Eight Miscs.

1. Walking with Kertész Eyes.

A walk in New York can be a walk through a great museum. I took this photo on Thursday morning, just after 7AM. I immediately thought of André Kertész, who escaped from the nazis and came to amerika where he shot the "The Lost Cloud," in 1937.

2. A Prescient SUV?

Earlier the same morning, I read a heavy-duty article about the latest Tulip, South Seas, Railroad, dotcom bubble. This one was focused on AI. I've read a lot of these articles lately. And advertising people talking about the splendors of AI reminds me of Joe Kennedy foreseeing the crash of '29 because he shoe-shine man was giving him stock tips.

That said, maybe this, which I spotted at 7:45 on E. 87th between Madison and Fifth should give us all economic pause.

3. The Trotters.

Follow Jade and Lee, Dave's kids. They have a great eye, or four of them, for noticing things in the wild.

4. $4 Trillion of Ugly.

Microsoft, which owns Linked In, has a market cap of $3,860,000,000,000. How is it possible that this is the best graphic they can come up with? Or do they really just not give a shit about anything but increasing their market cap to $3,860,000,000,001?

5. No Kings From When Kings Mattered.

If you're looking for a historical perspective on today, you might want to read this book. Here's just one sentence from the "Wall Street Journal's" review: "The constitutional crisis of 1641-42 provides a warning of how swiftly a war of words and ideas can escalate into all-out conflict." And this from the "Times'" review.

(I'm a big "past is prologue" kind of guy.)

6. Democratic Self-Immolation. Part 98,342,908,038.

If my inbox is any indication of the modus operandi of contemporary touch strategies, something is dramatically wrong. This can't possibly be effective marketing.

7. The most New York of stories.

Just now I took Sparkle, my two-year-old golden retriever, to the newly renovated Carl Schurz dog run. It's about 400 yards from my apartment, and as synthetically bucolic as New York City gets. 

A Black man not far from my age was there wearing a Jets hat. I ragged him immediately, which you do automatically to people wearing Jets hats. That started a deep old-timey sports conversation that segued into race, the Knicks, and eventually boxing. Soon a 30 something Hispanic man joined us. 

"You guys talking sports. I love that. You're old skool, ok if I join in? I'm from the BX." (The Bronx.)

We had a good half hour talking about everything from Floyd Patterson to tonight's Giants v. Eagles game. Mostly interrupting and laughing. As life should be.

Too soon, it was time for me to go. I put Sparkle's equipage on and exited the dog run. Within seconds two very young Black Hat Hasids--probably in their early 20s with beards and sidelocks as wispy as a flophouse mop. They were each carrying a lulav and etrog--a palm frond and lemon-like citrus fruit that are emblems the current Jewish holiday, Sukkot. 

"You're Jewish," one asked me.

I conceded. And in just minutes I was holding and shaking the apparatus in the four requisite directions and reciting the required prayers.

That there is the beauty of a world of diverse proximity. People crushed together. Getting along. Making it work. To the exclusion of today's au courant hatred and prejudice.

8. A Loaded Lyric.

I am often outspoken to the point of self-destruction. Yet even I would never give this feedback to another person.