interiors

Wow, another highlighted comment, this time for a response to Krugman's post, And the Trade War Came : Trump might have made inflammatory statements about trade, from his cabinet choices it looks like a ploy to increase defense expenditures and oil profits. His hard-right appointees will unsettle regions, if not lead to all-out war, and doing so requires increases in defense, and a disrupted oil flow will increase the cost of oil that will increase Exxon's profit margin and turn US extraction profitable. Even his anti-terrorism slant would lead to profits in companies tied to Peter Thiel, Palantir. Expanding infrastructure and real estate deals, disguised as urban renewal, could also assist Trump, or at least enlarge his influence over the real estate world. You might be right in predicting he will increase tariffs, as well as foul trade in other ways, but most presidents tone down their rhetoric once they are in power. Unless Trump's business empire can benefit from di...

Another comment was noted as a NYT Pick, this one in a Krugman comment thread, Populism, Real and Phony - The New York Times A recent article implied that liberals weren't accepting populism, and of course we aren't, at least the US variant. In Europe there are different populist movements, left and right, although underlying the hostility of the fringe might be economics issues, the the left looks to be against austerity while the right tends to be proto-fascist. In the US, there only seems to be an authoritarian right. Obviously we are not incorporating the fascism of the right, and would only be willing to deal with the underlying human welfare concerns, not directly support the racist, xenophobic, militaristic, and sexist policies those groups express. Another post of mine in the same comment section was somewhat more popular, although not noted as a NYT Pick, in response to someone writing that we shouldn't imitate Republican obstructionism: The agendas are entir...

Often, the editors or authors of articles some posts as being NYT Picks, presumably because they are insightful and uncommon. I was gratified to find one of my posts was marked as such, on an article about immigrants and messaging, For Millions of Immigrants, a Common Language: WhatsApp It doesn't matter is they are legal or illegal, it is the benefit of the app to people. It is increasing the welfare of many people, those in good places with stable lives, and refugees without a home. The downside, is that it can be used by some for illicit activities, terrorism and crime, but the benefit here seems to greatly outweigh the possible harm.

Slaughterhouse 90210 by Maris Kreizman My rating: 5 of 5 stars The juxtaposition of beautiful quotes from literature against the often quotidian mundanities of TV is deeply insightful and moving.

This is a comment on a NY Times article, In Brooklyn, Stifling Higher Learning Among Hasidic Women . Not Jewish, nor a believer, myself, I have been blessed to know many highly-intelligent, educated women of Jewish background, especially my spouse. It is a shame that so much talent and energy is squelched, and that we, the people of New York, implicitly support it.

In respomnse to Helping the Elderly Downsize I commented: Moving is stressful and can possibly kill, particularly older people. I found the line, "In a few weeks she managed to get him moved in with his wife, who died four days later at age 82." telling. Yes, it is good for our elders to live in places that are easy for them to ambulate comfortably, but we must be careful about how we go about this. We should should not 'kill the patient', and we need to be watchful of the mental effects of relocation, e.g., depression, feelings of isolation, loneliness, etc.

In response to  Hotels vs. Airbnb: Let the Battle Begin , I wrote the following: Although we have had some good, and even excellent, experiences via VRBO, I prefer hotels, inns and B&B's. On trips, I have no interest in cooking or cleaning up after myself. Travel for me is about pleasure, relaxation, and enjoying local experiences. It helps that we can afford the costs, and the times we opted for a short rental was for cost, either because we had less money, or because hotels seemed to offer little for their high costs. Respectively, once on our honeymoon to Italy where we rented an entire house for a week on the Italian Riviera, and another a flat in Amsterdam, situated within the canals and near a university. I am not a big fan of such services, but what gets me annoyed is the illegality and the exposure to risk that these services create. We own our condo in a doorman building, and have entertained the idea of subletting for a year or more so we can enjoy the country and/o...