Latest news with #Lobel
New York Post
18-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Cardinal Dolan decided to give me a ring — fresh out of the papal conclave
Listen, it's the voice of God So, now, pay attention. Little Mother has another wee saga to share — lest you think I just lead a dull boring existence. Phone rings. Being on another long boring conversation, I can't answer it. Eva, Spanish, our household's newest addition, shouts into the receiver, 'Who you are?' The person responds. She says, 'Who?' The unseen voice repeats it. Eva then reports, 'It's Cocccfdoopktwby.' WHO? 'It's hjhwppoqsryx.' Me, still on my interminable phone call, whisper: 'No such person. Ask again.' She asks again. She comes back with: 'Name's Ytraghkkplywsy.' Me, cranky, I grab the phone and snarl into it: 'Enough with you already. Who are you?' The pleasant tempered voice then says nicely: 'It's Cardinal Dolan.' He just helped elect Chicago's Robert Prevost as the new Pope Leo XIV and my housekeeper wants to know who he is. Lobel's will Rock New York, New York. Tops in everything. Noise, taxes, traffic, scaffolding, sightseeing, mayors, bagels, arrivals sleeping on the streets. And — we are talking four-star steaks. Lobel's. THE best for many years. Nice little prime uncooked boneless snack might cost you $400. BUT — continuing on with the legends — you can sing 'Take me out to the ballgame, buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack — and Lobel's.' There's been a Lobel's stand at Yankee Stadium since 2009. Champs to chomps. Now, a new lower-level Rockefeller Center location — where a bit farther back was the skating rink — is in the works. Banquettes, wood trim, seating or takeout, we're talking thick meaty sandwiches. When's it open? Per a spokesperson, 'Soon as they let us turn the gas on.' And whenever whoever should send me my whatever, don't forget the ketchup. He needs a hand Anthony Weiner — please excuse the expression — has just sent out these messages and this is a curtailed version of them: 'Thousands of people signed a petition to place me on the ballot. (CINDY: HIM, or only parts of him?) So far the response has been great. (Like when he sent naked photos of certain parts of him to young females?) And we have raised the maximum amount required for the race as fast as my opponents. 'Now it's 'all hands on deck' time. We need as many volunteers as possible to help pull voters to the polls. We need help knocking on doors, hanging posters and manning polling places. Together we can steer New York back onto the right track for the middle class and those struggling to make it.' Great idea. And if he needs help he can always count on the Menendez brothers who are now up for parole after having shot and killed both parents. Good idea. We a great country or what? A duck, a frog and a skunk wanted to go to the movies. One of the three couldn't afford it. The duck had a bill, the frog had a greenback but the skunk had only a scent. God bless America.
Vox
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Vox
The weird, joyful book that's getting me through this winter
This story originally appeared in Kids Today , Vox's newsletter about kids, for everyone. Sign up here for future editions . I'm working on a longer piece, so I wanted to bring you something a little lighter for this week's newsletter. I've been reading Arnold Lobel's Owl at Home with my 2-year-old recently, and I find myself thinking about it long after he's asleep. Owl at Home is less famous than the Frog and Toad books for which Lobel is best known, but it's always been a favorite in my house. The book tells five very short stories about Owl, a fearful but ultimately loving bird with an unusual outlook on the world. Until very recently, my 6-year-old demanded a nightly reading of the second story, 'Strange Bumps,' in which Owl becomes so terrified of the sight of his own feet under a blanket that he destroys his bed and ends up sleeping in a chair. My 2-year-old, by contrast, is partial to 'Tear-water Tea,' a frankly bizarre tale in which Owl makes himself cry into a tea kettle by thinking of 'sad' subjects, like 'pencils that are too short to use.' At the end of the story, Owl boils his own tears and takes a sip. 'It tastes a little bit salty,' he says, 'but tear-water tea is always very good.' I like to think of this as Owl's own little meditation practice, in which he considers all the sorrows of his life, allows them to move through his body, and then reabsorbs them into himself, now transformed into a delicious (I guess) beverage. This particular dark and threatening February is not the worst time to remind one's children, or oneself, that we all have a creative power within ourselves, something no one else can take away. For fans of Frog and Toad, Owl at Home — published in 1975, after the first two Frog and Toad books — can feel like a bit of a left turn. The Frog and Toad stories are all about the deep friendship and love between the two main characters. Lobel never stated outright that they were meant to be a couple, but his daughter has pointed out that the two are 'of the same sex, and they love each other,' and has said that the stories were 'the beginning of him coming out' as a gay man. If Owl has a Frog in his life, however, we never see him — in fact, Owl does not interact with another sentient being in the entire book. There's a school of thought that Owl at Home is about loneliness, but Owl doesn't seem upset about his lot in life. Instead, he forms a variety of relationships, both friendly and contentious — with his feet, with the season of winter (he ends up having to kick it out of his house), and, in my favorite story, with the moon. 'Owl and the Moon,' the final section of the book, finds Owl gazing into the sky: 'If I am looking at you, moon, then you must be looking back at me. We must be very good friends.' The friendship hits a few snags — the moon tries to follow Owl home, and Owl is worried it won't fit through his door — but by the end, all is well. With the moon looking on from outside, Owl gets into bed and peacefully shuts his eyes. 'The moon was shining down through the window,' Lobel writes. 'Owl did not feel sad at all.' To me, this story — indeed, all of Owl at Home — is about the joy of an inner life, something that can flourish even with little input from the outside. All Owl needs is the moon, a kettle, some weird ideas about tea and sadness, and a cozy bed (which he must have rebuilt after 'Strange Bumps'), and he can create a whole world. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy people, and I do not advocate retreating from society to live in a fantasy world populated by seasons and celestial objects (or, like, do I?). But this particular dark and threatening February is not the worst time to remind one's children, or oneself, that we all have a creative power within ourselves, something no one else can take away. Read it today, and I'll see you next week. Some school districts are trying to figure out how to respond to President Donald Trump's executive order on 'Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,' which officials say appears to conflict with existing laws. Trump supporters are increasingly claiming that children's learning differences are exaggerated or not real, and the claim could have serious consequences for kids with disabilities. Kevin Stitt, the Republican governor of Oklahoma, says he will not approve a proposed plan to collect kids' immigration status when they register for school. In addition to Owl at Home , my little kid and I have been reading Before, Now , a beautifully illustrated story by Daniel Salmieri about growing up and connecting to both the future and the past. Last week I wrote about the rise of universal preschool policies around the country. This week, in lieu of reader emails, I'll leave you with this recent poll by the First Five Years Fund illustrating the bipartisan nature of the issue: 91 percent of Republicans (along with 97 percent of Democrats) believe the lack of affordable child care is a problem, and 55 percent of Republican voters say increasing access to quality child care is as important for families as border security. As always, if you have a question, a recommendation, or a topic you'd like me to cover in the future, get in touch at See More: Books Culture Family Life Parenting Relationships
