1
New York
Sir Shadow, Maestro of the Last of the Bowery Flophouses
In a derelict hotel, six holdouts resist the gentrification of Skid Row. Soon they will be gone, but the art of one resident may endure.The flops made the Bowery as the bowery made the flops.
Sir Shadow has a place in the city that was. I never did.
2
New York
The Year That Bill de Blasio Became Donald Trump* and 9 Other Improbable Transformations
Sure there are some qualifiers to be made but here are 10 instances in which people and things went into turnaround in 2018, often not for the betterCity residents are people like others.
3
U.S.
Michelle Obama and Stacey Abrams, Models of Power for Black Women
Sit down with black women in Atlanta as the year ends, and two names dominate political conversations: Mrs. Obama and Ms. Abrams, and what they revealed in 2018 about how power is gained and thwarted.Keep working.
4
Books
What the Fall of the Roman Republic Can Teach Us About America
“Mortal Republic,” by Edward J. Watts, examines parallels between ancient Rome and today’s United States.Edward J. Watts looked at the wrong part of the picture.
I am trying to conceive a better model of late republican Rome.
An end of loot followed by deflation.
Caesar conquered Gaul at the end of the republic.
The Roman mob is also later.
Illiteracy; after Constantine.
Banking was not.
5
Business
Trump Issues Order Freezing Federal Workers’ Pay in 2019
Congress may still approve a raise, perhaps as part of legislation to reopen the government. But union leaders condemned the order as unnecessary provocation.A smaller government is a Republican objective.
An unfunded government will be smaller.
6
Business
Carlos Ghosn’s Daughters See a Nissan Revolt Behind His Arrest
Breaking a silence, Caroline and Maya Ghosn said they suspected that talk of “reimagining the alliance” with Renault had played a role in their father’s ouster on allegations of financial misconduct.
"She and her sister Maya Ghosn, 26, do
not have direct knowledge of their father’s business discussions, but
both said watching Mr. Saikawa address the national news media had
cemented their belief that internal company dynamics were at play.
Mr. Saikawa told the reporters
that one problem with the alliance was that “the top of Renault is
concurrently serving as the top of Nissan with 43 percent of shares.” In
the future, he said, the company would “look for a more sustainable
structure.”"
Nissan must be feeling better about their prospects.
In January 2018, Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa announced that all Infiniti vehicles launched from 2021 will be hybrid vehicles or all-electric vehicles."
7
World
It’s Cold, Dark and Lacks Parking. But Is This Finnish Town the World’s Happiest?
Polling suggests that Kauniainen, a small suburb of the Finnish capital, is the most satisfied town in the world’s happiest country. The secret may be the wealth of state-funded services.I will not try to argue.
8
Books
Amos Oz, a Writer Who Loved the Dream of Israel and Charted Its Imperfect Reality
Oz, through his novels and nonfiction, came to embody a sort of sociologist and psychologist of the Israeli soul.That Israel is not the land "God" gave to Cain can be argued
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promised_Land
Israel should be the Land of Nod.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Scripture
I reject all Scripture.
Amos Oz was an admirable man.
9
New York
Leaks, Mold and Rats: Why New York City Goes Easy on Its Worst Landlords
A housing department policy that prizes repairs over penalties leaves tenants struggling with the same issues again and again.Rent regulation points directly to maintenance neglect.
Costs that exceed returns will not be paid.
Landlords cannot operate at a loss.
10
World
Arms Sales to Saudis Leave American Fingerprints on Yemen’s Carnage
Errant Saudi-led airstrikes have killed more than 4,000 civilians, upending the U.S. policy of selling weapons with the expectation that they will rarely be used.The costs of religious war exceed returns.
Trump should be bankrupt.
11
Style
What Is Glitter?
A strange journey to the glitter factory.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate
This.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene
not this.
"His father’s answer was simpler: “Since we’re a glitter manufacturer, anything we do is now called ‘glitter.’”"
12
World
Germany’s Far-Right Rebrands: Friendlier Face, Same Doctrine
A far-right youth movement is part of a growing network of actors giving extremism a friendly face — and worrying intelligence officials.Germans remain German.
14
New York
El Chapo Trial Shows That Mexico’s Corruption Is Even Worse Than You Think
Nearly every level of the Mexican government has been depicted as being on the take. Officials in Colombia have also been portrayed as deeply corrupt.This is why I am reluctant to move to South America.
I expect the Chinese want a monopoly on corruption.
15
Technology
Patreon Bars Anti-Feminist for Racist Speech, Inciting Revolt
Patreon, a crowdfunding site for content creators, is facing a rebellion after its human moderators booted a creator who had violated its hate speech policy.As far as I can tell the objectionable content is not available
at Patreon. Patreon should not edit its customer base.
I am mistaken.
Patreon provides promotional blurbs.
Their business model requires them to select their customer base.
End the bidirectional content and they can do away with some staff.
16
Obituaries
Larry Eisenberg, 99, Dead; His Limericks Were Very Well Read
Given the chance, Dr. Eisenberg, a prolific and clever commenter on the news on The Times’s website, would undoubtedly have set this obituary to rhyme.I missed him. I will miss him in future along with many others.
17
Opinion
An Adult Woman Goes Home for the Holidays
Three hundred sixty-four days of the year, I am an independent person. Then I get to my mother’s house.I remember big Christmas.
Ann did it this year.
18
Opinion
Tell Me One More Time What to Do About Grief
Accept the lasagna. Do not start reading that Joan Didion book.Sooner is better. As soon as you can is best.
19
Business
The Border Dividing Ireland Has Long Been Invisible. Brexit Threatens to Make It Real.
Britain’s exit from the European Union threatens to disrupt trade and potentially reinvigorate conflict between Northern Ireland and the Republican of Ireland.A sea border would satisfy Ireland and Europe.
Britain and Northern Ireland would be very unhappy.
I expect a sea border.
20
Arts
Barack Obama’s Favorite Book of 2018 Was ‘Becoming.’ Here’s What Else He Liked.
The former president shared the works he found particularly thought-provoking or inspiring this year in a lengthy Facebook post.I don't know them.
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