Full Stomach, Empty Mind

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Thomas Massie, Republican member of the House of Representatives, argues that world leaders pushing climate policy “want a lower quality of life” for us red-blooded (or is it true blue Americans?). 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/opinion/thomas-massie-republican-party.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=highlightShare

 

We can instead look to him for our paradigm.  "He lives in an off-the-grid home he built himself, using timbers cut and rock quarried from his family cattle farm.  He pipes in water from a nearby pond, and powers the home with solar panels and a battery from a wrecked Tesla that he salvaged and retrofitted."  I imagine that he would like us to follow in his footsteps, living high on the hog, presumably one that we butchered ourselves.

. . .

 

If you are looking for a more conventional living arrangement, you will pay for the privilege, at least around here.  The latest local apartment rental data are eye opening. 

https://www.elliman.com/corporate-resources/market-reports

 

The average Manhattan monthly rent is $5,186.  More useful is the median, $4,095, still an awful lot.  And a parking spot in a garage?  Fuhgeddaboudit.

 

Monday, March 13, 2023

USA! USA!

 

“United States is alone among peer nations in the number of child firearm deaths. In no other similarly large or wealthy country are firearm deaths in the top 4 causes of mortality let alone the number 1 cause of death among children.”

https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/issue-brief/child-and-teen-firearm-mortality-in-the-u-s-and-peer-countries/

 

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

In what is becoming a ritual, I met Gentleman Jerry at Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant, 209 West 38th Street, for dinner before a New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden.  I ordered a roast beef wrap, the rarest Kosher roast beef that I have ever seen, wrapped with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and what they claimed was horseradish sauce, but was no more then plain mayonnaise ($19.99).  It was the weak link; aioli or real horseradish mayonnaise would have made for a great sandwich, rather than the Mike Pence of dressings.  A very good potato knish was included in the price, which we shared.

 

With less than 20% of the regular hockey season remaining, teams are contending for position in the playoffs and trying to bring their skills to a peak.  The Rangers were up to the challenge and I went to bed happy.

 

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

“Everything about Wellesley College bespeaks its commitment to women, and to providing them with an unequaled educational experience that honors and cultivates not only what is best about each of them, and their own potential, but about what women offer our world.”  These confident words come from the Wellesley College website.  https://www.wellesley.edu/about

 

Of course, it seems that there are women and there are women.  Wellesley accepts trans women as students and allows students who become trans men to remain enrolled, a slippery slope.  However, it refuses admission to trans men.  A non-binding student referendum rejected that policy yesterday, in spite of the opposition of the college’s president.

 

I believe in the value of gender segregated education as a choice in high school and college.  Boys and young men will have less reason to act up and act out.  Girls and young women will have less reason to act “ladylike,” suppressing ability for the sake of appearance.

http://girlsschools.org/research/quick-facts/

 

While I wish that, in the words of Marlo Thomas, we were all Free to Be You and Me, many (most?) American children are still socialized and acculturated to classic gender roles and enter classrooms with those burdens.  An educational institution that attempts to deal with that reality should be able to set reasonable standards for admission.  Wie man bettet, so man liegt.  Call yourself a woman, live as a woman; call yourself a man, live as a man.

. . .

 

A situation of much broader consequence arose at another school.  Students made a deepfake (a form of artificial intelligence creating sight and sound of a fake event) of a school principal on a racist rant.  It produced fear and confusion in the community.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/03/14/racist-deepfakes-carmel-tiktok/

 

These machinations are already used broadly in the entertainment industry, but one doesn't usually approach public affairs expecting that sort of artifice and deception.  Can you ever get the Internet toothpaste back into the Internet tube?

. . .

 

The Boyz Club gathered on the Ides of March at Shanghai Asian Cuisine, 14A Elizabeth Street.  This joint does some ordinary things exceptionally well — soup buns, scallion pancakes and cold sesame noodles.  Of course, starting with those items doesn’t leave much room for other dishes, but, after two orders each of soup buns ($8.25 for 6), scallion pancakes ($5.75) and cold sesame noodles ($7.50), the six of us soldiered on through diced chicken in hoisin sauce ($17), tangerine beef ($21.25), beef lo mein ($12.25) and vegetable fried rice ($11).  It was an appropriate sendoff for Julius Caesar.

 

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Could Minnesota Republican State Senator Steve Drazkowski have the Boyz Club in mind when he voted against free meals in public schools, asserting that "I have yet to meet a person in Minnesota that is hungry"?   https://www.businessinsider.com/minnesota-republican-opposes-free-school-meals-says-nobody-hungry-2023-3

 

Baby Talk

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Excitement ran rampant through Palazzo di Gotthelf yesterday when we welcomed a new toilet.  What sold me was the promise that it "has been engineered and proven to flush a bucket of golf balls in a single flush."  So, if you plan on soon excreting a dozen or so golf balls, our door is open.

. . .

A long time ago, "Philadelphia lawyer" was a term of distinction.  More recently, "Harvard lawyer" became the desired label.  Today, I saw a “TikTok-famous lawyer.”  This might explain the rush to eliminate the LSAT.

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Eva and Jerry joined us for dinner at aRoqa, 206 Ninth Avenue, a place that is becoming a favorite, because of its far from ordinary Indian food.  

We shared a bunch of small plates, but big enough to give each of us a bite: Cassava Root Pearls and Potato Patties ($22), Corn Paddu (fried corn balls) ($16), Kataifi Mushrooms (sautéed mushrooms wrapped in shredded phyllo dough) ($21), Smoked Eggplant ($18), Chicken Fritters ($18), Onion Seed Naan (2 orders @ $6).  Jerry and I split a Chicken Biryani ($23), while our dates had Butternut Squash ke Kofte, fried squash balls in a sweet corn sauce ($23).  A bottle of Sauvignon blanc helped everything go down.  Enjoyment was universal.

. . .

There was no enjoyment at the news that Ample Hills Creamery has shut down.  This superb ice cream company had grown to a dozen stores, possibly too much too soon.  Please join me in offering thoughts and prayers for the restoration of Ample Hills Creamery.

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

I had the pleasure of John Mervin’s company at lunch today.  John is an Anglo-American.  I met and befriended his father 60 years ago, shortly after he came from the UK for graduate school.  John’s mother is American, as is his wife and two daughters.  He grew up in the village of Priors Marston while his father taught at the University of Warwick, establishing himself as a leading authority on American politics.

We ate at Wei West, 265 Murray Street, and Wei West is way west, buried in Battery Park City.  Forget the address, by the way.  It is halfway down an alley perpendicular to Murray Street labelled North End Way.  It’s a square room, feeling uncrowded with 20 tables, occupied almost entirely by lanyard-wearing folk briefly released from their cubicles in nearby megalithic financial firms.

The restaurant offers 14 lunch specials, modest bargains over the regular menu.  I had hot and sour soup, that was spicy hot, and a large portion of beef chow fun ($16.95).  We also shared a scallion pancake, a litmus test for the quality of a Chinese restaurant.  At $8.95 and 6” diameter, we knew that we were far from Chinatown.

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Michael Ratner met me for lunch at Good Enough to Eat, Columbus Avenue, the third site for this very American joint.  Even as it moved around, it has worked to retain a funky feeling, tables and chairs that might have come from your first apartment after college.

I was a little disappointed with my meal.  I ordered the Astoria Omelette, containing spinach, feta cheese and sausage, which was okay ($17).  However, the signature accompaniment of biscuits and strawberry butter, usually smile evoking, was mediocre.  At least, Michael enjoyed a hearty grilled chicken sandwich and the large portion of French fries with it ($18).

I won’t give up on GETE entirely, where they serve very good layer cakes for dessert.

. . .

Late this afternoon, the lead story on the New York Times website had this headline:  Israel’s Judicial Overhaul Plan Ignites Debate Among American Jews.  Not Germany’s Judicial Overhaul Plan Ignites Debate Among American Lutherans or Pakistan’s Judicial Overhaul Plan Ignites Debate Among American Muslims.  The #1 lead story.  What did we do to deserve this?

Thursday, March 9, 2023

I have been enchanted by the idea of turning much of the office space in Manhattan left unoccupied by the dramatic shift in work style resulting from Covid into housing.  Newish buildings, well located, with abundant public transportation, modern utilities are vacant.  Accommodations, literally and figuratively, could be made for rich and poor.

However, an article on local real estate development hurricaned on my parade; “apartments are required by law to have windows that can be opened.”

Friday, March 10, 2023

The Oklahoma State Senate has passed a bill that would categorize all library books and materials and restrict their circulation to age appropriate groups, another example of the preoccupation by conservatives with the bathroom, the bedroom and the library.  https://kfor.com/news/oklahoma-legislature/ok-bill-restricting-library-material-to-some-passes/

 

This jolted my memory back well more than 70 years, when my brother took me to the nearby library branch on Liberty Avenue in the days before the bookmobile ventured into East New York.  For some reason, I was intent on borrowing "Riders of the Purple Sage" by Zane Grey, a popular author of westerns.  I was certainly under the influence of Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy when I pulled it off the shelf.  However, the librarian, possibly from Oklahoma, refused to let me borrow the book.  There was probably some reference to age, but pardon me for letting some details escape me after all this time, including just why I wanted that book.  In any case, I never read it which may explain who and what I am today.

 

I took the trouble to Google the book today, my only contact in the better part of a century, and was surprised to learn that most of the characters are Mormons, the good guys and the bad guys.  In fact, saving rancher Jane Withersteen from the lustful grasp of the polygamist Elder Tull is a key plot element.  According to Wikipedia, lawyers and judges replaced Mormons as the villains in the five movie versions subsequently made of the book.  

. . .

Speaking of lustful grasps, arch-conservative Republican House member Lauren Boebert took time out from denouncing sex education in public schools to announce that her 17-year old son is about to become a father.  https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/family/lauren-boebert-rails-against-sex-ed-then-announces-her-teen-son-is-having-a-baby/ar-AA18ptCp

 

This seems to be a family tradition since the Congressperson left high school to have her first child.  However, she remains indignant that "[t]here are schools that are teaching kids how to have and enjoy sex."  Presumably, she was self taught on the subject.

Yummy

Sunday, February 26, 2023 

Not everyone considers living single a disadvantage, being preoccupied with making your own way through a consistently challenging world without being concerned with trying to keep the Other Person happy, safe, warm, content, comfortable, amused.  What living single isn't is cheap, certainly not in the Holy Land.  A new survey puts New York far and away at the top of the list of Least Affordable Cities for Singles, based on the rent for a studio apartment.  https://www.renthop.com/studies/research/renthop-singles-index-2022-edition

It's followed by Miami and New Orleans.  At the other end of the scale are Albuquerque, Wichita and Minneapolis.  None of the latter are less than 1,114 miles from Ron DeSantis, an additional savings.

Monday, February 27, 2023

“I read it on the Internet” is often the excuse for the perpetuation of ignorance by many people.  A completely different demographic will claim “I read it in the New York Times,” as its rationale for uncritical thinking.  A recent gush of misinformation spouted from Bret Stephens, the Times columnist still seeking a return to the compassionate conservatism that went down in flames in 2004.  Stephens looked at a study that encompassed 78 random controlled trials, with 610,872 participants.  https://www.cochranelibrary.com/web/cochrane/content?templateType=full&urlTitle=/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6&doi=10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6&type=cdsr&contentLanguage=

That made the headline of Stephen's article particularly potent and attention-getting.  “The Mask Mandates Did Nothing.”  So, those Republicans were right all along, right? 

Not really.  The study stated clearly that the "high risk of bias in the trials, variation in outcome measurement, and relatively low adherence with the interventions during the studies hampers drawing firm conclusions."  Still, 78 trials seem like a lot, but note that many "were conducted during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, and others in epidemic influenza seasons up to 2016."  In fact, only "[s]ix of the new trials were conducted during the COVID‐19 pandemic."  And, these consisted of "two from Mexico, and one each from Denmark, Bangladesh, England, and Norway." 

So, I am not hampered from drawing a firm conclusion that Bret Stephens is bad for your health.

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Here's another interesting headline: "TD Bank Agrees to Pay $1.2 Billion to Settle Ponzi Scheme Case."  Don't worry, though, "TD expressly denies any liability or wrongdoing with respect to the multi-year Ponzi scheme."

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/td-agrees-to-settle-stanford-matter-801680649.html

How nice of TD Bank to find $1.2 billion and randomly give it to a bunch of worthy souls hanging around the courthouse.  Only in America.

. . .

"Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and one fellow Republican were the only House lawmakers on Monday to vote against a resolution that mourned the almost 50,000 people killed in this month’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria."  https://news.yahoo.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-votes-against-124556068.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

. . .

Speaking of mental illness, the National Institute of Mental Health asserts that nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (52.9 million in 2020).  https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

I have to go back to 1985 to recollect a better meal than lunch today at Le Bernardin, 155 West 51st Street, a birthday treat by my young bride.  Le Bernardin has three Michelin stars and has earned four stars from the New York Times every time that it has been reviewed since its opening in 1986.  I heartily agree, with only modest embarrassment at temporarily abandoning the revolution for two hours of hedonism.

The room is large, decorated attractively, but soberly.  The tables, holding two to eight people, are generously proportioned and well spaced.  Service is impeccable, captains, sommeliers, waiters, bus drivers (you can’t say busboys anymore), only seconds away without hovering.

We had the three course prix fixe lunch for $120; an eight course tasting menu is $298, paired with wine for $468.  The whole table must order the tasting menu.  After an amuse bouche, literally "mouth amuser" a/k/a vorspeiss, of a smoked salmon and poached salmon pâté, the first course of three is chosen from 18 alternatives, two salads and 16 fish/seafood.  I had poached lobster, silver dollar-sized rounds in Verjus Sabayon, a heavenly sauce of grape juice and eggs. The second course has 12 choices, 9 fish, steak, Guinea hen and pasta.  In spite of the obvious focus on the ocean, I selected the Guinea hen, quarter-inch thick discs stuffed with truffles and foie gras.  Beyond delicious.

My dessert was sticky toffee pudding with coffee ice cream and a miniature Black Forest cake for my birthday.  I can’t wait until next year.

 

Regarding 1985 — On my first trip to France, I went to Les Frères Troisgros, possibly the best restaurant in the country at the time, where I had a spectacular eight-course dinner for 350 francs, $45.50 at 13₵ a franc. 

 

Friday, March 3, 2023

Individually, the caption and the photograph are each bizarre, together they make you fear for Western civilization.   

A bejeweled face mask, on rare occasions, can tie a whole outfit together.

 

Good Company

Saturday, February 18, 2023

The American Bar Association is considering whether to keep requiring the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) for entrance to law school.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/us/law-schools-lsat-requirement.html

Many schools already allow the substitution of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), also applicable to non-professional graduate schools generally.  While they are both too distant in the past for me to make a meaningful comparison, both tests rely on reading comprehension and analytic ability.  Test opponents, looking at the racial imbalance in the legal profession (https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/news/2020/07/potlp2020.pdf#page=37), fault the test(s).  Another opposing view is that the test(s), along with law school itself and state bar examinations, the final hurdle to the profession, do not correspond to actual lawyering.  

My view is colored by my own experiences.  In high school and college, I was a lackluster student, easily diverted and inconsistently serious.  However, I did well on the standardized tests and that usually allowed me to progress.  When I took the LSAT in 1998, I had been out of school for over three decades.  The good results that I achieved spoke loudly to me as well as to the Cardozo Law School admissions office.  After all that time, I maintained sufficient cognitive ability and sitzfleisch (the capacity to remain seated in a chair for an extended period of time) to endure law school.  The precise LSAT subject matter -- 5 kids go to the movies and choose their seats in an elliptical fashion --  may have been far removed from contracts and torts, but it was right down my problem solving alley.  This time, my classroom work was commensurate with my test scores.

Sunday, February 19, 2023 

"Approximately nine out of 10 metro markets registered home price gains in the fourth quarter of 2022 despite mortgage rates eclipsing 7%, according to the National Association of Realtors®’ latest quarterly report."

https://www.nar.realtor/newsroom/nearly-nine-in-10-metro-areas-posted-home-price-gains-in-the-fourth-quarter-of-2022

Increases in the top 10 markets exceeded 14.5%; seven of those markets were in Florida and the Carolinas.  California remains the most expensive state overall, but saw some contractions -- metropolitan San Jose -5.8%; metropolitan San Francisco -6.1%.  In addition to the general increase in home prices, the doubling of mortgage interest rates during the year was an important disincentive to purchases, so plan on having your brother-in-law sleeping in your basement for the indefinite future.

. . .

The death of William Greenberg, Jr., was just reported.  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/dining/william-greenberg-jr-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

I first sampled his baked goods in the late 1960s, when he had a shop on East 8th Street in Greenwich Village.  Even then, his prices were as elevated as his craft.  His family sold the business in 1995 and it seemed to disappear from my view for many years.  Recently, however, a William Greenberg Desserts shop opened at 285 Amsterdam Avenue, formerly occupied by the saintly Jacques Torres.  "Jr." is gone and the prices soar above most competitors.  Sentimental fool that I am, though, I bought a heart-shaped petit four for my favorite Valentine last week.   

Monday, February 20, 2023

On this Presidents' Day, another way to avoid reminding the South that it lost the Civil War, we Jews continue to manifest our ethnocentricity with a quiz on the relation of U.S. Presidents to Jews.  https://forward.com/quizzes/536765/presidential-jewish-trivia-quiz-presidents-day/?s=res

Least surprising was Richard Nixon's hostility.

. . .

This afternoon, we welcomed 15-year old grandson Boaz for a short stay.  We are delighted to have his company and he received an outstanding Holy Land welcome.  Since he arrived by train at Penn Station, we conveniently had dinner at Ben's Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant, 209 West 38th Street.  He had a brisket/corned beef combination sandwich  ($22.99) and I had a roast beef/tongue combination ($23.99).  Boaz is a healthy eater, befitting an energetic teenager, however he didn’t take to the chopped liver that his adoring grandmother offered from her sandwich ($14.49).  He was more receptive to the potato knish that we shared ($4.99).

Then, he and I went to Madison Square Garden to see the New York Rangers play the Winnipeg Jets or get played by the Winnipeg Jets.  An unsatisfactory conclusion to the evening.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The three of us went to the Tenement Museum, 97 Orchard Street, for a presentation on the contrasting lives of immigrants, post-war Jewish refugees and the Puerto Ricans following them.  We sat in the actual apartment they occupied, furnished as they knew it.  Let me note that the Museum’s bookshop has an excellent selection of books and materials dealing with New York City, the Lower East Side and the immigrant and minority experience.  

. . .

Looking for a convenient place for a quick supper, we went directly across the street to the Sweet Dreams Cafe and Blue Moon Hotel, 100 Orchard Street.  What appears to be a simple Italian cafe turns out to be part of a serious reclamation project for Randy Settenbrino, an observant Jewish artist and his family.  He has turned a five-story tenement into an eight-story boutique hotel with 22 rooms.  Much of the furniture and fixtures throughout the building were salvaged from the abandoned apartments.  In the street level cafe, there are several large montages composed of newspaper and magazine pages also dating back to earlier residents, as well as Settenbrino’s paintings.

Oh, the food.  We were in a bit of a hurry, so I got a bowl of very good cream of mushroom soup and a tuna panini (together $20).  Besides the surprising story of Settenbrino’s enterprise, which is not evident from the street, the cafe has its own surprise — strict adherence to Kosher laws, once a given in this neighborhood, but now as rare as a local resident without a tattoo.  

. . .

We arrived uptown in time for the curtain at “Kimberly Akimbo,” a show that wanders from a serious theme into some silly plot lines, but worth seeing for a masterful performance by Victoria Clark, a Broadway veteran.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

“You had to be there.”  This comment usually follows an obscure joke or an opaque description of an event.  In a broader sense, it's how some people regard cultural appropriation and authenticity, objecting to straight men portraying gay men, Whites writing about Blacks, comfortably housed people documenting the homeless and the like.  An example in the newspaper is a question to two Korean filmmakers: “[D]id either of you have reservations about making a film about adoption and not being adopted yourselves?”

Think of how much art would not survive the authenticity test.  While galleries would be full of self portraits and libraries full of autobiographies, works of imagination would disappear.  People should be allowed to tell their own stories, but not only their own stories.

Thursday, February 23, 2023

The superintendent of a Texas school district resigned after he left his gun in an elementary school bathroom where it was found by a third-grader.  https://news.yahoo.com/texas-third-grader-finds-gun-155954286.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

The official reacted with the cool demeanor of a Texas gunslinger: “There was never a danger other than the obvious.”

 

Friday, February 24, 2023

Yesterday, the Tennessee legislature passed a bill banning drag shows in public.  https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tennessee-takes-lead-republican-effort-restrict-drag-shows-2023-02-23/

 

Meanwhile, it ranks 40th in health care for its residents regardless of how they are dressed.  https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/health-care

Family Ties

Saturday, February 11, 2023 

Roberto Clemente was a star baseball player who died in 1972 on a mission to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He was Puerto Rican and a big local hero.  However, a biography of Clemente written for children has been removed from Florida public schools because of references to the discrimination he faced in his life.  You see, Florida doesn’t like ethnic discrimination so much, it won’t allow its kids to read about it.

https://news.yahoo.com/roberto-clemente-book-removed-florida-014504078.html

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Speaking of ethnic discrimination, the United States Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of affirmative action in higher education.  Actually, it is reconsidering the issue and poised to overturn precedents in another rejection of judicial restraint that has been the hallmark of the supposed conservative majority.  Chief Justice Roberts will be able to assert again his spigot theory of social relations: “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” 

Although a history major at Harvard University, Roberts seems to conveniently believe that history started this morning, at least in regard to race relations.  The past is past, best forgotten, the way it is in Florida.  Unfortunately, the present belies the Chief Justice’s rosy view.  A story appearing on-line this morning carries this headline: “Childbirth Is Deadlier for Black Families Even When They Are Rich, Study Says.”  

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/02/12/upshot/child-maternal-mortality-rich-poor.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Examining 2 million births in California from 2006 to 2017, the study “combines income tax data with birth, death and hospitalization records and demographic data from the Census Bureau and the Social Security Administration.”  It seems that while we might have liberty and justice for all we just don't have good medical care for all.  You can find the study itself here, but definitely not in any Florida school:

https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w30693/w30693.pdf

Maybe, in the best Nancy Reagan tradition, we should tell pregnant black women, Just Stay Healthy.

. . . 

We New York Giants’ fans had a victory today.  The Philadelphia Eagles lost.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

In today’s headlines: “German ballet director suspended after smearing dog feces in critic’s face”  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/german-ballet-director-fired-feces-critic_n_63ee5b34e4b07f036ba20fee

. . . 

I listened  to "The 'Normalization' of Antisemitism," a broadcast by Gavriel D. Rosenfeld, President of the Center for Jewish History, today.  He gave convincing examples of rhetoric and memes that morphed from benign to ironic to vile, arousing less and less indignation along the way.  However, I think that he is overly optimistic when he cites the pushback against Kanye West as the representative of public opinion.  He ignores Kyrie Irving and Mel Gibson, as high on their respective perches as they have ever been.

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

"In the Ivy League, children whose parents are in the top 1 percent of the income distribution are 77 times as likely to attend as those whose parents are in the bottom 20 percent of the income bracket."  This fascinating piece of information comes from an excellent discussion of the legal landscape of affirmative action.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/15/magazine/affirmative-action-supreme-court.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=highlightShare

. . . 

There was a special celebration at dinner tonight.  The Boyz Club was augmented by the newly-minted epidemiologist, David Goldfarb, an acolyte of America’s Favorite Epidemiologist.  We gathered at Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street, in night air that was so mild (60+°) that we ate outside.  And ate we did.  Egg rolls, duck chow fun, Singapore chow mei fun, crispy honey chicken, shrimp with lobster sauce over shrimp fried rice, and beef with scallion and ginger.  It came to $25 each, but, for the first time in recorded history, there was food left over, enough food for 2 or 3 more people celebrating the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln the 16th president, Michael Jordan #23 Chicago Bulls, Adam Fox #23 New York Rangers, George Washington #1 in war and peace and your humble servant.  

February 16, 2023

Just in case you are tired of having peaceful nights' sleep, consider the results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment.  Only one-third of American fourth graders tested "proficient" in reading.  https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/nation/achievement/?grade=4

While proficient was not the lowest level, it is what it is.  NAEP is a congressionally mandated project, administered within the U.S. Department of Education.  How well one reads will strongly influence how well one writes and if you have (tried to) read any materials related to any newly-acquired electronic device, you know that we have a failure to communicate.

. . .

We missed Ken Klein at dinner last night, but he caught up with me at lunch today at Pho Vietnamese Sandwich Shop, 141 West 72nd Street, a reliable source of food from a deadly enemy.  They have removed the grungy hut on the sidewalk, so dining is all indoors in a totally forgettable setting.  The food, however, is easily remembered and appreciated.  I had a Bánh mì, the Vietnamese hero sandwich.  Mine was grilled sesame beef, with mayo, pickled radish, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, hoisin sauce and a fried egg on a very crispy, 8" long baguette ($14.50).  This only proves that we had nothing to fight over.  

Friday, February 17, 2023

This is, of course, a very special day, but it became more special when it was announced this morning that NYU has appointed a woman as president, for the first time ever.  https://forward.com/fast-forward/536519/linda-mills-nyu-president-filmmaker-documentary-family-holocaust/

 

As it happens, Linda Mills is my original wife's first cousin once removed.  I knew her as a teenager and, by coincidence her husband, Peter Goodrich, joined the Cardozo faculty while I was in law school.  He and I only interacted casually in hallway conversations.  Besides her work in academia, Linda is a documentary filmmaker and has notably recorded a part of her family's fascinating story, "Auf Wiedersehen, 'Til We Meet Again."  Her maternal grandparents, my former mother-in-law's sister and brother-in-law, were prosperous merchants in Vienna.  When the Nazis took over Austria, they agonized over the future of their two adolescent daughters.  Anticipating "Sophie's Choice," the parents sent the younger girl on the Kindertransport to England, keeping the older daughter, Linda's mother, with them.  Fortunately, all three escaped the Nazis and eventually made their way to Los Angeles. 

Far and Near

Saturday, February 4, 2023

David and Cindy did not come to the Holy Land merely to enjoy the pleasure of our company.  Rather, their younger son Toby McMullen was performing this weekend at the Gramercy Theatre with the Are You Garbage comedy group (sometimes with and sometimes without a ? on the end) of Tom Cassidy, Kevin Ryan and H. Foley.  In fact, we attended the 7 PM show with a sold-out audience that was overwhelmingly white, heterosexual and gentile.  Nevertheless, we liked the show.

First, the four grown ups had dinner at Miznon North, 161 West 72nd Street.  We thoroughly enjoyed the Israeli/Arab, overpriced food not likely found in North Carolina.  We shared 2 orders of just-baked focaccia, with crème fraîche ($7 each); masabacha (spicy stew) of red-eyed peas ($13); beetroot carpaccio, a dish we always order ($13); "Broccoli Bonsai," a lot of broccoli ($15); "A beautiful cabbage melting into itself in a veg stock," very good in spite of its pretentious name ($18).  

Alone, I had a main course, "Kebab on a stormy tomato foam[.]  A faint memory from the alleys of Jerusalem” ($27).  It was one long skewer of perfectly-spiced, grilled ground lamb.  I forgave the pretentious name again, not only because the chef is named Victor Gothelf, but because it tasted so good.  

Sunday, February 5, 2023

The normally docile Melanie S. has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging my appraisal of Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish as bagelmeister to the world.  She claims that Pick-a-Bagel, another local chain of half a dozen units, deserves the crown.  My opinion was reinforced today when David I went to Zucker's Bagels & Smoked Fish, 273 Columbus Avenue, to pick up bagels and whitefish salad, followed by Gaspe Nova and scallion cream cheese from Fairway Market, 2131 Broadway, to put together a brunch that would make a Southerner stop whistling "Dixie."  

The ball is in Melanie's court to establish the time, place and manner of a showdown.

. . .

An interesting survey claims that single women are more likely to own a home than single men.  In only two of the 50 states, North Dakota and South Dakota, is the reverse true.   https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/single-women-own-more-homes-than-single-men-do/

Of all the explanations, the most plausible is wives outlasting us poor husbands in the Game of Life.

Monday, February 6, 2023

I am very proud of my princely brother-in-law Stuart Poloner being named to Yeshiva University's Hall of Fame.  

 

Stu held the school's basketball scoring record for decades, eventually having his three season total only exceeded by a player who played four seasons.  Let's hear it for Stu.  By the way, it's not true that George Santos was his teammate.

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Jackson Hole is a local, family-run chain, in business for 50 years.  However, when I entered their location at 521 Third Avenue, I realized that I had not patronized them in maybe 20 years.  They commonly affect a diner motif, Formica counter, vinyl-padded chrome stools plus booths and tables, with some cowboy touches along the walls.

I ordered, you’ll pardon the expression, the Texas Breakfast, hamburger, American cheese, fried egg and bacon on an English muffin, a half pound of meat and generously portioned throughout ($19.50).  In case my arteries remained open, I added waffle fries ($5), totally unnecessary, it turned out, to fill my stomach.

Thursday, February 9, 2023

“Missouri votes against banning children from carrying guns in public”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/09/missouri-rejects-ban-children-carrying-guns-in-public

 

Get your thoughts and prayers ready.

. . .

 

Unarmed, Michael Ratner and I ventured to Taqueria Sinaloense, 113 West 225th Street, in the Marble Hill neighborhood of the Bronx or maybe it's Manhattan.  Once upon a time, the northern boundary of Manhattan Island was defined by Spuyten Duyvil Creek.  Then, in 1895, the Harlem River Ship Canal was dug about one half mile below it, leaving Marble Hill as an island.  In 1914, the Creek was filled in, attaching Marble Hill to the Bronx and mainland United States.  This has produced a hodge podge of geographic identity.  Marble Hill has a Bronx ZIP code, Bronx area codes, and is patrolled by the Bronx's 50th Precinct, yet is part of Manhattan politically.    

In any case, the restaurant is very tiny, two small two-tops and a ledge with four stools, leaving room for only a couple of people barely to stand and order.  Everything is cooked to order by the one lady behind the counter and she does so commendably.  I ordered #2.

 

My gusto was chicken and I got a delicious fat burrito with cheese, lettuce and tomato and a can of soda at a bargain price.  I hesitate to recommend this joint, because a rush of business might immobilize it.  If you go, take only a skinny friend.    

There and Here

Saturday, January 28, 2023

The Oakland Heartthrob and I drove out to the closed Naval Air Station Alameda this afternoon.  Alameda itself is an island in San Francisco Bay immediately adjacent to Oakland.  Covering 1,734 acres, the Naval Air Station was an enormous complex that played a critical role in WWII and remained in operation until 1997.  

Now, most of it remains empty and in continuing decline, hangars, housing, offices, warehouses, docks, runways.  The opportunities for development seem vast, but politics has limited progress for the last 25 years.  Some businesses are dotted on the grounds, along with some housing, yet only a fraction of the space has new life.

One thriving operation, though, is Almanac Beer Co., 651 West Tower Avenue, Alameda, a brewery and tap room.  All but a couple of these taps were active, I was told, as I drank a pint of Happy Hour Helles, a lager with 5% alcohol ($7).   

 

. . . 

Dinner was special. Bix, 56 Gold Street, San Francisco, is a former speakeasy, named for the legendary jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke.  It is a large, two-story space, borrowing decorating touches from the 20s and 30s.  Service was impeccable, water, bread and butter were always at hand, and the food was generally excellent.  

After a round of interesting cocktails, a blood orange margarita for me ($16), we shared fabulous deviled eggs ($13), excellent salmon tartare ($17), chicory salad with pears, toasted pecans, and blue cheese ($15), and “Truffled Cheese ‘Croques’” (tiny grilled cheese sandwiches) ($14).

My main course was called Chicken Hash à la Bix, but it was really chicken croquettes and very good, too ($29).  Expensive over all, but what are vacations for?

Sunday, January 29, 2023

The ricotta pancakes at Rockridge Cafe, 5492 College Avenue ($9.50 short stack), made a perfect late breakfast or was it an early lunch or is that what makes it brunch?

. . .

We saw “Clyde’s” by Lynn Nottage at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, a play set in the kitchen of a diner staffed by ex-cons.  I think that it is best described as a dramedy, a word that I will try to never use again, although that is no reflection on the work.

. . .

To have a proper conclusion to our short visit, we went to Fentons Creamery, 4226 Piedmont Avenue, for some better-than-average ice cream.  I had two large scoops ($8), Heavenly Hash, chocolate ice cream with walnuts and brownies, and black cherry, meeting the minimum daily requirement in at least four food groups.

Monday, January 30, 2023

Unlike our departure, our return was free of drama and comedy.  I learned something important, though, after visiting the new terminals at JFK and SFO.  Airplane travel has revived an earlier form of transportation.  Those little golf carts that scooted around for the lame, halt and lazy have disappeared.  Feet were all that were left.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

If I find myself in agreement with anything emerging from the Murdoch fabrication factory, I remind myself that a stopped clock is right twice a day.  It was the Wall Street Journal that brought Stanford University’s Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative to public scrutiny.  You know, use “masked study” instead of “blind study,” “person who had immigrated” instead of “immigrant;” don’t use “gangbusters” and never ”beat a dead horse.”   https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-stanford-guide-to-acceptable-words-elimination-of-harmful-language-initiative-11671489552

 

Tutor a child, volunteer at a soup kitchen, write a check?  No!  Those things are likely to make a real difference and avoid mockery.

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Sometimes you have to live on the edge.  I went to Zucker's Bagels & Smoked Fish, 370 Lexington Avenue, one of eight locations in Manhattan that, on some days, offer the best bagels in the world.  I had an everything with a little container of egg salad and, skipping a cup of coffee, a can of soda.  Usually that would mean Diet Coke or Dr. Brown's Diet Black Cherry, but I felt bold and grabbed a can of Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray, the full carbohydrate version, the good doctor having abandoned the sugar-free formula of that nectar more than a decade ago, lamentably.  A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.  

Friday, February 3, 2023

We welcomed Cindy and David McMullen this afternoon for a weekend stay-over.  While their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina has fine restaurants, they fall into a narrow ethnic range.  Therefore, we chose to have dinner at aRoqa, 206 Ninth Avenue, a superior Indian restaurant.  The Guide Michelin commends its “selection of creative shared plates  . . . finished with creative flair,” so we attacked the menu creatively.

We started by sharing Kurkuri Bhel (crispy rice puffs, avocado, tomatoes, tamarind chutney with lotus stem chips) ($16), Lasuni Gobi (flour battered cauliflower in garlic sauce)($16), Corn Paddu (corn & rice fritters) ($16), Kataifi Mushrooms (mushrooms wrapped in shredded phyllo dough) ($20).  The girls quit at this point, but David and I plowed into lamb biryani ($25).  There was naan and chutneys, too.  Dessert saw all hands on deck again for Coppa Pistachio, chocolate and pistachio mousses (meese?) ($14) and Coppa Al Limone Di Sorrento, sponge cake soaked in lemon juice, topped with vanilla-flavored cream and lemon sauce ($14), but why are the names in Italian?

. . .

 

In case the descriptions above makes you hungry, consider dining at Montreal's finest restaurant, that is, if it existed. 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/03/montreal-restaurant-that-never-was-online-reviews-canada