eli friedmann

@JoyceCarolOates Yeah, true, I've been mostly on Blue(redacted). Who even knows if shifting from platform to platform even accomplishes much tbh. Had to stop back here just to comment on the book tho. That ending....won't say more. Do not want to "spoil" it. But I will recommend it.

thank you, Eli! I have been missing your posts recently; I think that you are not on Twitter quite so much now.

@JoyceCarolOates And that ending? As skillful and satisfying as any I can imagine. KO in the 10th. The structure of the book locks completely into place in retrospect. The best endings are able to make perfect sense (can't be random) without being obvious or trite. Bravo.

@JoyceCarolOates Further into the the book, the thing that is so striking is the pure genre velocity, suspense, and economy, combined with razor sharp prose precision, and a deeply disturbing psychological plausibility of characterization. Total command of the form.

As precise, rigorous, and propulsive as ever. 🫡 ⁦@JoyceCarolOates⁩

@JoyceCarolOates It's very difficult to get published, let alone publicized, so part of my is sympathetic to literary rogues who lie and cheat to get their foot in the door. It's not "ok" but artists have been known for not always being "ok". Maybe the book is worthwhile even if it's not "true".

@JoyceCarolOates It is interesting to contemplate: In book form, in a certain mindset, the factual reality of what is being described in the book is not the main point, necessarily. But being told that "this is a true story" DOES impact how it is absorbed. Lying + getting caught is frowned upon.

fascinating portrait. as one who has not read James Frey, I was sympathetic with his plight--so much attention, so much hyperbole, inevitably there is a backlash. the literary world prefers writers to keep a low profile & to be "discovered" by degrees. but becoming an outlaw may be, for Frey, what it was for the young Norman Mailer--liberating, stimulating. it made of Mailer a perpetual fighter/dissenter, for good or bad.

@JoyceCarolOates I have often wondered at the concept of "war crimes". To an outsider, war itself seems like a crime much of the time. Was dropping the atom bomb a war crime? It certainly was harsh. This quote, from Apocalypse Now.

"military ethics"--- for some (of us), something of an oxymoron. as some wit said of "military music": it may be military but it isn't music.

@dwallacewells Victory will/would be an successful administration and a city that is functioning well over multiple years. And if he wins the general? I hope he does indeed have success. Because I will be living in it. But the waters ahead are deep, dark, and choppy. That is for sure.

“This may have been one of the greatest victories for leftist candidates in the history of the United States of America.” rosselliotbarkan.com/p/when-zohran-…

Well, yet again my preferred candidate has lost and I will roll with it. I'm used to this by now. I hope Lander continues to do good work. I like his approach.

#BradLander 👍

@ok_post_guy @reputationfan13 This is related to the free bus concept. If implemented (assuming Hochul reverses her "no taxes" stance) it would redistribute riders. The poorest would be on the bus, the better off would be on the subway/car/etc. Maybe not ideal separation of populations.

@reputationfan13 I guess if the cost efficiency was otherwise comparable I'd err on the side of SNAP-type stuff for regular shopping bc I think there's value in not having a separate system for food assistance. Also aligns market players/business with the interests of supporting those programs

We already do. SNAP, WIC, and the myriad producer/grower subsidies allow grocers to keep prices low and predictable at low margins. We have an entire industry that operates on significantly lower margins than investor-owned utilities without any monopoly franchise

@ok_post_guy And yes, this wage issue is real. It's the paradox of the maga assault on undocumented workers. Republicans love having low wage workers, but also demonize them. What can NYC afford to pay city grocery workers? Off the books undocumented level wages won't be an option.

It's entirely possible (and in NYC maybe even likely) that the city-owned grocery will have to charge higher prices to support the higher wages they'll be pressured to provide, and we'll do a repeat of 2021-23 where we all find out nobody is willing to pay more for higher wages

@ok_post_guy @msut777 unsure the "public grocery store" concept has internalized the low margins of this industry. Not margins for food producers, the store itself. Will they be able to afford high quality merchandise, esp fresh produce? Seems closer to fantasy than reality but I guess we'll see.

@msut777 Prepared food is definitely a higher margin line, which is a big part of why Whole Foods with their hot bar historically had higher margins

Just to be clear:

@jdcmedlock 1 package of raw spinach: $7. 2-3 apples: $3. One large bag of frozen blueberries: $16.

@Lynn_Henning @MalloryMcMorrow That psychopath is in charge of government services. Not ideal.

@MalloryMcMorrow The world-record for saying "unbelievable" continues to be smashed, daily ...

Maybe we need US Senators who aren’t actually rooting for you to die.

@MalloryMcMorrow Imagine a public servant whose philosophy is “well we’re all going to die…” Wild stuff.

@d_h_sanders “Democracy dies in darkness. And we will host the grim reaper!”

I believe we are currently experiencing the "darkness" WaPo's slogan is referring to.

These extraordinarily brave Gazans are protesting both against Hamas and the Netanyahu/Smotrich/Ben-Gvir war plan. Incidentally, this puts them in agreement with the large majority of Israelis, who also oppose both, and want an end to the war in exchange for the hostages.

@JoyceCarolOates "subways are certain death for riders!" Meanwhile: Public transit is about 1/10th as dangerous as driving. One tenth. Can't overemphasize that stat.

@JoyceCarolOates If there is 1 thing that I have noticed for the last decade it is an obsession with attacking cities online. It is a central part of the culture war, + I suppose it's been there for much longer than just the trump era. "Cities are evil!" meanwhile: 3.6 million subway rides a day.

always funny to see a flood of tweets about NYC subway posted by persons who have never set foot in NYC let alone the subway but know all about the subject from their "conservative" "news" outlets.