Category: Brooklyn

Californians typically ask me lots of questions about the Big Apple. Not surprising since most of them have never stepped foot in NYC, nor ventured so much as 50 miles within the city unless you count transitting through EWR or JFK as “visiting”. Most Californians don’t leave this beautiful state; why should they, there’s so much here to see and do here.

What they lack is experience of a NYC holiday season and one reason why NYC is the best city in the world. This article A New York Christmas helps explain the lure of the City-that-never-sleeps. I miss it.

2 days and counting to a Merry X-mas

=YC

US News and World Report has an interesting article on the presidential candidates from Yale University. It’s a fascinating article. Is there any precedence about so many candidates from one undergraduate school, having attended during the same decade? And, there’s always a good backstory about that – for example, I remember watching, about a year or more ago, this interview that Ted Koppel had with Garry Trudeau, the Yale alumnus/Doonesbury cartoonist; one question was about whether he (Trudeau) recalled George W. Bush at Yale. The answer was along the lines of, “Yeah, I remember that he was a nice, fun guy during the inter-fraternity meetings. He selected good beer. Pretty much it.” At least it can be said that Yale must have been quite a place for the undergrads back in the ’60’s, I daresay. (Disclaimer – Yale’s not my alma mater; heavens knows, I’m not silly enough to pick on Yale, since it’s not like my school produces presidents or even candidates for higher office – not the undergraduate schools anyway; the law school produces candidates of an assorted variety, including one named George Pataki, a Yale undergrad alumnus who became the governor of my home state).

Slate.com’s “Ad Report Card” evaluates the Miller beer ad – the one where people are falling like dominoes before the guy at the end avoids falling down and orders his Miller beer. It’s supposed to be an ad where you salute the guy for his having free will and not falling down like an idiot. The Slate.com’s writer’s concluded that it was a decent ad. I see it as silly; then again, I’m too busy still cracking up on the Sprint/Pillsbury doughboy ad. Recall my previous post about this and other fine Sprint ads.

On a more belated observation, check out John Dean’s latest diatribe on the state of Congressional affairs on Findlaw.com. His critique of Congress’ passing the buck on voting on the appropriations bills is a very persuasive argument that the Republican party’s majority is not quite looking out for the public good and that Congress in general isn’t quite doing a superb job as per the Constitution’s own language. Dean is apparently an independent, neither Republican nor Democrat and so he would critique both parties. But, lately, he has been very critical of the Republicans, particularly the Bush administration. He’s now an investment banker, but still talks and writes like a lawyer (I wonder why he no longer practices, but my understanding is that he did minimal prison time for his part in Watergate; that may have put a crimp on his legal career). Dean has a sharp analysis in this article – rather good reading. I had no idea that this was going on in Congress and it sounded rather disturbing.

Three days before Christmas…

Time magazine named the Person of the Year. Now I know no one’s going to believe me as I say this on-line after the fact, but I swear, a couple of days ago, I was telling my family that I think that the U.S. military ought to have be named the people of the year. Like most people, I have certain views of the George W. Bush administration, but I also felt that no matter how one felt about the war in Iraq and how things were going in Afghanistan, one should salute the military for the work done, the fears faced, and the courage and duty with which the troops are continuing to follow through. Of course, I didn’t think Time magazine would really do what I thought should be done. My predictions are never that good (tv shows I like get cancelled; re: 2000 elections; etc).

But, lo and behold – Time did it – the magazine named “The American Soldier” as person of the year. It’s not about one person, man or woman; it’s not about which division or what; or about even in one achievement. Congratulations to the troops; they did so much during the recent years and the work isn’t over yet. Looking forward to the issue in my mailbox.

RE: Officials: WMD chief may quit

I’m totally dismayed but not surprised that people have not taken up arms on this latest development. Perhaps it’s just too much Iraq and bad news and people would rather just bury it and move on with life’s mundane issues — like where’s my next job coming from? All the critics can and should gloat about this. Bush has so set back America’s credibility and standing in the world with its cowboy foreign policy. Only someone who’s never stepped outside of America could come up with such a brain damaged policy. Poor hick white trash, art thou Mr President. Yale should disown your legacy and bestow it upon more worthy candidates.

However, this is something the pundits and Democrats needs to latch onto and beat Bush into a pulp even though Saddam has been caught. Good news however… Bush is still laboring under the weight of the poor economy and people feel there’s a need for a new president. See Re-Elect Numbers Still Behind in Newest Zogby Poll
for some news on this. In a perverse way, I was hoping that the economic malaise would continue unabated into 2005 which would insure a resounding Bush defeat in the 2004 elections (You know the old adage about history repeating itself). Even now I think that 2004 won’t see much but 2005 and 2006 we will see significant improvement in the employment/economic sector. 2004 will be full of empty pyschological placebos, to make people think that things are better, when in fact, that is so far from the truth. An economic paradigm shift is occurring and the professional class is not immune to the same fate that befell the blue-collar class.

So, a wish for a depressed 2004 so we can have a brighter future in 2005 ….

=YC

Thinking about the shrimp tortillas that I had yesterday ….. tempura battered jumbo peeled and cleaned shrimp that’s such a delicious cross-cultural metaphor. As confirmed by my co-worker, there’s no such thing as a shrimp tortilla in Mexico. If you ever look closely enough, you have to realize that most of the fresh taco places, including this one, are actually run by Chinese. Some of them look and dress ambiguously enough that you aren’t sure until they call out their orders to the kitchen.

I had gone earlier in the week to pick up some other stuff for the office luncheon and realized that they are doing gangbuster business. They got the Mexican food, they do Chinese food, and they do fried chicken, and people in the neighborhood can’t get enough of it. The thing that is really bizzare is that, two doors down, there is an authentic Chino-Latino place (with real Chinese from South America that speak fluent Spanish) that’s been there since the ’70s, and they’re getting creamed by these guys that probably never set foot in Mexico. Talk about mindblowing!

Last night I sat down in a marathon session and watched the whole 10 episodes. It was nuts, I couldn’t put it down and sleep. This box set would make a great gift for any guy during this holiday season. The top 4 war movies would go down as:
1. Das Boot
2. Band of Brothers
3. Saving Private Ryan
4. Apocalypse Now

=YC

Re: After First Month in Office, Schwarzenegger Continues to Surprise and Dance steps and missteps: Governor Displays Unique, Brash Style

When I visited NYC this past Thanksgiving holiday, a few friends joked with me about Governor “Ah-nold” and what a joke it was to have him be California’s newest governor via special elections. I admit yes, it’s rather bizarre and it could only happen in California, uniquely (and sometimes fondly known as) the land of fruits and nuts.

On the other hand, one had to have lived in California for a little while to appreciate why this could ever happen. Knowing this history, it’s not hard to understand that this was the only possible result due to a chaotic and broken political process. Viewing it from the lense of the common citizenry, this is nothing short of a citizen’s revolt against the political establishment. Both Republicans and Democrats fully participated in these elections — the outrage, the desire for change, or whatever was palpable. This was more a testimony against the California political establishment, not a right vs. left. Many conservatives voted against Arnold because he was too “left” for their tastes. Many Democrats/liberals voted for him because Gray Davis and his Latino side-kick Bustamente were just too Establishment and the California mess was blamed on the long-time politicos and needed someone new and not beholden to the usual constituencies was going to trump anything resembling a “professional politician”.

Arnold is a centrist and my prototypical Republican candidate. I can’t wait to vote Bush out of office.

=YC

I got the latest ABA E-Journal and found myself reading the latest The Rodent column. Now, I know he’s supposed to be humorous and sometimes he is funny. He’s more like smile-funny rather than laugh-out-loud funny, with his out-takes on the law profession and how screwy it is. The latest column is no exception. His column photograph is the weirdest thing for me, though. Despite being called “The Rodent” (no doubt meaning to evoke the negative stereotype of the law profession), his “photo” is not of the weasel-like form. No, it’s of a sweet looking, fuzzy head (mouse? chinchilla? definitely not chipmunk) atop of a decent looking suit. Huh? Stereotype bent over backwards – the Rodent not trying to chew you out of hearth and home; he’s your kid’s lovable cartoon figure. Gee whiz, had the column been by The Shark, would we have had little Nemo’s head stuck on?

Ooh, the big Entertainment Weekly Special Double Issue/Year Ender! This is going to be fun to flip through!

Bill Moyer’s Now news magazine on PBS is an enjoyable, informative show. Last week’s interview was with NYS’ Attorney General Elliot Spitzer; this week was a fascinating couple of minutes with former Governor Angus King of Maine (a fierce independent, he told the interviewer that the best time he had was antagonizing both parties; a man who spent his adult years in Maine, he accepts the ribbing about not being a native Mainer with good humor). I like watching the series; it has such a Bill Moyers flavor, gentle but not without toughness. There is an unveiled liberal sense to it, from the way he criticizes big businesses and brings in stories that mainstream media wouldn’t really spend much time on (Moyers was once a member of the Lyndon B. Johnson White House, which may explain the liberal feelings; and, as a longtime news veteran, Moyers knows what the mainstream media isn’t telling us). “Now” has a pretty interesting website too.

This week’s Time magazine was good subway reading. Coverage and analysis of Saddam Hussein’s capture. Coverage and analysis of the latest Afghanistan problems. Coverage and analysis of Howard Dean/Al Gore. Commentary on the early, non-canonical Christian gospels. Pictures of the year. Good stuff. I’m making my guesses about the person of the year, but I’m sure we’ll all be surprised. Maybe.

Slate.com has some good postings: “Do Muslims and Christians worship the Same God?” , which made a lot more sense than the mouths of the politically incorrect/ignorant. Michael Kinsley discusses “the politics of mixed emotions”, wherein Kinsley examines the dilemma of politicians, when they’re not the folks to demonstrate nuanced reactions even if they do feel less than proud about a given situation.

This is a rare moment, for once I cared to see what the nominees are as a precursor to the Oscars which I find to be as numbing as novacaine.

I’m shocked that The Last Samurai didn’t garner a nomination for Best Picture, Drama. Looks like this movie is going to be shut out. It’s a crime. So is this some punishment for Tom Cruise by the Hollywood society over Nicole Kidman (still?). Conspiracy theorists where art thou.

=YC