When I was kid, it was easy to define what it means to be a man. All I had to do was watch a closing scene from The Right Stuff during which Sam Shepard playing Chuck Yeager stoically walks away from a plane crash scene. The driver of an oncoming ambulance sees his shape in the distance and asks, "Sir? Over there. Is that a man?" The fighter pilot in the passenger seat responds, "Yeah, your damn right it is!" Over the years, for ego-preservation, I've had to adjust my definition of manhood to highlight alternate virile traits like coming up with killer puns, yelling at commentators while watching televised sports, immediately coming down with symptoms of any ailment one learns about, complaining about the weather (even when it's perfect), and knowing just who to call when something around the house needs fixing. 2A Tale of Every CityThis year, there have been endless stories about urban crime and municipal doom-loops. But beneath the surface, there's one underpinning factor that runs across all of them. For an example of what that is, let's head to NYC, where it is the best of times and the worst of times. "Across the city, wages are up, but mostly for the affluent. Jobs are returning, but many are in low-paying positions. Unemployment is down, but remains sharply higher for Black and Hispanic New Yorkers. The mixed signals highlight a widening chasm: The city is recovering, but many of its residents are not." NYT (Gift Article): New York Is Rebounding for the Rich. Nearly Everyone Else Is Struggling. "The wealthiest fifth of Manhattanites earned an average household income of $545,549, or more than 53 times as much as the bottom 20 percent, who earned an average of $10,259." 3An Easy Cell"When 11,000 soldiers and police officers stormed Venezuela’s Tocorón prison this month, they discovered a professional baseball field, swimming pools, children’s play equipment — even a small zoo, with monkeys and flamingos. They also found concrete tunnels in and out ... What they didn’t find was Tocorón’s most notorious inmate: Héctor 'El Niño' Guerrero." Wow. WaPo: Troops stormed a prison. They found inmates had built a luxury resort. 4Running ScaredConsidering the fact that none of the partipants mentioned that their party leader is a lying, indicted, fraud who betrayed America, incited an insurrection, tried to overthrow an election, and recently floated the idea of executing his former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, I really couldn't stomach the latest GOP debate. All of this is too dismal and dispiriting. I'll let Dan Pfeiffer (who is obviously on a better antidepressant than I am) summarize. None of these Losers Want to Win: "They are all on the primary ballot. They spent their time meeting the voters of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. But last night’s debate proved that none of them are ACTUALLY running for President in 2024. Nikki Haley and Tim Scott are vying to be Trump’s vice presidential pick. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy are campaigning for the 2028 GOP nomination. Chris Christie is auditioning for a gig on MSNBC. Mike Pence may have a death wish by courting the voters who want to murder him. And no one knows what the hell Doug Burghum is doing." (But sure, let's pretend this is just another debate ahead of just another election and publish stories about who got off the best zinger of the night...) 5Extra, ExtraTripping Out: "Israel’s tourism minister went to Saudi Arabia, and a Saudi envoy toured the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The trips reflected how the two countries are moving toward normalizing their relationship." NYT: Once Inconceivable, Officials’ Visits Highlight Warming Saudi-Israeli Ties. 6Bottom of the News"'This is how we save local journalism ... This is what we need to do.' If successful, Gannett may create similar roles covering other personalities and popular topics, she said." WSJ (Gift Article): Nearly 1,000 Apply for Taylor Swift, Beyoncé Reporting Jobs: ‘This Is How We Save Local Journalism’ (In other words, local journalism is in big trouble.) Get a copy of my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store. |
Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity's must-read rundown of what's up on Beacon Hill and beyond. Jan 09, 2024 View in browser By Kelly Garrity and Lisa Kashinsky MAKING ENDS MEET — Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to slash $375 million from the state budget to help plug a $1 billion revenue hole came as something of a surprise after she initially said she had no plans to scale back spending. But some budget watchers say the move to control costs was inevitable — and that the governor...
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