The Curator leads off this week with Here’s How Donald Trump Counts to “TEN BILLION”, written by Josh Voorhees for Slate and posted on July 22. In my work world I have dealt with at least one billionaire—through me, my client sued him, and I attended the deposition—and may know two or three others. The defendant? Famous, with lots of oil money. And the others? No one, including some of them, really knows how much money they have. And my point? People with lots of money don’t talk about the issue, generally. It’s tacky, to say the least! Mr. Trump has many traits, and tacky is certainly one of them. Now, truth be told, other rich people other than Mr. Trump are not all self-effacing. Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal sued Forbes magazine for libel, claiming one of its lists of really rich people understated his wealth. Details, from Reuters, are here.
I read Linda Greenhouse’s piece, A Religion Case Too Far for the Supreme Court?, from the July 23 issue of the New York Times. It’s excellent—Ms. Greenhouse is an exceptional Court observer—but the thoughts interested me not at all. We have so many issues that matter, and we’re still futzing around—I’m being polite here—with this nonsense. I have chaired several nonprofit boards. There’s a moment—fellow chairs know the moment—when it’s time to move on. That moment passed, too long ago, with respect to the nuances of religion and its role in society!
Here’s Inside the Family Battle for the Newman’s Own Brand Name, written by Mark Seal for the August 2015 issue of Vanity Fair. Paul Newman was surely a flawed man—we all are, and some women are, too—but you’ll have to provide evidence about others who lived better, more worthy lives than Mr. Newman. That there’s a battle over anything breaks my heart.
A Prairie Home Companion livens up my Sunday mornings, weekly. This past Sunday I caught a repeat of the show from the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on June 1, 2002. The show featured Marnie Nixon and Taj Mahal. Highlights? Ms. Nixon and Garrison Keillor singing Wouldn’t It Be Loverly from My Fair Lady, and Ms. Nixon’s solo performance of I Could Have Dubbed Myself, spoofing on I Could Have Danced All Night, also from My Fair Lady.
Why Is It So Hard to Get a Great Bagel in California?, written by Elizabeth Weil, appeared on the New York Times website on July 23. Ms. Weil identifies a problem—bad bagels—faced by many, not just those in the Curator’s hometown of San Francisco. MRW offered up Just Bagels and Pizza 11 months ago, with assurances that there would be more bagel reports. Not a lie, for I intended to keep going with the bagel project. A false statement, though, for I quit after the post. Bagels are hard. I make a bialy I’m very proud of, but Ms. Weil has identified a very, very big problem.
Thrillist.com has put forward its 33 Best Burgers in America list for 2015. It’s written by Liz Childers and Kevin Alexander, two very fortunate people. So many burgers, and so little time! From the list, I’ve only eaten at The Lodge at Torrey Pines. It’s a fine burger, but another burger caught my eye: The Husk Cheeseburger, from The Husk in Charleston, South Carolina.
