tearing eyes

 Listening to Kotkin talking about  kleptocrats with tearing eyes about Mother Russia, made me think about the Russian women -  eager  to get money and jewelry, but with a soft, romantic soul molded by Anna Karenina and War and Peace.

Recent conservative history

 Found this article interesting in that it provides a clear history of the conservative movement or of the movements that elected republican presidents. The most popular comments (as counted by the NYT) are from the left and refuse to acknowledge the  unpopular positions (yes, elitist) that had allowed the victories of Bush and Trump. Funny, these comments are as woke as one could be.

East and West

 My democratic friends went beyond gerrymandering. No wonder the first electoral map was rejected by a democratic  judge. Now, the new idea of  merging the East and West Side of Manhattan is beyond imaginable.  Who do they want to eliminate? These two sides of NYC have a traditional rivalry, like Mets and Yankees....