On the subway back from holding the sign this morning.

 Newest ‘cityReader’.  #71. More than a year since #70. A daughter had a stroke. 

 Last night on Union Square.

Toni Morrison on language, evil, and ‘the white gaze’

https://youtu.be/FAs3E1AgNeM?si=0BiBQMo55ULm4mRA

Annie Leibovitz shares moments behind photographing some of the world’s most influential women

https://youtu.be/vkeGh7skl_Q?si=zdGrpQlAtB5u4Ib6

 

Bill McKibben on Trump’s Climate Rollbacks: ‘This is Economic Self-Sabotage’

https://youtu.be/HZdKKD0oLrs?si=GopMIzbWuvRv6quC

 

The Truth About Trump’s State of the Union   |   Sen. Bernie Sanders

https://youtu.be/W2qpYkLZxeY?si=poiEv-XamZ0bS4Zf

 I didn’t watch it.

Donald Trump’s State of the Union 

Was Long and Wrong

But at least the President thinks everything is going great.

By Susan B. Glasser

https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/donald-trumps-state-of-the-union-was-long-and-wrong

 

‘Unprepared For Tsunami’: Bernie Sanders’ Fiery Speech On AI Ahead of Trump’s SOTU Address.

https://youtu.be/BB9OhLZsvm0?si=JbsuEVrqFEy7wKkg

 

 

A Conversation with Martin Baron, Former Executive Editor of The Washington Post

https://youtu.be/Uplo4EcK110

Delivery person’s bicycle outside my apartment building.

 Overnight. On my walk to breakfast this morning. 

At the breakfast place yesterday a few blocks away. Big oatmeal to start. Coffee. Back there today. No sign.

Toni Morrison

‘She dared to be difficult’: How Toni Morrison shaped the way we think 

The Beloved author’s refusal to conform made her a hero to many – and the only black female writer to have won a Nobel prize in literature

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/15/she-dared-to-be-difficult-how-toni-morrison-shaped-the-way-we-think

 From the book about Bernie. 

 

The Epstein Files Reveal What Trump Knew | The New Yorker Interview

https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/the-radio-hour-the-epstein-files-reveal-what-trump-knew-the-new-yorker-interview

 

Pride flag reinstated at Stonewall after it was removed by Trump administration

New York City officials raise flag at site of rebellion once again after ‘act of erasure’ by administration

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/12/pride-flag-reinstated-stonewall

 

Banned Books and the Librarians Caught in the Cultural Battle (full documentary)

https://youtu.be/ywQOCY-qDzE

 Just got this. I thought it’d be not big. WELL, it’s 560 pages. I’m excited. 

 Reading ‘The New Yorker’ before bed.

So the Epstein scandal is about politics? Silly me for thinking it’s about the mass abuse of women and girls

Marina Hyde

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/06/jeffrey-epstein-scandal-politics-mass-abuse-women-girlsI’m 

 

A review in ‘The New Yorker’: 

I couldn’t sleep well last night. I turned the light on by the bed and grabbed this book from the coffee table right by me. I began to read ‘The Sun Also Rises’ for first time since school days. As good as writing gets.

 On the subway heading uptown this evening.

 

Harlem restaurant, food pantry, makes sure everyone has access to a warm meal

https://youtu.be/i3oQmlqgT4w?si=K5tiNFktBBcMbrSq

 

Hard-Left Yale Professor on His Flight From ‘Fascist’ USA to Canada

https://youtu.be/qKAdujuHvuQ?si=0ruhj7oe33Dowo6T

Too cold to go downtown and hold my sign. It’s what I do. 10 years every weekday. I get up early still like I’m going out with the sign. I’ve been staring at the computer. I’ll go read a real book now. Killing time till it warms up a bit. Gives meaning. Purpose.

CSNY

https://youtu.be/YVhn1edWaDA?si=glfTdAOtjU99Xd3b

Bruce.

 https://youtu.be/w24UtTH1R4E?si=_PU-Brpg8cRqKUwR

 Josh Shapiro on ICE in Minnesota, his personal faith, and winning swing districts in the midterms (an interview on NPR)

YouTube 

Cold outside and between cars coming back from Cleveland yesterday on Amtrak. It was warm in the cars though.

 Since ditching ‘The New York Times’, I’m reading more. 

 

How to read more: 12 book-ish

things to help clear your to-read list

From the right e-reader to a book subscription, here are my favorite ways (some free, some vibe-setting) to read a lot

https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter-us/2026/jan/14/how-to-read-more-books

 A movie worth watching. You’ll see.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7YwE45gP_fk&si=_LZM94U_VRzd3d1l

 Nobel Prize acceptance speech. MLK.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5r98tT0j1a0&si=c22bDOKsuNtq7lJS

I quit ‘The New York Times’ this week after more than 50 years because in an attempt to get more readers than ever they don’t consistently go after Trump. I’ll miss Michelle Goldberg.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=t4Z_RdZOYrE&si=oVCLktlyyVthenOg

 JUST GOT THESE.

 JUST GOT THIS.

 JUST GOT THIS.

 

HE WAS FROM TIBET. He went to school here in New York. I haven’t seen him in three years since the bodega where he worked and where I went every day closed.

 

 MAYOR MAMDANI INAUGURAL TODAY.