Attended a Slate-hosted screening of the forthcoming film The Situation, a fictional account of a young, beautiful (and apparently emotionally stunted) American journalist on the ground in Iraq. Generally speaking, the good elements of this film outweighed the bad (which included moments of groan-inducing dialgoue). My favorite line from the NY Times review on the journalist's love interest: "...and an appealing slab of Iraqi masculine sensitivity, Zaid...who comes with an insinuatingly large camera."

Saw the Knicks take on the LA Lakers (sans Kobe). Knicks won an exciting game, 99-94. Some of the requisite celebrities in attendance: Christian Slater, Mos Def, Jon Stewart, Donald Trump, and (of course) Spike Lee.

Tonight: saw Doug Aitken: sleepwalkers at the MoMA... dinner at Wondee Siam II in Hells Kitchen (yum).

In a departure from usual mega-million luxury condo stories, Greenbelt, Maryland makes the Times' Real Estate section.

from the washington post 10/04/06: Rationing Education by Jennifer Booher-Jennings

A *great* day!

It takes the (East) Village...
to prepare for the village idiot

Tonight: saw Dean and Britta at Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction, and had a requisite stiff drink before the State of the Union address. Dean and Britta were fabulous as always. A partial set list (from memory):

Singer Sing (from the new album)
Since I Lay My Burden Down (from the Words You Used to Say EP)
You Turned My Head Around (new one--a Lee Hazelwood cover--not so great)
The Sun is Still Sunny (new one--excellent)
White Horses (new one)
Say Goodnight (?)
Night Nurse (from L'Avventura)
Knives from Bavaria (from L'Avventura)
Hear the Wind Blow (from L'Avventura)
Bonnie and Clyde
Ginger Snaps (encore)

Livingston can now add his classic student excuse to his CV: You're Never Gonna Believe This One

An item from tne New York Post on the future New York City consortium: Education Dept. Becomes an Open Book, by David Andreatta

Has U.S. Income Inequality Really Increased? by Gary Burtless

New report from NORC/General Social Survey on American's Spending Priorities

January 5-7: trip to Chicago for the Allied Social Sciences Association meeting. On Friday, had dinner at Coco Pazzo (delicious) and on Saturday saw the Chicago Bulls play the Detroit Pistons at United Center (Bulls won 106-89). See some pictures from a grey day at Millenium Park.