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Monthly Archives: September 2012

A Comeback for Sam Wo’s?

28 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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Inside Scoop, Sam Wo's Chines Restaurant

 

At least a few MillersTime readers are fans of Sam Wo’s Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s (dwindling?) Chinatown, and thus here is the latest ‘breaking’ news about the possibility of the 100+ year old restaurant returning to ‘serve.’

According to Inside Scoop, “the Bay area source for breaking restaurant news,” a comeback is underway:

It has been nearly six months since Chinatown institution Sam Wo was forced to shut down. Through the summer, there was been nary a whisper at the two-story restaurant. But things are finally moving forward.

Earlier this month, with the help of pro-bono work from the Chinatown Community Development Center, the Department of Building Inspection finally gave the green light for Sam Wo to proceed with renovations. With that approval in place, now it’s a matter of getting the money needed for the remodel, which is expected to be around $100,000.

This weekend, the newly formed “Save Sam Wo Coalition” will hold the first of many fundraisers to raise money for the many renovations required to bring the restaurant up to code and reopen, like a fire escape and improved kitchen facilities. Among the members of the coalition are Board of Supervisors president David Chiu, Entertainment Commissioner Steven Lee, and of course Sam Wo owner David Ho and his daughter, Julie. Chinatown neighborhood leaders like Reverend Norman Fong are also involved.

According to City Hall, donations to the “Sam Wo Reconstruction Fund” can be mailed to PO BOX 34249, San Francisco, CA 94134. Furthermore, if you’re interested in volunteering for future fundraisers, contact Commissioner Lee at steven.lee.ventures@gmail.com.

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“Transaction Man” – A Fair Portrayal of Mitt Romney

28 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Articles & Books of Interest, The Outer Loop

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Mitt Romney, Nichoals Lemann, The Mind of Mitt Romney, The New Yorker, Transaction Man

The current issue of The New Yorker, Oct. 1, has an interesting article on the strengths and weaknesses of the mind and the career of Mitt Romney.

I recommend Transaction Man: The Mind of Mitt Romney* to all, whether you are for or against him, whether you like or dislike him, whether you support Barack Obama, etc.

The author, Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia and also a writer for The New Yorker, has written what seems to me one of the better profiles of Mitt Romney that I‘ve read this campaign season.

(*The NYer article is behind a pay wall, and I’m not sure the link will get the whole article to you. In the link provided, you will at least get a summary of the article.)

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Immediate Baseball Advice Needed: Please Help

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Go Sox

≈ 25 Comments

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AL East, Baltimor Oriioles, Bostonb Red Sox

Tomorrow I am scheduled to go to Orioles Park for a 7:05 game between my beloved Boston Red Sox and those cranky Baltimore Orioles. I am attending said game with a long time Bal’mer resident (former) and fan (current).

You may know that the Orioles have a slight chance of knocking the Yankees out of first place in the AL East and into (or even out of) a Wild Card, one game playoff position. (The mighty Sox, alas, are at or near the bottom of their Division and will end the season with the worst record they’ve had in 30 or 40 years).

So whom do I root for?

My Sox or his Os?

Before you rush to advise me, know that said O’s fan referred to above last year cheered wildly at the end of the season game we attended together when the Os knocked the Sox out of the playoffs. He was merciless.

So, please advise how I should approach him and the game tomorrow.

As we will no doubt leave in the mid-late afternoon, this request for advice is urgent, and I hope you will respond by noon Friday, Sept. 28 at the latest.

Thanx.

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Nats: Magic Number: 4. Games Remaining: 7

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Go Sox

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Magic Number, Playoff Picture, Thomas Boswell, Washington Nationals

If you live in Washington, you know that there is a drama playing out over the Nats’ playoff picture. Even though they will be in the playoffs, it is not sufficient to get there as a Wild Card team as that would mean they’d be in a one game playoff.

So for the young Turks, along with a few older hands, the Magic Number is Four. That, of course, means that any combination of Nats’ wins and/or Braves losses that add up to four in 14 games the two teams have remaining means they will be a full playoff team. And also important, they want to be the top seed in the NL playoff picture to gain home field advantages.

So why are lots of folks in Washington nervous? How hard should it be to get four of 14? The Braves are four games out of first place.

Well, the Nats’ aren’t doing quite so well in this last, meaningful stretch. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Braves are 8-2 over that same stretch and have won (their last) four games in a row.

Looking a little closer at the remaining games, the Nats play four games against the Phillies (including the final three games of the season). Those Phillies are no longer the whimpy team they were for much of the season. And the other three games the Nats have remaining are against the Cards, who are on an 8-2 streak and are also playing for a playoff spot.

The Braves last seven games are all against teams with records under .500. They have one game with the Marlins (2-8 in their last 10 games), three with the Mets (5-5) and three with the Pirates (3-7).

So the Nats have a harder schedule. Their present four game lead, however, is a big advantage.

Still, it is the final week of a very long season, they are without Strasburg, and even though their winning record is .606 (the only team with a record over .600), they have not yet been able to win their Division. Times are tense in this Capital City.

My sports’ writing guru Thomas Boswell has another good column this morning in the Washington Post in which he says the Final Week Isn’t for the Weak of Heart. See what he has to say.

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If You Enjoy or Love Reading…

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 5 Comments

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" J.K. Rowling, " J.R. Moehringer, "Sutton, "The Casual Vacancy, new fiction

If you enjoy or love reading, then September 2012 is a good time for you.

I’ve reviewed two books recently by first time writers, both about 30 years of age, that I believe are worthy of your time and attention. Tanya Chernov has written a deeply emotional and honest memoir about her odyssey during and following her beloved father’s death — A Real Emotional Girl. Kevin Powers’ novel about three young soldiers experiences in Iraq and what one of them experiences after he returns home — The Yellow Birds — is perhaps the Iraqi war’s equivalent to some of the best novels about Vietnam, WWI & WWII.

Now there are two more new books, this time from well established writers, for your consideration, ones I have not read but have been looking forward to reading and will begin as soon as I finish this post. (Note to wife: if you are unable to reach me in the next few days, just leave a message…)

J.R. Moehringer, author of the wonderful memoir, and one of my favorite books from a few years ago, The Tender Bar (he also wrote, with Andre Agassi, the wonderfully insightful and honest book of Agassi’s life, Open), has just published Sutton, an historical novel about Willie Sutton.

J.K. Rowling, we all know what she’s written, has also just published a novel. Her The Casual Vacancy is not a children or teen story, tho some of the main characters in this adult novel are indeed teenagers.

For those of you whose lives do not regularly include listening to NPR and Fresh Air, I link below to two programs that were aired this week, one with Moehringer and one with Rowling. Neither seem to contain ‘spoilers,’ but both will whet your appetite I suspect for the books themselves. Additionally, there are book reviews out this week in various publications about both novels.

NPR: Steve Inskeep Interviews J.K. Rowling. When click on this link, you will find a partial transcript of the interview but even better, there is a link (on the link) to the entire 26:45 minute interview with Rowling (scroll down and look for “Hear an Extended Interview” on the left-hand side of the page).

Fresh Air: Terry Gross interviews J.R. Moehringer. Again, once you open this link, look near the top of the page for the additional link to the 38:39 minute interview.

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Understanding Mitt Romney

26 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Articles & Books of Interest, The Outer Loop

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The current issue of The New Yorker, Oct. 1, has the best article I’ve read to date on the of the mind and of the career of Mitt Romney.

I recommend Transaction Man: The Mind of Mitt Romney to all, whether you are for or against him, whether you like or dislike him, whether you support Barack Obama, etc. I suspect you will come away from the somewhat lengthy article knowing more than prior to reading it.

At least I did.

The author, Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia has written what seems to me simply the most objective and fair profile of Mitt Romney that I know of this campaign season. If you start it, read it all the way through.

 

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“The Yellow Birds” by Kevin Powers, As Good As “Johnny Got His Gun?

26 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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classic war novels, Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds

I read this novel twice, the two readings within a few days of each other.

Rarely do I read a book twice, tho I’m beginning to rethink that and already know the book I’m going to read again soon (Tanya Chernov’s This Emotional Girl. See earlier review).

The Yellow Birds is the first novel of Kevin Powers, who as a 17 year old (?) joined the US Army and then served in Iraq in 2004/5. His novel takes place over a time period of about five years, from before the main character deploys to Iraq to the three or four years after he returns to Virginia, where he was born.

The novel has already been compared to, or put into the same category as, Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage,  Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front,  Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead, and Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried & Going After Cacciato.

Continue reading »

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The Nats: How Good Are They?

21 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Go Sox

≈ 2 Comments

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Thomas Boswell, Washington Nationals. MLB Playoffs

WUSA9 photo

If you listen to my friend who is a Yankee fan and recently moved from DC to NY (what’s that all about?), the Washington Nationals are playing above themselves, in a weak league, and once they meet some really good opposition, they’ll be found wanting.

If you read and listen to my columnist guru Thomas Boswell, “they are already an exceptional team.”

Could both of these views be correct?*

Continue reading »

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Why (I) Write?

20 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures, Family and Friends

≈ 4 Comments

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Michael Winerip, Reason(s) to Write

Curious how one thing leads to another.

The other day a friend sent me a link to an article by NY Times writer Michael Winerip, When Stars Were Just a Stamp Away.

Knowing that I love both baseball and good writing, HS sent along this article as he does others routinely. I loved it.

I’d never heard of Michael Winerip (how come?) and initially thought the article was simply another example of the wonderful intersections of good writing about baseball, family, and life.

But as I reread the article and the comments on the article (tipped off again by HS), I found myself curious about the author and began thinking about what he wrote at the end of the article, about why he and his father (and maybe his son?) write:

“I think that’s why my father wrote, and why I write, and the reason maybe my son will. We hope to create something more than what we are, something that might endure, even though in the end, it may just be a clever one-liner.”

Continue reading »

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Thomas Boswell: “The Season Is a Shark”

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Go Sox

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baseball, The Nats, The Washington Post, Thomas Boswell

In baseball time, the next day quickly swallows the previous night, leaving a few memories, but little residue. The season is a shark, constantly moving forward, devouring the next game.

What a pleasure to open the morning newspaper and be able to read Thomas Boswell.

In his latest, his column this morning, In Nats’ World, No Lucky Charms Needed, he writes about the world the baseball players live in, which, he writes, “is a different realm -the real one. They aren’t a collection of fantasy players or a stack of baseball cards…”

I always learn something from his columns, which I did again today.

 

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“Detropia” – A Wake Up Call to America?

18 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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Detropia ****

Here’s another small film, documentary, that is worthy of your attention – Detropia

Many of us probably know a bit about the decline of Detroit (population one-third to one-half of what it was, unemployment between 30-50%, acres of abandoned housing, businesses, etc.). In fact, as this film points out, Detroit, once the fastest growing city in the US, is now the fastest shrinking city in the country.

And, if you’ve focused at all on Detroit, a few other images might come to mind: a heavy, black population with nowhere to go, a new, young, population now living in downtown Detroit, and a wealthy older, white population still living in the surrounding suburbs.

If one picture is worth a thousand words, what is 90 minutes of video worth?

Rubble Porn? Ruin Porn? (new terms to me). A visual, “urban obituary”?

Certainly there are numerous shots of decay and hopelessness. But there is more here.

Heidi Ewing and Rache Grady, the filmmakers, have found three individuals to tell you what living in Detroit is like today for some of those who are (still) there — Tommy Stevens, a former teacher and long time owner of the Raven Lounge, George McGregor, a long time auto worker and union veteran, and a young blogger, Crystal Starr. Each has a particular perspective on what remains, and we see through their eyes what has happened to the largely working and middle class African American parts of Detroit and what it feels like to live there today.

The documentary doesn’t offer any solutions or even suggestions about what could be done to save the city. But it does attempt to show why some folks have stayed there, despite what has happened.

If there is any lesson Detropia seeks to offer, it is probably a wake up call for others in the country to know what can happen to our cities. Whether those watching the film come away with that lesson is not so clear to me.

I’ll be interested in what others think once they see it.

 

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Questions for Pres. Obama and for Candidate Romney

16 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Articles & Books of Interest, The Outer Loop

≈ 2 Comments

Two articles I found particularly interesting and worthy of readers’ time in this morning’s NY Times lead to questions for both President Obama and Candidate Romney.

Assuming that generally both articles can be taken largely as valid, then what occurs to me are the questions below:

  1. Mr. President, in David Firestone in his Sunday Observer NY Times article “Don’t Tell Anyone, But the Stimulus Worked,” he asks why you and the Democrats have not discussed this success. I would add that you also (in your convention speech) did not give much mention to your other successful accomplishment – The Affordable Health Care Act (“Obamacare” ).

Thus, my questions: Mr President: If these are indeed true successes, why have you not let the country know about them? Why have you not told these stories?

  1. Mr. Romney, in David Leonhardt’s Capital Ideas NY Times column this morning (Do Tax Cuts Lead to Economic Growth?), he repeats a question he asked prior to the convention to Mr. Ryan: “Why a cut in tax rates would work better this time than last time?” Then, in his final paragraph, he writes: “But when you dig into Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan’s proposals and you consider recent history, the fairest thing to say is that, so far at least, they have laid out a plan to cut taxes. They have not yet explained why and how it is also an economic-growth plan.”

Thus, my questions: Mr. Romney: Specifically, why do you believe your tax cuts will have different consequences than any of the ones in the recent past? How is your plan to cut taxes in any way an economic-growth plan?

As always, I invite (thoughtful?) responses from MillersTime readers too.

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Five Big Questions – Can You Help?

16 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Family and Friends, The Outer Loop

≈ 1 Comment

I have a long time solicitor friend, Dave Stang (now retired), who is planning a course on “The Five Big Questions.”

As is his wont, he has solicited me, and others, on how we would answer the questions he will present and discuss with the group he and a colleague are ‘conducting’ in October.

So, I thought I’d throw out these questions to MillersTime readers to see if any of you would be willing to take a shot at answering one or two of them, or even all five. I have just sent him my answers to his “Five Big Questions.”

Even if you don’t want to answer these questions, you might have some suggestions for articles, books, films, etc. that Dave might include in his syllabus that speak to one, or more, of these five questions. I’m sure he would appreciate any suggestions you might have along those lines.

If you are interested, I suspect Dave would be willing to send a link to his syllabus, once he has completed it, to any MillersTime reader who wants to see it.

You can write Dave directly (davidpstang@cs.com) with your answers, suggestions, ideas, and/or request for a syllabus.

The Five Big Questions:

1. How do I know what I think I know is actually true?

2. Where did I come from?

3. Who am I?

4. What is my life’s purpose?

5. What happens to me when I die?

Thanx.

Richard Miller

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Two Invitations to Join Me…

15 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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Washington Nationals, Zadie Smith

Two opportunities to join me at no cost to you:

1. Washington Nationals vs Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 7:05 PM in Washington, DC.

2. Zadie Smith, author, whose newest book NW was just published, will speak at Sixth & I Synagogue, Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 PM.

If you are interested in joining me for either of the above, email me at Samesty84@gmail.com.

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Why I’m Voting to Re-Elect Pres. Obama

13 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by Richard in Articles & Books of Interest, The Outer Loop

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For me, the 2012 Presidential Election is a no brainer.

(I know. I know. Some of my good friends will say it’s because I don’t have a brain. There, I said it before some of you had the chance to remind me.)

Aside from my being in love with Michelle, and aside from being disappointed with some of the actions Pres. Obama has taken and has not taken, there is no doubt in my mind that he is the better choice for the country of the two candidates in this election. (Disclosure: I voted for him in 2008. Probably not a surprise to many of you.)

Despite the title of this posting, however, I’m not going to list my reasoning (tho I reserve the right to do so at a later date), but instead, I refer you to an article I read this morning in the Oct. 2012 issue of Vanity Fair magazine by Michael Lewis.

Obama’s Way is a profile Lewis wrote after having unusual access to the President. For me, it captures many of the qualities I thought I saw in candidate Obama in 2008, with the added perspective of what he has learned from three and a half years of being in office.

See what you think.

Update – 9/15: There has been a bit of ‘inside the Beltway’ discussion about Michael Lewis’s access to the President and his agreement to allow the President the right to approve all quotes. The NYTimes wrote about this the other day in a blog post A Journalist With Rare Access to Obama Had to Play by Quote Rule.

 

 

 

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