My adult life coincided with Jerry Brown’s political career, so I was interested in the PBS American Masters documentary that aired last night. Some reactions: 1) A politician is an unusual inclusion in Masters, as opposed to the American Experience show. I wonder what explains this.* 2) This documentary, at 90 minutes, has less dragContinue reading “‘Moonbeam’ as an American Master”
Category Archives: Newsfeed
16 Lucky Homeowners Coming to East Hampton
The trickle of new “affordable” or workforce housing on the South Fork of Long Island continues–16 units (with a name!) being built in East Hampton, as this article from the local Star explains. This project predates the imposition of a new transfer tax on million-dollar–meaning nearly all–home purchases. That levy will raise maybe $50 millionContinue reading “16 Lucky Homeowners Coming to East Hampton”
The Local Columnist as Media Signal
Back when the newsrooms of daily papers were shy about advancing a political agenda, one good clue about the outlook of ranking editors could be read from their primary local columnist. As those winds blew, so sailed the top news brass. At the New York Times, little such divining has been needed for quite aContinue reading “The Local Columnist as Media Signal”
DeSantis and the Shareholder Torts
Stock investors are familiar with the tort lawyers who seek them out for class-action suits whenever there’s a big disappointment or drop in share prices. Usually the pests go away, sometimes because they are paid by the target companies to do so. Ron DeSantis’s latest tilt at “woke” business practices reminded me of them. AsContinue reading “DeSantis and the Shareholder Torts”
All Sports, All the Time?
As the U.S. grows and diversifies, we can expect a wider range of diversions, including sports. Now cricket has caught on, at least in parts of the country, as this New York Times article discusses. (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/15/us/texas-cricket.html) Soccer, of course, has become established here after many decades of American absence from the “beautiful game.” And women’sContinue reading “All Sports, All the Time?”
Ken Fisher Got Another Call Right
As the bullish U.S. stock market of 2023–surprising to most of us–continues through mid-July, it’s appropriate to express kudos (so far!) to those who went against the grain and have made investors money. One is a prominent and controversial figure in financial circles, Ken Fisher. I knew Ken from his many years as a columnistContinue reading “Ken Fisher Got Another Call Right”
Will Half a Billion Buy a B.A. in the Hamptons?
Word this week of a $500 million gift to Stony Brook University (a State University of New York branch on Long Island) can’t help but have East End residents wondering: Will this bring sustained academic life to town? For all its riches, the Hamptons does not have higher ed. The main Stony Brook campus isContinue reading “Will Half a Billion Buy a B.A. in the Hamptons?”
Summer Swells, Circa Hamptons 1957
The conceit of a series of posts here about the Hamptons is that, after a first rush of summer “colonies” that culminated in the Roaring Twenties, the East End of Long Island went through sleepy decades until a new wave of city money began to stir development again in the late 1960s. That is generallyContinue reading “Summer Swells, Circa Hamptons 1957”
Population Hotspots of Texas
In the 20th anniversary issue of the Real Deal magazine this spring, the remarkable surge of Texas exurbs is described in an article (https://therealdeal.com/magazine/national-april-2023/sultans-of-sprawl/) focusing on local developers as well as major national builders such as Lennar. It’s headlined, “Sultans of Sprawl,” but don’t expect snark even in this entertaining real-estate publication. An even-handed accountContinue reading “Population Hotspots of Texas”
The Lineup Ritual for Growth-Belters
David Brooks’ latest column in the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/opinion/sun-belt-migration.html) reflects on the internal migrations of Americans that I recently addressed at this forum. He, too, sees political connotations but also quality-of-life considerations. On the latter, it’s worth noting that the plusses and minuses don’t fall cleanly on one side or the other. Let meContinue reading “The Lineup Ritual for Growth-Belters”
Tim W. Ferguson 