnier sauce. Served w. honey glazed walnuts.") ($28); Tangy Tangerine Peel Steak ("Tender steak coated in a tangerine garlic-ginger sauce") ($26); chicken with sliced mango ($22); vegetable fried rice ($13). I erred in not ordering something spicier amid the sweetish dishes, not that we didn't enjoy everything served.
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When I caught up with my young bride later this afternoon, she decided to not defy the geopolitics of the Middle East and to reschedule our trip for a later date. So, we are available for brunches and barbecues, drinks and dinner for the rest of the month. 
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Saturday, June 7, 2025

Opinionated About Everything


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