The Long Road Out

I certainly refused to believe the comic book reality of some one as boorish as Trump could ever win anything other than a TV show contest…probably still in denial on day 2.    And my record for identifying heroic leaders is not strong--I still tend to idolize Fidel Castro. But I am also starting to get back into the focus that I now live in a country where environmentalism fair income distribution policies women’s rights as defined by women rather than men a policy of honoring treaties and agreements with allies complying with international law rules so I can feel safer from gun owners, and  health care access are minority or fringe positions.   None of these ideals, which I hold as essential values, has a single governmental branch (exec, legislative, judicial) to support them.    I still don't understand how any of my fellow citizens could not find the list above desirable, though apparently the 47.5% of us who voted for Trump fin...

We had the most amazing week last week--"home run" performances across the board that left us buzzing.   It started with Chicken People , one of the most affirming films I've seen, focusing primarily on four individuals whose passion is chicken shows (think Best in Show  without the sardonic wry humor--these are wonderful needy people deserving of great respect, just like the rest of us). Then we saw Taylor Mac (not his 24-hour marathon but the session on the 60's and the 70's).   You need to see a Taylor Mac show, and not just because you'll never hear Born to Run or Gloria or Hard Rain's Gonna Fall  (did Taylor Mac know that the Nobel Prize for Literature was coming?) the same way again.   Mostly, it's because there's no other performer who asks you to participate and role play along with him (he wants to be referred to in the masculine, I believe?).   During the show we watched, all of us were racists, gay, sluts, and a bunch of other stripe...

A very rare thing happened yesterday:  police apprehended a legitimate suspect in a violent crime with terrorist overtones without killing him (or her) on the spot. I'd like to thank the police officer who had the professionalism to hit Ahmad Khan Rahami in the shoulder rather than in the usual lethal locations. Did this officer just "miss?"   Perhaps.   Given our track record of killing unarmed suspects, there's a good chance the officer was trained to shoot to kill.  And of course this expedited approach to justice is a key component of what's now often referred to as the "school to prison pipeline" we're running to get black men into the prison labor pool. But, if not, I express my appreciation for letting us skip one more extra-judicial assassination. My instinct is that it's particularly important in this case, because we don't know what Mr. Rahami had in mind or who he was working with.   But I realize that's a moral mistake...

What an uninspiring concept:  international mens' soccer in the U.S.   And lest some one think the dismantling by Messi and Argentina in the Copa Americano quarter final is unusual, I ask you to remember this:  even at its best, our team has always performed marginally worse than one hoped for. In that regard, last night was normal, and there was no drama about it after a silly goal three minutes into the game.   Did you notice how Messi kept looking at the ground and biting his lip to avoid giggling?  I respect him for that.   Yep, these are our guys. The United States did not outperform Argentina in a single part of the game.   Some of the more typical falling-short-of-best-outcome highlights: Defense--any one who's watched football since the Germans dominated in the 70's knows what the field looks like--even on breakaways, somehow there are always at least 10 defenders between the ball and the opposing goal.  But not when the US men are ...

We're all in shock over Orlando.   Even Adele. And even Donald Trump, who, true to form, has claimed pre-knowledge (I thought we were supposed to dislike it when arrogant bullies say "I told you so")--and then blamed Muslims. Muslims aren't contributing a lot to the safety of our small planet these days.   But neither are Christians or Jews.  Couldn't we at least start taxing church, synagogue, and mosque real estate as a way to get these feckless institutions to pay some of the social costs they create?   I wouldn't dislike religion so much if a few of them started carrying their weight.  Even a small part of their negative footprints.  Please! To make it clear:   I'm sick of paying the social and economic and tragic costs of your imaginary friends (and infantile readings of one or two mediocre over-read books).   That doesn't excuse Donald Trump.   First, he blames only Muslims for our world of violence.   Second, he's intent...

We all hate Donald Trump, with good reason.   We've always hated him--he's all the things we'd like NOT to be as a country (even though the rest of the world already knows the truth). But this hatred causes most people I talk to to use apocalyptic language: If Trump wins, the world will end. If Trump wins, I'm moving to Canada (these folks have said this prior to every election since McGovern lost the first time). If Trump wins, no one will respect the United States any longer (that boat sailed around the time of Reagan, dudes). Here are the many ways Trump is less destructive than George W, or Sarah Palin, or McCain, or any of the other Republicans who have come to national prominence in the silly era of the "new conservative." Trump hasn't yet lied about global threats--he has no war up his sleeve. Trump does not propose to cut taxes for the wealthy.   I am wealthy and the tax avoidance strategies available to me are obscene.   It's a...

We've turned our attention to the Republican nominating process.   One analysis of the situation from the Washington Post this morning summarizes the situation thusly: All of this should be very worrisome for Republicans still hoping to win the White House in November. If you follow the Trump logic, there are only two options: (1) He wins on the first ballot and is the party's nominee, or (2) he loses on the first ballot and does everything he can to cast the process as fixed and non-democratic. Option 1 is a problem because Trump runs badly behind Hillary Clinton not only in the head-to-head polling matchups but also among key subgroups such as married women. Option 2 may be an even bigger problem because it opens the door to some sort of third-party bid for Trump. Even if Trump doesn't or can't mount a serious independent bid, he would almost certainly be an unhelpful agitator against the Republican nominee (presumably Cruz). I don't disagree with the analysi...

Some of the stuff that may help you build a great wifi network: Tools Ethernet crimping tool (only if you're putting plug on the ends). Cost:  $13 on Amazon . Drill (primarily for drilling through wall top plates, but makes screwing faster too). Cost: varies (I already had one). Paddle bit or hole saw (size will vary by how many cables you're running). Cost: usually around $20. Pointed hand saw (this makes it easy to cut holes for the gang boxes/wall plates). Cost: usually around $15. Strong string or a fish tape. Cost:  $30 on Amazon . Label maker (optional). Pencil. Sharpie-type marker. Ruler. Stud finder. Cost:  $13 on Amazon . Punchdown tool (optional). I used a small screwdriver instead. Laptop or cable tester (to test each drop). I used my laptop. Materials 1000' spool Cat5e or Cat6, Cat6 recommended (more or less based on your need). Cost:  $105 on Monoprice . Single Gang Retrofit Boxes (the kind that clamp to the drywall, open back). Cos...

You could probably pick any year and see a pattern in the new music that appeared...but against the backdrop of eternal significance, I'd still recommend the year I graduated from high school--1973--as the most meaningful. Feel free to disagree but here are the songs you're up against that released during the later part of my senior year in high school, up there in the innocence of upstate New York: Freebird  Lynard Sknyrd Money  Pink Floyd Angie   Rolling Stones Desperado  Eagles and Glen Fry RIP Piano Man   Billy Joel Kodachrome   Paul Simon Goodbye Yellow Brick Road --Elton John Knocking on Heaven's Door  Bob Dylan And wait...the new world beginning... Rosalita   Bruce Springsteen Rambling Man   Allman Brothers Killing Me Softly   Roberta Flack Smoke on the Water (late '72)  Deep Purple Walk on the Wild Side (late 72)   Lou Reed This was also the year that hosted Roe v Wade , the first fuel crisis...

For most of us, every time we're reminded of AT&T, thoughts of failure, inadequacy and even suicide ensue.   ATT is a company designed to destroy you psychologically and physically. Here's one way to reduce the degree to which having an ATT wifi account makes you feel inconsequential and depersonalized--eliminate the reminder of this lousy enterprise by getting its name out of your wifi network. How to change your ATT network name to something human Open your web browser--supposedly this works with all the major ones Enter  http://192.168.1.254  in the address bar. Select  Wireless ( l ike most ATT software, this didn't work for me the first time--there WAS no Wireless tab.   But just before I started to sob uncontrollably in those body-jerking screams I usually get when dealing with ATT, the tab appeared on the second refresh! ) . Find the  Device Access Code  located on the side of your gateway. In  Password , enter the  Devi...

United Airlines.   ATT.  Citi.  These companies all spend 9% of their annual budgets on advertising to convince us that they offer customer service (Friendly?  No wonder you need to do ads, United--could there be a more hostile customer experience?). Why?   Because they're mean, selfish, miserable brands. If you hesitate to agree, you obviously haven't ordered anything from Zappos.   I'm not saying they're perfect.   I'm just saying I've never ended up in tears from a shoe order. So here are some standards.   If your company doesn't pass all of these, you're not offering customer service.   Stop lying! No automated voice systems (note:  this means none.   No option 7.   Nada.   Humans only.) Refunds and corrections are posted as quickly as sales are (note:  we all monitor the fact that new sales hit the credit card account in less than a second.   That's your standard for refunds.) Phone and email are n...

We're currently being fed a propaganda campaign at the most preposterous level as a smokescreen for the fact that the cold warriors in power in DC can't figure out what to do with an out-of-control Saudi Arabia other than bulk up the military power of Iran.  So....who cares if Iran joins us in having nuclear weapons.   We now need them to have more! I'm scared.  It's hard not to compare this period to the anxious days around the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.   Yes, because North Korea is up to something.   But primarily, after the chest-thumping between Iran and Saudi Arabia that started a month ago, because the U.S. has decided that Iran is really cute. Do not believe for a moment the US announcements that Iran is (surprisingly) compliant or complacent--both claims we made when we ended the trade restrictions this week.   Nor should you believe how good the food was for the 10 sailors who apologized for stumbling into Iranian waters so they could be fe...

I've lived in NYC since 1982 and I eat out a minimum of three nights a week.   Cost is not a factor, but finding places where I feel comfortable, healthy, and joyful about taste is. My "top New York City restaurant" leanings are toward organic, local, and the presence of strong vegetarian options.  And I don't follow "what's hot this week" listings.   If I hear about a new place, I'll make a reservation six months or more in the future, rather than trying to deal with hip crowds who often don't seem to notice the food. So, here's my current go-to list of the best restaurants in New York City, updated to be current for today. County--E 20th Il Buco--47 Bond St (Stay with the original. I don't like the Alimentari as much) Eos--39th and 9th (that's not a mistake) Avant Garden--E 7th St Cook Shop--20th and 10th Sfoglia--92nd and Lex Taboon--52nd and 10th Del Posto (vegan or veggie tasting menu is unparalleled) Dirt Candy V...

Here's our list of restaurants we loved during our three months here, living near Les Halles on Rue Montorgueil.  Our tastes run to local/seasonal/creative/neighborhood—and as you can see, not necessarily French—so most of these options also show up well on places like LeFooding and even Yelp.  You can only consume so many salad nicoises a month before your palate starts searching for a new experience.   Each restaurant has strong veggie options Frenchies Vin et Bar …Rue du Nil, 2eme.   We like the wine bar over the full restaurant across the street, but ate at both places and would go back in a minute.  We didn't go here at first because the name seemed silly--which was a mistake because it's fantastic. La Terrasse …Hotel Terrasse, 18eme Montmartre.  Best view of the City I know of and fantastic food 36 Corneil …36, Rue de Rochechouart, 9eme—hopping bar with great tapas (the cheese plate is enough for four) and often dancing later at night. ...