By Carly Mitchell / New York City (The author, a public-school teacher, is using a pseudonym for professional reasons) The time has come at last. My students were given New York State’s English Language Arts test this week. As you probably know by now, I am a seventh-grade English teacher at a Title 1 school in Brooklyn, meaning a high percentage of the students are from low-income families. Most of my students read at a third- or fourth-grade level, but they must sit through two days of tests that align with New York’s seventh-grade learning standards. On Tuesday, March 29, the multiple-choice portion of the test was given. This involved reading a combination of literary and informational texts and answering a total of 35 multiple choice questions (roughly seven per text). On Wednesday, students took the written portion of the exam, which requires reading two texts, answering seven short response questions about them, and writing an essay. My fellow teachers and I prepare students throughout the year for these exams, but test prep has been in full swing for the past seven weeks. Beginning in mid-February, I hosted an English extra help session that ran from 7:15 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Fortunately, I was paid for this work (thanks United Federation of Teachers!) Monday through Friday. In addition, I held a Thursday session from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. There was also a test prep during my regular class. Are you tired of hearing the words “test prep” yet? Yeah? I don’t blame you. In order to lure students to the morning sessions, I promised extra credit. Fortunately, this attracted a few loyal students. (About eight consistently showed up.) Thursday afternoons were another story. Students who are in our after-school program were required to attend. This meant that roughly 40 of them crammed into my classroom. It got so crowded on some days that there weren’t enough desks or chairs to accommodate everyone. Needless to say, those were not the most productive sessions. As I have previously written in my column, this year has been incredibly challenging. Throw state tests into the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a very stressful meal, indeed. Students and teachers alike are simply burned out. These tests are presumed to measure a student’s understanding, therefore we must take them very seriously. But as I write this, I feel like emitting a loud sigh. If you cannot tell, I am not a fan of these exams. How can we consider standardized tests to be an accurate measure of student knowledge when not every child learns the same way? Standardized testing has long been criticized as a one-size-fits-all approach to education that simply requires kids to memorize and regurgitate information without really thinking. I agree with this critique. In my classroom, I have students who struggle to read and write, but who are magnificent artists or master conversationalists. This is not to say that students should not be reading and writing. In fact, I do not think students are doing enough of this. The Internet (specifically social media sites like TikTok) and video games are hugely distracting. On many occasions, I have had a child come into my classroom and proudly tell me they were up all night playing Fortnite, a violent video game very popular with many of the young men in my classes. But this issue is something I, and many teachers, feel powerless over. After all, we are only with these kids from 8:00 am to 2:30 pm. If I had to choose one adjective to sum up the testing sessons, it would be “overwhelming.” If I had to choose two to describe how I feel right now as I sit in my apartment, they would be “exhausted” and (somewhat) “relieved.” As with any testing day, there were scheduling kinks to work through and questions galore. Is this student in the right classroom? Were all of the tests distributed properly? Collected properly? Do the teachers have all of their proctoring materials? Where is (insert name of teacher)? Have you seen (insert name of student)? Students have the entire day to take their exams (and many of them indeed take the entire day, with a break for lunch, of course). This is a new initiative, a response, I assume, to the learning deficits caused by the pandemic. After enduring the first day of testing, I think this approach has both benefits and drawbacks. I appreciate that students do not have to feel stressed by the clock. However, I think it still led some students to rush because they felt like the exam would never end, while others spaced out and fell asleep (yes, proctoring involves playing the role of alarm clock) because they felt like the exam would never end. Perhaps Goldilocks has a “just-right” suggestion for the amount of time that should be required? Nevertheless, most of the students and staff were in good spirits today. Are we tired? Yes. Are we enthusiastic about state tests? Not really. But we survived. Carly Mitchell (a pseudonym) is a public-school teacher in Brooklyn N.Y. who loves to learn, to educate, and to expose the hypocrisy of New York City politicians.

One film journalist’s stream-of-consciousness cinematic journey through the pandemic, Part 76 By Laurence Lerman / New York City Adrian Lyne, the British-born director of such seminal, sexy hit films as Flashdance, 9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal, officially returned to the director’s chair with the release of his new erotically charged thriller Deep Water, his first film since 2002’s Unfaithful. Adapted by Zach Helm from the 1957 novel by Patricia Highsmith, the celebrated author of a number of books turned into great films including Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley, Deep Water made its premiere on streaming platform Hulu this month. This came after distributor Disney announced in December that the film was being removed from its theatrical calendar and heading straight to a streaming release. The unceremonious dumping of the R-rated thriller onto a streaming platform is a reflection of pandemic-scarred theatrical distribution practices and another example of the demise of adult dramas in the theatrical marketplace. Clearly, the dollars and demand are not there for rollouts to theaters when it comes to movies that aren’t big and loud and effects-filled and across-the-board seat-fillers à la Marvel Comics extravaganzas. I doubt that any of Lyne’s eight previous features, beginning with 1980’s Foxes starring Jodie Foster, would have made it into theaters today, or would have even received a greenlight to be made. Still, even on the small screen, Lyne proves that he’s still got some sizzle in his stick as Deep Water is a strangely affecting drama-thriller, if not the cultural touchstone that Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal were in their time. Set in a modern-day New Orleans suburb, the film revolves around Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as a married couple, Vic and Melinda Van Allen. He’s a retired zillionaire, she’s a restless wife and mother who regularly gets involved with any good-looking younger man who comes down the pike. Vic is very aware of what his younger wife is up to—as is the entire neighborhood—and he appears to be quietly okay with it, the idea being that it beats going through a messy divorce. But that’s before a couple of dead bodies pop up around town. And then the devilish games the marrieds are playing with each other become clear (not mention complicated and weird). Deep Water doesn’t find the 81-year-old Lyne firing on all cylinders—the sex and violence and rising tensions are all a bit restrained, though Ms. de Armas takes the wearing and shedding of slinky black dresses to enticing new heights. Additionally, the contemporary setting detracts from the thematic effectiveness of infidelity, a marriage gone bad, and the threat of divorce and how it was viewed in an earlier era. Still, Deep Water remains a highly watchable, grown-up piece, with Lyne’s trademark visual sheen very much in evidence and a pair of excellent lead performances. It’s easy to see the attraction between former tabloid couple Affleck and de Armas, who met and embarked on a relatively brief romance when the film was in production a couple of years back. Adrian Lyne was among a generation of British filmmakers in the ’70s that launched their careers making glossy television commercials before moving into successful feature filmmaking. Lyne has long credited his commercial work for opening doors for him, even leading Stanley Kubrick to contact him after he saw a memorable TV spot Lyne had directed advertising milk. “He ended up offering me the role of second unit director on Barry Lyndon. I should have done it, but I didn’t it,” Lyne remembered in a 2007 interview with The Guardian. “I thought that if I’d done a good job, he’d get the credit and if I did a bad job, I’d get the blame.” But Lyne didn’t have to wait too long for a filmmaking opportunity to present itself again. By the late ‘70s, at the dawn of the MTV era, Hollywood producers gleaned that the kind of stylized visuals and snappy editing seen in current TV commercials transferred perfectly to the big screen. In 1979, Lyne was hired to direct Foxes, about a group of teenage girls who get themselves in and out of trouble, lust and love beneath the nighttime glow of the San Fernando Valley. Though it received only a limited release to less than three dozen screens and proved to be a box-office dud, Foxes clicked with the critics, not to mention teen audiences, and Lyne was on his way. Flashdance (1983) came next, propelled by a soaring soundtrack and dancing and beautiful people and the kind of visual imagery and breakneck editing reminiscent of Lyne’s ‘70s U.K. jeans commercials. Like Foxes, it also catered to the MTV Generation as it laid out its Cinderella story of an aspiring ballerina who works in a factory by day and dances in a sexy club at night. It was a huge hit—the third highest grossing picture of the year—and it allowed Lyne the opportunity to move in the direction of more intimate and mature storytelling. Lyne courted a bit of controversy with 9 ½ weeks (1986) and its tawdry tale of a sexually provocative and increasingly abusive relationship. Considered to be too explicit by distributor MGM, the film was drastically edited for its U.S. release, while it became a box office hit abroad in its unedited version. While not contentious like 9 ½ Weeks, Lyne’s subsequent Fatal Attraction (1987), Indecent Proposal (1993) and Unfaithful (2002) still got people talking, critics lauding and box-office cash registers ka-chinging. Clearly, Lyne’s striking visual style matched up well with tales of adult relationships as they endured some dangerous curves. Even his faithful adaptation in 1997 of Nabokov’s Lolita starring Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain, a Showtime cable TV premiere that later received a theatrical run, generated some chatter around the water cooler upon its release. Deep Water should get people buzzing, as well, though it arrived on Hulu with so little fanfare that there is bound to be a segment of potential viewers who aren’t even aware of its existence, let alone its availability as a streaming title. And that's truly a shame, particularly since virtually all of Lyne's past work remains in regular rotation on cable stations and streaming platforms. I expected a brief ad touting "the latest sizzler from the director who brought you Fatal Attraction and 9 1/2 Weeks," but nothing has materialized. Hell, they could have even hired Lyne to direct it! Laurence Lerman is a film journalist, former editor of Video Business--Variety's DVD trade publication--and husband to The Insider's own Gwen Cooper. Over the course of his career he has conducted one-on-one interviews with just about every major director working today, including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Kathryn Bigelow, Ridley Scott, Walter Hill, Spike Lee, and Werner Herzog, among numerous others. Once James Cameron specifically requested an interview with Laurence by name, which his wife still likes to brag about. Most recently, he is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online review site DiscDish.com.

March 28, 2022 Jeffrey D. Sachs | Project Syndicate The US and NATO have not spoken publicly about a final diplomatic settlement in Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, understandably focused on maintaining national unity, has publicly stated its positions only in somewhat contradictory bits and pieces. But it is time to outline what peace would look like. NEW YORK – On March 7, Russia stated three aims for its invasion of Ukraine: official Ukrainian neutrality, recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, and recognition of the independence of pro-Russian separatist regions in Luhansk and Donetsk. The United States and NATO have not spoken publicly about a final diplomatic settlement, and, with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government focused on maintaining national unity and armed resistance to Russia, Ukraine has publicly stated its positions only in somewhat contradictory bits and pieces. But Zelensky, in consultation with the US and Europe, which are backing Ukraine’s war-fighting capacity, should formulate and state what a reasonable peace settlement would look like. Here, in my view, is what Ukraine’s government should say. First, Ukrainian neutrality is not only acceptable but prudent if the negotiated peace settlement offers sufficient security guarantees. Neutrality will help to keep NATO and Russia separated – a positive good for all parties, and for the world. Ukraine can thrive as a non-NATO country, just as Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, Finland, and Sweden thrive. But who would guarantee this neutrality? In my view, the UN Security Council should do so, including by the deployment of an international peacekeeping force. Bringing China into this agreement would be stabilizing. China is being harmed by this war, yet agrees with Russia’s opposition to NATO enlargement and opposes similar US-led alliance politics in Asia. China, in my estimation, would therefore support a peace agreement linked to NATO non-enlargement, and would most likely encourage Russia to accept it. Second, Crimea will be ceded de facto to Russia, but not de jure. Everyone knows the vexed history of this issue, and that Crimea is central to Russian naval power. Ukraine and the West should agree to allow the status quo of Russian control over Crimea to continue, though would likely still claim that the peninsula’s seizure in 2014 was illegal. Crimea would become a “frozen” conflict, like the many others that dot the world, but no longer a casus belli. Third, Ukraine should agree to autonomy for the breakaway Donbas regions as envisaged in the 2015 Minsk II agreement, while rejecting demands for outright independence. Autonomy was to be incorporated in Ukraine’s constitution by the end of 2015, but the Minsk II agreement was not implemented. Autonomous status can still form the basis for a settlement of the regional issues. To speed the process to peace and maintain public support in the US and Europe, it is important that the Zelensky government, aligned with the US and Europe, adopt clear and reasonable positions. Yet some pundits and politicians in Kyiv, Washington, Brussels, Warsaw, and elsewhere are arguing vehemently against any deal along the lines suggested here. They urge Ukraine never to submit to demands for neutrality, regarding it as tantamount to surrender. They believe in victory over Putin, not diplomacy – a belief that US President Joe Biden channeled in his recent speech in Warsaw. That approach is a huge mistake. It invites ongoing war. Biden spoke of “the need to steel ourselves for the long fight ahead.” But a long fight could leave Ukraine in ruins and ignite a much a wider war. Instead, by agreeing publicly to neutrality, Ukraine and its backers would help to end the war. The idea that time is on the side of Ukraine is a reckless wager. It is extremely unlikely that Putin will soon be defeated in Ukraine; Russian forces appear to be tightening their grip on Donbas. Likewise, the belief, perhaps shared by some in the US government, that Putin will soon be overthrown is wild and dangerous speculation, not a basis for policy. Putin has more than enough firepower to destroy Ukraine and much else, and probably enough staying power to see it through. The tiniest fraction of Russia’s nuclear stockpile, if used, would wreck the world for decades to come, and possibly lead to the end of humanity. Still, some believe that the greater danger lies in compromising with a murderous expansionist adversary. They point to the territorial concessions given to Hitler in 1938, which only encouraged him to grab more. But, unlike the West’s acceptance of Czechoslovakia’s dismemberment at Munich, a diplomatic settlement in Ukraine would not amount to unilateral concessions in the name of peace. It should mean a full Russian withdrawal from Ukraine; a credible guarantee of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity; and the implementation of autonomy measures for Donbas along lines that were previously agreed. Most important, NATO non-enlargement is not a concession, because NATO’s enlargement to Ukraine should never have been on the table. Removing it could ultimately lead to a much wiser overall security framework for Europe. Any agreement should also include the means for Ukraine’s postwar recovery. In general, countries (including the US) have not been held accountable for rebuilding what they have brazenly destroyed; but it is a good principle that Russia should pay significantly for Ukraine’s reconstruction. This should not mean reparations per se, but rather Russia’s participation in a multilateral financing mechanism. The International Monetary Fund would be a good place to house such a facility. In the context of the peace deal, Russia should agree to commit some of its frozen foreign reserves as part of the rollback of sanctions. The US and Europe should also recycle some of their new allocation of IMF special drawing rights (the Fund’s reserve asset) to the reconstruction fund. Neither Ukraine nor NATO should base their policies on the vague and unlikely premise of defeating Russia. Ukraine might well be destroyed before that happens, and if the military prospects really turned against Putin, he might unleash a nuclear war. All of this makes it crucial for Ukraine and NATO to formulate cogent, prudent, and reasonable peace terms now. The sooner such terms are agreed, the more likely we are to avoid the path to World War III. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/peace-settlement-for-ukraine-by-jeffrey-d-sachs-2022-03 Jeffrey D. Sachs, University Professor at Columbia University, is Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He has served as adviser to three UN Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary-General António Guterres. His books include The End of Poverty, Common Wealth, The Age of Sustainable Development, Building the New American Economy, A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism, and, most recently, The Ages of Globalization.

By Andy Borowitz March 25, 2022 WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Assailed for her texts to the former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Ginni Thomas accused her critics of ignoring her three decades of exemplary service as a Supreme Court Justice. “For the past thirty years, I have listened to oral arguments, studied legal precedents, and written opinions,” Thomas said. “All in all, I am confident that I have earned a place in history as one of our nation’s greatest Supreme Court Justices.” Thomas said that, after reading some of the criticism that she has received for her texts, she was “shocked, and quite frankly hurt, that my stellar Supreme Court record could be so casually swept aside.” “I have given thirty years of my life to the Supreme Court, and this is the thanks I get?” she asked.

Fred Plotkin, a pleasure activist and passionate Italy and culinary expert, speaks each Friday with leading people in the arts FRED PLOTKIN is one of America’s foremost experts on opera and has distinguished himself in many fields as a writer, speaker, consultant and as a compelling teacher. He is an expert on everything Italian, the person other so-called Italy experts turn to for definitive information.  Fred discovered the concept of "The Renaissance Man" as a small child and has devoted himself to pursuing that ideal as the central role of his life. In a “Public Lives” profile in The New York Times on August 30, 2002, Plotkin was described as "one of those New York word-of-mouth legends, known by the cognoscenti for his renaissance mastery of two seemingly separate disciplines: music and the food of Italy." In the same publication, on May 11, 2006, it was written that "Fred is a New Yorker, but has the soul of an Italian."

By John Rolfe / Red Hook, N.Y. It began late on a Monday morning with a tickle in my left nostril as I sat working on my laptop in a local library. By late afternoon, my nose was starting to drip and I was frequently sneezing in multiple gusts while I drove my school bus. “Great,” I thought, assuming I was coming down with a cold like the mild one I had last fall. Fully vaccinated and boosted, and having battled the original strain of Covid-19 in Sept. 2020, I wasn’t worried about a relapse. Cases here in New York’s mid-Hudson Valley have fallen to where mask mandates were dropped in early March. Word of a new, highly contagious but less severe variant (BA.2) spreading in New York City had reached my ears, but I wasn’t concerned. So, betraying all I profess to believe in about the importance of protecting others, I let my bug run its course while not masking up. I plead guilty to being a dangerous dope … with a feeble excuse: I was seduced into it by my complacency and pandemic burnout. Since the arrival of Covid in the USA in early 2020, I’ve embraced masks as required. I raged at those who refused to take this most simple measure to check the spread of a potentially deadly virus. Wearing one wasn’t intolerable as many people claimed, though I disliked how my glasses fogged up, I kicked myself whenever I forgot (more often than I care to admit) to bring a mask when I went out. So I welcomed the end of the mandate and felt pretty bullet-proof as far as Covid and its endless variants were concerned. Now, you would think that when my snifflin’ and snufflin’ and sneezin’ started, I would have plunked a mask on my puss just to be extra safe. You would be wrong. I felt better the next morning, so I went to work unconcerned. Then the sneezing returned around midday while I was at the library where I spend my daily four-hour breaks. I pulled a mask out of my coat pocket, but it was dirty and covered with lint, so I decided to keep my distance from others and see how things went. That night I went home with mild sinus congestion and a faint headache. Curious, I took my temperature: 100.2,° a low-grade fever typical of a cold. Some Internet research informed me that Covid sufferers rarely report sneezing. Oh, I could have and should have used our home test to confirm or dispel my worries, but I reckoned I was probably overreacting. So I took an ibuprofen and went to bed. Then the coughing started. The sensation in my lungs was like the tickle in my left sinus. Lying down activated it. Dry and persistent, it ruined my sleep but oddly vanished, along with the fever, by the time I left for work. I considered calling in sick, but like most school districts, ours has been hammered by the national bus driver shortage. I didn’t want to burden my co-workers. Besides, I felt remarkably good at a time of day when colds are usually at their worst. That continued through the week. By Thursday, I consoled myself that I hadn’t become a snotty, phlegmy juicy fruit but I was mystified by how my vague headache, dry cough, slightly stuffy nose and occasional fits of sneezing kept coming and going, especially in the middle of the day, a time when, in my experience, cold symptoms tend to abate. Upon arriving home that evening, my wife remarked on my noticeable but hardly Code Red condition. When I had Covid back in 2020, we had continued sleeping in the same bed even after I developed a 102.5° fever that lasted eight days. “If I haven’t caught it by now, I probably won’t,” Victoria had said when my test three or four days after the onset of my symptoms had come up positive. (She never did get Covid.) Now, though, I had no fever. Nor had I lost my appetite and energy as I did with Covid. And compared to the monster head colds I used to get when I was younger, this was a mere pest. So we remained in close contact … and endured another fitful night of me snoring and coughing and her poking me sharply in the ribs with her elbow. I lay awake questioning my behavior. Why was I being so lazy about masking up or staying home? Masks have cut down on the transmission of flu and other common viruses. Wasn’t I worried about infecting others? Even if it was only a cold, why should anyone else share in this fun? I don’t know. All I can say is my bug never got bad enough to truly concern me — even after I read that some BA.2 sufferers are reporting cold symptoms — and I thought that simply keeping my distance from others and opening the driver’s window with the overhead fans running on my bus would be good enough. But to be brutally honest, I was more sick of masks than I was willing to admit. So I just kept hoping for the best. On Friday, my symptoms came and went as usual — they always acted up while I was at the library where I cringed after emitting a cough or loud sniff that drew the attention of some staff and patrons — but my head steadily cleared up as the day progressed. On Saturday evening, my cough suddenly vanished as if someone had flipped a switch. So I returned to work on Monday feeling completely well but queasy with guilt for having done so little for the “just-in-case” safety of others. It didn’t help when my wife spent Tuesday under the weather on our sofa. Fortunately, she fought her sniffles off in two days, and all students on my bus have been present and accounted for. Human nature is an odd duck. We can know intellectually that our actions carry serious risks (I used to smoke even while my mother-in-law was dying of Marlboro-induced lung cancer) but still convince ourselves that nothing bad will happen to us or anyone else. We can go into full-blown denial, as many have done with Covid. We can talk a good game as we mount the steed of righteousness our peers are riding, but in truth never seize the reins. I realize I am now donning a mask only in places where most people have them on, and I do it to avoid having them think I’m a jerk who is openly defying them. So how sincere is my concern for others? My cold left me feeling like a big fat hypocrite. That nagging notion will take a lot longer to shake than the cold I just had. I don’t think I’m an outlier, though, in that while there are many people whose refusal to wear masks is an intentional middle finger to those who do, I suspect many of us mean no harm but merely succumb to selfish laziness. All I can do now is vow to do better next time. John Rolfe is a former senior editor for Sports Illustrated for Kids, a longtime columnist for the Poughkeepsie Journal/USA Today Network, and author of The Goose in the Bathroom: Stirring Tales of Family Life. His school bus drivin’ blog “Hellions, Mayhem and Brake Failure” is parked on his website Celestialchuckle.com (https://celestialchuckle.com) with the meter running.

By Bonnie Fishman / San Francisco Bay Area As Covid hopefully wanes and we enter a new phase of the pandemic–a full two years after it began– many Americans are finally returning to the actual work force, in offices, schools, shops, restaurants, and factories. The “luxury” of being home and having the time to plan meals and cook might be coming to a close. Our hectic pace of setting an alarm, getting dressed in proper work attire, possibly herding children off to school, being out until dinner time, doesn’t leave us much time for meal preparation. This has been a constant problem for generations of working folks: What to make for dinner that doesn’t take lots of time. When I taught cooking classes for over 35 years In suburban Detroit, first at Bonnie’s Patisserie and then at Bonnie’s Kitchen and Catering, one of my most popular subjects was Good Food Fast. Who doesn’t want to have a nice dinner on the table in 30-45 minutes without popping a frozen pizza in the oven? I had so many students clamor for more recipes that I ended up teaching 20 different classes on the subject over the years. With many of these recipes, you can throw together a quick salad to round out the meal. By this point, I’d consider myself an expert on making meals quickly. There are three useful components to being successful in getting dinner ready. First, planning is of utmost importance. When you plan is totally up to you. I’ve seen people plan a whole week’s worth of dinners, creating the ingredient list, and shopping for it all in one fell swoop. This method would freak me out–I’m not that organized! I prefer to begin thinking about it in the morning. Hmmm, what to make for dinner? I do my best planning while I’m swimming laps almost every day. There are no distractions–you can’t hear or talk to anyone and no one can reach you. In my mind, I’ll survey what I feel like eating, what style of preparation, what is seasonal, what flavor profile that I might have a hankering for. I NEVER ask my husband. That just complicates things and he also is happy to eat whatever I put in front of him! The second point is to maintain a stocked pantry, which is essential. You can refer here to my first column in The Insider to review what and how to create this. It will also cut down on how many trips to the grocery store you have to make. Last, another thing to consider is leftovers. If you make a quick chicken sauté one night, plan to cook more than you need and rework it into a pasta dish the next. Think of it as killing two birds with one stone. In this same spirit, let’s say you’re roasting potatoes for one dinner. Roast extra ones and the next night parlay them into an omelet or a hash with leftover meat. See, it just takes planning and thought. Many “quick” recipes call for sautéing as the cooking method because the protein in the pan will only take several minutes a side to cook. Unless I’m baking, I may go weeks without turning on my oven because I’m fond of sautéing and braising, both stovetop techniques. Grilling can also be fast as long as you’re not cooking ribs or chicken on the bone. If you want a casserole or a baked dish, consider prepping your meal in the morning or the day before and just popping it in the oven when you return from work. It will take more time in the oven but at least you’ll be free to get out of your work clothes, check on the kids, check your email, or even put your feet up with a glass of wine. My recipe offering for today is one of my all-time favorites, Cream of Tomato Dill Soup. Of course it’s quick to make and can be served paired with grilled cheese sandwiches. It can even stand up to being a first course for a fancy dinner party. If you decide on the classic duo of tomato soup and grilled cheese, please go the distance and make that a great sandwich. How about using a thick cut sour dough, spreading it with pesto, filling it with a nice slab of extra sharp Cheddar and tomato slices? Use a panini press if you have one or grill it in clarified butter on the top of the stove. About the soup: the minimum amount of cream you want to add is a half-cup. For a richer taste and texture, add a full cup. Lastly, if you want to make a big flavor change, substitute the dill for thinly sliced basil. A winner! Quick Cream of Tomato Dill Soup Yield: 8 servings 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1 c. finely diced onions 1 medium carrot, peeled & finely diced 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes in puree 16 oz. can tomato juice 8 oz. water 1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. dried thyme 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 small bay leaf 1/2 - 1 c. heavy cream 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill Sauté the onions and carrots in the oil over moderate heat until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato juice, water, sugar, salt, thyme, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree with an immersion blender, regular blender, or Cuisinart. Whisk in the cream and dill. Adjust the seasoning. Bonnie Fishman attended the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London. Later, she owned and operated Bonnie’s Patisserie in Southfield, Mich. and Bonnie’s Kitchen and Catering in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. She has taught cooking for over 35 years and created hundreds of recipes. She is now living in Northern California.

The Insider: Hi! Ready to start our text interview? Lynx: Sure The Insider: Would you like to use your real name or a made-up one? Lynx: Prefer made-up. Lynx. The Insider: Okay! Let’s talk a little about your background. Where do you live? Lynx: Brooklyn. Born in Ukraine. City of Odessa. The Insider: How old are you now? Lynx: 41 The Insider: How old were you when you left Ukraine and came to the U.S.? Lynx: 8, in 1989. The Insider: Do you speak Ukrainian? Lynx: No. Russian. But understand some of it. The Insider: Was Russian spoken in your house when you were growing up? Lynx: Yes The Insider: Of course, I’m interested in what you think about what is going on now in Ukraine. It’s a tragedy! Lynx: It is. But I will be very objective about this. The Insider: Do you still have family members there that you are in touch with? Lynx: No. They are all here or other countries like Israel. The Insider: What do you think the U.S. should be doing now to help Ukraine? Is President Biden doing enough? Lynx: I have to bring this into a broader context before I give the final answer. Russia and Ukraine have an official border. Yet you have people in Ukraine who want to be part of Russia and Russians who want to be part of Ukraine. Wars and Loss of life is a Tragedy and Putin is an idiot for wanting to take WHOLE of Ukraine. He clearly didn’t think this through. What it really comes down to is to keep doing what we have been doing such as supplying weapons until Ukrainians and Russians finally figure out who they really want to be a part of. If certain regions of Ukraine want to be part of Russia, we should support their decision. So my answer would be: Yes. We are doing more than enough. Unfortunately, Putin took a terrible approach on how to make that happen. The Insider: Are you involved in activities now to help Ukraine? Lynx: Yes. I worked with Anonymous hacker groups. I used my special system that I initially developed to decimate scammers call centers and used it on the Russians. Also did other funky stuff such as sharing my powerful servers to steal their data. I will upload some intercepted phone calls on my YouTube channel soon. Also stole their Governments private data from the ministry of defense and all their passwords. The Insider: The Russian Ministry of Defense? Lynx: Ye The Insider: Is that legal? Lynx: Not in USA hehe but we’re technically at cyber war with the Russians so I doubt the FBI would care. Lynx volunteered to join the IT Army of Ukraine, an amateur hacking group targeting Russia The Insider: Where did you learn to do hacking? Lynx: That’s a long story. I would say I started in high school when I figured out the algorithm that generated credit card numbers so I could get Free AOL service, which I resold. Back in those days, it took months for AOL to attempt to charge the #s I generated. The Insider: Did you ever get in trouble because of it? Lynx: I learned hacking out of necessity more or less. Plus I’m a prankster and always created funny ways of messing with people. I never got in trouble. Mainly probably because I never did anything bad to anyone. Worst thing I did was infect a schools computer with a Trojan [similar to a computer virus] and during class, I displayed weird funny memes. The Insider: Do you have a military background? Lynx: Yes. I am an Army Veteran and served in Iraq as an infantryman. The Insider: How many years were you in the Army? Lynx: Combined 8 The Insider: And what sorts of things did you do in the Army? Lynx: I was infantry. We are the guys who are at the front lines. Also did some time with Scouts (Recon). The Insider: Help me understand what that means. Lynx: Infantry is what does the Actual fighting. The Insider: So you were under fire? Lynx: Sometimes. I was in a weird part of Iraq where it was really quiet for the most part. But enough where I lost a few friends. The Insider: That must be awful! Did you see people dying? Lynx: By the time I got to them, they were already either dead or wounded. But I’m infantry. Wasn’t my job to do any of that. Medics usually handled that end while me or someone like me pulled security. The Insider: Were you ever injured yourself? Lynx: Injured yes but it was really mild. Nothing crazy. Mostly my back when the truck almost flipped over due to an IED [Improvised Explosive Device]. The Insider: That sounds very dangerous! Lynx: That’s the job I chose but then they put me in scouts and I haven’t seen a single firefight for almost 6 months. Recon is extremely boring and overrated lol. I prefer to be in the fight. The Insider: Did you ever have to shoot anyone? Lynx: Ye but most of my missions were at night and we were all shooting at general direction. So not sure. But there were dead Iraqis laying around after we were done. Or wounded. The Insider: What was that like for you? Lynx: Scary but at the same time very difficult. I always hated running. Between fear and pain of the actual fighting, it sucks. Plus you’re trying to focus on the mission and working with the rest of your element. Shoot, move and communicate. It gets overwhelming. But the strange part is… After it’s over, for the most people including me, u wanna do it again. That’s why a lot of people volunteer. The Insider: Are you thinking of volunteering to go to Ukraine? Lynx: I already did but from what I heard, I don’t think I wanna go anymore. The Insider: Why? Lynx: Most Americans don’t even fight there because Ukrainians don’t want to antagonize the Russians and I don’t wanna pull guard duty. Plus most Russians don’t even wanna be there so I would hate to kill some poor kid who thought he was going to some exercise. Main reason is I don’t want a BS job or just sit around. The Insider: How did you volunteer? Lynx: I sent an email to Ukrainian embassy and filled out the application. The option is there and I can be there in a week if need be. The Insider: What does your family think you should do? Lynx: They don’t know lol. I wouldn’t tell them unless I was already there. The Insider: Are you married? Do you have kids? Lynx: Neither The Insider: So you really could pick up and leave. Lynx: Did it many times before. The Insider: But you’re rethinking it now? Lynx: If the situation changes where I would get to be engaged in actual combat then I wouldn’t hesitate. Sitting in a bunker or guarding stuff is something I really don’t want to do. Especially in the cold. This is why you don’t hear about any actual combat deaths of Americans. Most are not even fighting unless they got “lucky.” The Insider: You’re really ready for the fight! Lynx: Would rather die being useful for a great cause than old age where I can’t even hold the pee in. Combat is the safest place to be. If you do everything right, you will be OK. More people die from heart attacks, cancers and drunk drivers than combat. At least in combat, you have a fighting chance. No pun intended. The Insider: What about the danger of dying in combat? Lynx: Like I said, would rather die in combat than car accident, old age or heart attack. We all die anyways. Some ways are better than others The Insider: How much of your motivation, do you think, is that you’re originally from Ukraine? Lynx: My motivation is what the Russians are doing to civilians. The Insider: Have any of your friends who are vets applied to go to Ukraine? Lynx: No. They haven’t. Most of my friends don’t want to risk their careers. The Insider: Their military careers or their civilian careers? Lynx: Civilians. Doctors, lawyers, etc. The Insider: What kind of work do you do? Lynx: I’m in a Legal Field The Insider: Different than being on the front line. Sounds like you miss the military life. Lynx: Ye but I’m also getting older The Insider: I’m curious what you did to apply for the Ukrainian military. Are their embassies accepting applications for their army? Lynx: Ye i just emailed them The Insider: Are the Americans there getting paid? Lynx: No one is getting paid The Insider: Is it okay if we reprint that? {See top of story] Lynx: Block my face out plz The Insider: Yes, absolutely. And you sent that to the Ukrainian embassy in New York City? Lynx: Ye The Insider: What date did you send that? Lynx: Emailed them last Monday and they sent me a response by wed [see below]. The Insider: So did you then send that application? Lynx: No. Waiting for the new passport which they need. But it’s coming any day now. The Insider: Coming from the U.S. government? Lynx: Yes. US Passport. Can’t get to Poland without it The Insider: Would you say that you’re on the fence now about going? Not sure whether you’re going to go or not? Lynx: If they could reassure me that I wouldn’t be pulling guard duty I would say I’m 80% certain I would go. But here is another issue. From what I’m hearing, Zelensky and Putin ironed out a few issues and pay come to terms about something. So it may be over in a few weeks. Besides… Russian soldiers are running out of ammo and food and can no longer sustain their mission. They lost the initiative long time ago. Putin might keep Donbass, which is fine. Most wanna be part of Russia anyways. So let them. The Insider: It sounds like you have some sympathy for the soldiers from Russia. Are they getting a raw deal? Lynx: They don’t want this war as much as we don’t want it. They deliberately sabotage their tanks and armored vehicles at this point. I have their intercepted calls The Insider: Not sure what you mean by that. Lynx: When the Russian soldiers call home The Insider: You can listen in? Lynx: Not me but I have access to them, I work and go to school full time. But once I find the time, I will upload them to my channel. The Insider: If not you, can you tell me generally who intercepts these calls? Lynx: No. Sorry. The Insider: I am very grateful for your time! Is there anything else I should have asked you? Lynx: Yes. How I pay for the servers to do all this. It’s not cheap. Especially the SIP Trunks [an Internet service used for calling regular phones] The Insider: Well? Lynx: I pay everything out of pocket lol The Insider: It sounds like you like being a hacker as much as being a soldier! Lynx: I’m both The Insider: You like the danger of it? Living on the edge of danger? Lynx: Hard to explain. The Insider: Try! Lynx: I don’t mean to sound sadistic, but I love trolling people. Hacking lets me do that. I generally messed with scammers. As far as the Army, I did love the Rush. Minus the carrying heavy crap and running. The Insider: Good luck In your decision about Ukraine! Please let us know what you decide. Lynx: Sure. Will prob be a last-minute thing.

By Laurence Lerman / New York City The media’s steady drumroll the past month will rise to a crescendo of cymbals this Sunday, March 27, with the presentation of the 94th Academy Awards (ABC-TV at 8 pm ET). This year, the ceremony returns to Los Angeles’s Dolby Theater, where an estimated 2,500 attendees are expected to be present in person. This is a far cry from last year’s ceremony, which, due to Covid, was held in airy Union Station in Los Angeles, where the nominees and presenters mingled outside of the Art Deco-style terminal and rotated in and out of the venue over the course of the broadcast But it’s still not the good old (pre-Covid) days yet in Hollywood. Nominees and guests must show proof of vaccination or a valid medical exemption, and two negative Covid-19 PCR tests. Presenters and performers will undergo what the Academy describes as “rigorous testing,” but will surprisingly not be required to be vaccinated. Audience members in the section closest to the stage will be seated further apart but not required to wear a face mask. However, masks will remain required in the mezzanine. The Academy announced in mid-February that this year’s ceremony will be structured in three “acts,” with a different host presiding over each act as a “strategy to lure a broader audience and share the burden of guiding the telecast.” Performers Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes have been announced as the three hosts. This marks the first time since 2018 that the ceremony will have an assigned host (or hosts) and the first time in Oscar history that the show will be hosted by three women. (The last time the show had a trio of hosts was in 1987, when Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan did the honors.) In an attempt to reverse what has been a substantial slide in the show’s ratings (which reached an all-time low last year), the Academy announced in February that eight of the less star-driven awards will be handed out in the hour before the live telecast begins. Video clips from the presentation of those awards—film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, sound, documentary short subject, animated short and live-action short—will be incorporated into the live broadcast. This decision sparked blowback from various guilds, industry groups and current nominees, including directors Steven Spielberg (West Side Story) and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog). On March 9, more than 70 prominent film professionals—including Oscar winners James Cameron, John Williams, Kathleen Kennedy and Guillermo del Toro—issued a letter urging the Academy to reverse the plan, arguing that it would do “irreparable damage” to the Oscars’ reputation by relegating some nominees to “the status of second-class citizens.” But there has been no change to the new plan. On March 17, ten days before the ceremony, the show’s first-time producer, Will Packer, talked to industry trade publication The Hollywood Reporter about his goals for the production of the broadcast, which is generally regarded as one of the more thankless annual live gigs in Hollywood. “We have to make a show that is entertaining and appeals to a broad swath of the viewing public,” Packer said. “My approach is to bring everybody together around the idea of a love for cinema.” “This is not a podcast,” Packer stressed. "It’s not a YouTube show. This is an entertainment proposition that a network has said, ‘We’re willing to pay X number of dollars to have it on our air, and in return for that, this is a very high-profile event that will attract a lot of eyeballs and we can sell ads.' As a producer, I understand the economic imperative of a show like this. It doesn’t mean that you don’t treat it with the reverence and the elegance that it has had. It just means you have to figure out a way to get as many people as possible to tune in and care about the show.” Will juggling a trio of female hosts and cutting out the live presentation of a number of less glamourous awards do the trick? Tune in on Sunday to find out. My Picks and Predictions On the eve of the 94th Academy Awards. I’m ready to make my projections on the outstanding work that has hit theaters and streaming platforms over the past year as our country slowly clawed its way back from a pandemic and quarantine, while still grappling with politically charged movements like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, as well as a violent war that’s raging on the other side of the world. As important as these changes and ongoing controversies may be, it’s vital not to let them cloud our perception of the movies, which is what the awards are all about. There were a number of fine ones in 2021, just as there are every year. And for me, it’s always a pleasure to play the game and predict the Awards’ Big Six for The Insider. Read on to see what I’m thinking. Best Picture: Belfast CODA Don’t Look Up Drive My Car Dune King Richard Licorice Pizza Nightmare Alley The Power of the Dog West Side Story What would I like to win: The Power of the Dog What will win: The Power of the Dog Written and directed by New Zealand’s Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog will take home the top honor at the Academy Awards this year. Based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel by the same name, Campion’s first film since 2009s Bright Star, her 2009 bio-pic on John Keats, is a unique and impassioned Western psychological drama. With an excellent cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smith-McPhee and superlative production credits, it offers a startling view of the lives of the era’s people of the frontier and the rich emotions they exhibit, celebrate and repress. That the film was richly shot on the rugged New Zealand landscape that perfectly stands in for early 20th century Montana makes it all the more worthy of the accolades it’s been earning and will continue to receive on Sunday night. With its tackling of such tricky themes as masculinity and sexuality in the West, it’s victory will also serve as a way of amending the 2006 loss of Brokeback Mountain in the Best Picture category to Paul Haggis’s overwrought race-fueled drama Crash, reappraisals of which have been far from flattering in recent years. Directing: Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza Kenneth Branagh, Belfast Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car Steven Spielberg, West Side Story Who would I like to win: Jane Campion Who will win: Jane Campion Campion has been directing feature films for more than 30 years and has forged a path forward for female directors, going back to 1993 when she became the first woman ever to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes for The Piano, for which she also was Oscar-nominated. This year, Campion’s Best Director nomination makes her the first woman ever to be Oscar-nominated twice in the Directing category. She won the award for Original Screenplay for The Piano and this week, more than three decades later, the 67-year-old filmmaker will bring home the statuette for Directing. Only two women have won Best Director in the 93-year history of the Academy Awards—Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 for The Hurt Locker and Chloe Zhao for last year’s Nomadland. That means Campion’s victory this year will make it female winners two years in a row. Cool. Actor in a Leading Role: Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick…Boom! Will Smith, King Richard Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth Who would I like to win: Benedict Cumberbatch Who will win: Will Smith There are a quintet of fine performers to choose from this year, but it’s going to come down to a photo finish between Benedict Cumberbatch and his marvelously modulated performance in The Power of the Dog and Will Smith’s incisive take on unyielding tennis superstar patriarch Richard Williams in King Richard. Even with all the momentum The Power of the Dog has gathered in the Best Picture and Best Director categories, Will Smith is going to edge this one out. He’s already brought home the gold from the Critics’ Choice, BAFTA and SAG ceremonies, so at this point there’s no reason to think he’ll be derailed on Sunday. Smith has been making movies for 30 years now—many of them hugely successful—and the highly lauded King Richard will prove to be the time to acknowledge three decades of very fine work, 2019’s Gemini Man notwithstanding. As for Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog gave him the opportunity to showcase his remarkable range, which will no doubt put him in the running for even more challenging and potentially rewarding roles in the years to come. Actress in a Leading Role: Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos Kristen Stewart, Spencer Who would I like to win: Olivia Colman Who will win: Jessica Chastain The Best Actress category is the toughest one to call this year and it really feels like any one of the five nominees could win the Academy Award. Stewart represents a younger segment of the voting academy, the well-liked Cruz and Colman a more international one, Kidman is a five-time nominee thoroughbred who draws in the old guard, and Chastain finally enters viable contender status after a decade-plus of eyebrow-raising leading roles. Chastain’s heartfelt performance as Tammy Lynn Baker shined through her facial prosthetics and snagged her both SAG and Critics Choice awards and that momentum will probably carry over to the Academy (which should have given her the Oscar for her outstanding turn in 2013’s Zero Dark Thirty). I greatly enjoyed each of the nominated performances this year, and with predictions seeming to be all over the board, there aren’t any favorites or underdogs leaping out in this race. That said, I’m going to go with Olivia Colman, whose work in The Lost Daughter was filled with as much nuance and subtlety as strength and rich detail. Even the way her character licked an ice cream cone was magnificent! Actor in a Supporting Role: Ciarán Hinds, Belfast Troy Kotsur, CODA Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog Who would I like to win: Ciarán Hinds Who will win: Troy Kotsur I’m going to apply a mix of the usual Oscar analytics to this one. Jesses Plemons and Kodi Smith-McPhee of The Power of the Dog both turned into magnificent performances, but they will split the vote and cancel each other out. J.K. Simmons has already been taken home Supporting Actor honors with 2014’s Whiplash and his small role in Being the Ricardos doesn’t really warrant another walk to the podium. That leaves Ciarán Hinds and Troy Kotsur, whose nominations are one of three and seven noms received by their films Belfast and CODA, respectively. Belfast will probably pick up a Best Original Screenplay nod for director/writer Kenneth Branagh and there’s a strong chance of Van Morrison’s “Down To Joy” for Best Original Song, but that’s where it will end. It's CODA’s Troy Kotsur, an actor on stage and screen for 20 years who has been deaf since birth, who will claim the prize in a movie that celebrates the strengths of the deaf community. Both Belfast and CODA are fine ensemble pieces and I’ve enjoyed Hinds for years (his Julius Caesar in HBO’s 2005 Rome is still the best Caesar I’ve ever seen), but Kotsur will be the sole representative for his film on the stage this year. It will also serve as a respectful acknowledgement of CODA co-star Marlee Matlin’s victory for Children of a Lesser God back in 1986. Actress in a Supporting Role: Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter Ariana DeBose, West Side Story Judi Dench, Belfast Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard Who would I like to win: Ariana DeBose Who will win: Ariana DeBose The wildly talented Ms. DeBose has already picked up BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards for Steven Spielberg’s take on the timeless musical West Side Story and she’ll surely do the same at the Oscars this weekend. DeBose’s Anita (the musical’s juiciest role) is an unstoppable, fiery force and DeBose ignites the film and holds everyone’s attention virtually every moment she’s on screen. Highly respected as a Broadway singer and dancer for years—and, my God, she certainly delivers that here—DeBose will be able to add “Academy Award-winning actress” to her growing list of accomplishments beginning Sunday night. Of course, half the fun is hearing what YOU are thinking and your opinion of MY picks! So, please, leave a comment below and speak your mind. And while you’re at it, perhaps someone can explain to me how Ridley Scott’s magnificent The Last Duel didn’t pick up a single award! Not for its fine cast (Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer) or clever screenplay (Damon, Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener) or crackling editing (Claire Simpson) or sterling cinematography (Dariusz Wolski). Anyone out there have any theories? Click below to enter The Insider's Oscar Contest: Laurence Lerman is a film journalist, former editor of Video Business--Variety's DVD trade publication--and husband to The Insider's own Gwen Cooper. Over the course of his career he has conducted one-on-one interviews with just about every major director working today, including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Kathryn Bigelow, Ridley Scott, Walter Hill, Spike Lee, and Werner Herzog, among numerous others. Once James Cameron specifically requested an interview with Laurence by name, which his wife still likes to brag about. Most recently, he is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online review site DiscDish.com.

By Naomi Serviss / New York City In the early ‘60s Superman and Little Lulu comics cost 10 cents at Farber’s drug store in Elkins Park, a Philadelphia suburb. Farber’s soda fountain, chocolate candy smorgasbord and comic book assortment were a kid magnet. Grown-ups appreciated the friendly pharmacists and the assortment of last-minute gifts, notions and sundries. The Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Times were stacked near the entrance. Honest folks placed coins on top and slid their papers out from under the change. Walter Hill, 10 years old like me, was a have-not, latchkey kid. also like me, and a bigtime sarcastic wisenheimer. He lived across the street in an unkempt apartment above Farber’s. In sixth grade, his nemesis, Miss Hester Sue Martin, often invited him to “Get out, get out and I don’t mean maybe!” In a shrill, sing-songy way. He challenged her, and she wasn’t having it. His contrarian nature spoke to me. Walter was a rebel without a cause way before James Dean. We hung out together because we were both free-range kids, unsupervised and neglected. Between my untamed magical thinking and Walter’s disdain for authority-reeking adults, we were meant for each other in an innocent, sixth-grade way. He stole change from the stack of newspapers. Once he dared me to try it. I did. The swiping thrill cascaded into instant regret. My face reddened and my stomach dive-bombed. Guilt and remorse symptoms. I liked the idea of getting stuff for free, but couldn’t reconcile thievery. Instead, I scoured comic book ads and cereal boxes for “Free Stuff.” It was a good scam. The “Free Stuff” was typically a pamphlet of government addresses. Sometimes it was a shiny new penny. Matchbooks had “Draw This Donkey and Win!” on the inside cover. I discovered that for an artist, I’m a very good writer. I loved getting stuff in the mail. Still do. That affection led to entering contests. I won a box of Mallo Cups after accruing 500 cardboard points from buying single bars. Then I tried to sell them. To friends. I blame greed and having no allowance. Having neither an ethical parent, secure housing nor community support, I learned falsely that money was a dream away. The next bingo game. A few Lucky 777s. Or a horse race. Liberating salt and pepper shakers from Chinese restaurants or knives from Ponderosa Steakhouses, was condoned and rationalized. As a mom raising two kids on Long Island, I developed a burning passion for thrift stores in la-di-dah nabes. Junior League shops in tony Long Island suburbs were stellar. Garage sales in Cold Spring Harbor were to die for. These past few years have reinforced my disdain for retail shopping. Felled by hip and foot surgeries in 2019, I was better prepared to quarantine than most. I had earned my Ph.D. in online purchases. And well-practiced in hanging out in my one-bedroom apartment. But still, the sticker shock of clothes and essentials was outraging. There HAD to be a tangible way to just say no to consumerism! Yet, I have a need to be surrounded by pretty things, art, tchotchkes and souvenirs from Paris, Florence, Rome, Indiana, New Orleans and Quebec. It gives me joy to see my son Ben’s paper mâché sculptures and my daughter Emmy’s collages done up in sealing wax. Usually in turquoise or magenta hues. My favorite colors. Green’s hers. Other highlights are thrift store treasures snagged for under two dollars. An ashtray from the Carlyle Hotel. A new, leather-bound, cheerfully painted notebook. I’m a crow, attracted to shiny, sparkly things that are FREE or barterable. Admittedly, I went the other route for a while and decluttered. You know, that Marie Kondo blip. Stashed away my pink Topo Gigio eraser, my court jester puppet from Au Nain Bleu, a famous Parisian toy store. When I was finished, the room felt naked. I missed my clutter. I also wanted to get rid of dozens of tops I hadn’t worn in two years. Salvation Army had stopped making pickups, so I was stuck with a large garbage bag full of top-notch tops. We have very little elbow room in our 750-square foot apartment. Schlepping was out of the question post-foot surgery. An overstuffed garbage bag packed with clothes was trouble with “a capital T.” Then a friend posted something about her “Buy Nothing Group” and I was mouth-agape-hooked on the nomenclature. No other three words have stirred me more these past two pandemic years. What a concept! The Buy Nothing Project is the brainchild of friends Rebecca Rockefeller and Liesl Clark, who created an experimental, hyperlocal gift economy on Bainbridge Island, Wash. in July 2013. With a motto like “Buy Nothing. Give Freely. Share Creatively” It’s got to be good. Turns out, it’s a worldwide social movement. Anti-retail. Except for local shop owners, of course. Kismet. There are groups in 44 countries. How come no one else I know has heard of it? I even schooled José Perez, the world’s best doorman. The bottom line is this group creates its own economy that’s parallel and complementary to international cash economies. It’s subversive! Abbie Hoffman would be proud. Boomers may recall Hoffman’s cheeky tome Steal This Book. People join to unload couches and broken dusterbusters and get neato replacement stuff. Like the guy offering 12 jars of gefilte fish, or new mothers looking for breast pumps. The avocado toast? A gross curiosity, but someone’s gorgeous silver necklace was popular. Don’t ask about the menstrual cup. The Vera Bradley crossbody bag will come in handy when we’re Boston- or Hattiesburg-bound. You might receive yerba maté tea from a new mother two doors down who’s kicking caffeine cold turkey. Then in private messaging, learn that she’s not sleeping, her infant son isn’t sleeping and maybe the caffeine and black tea consumed all day isn’t such a hot idea. But she loves coffee! One suggestion offered by a friendly neighbor: drink coffee and black tea in the morning and none after. Two days later, she and her son were sleeping better. Buy Nothing isn’t just about getting or giving material treasures. It’s about familiar virtual names becoming friends. Meeting for café au lait and a croissant next Wednesday. Intergenerational schmoozing and sharing experiences. Hannah Deutsch, 34, is a member of my Buy Nothing group. Her reasons for joining mirror others. “I like being environmentally friendly and a conscious consumer. With the pandemic and being home all the time, I saw so much stuff being thrown out. I had finally joined Instagram and found my way to a lot of ‘trashy’ accounts: The Trash Walker, Dear Mess, Stooping, Curb Alert, NYC Free on the Street. They mentioned Buy Nothing a lot. It sounded like a cool community I joined and loved it! Finding homes for things, helping neighbors by lending, getting to meet others in the area, it was so fun and filled a community void that was empty since I was home all the time. There are over 1,500 people in our group. I’m even more of a limited consumer now. I’m glad to help others.” Among my own prized scores: Seafoam green and violet pedestal plant stand. Twenty MAD magazines from the late ‘80s. A guitar stand Assorted-sized gift bags. Things gifted: Women’s violet cashmere sweater Bag of tops and wool sweaters Unopened box of Farmer’s Dog food A case of Hill’s cans Dozens of dog toys. Tomorrow I’m meeting Julia Kim, who gifted me a gorgeous green and purple pillow. I’m a sucker for beautiful funky pillows. Next project: Find my Superman and Little Lulu comics from Farber’s. Walter Hill would be proud. Naomi Serviss is a New York-based award-winning journalist whose work has been published in The New York Times, Newsday, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Highroads (AAA magazine), in-flight publications, spa and travel magazines and websites, including BroadwayWorld.com

By Andy Borowitz March 23, 2022 WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Senator Ted Cruz’s abject failure to rattle the Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson at her confirmation hearing sent him fleeing to Cancun on Tuesday night. Cruz, spotted by reporters while rolling his suitcase through Reagan National Airport, said that he was “thoroughly drained” after strenuously trying to find a crack in Jackson’s equanimous demeanor. “When I asked her if she thought babies were racist, I was sure that would do the trick,” he said. “That was the best I had.” Drenched with flop sweat, a despondent Cruz left the Senate and immediately started packing his rolling bag for Cancun, hoping that a few days on the beach in Mexico would leave him refreshed and ready to pursue a new line of attack against Jackson. “I may have lost the battle, but I haven’t lost the war,” he said. “I think America needs to know where Judge Jackson stands on Mr. Potato Head, Big Bird, and the Smurfs.”

Fred Plotkin, a pleasure activist and passionate Italy and culinary expert, speaks each Friday with leading people in the arts FRED PLOTKIN is one of America’s foremost experts on opera and has distinguished himself in many fields as a writer, speaker, consultant and as a compelling teacher. He is an expert on everything Italian, the person other so-called Italy experts turn to for definitive information.  Fred discovered the concept of "The Renaissance Man" as a small child and has devoted himself to pursuing that ideal as the central role of his life. In a “Public Lives” profile in The New York Times on August 30, 2002, Plotkin was described as "one of those New York word-of-mouth legends, known by the cognoscenti for his renaissance mastery of two seemingly separate disciplines: music and the food of Italy." In the same publication, on May 11, 2006, it was written that "Fred is a New Yorker, but has the soul of an Italian."