New Post for the New Month
It’s heatwave summer in the city. There’s at least one song mashup to pursue in that statement but unless it offers reprieve from the current state of things, I can’t see how it’s worth the effort. As we near the 250 years milestone of our Declaration of Independence, it’s difficult to muster much enthusiasm for the festivities, such as they are. Here in New York there will be Tall Ships and fireworks and surely more celebration. Broadly speaking, we’ve had a good year: new mayor, an overall increase in sociability and regard for others ,1 and, of course, The Knicks, whose prowess and victory have been shared by veteran basketball enthusiasts and non-fans alike. We deserve it. New York can be a very difficult place to live and if it seems like our good stuff is especially local in light of our shameful national and international scenes, I’ll take it. So from Brooklyn, New York City, here’s to wishing everyone a safe and healthy Fourth of July, looking forward to more agreeable, less conflicted, and peaceful celebrations in the years to come.
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My simplest favored measure of goodwill is the extent to which people pick up after their dogs on the sidewalk. Under Mayor Adams, for example, dog waste left to fester on the sidewalk was at an all-time high, at least as I’ve observed in the last 3 decades. Since Mamdani took office, except for last winter’s deep-freeze, the sidewalks are cleaner.↩︎
