I've said before, I always have a few books open, cycling among them depending on my mood. Now I'm reading three, none of them related but all of them very interesting. |
At the top of the heap is "Liberty's Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World," by Maya Jasanoff. It's a history of the tens of thousands of American British subjects who fled the new United States after the Patriot victory in 1783. Jasanoff looks at the colonial tensions that produced the split before exploring how the many different groups of Loyalists fared in the British Empire and how they shaped the places where they eventually settled. |
Last is Niccolò Machiavelli's "Discourses on Livy," translated by Julia Conaway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella. It's a seminal work of political thinking and a critical document in modern republicanism. I'm reading Machiavelli's analysis of the works of the Roman historian Livy as part of a discussion group with several similarly theory-inclined friends. This is just for my edification but, who knows, something might come of it. |
My Tuesday column was on the Republican Party's turn against democracy and what it looks like in practice, on the state level. |
Where does this all lead? Perhaps it just ends with a few new restrictions and new limits, enough, in conjunction with redistricting, to tilt the field in favor of the Republican Party in the next election cycle but not enough to substantially undermine American democracy. Looking at the 2020 election, however — and in particular at the 147 congressional Republicans who voted not to certify the Electoral College vote — it's not hard to imagine how this escalates, especially if Trump and his allies are still in control of the party. |
My Friday column was on the affordable-housing component of President Biden's infrastructure plan. |
The fact of the matter is that any serious attempt to reduce inequality and increase workers' share of income has to make housing a priority. High costs are a tax on workers, paid to landlords, banks and affluent homeowners who reap the gains of tight supply and high demand. |
Amelia Pollard on the right-wing nonprofit PragerU for The American Prospect. |
David Frum on the Trumpified Republican Party's vision of freedom for The Atlantic. |
Eric Levitz on prospects for the Biden presidency in New York magazine. |
Now Watching: 'Nighthawks' |
There is something about the crime films of the late 1970s and early '80s that I find immensely appealing. A few weeks ago, I wrote about one of my favorites, Michael Mann's "Thief." This week, I want to recommend a different kind of crime movie from the same period, Bruce Malmuth's 1981 film "Nighthawks," starring Billy Dee Williams and a very young Sylvester Stallone. Grimy and grounded, "Nighthawks" is a thriller involving two New York City cops against a European terrorist, played by Rutger Hauer. It's not as artful or high-concept as "Thief," but it is still very entertaining. It's also around 90 minutes, making it the perfect length for a Saturday night. |
 | | Jamelle Bouie |
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Back in November, we went down to the Virginia Museum of Science in Richmond to take our toddler to the model train exhibition. It was a lot of fun, and I got to make use of my macro lens. This is a photo of one of the model towns an exhibitor had built. |
Now Eating: Egg Salad With Pickled Celery and Coarse Dijon |
I've been in an egg salad mood this week, probably because I baked a fresh loaf of bread, and egg salad on toast is one of my favorite meals. (You might also have a lot of hard-boiled eggs left over after Easter if you celebrate the holiday.) I use this recipe, from Smitten Kitchen, for my egg salad, with no modifications other than the fact that I make my own mayonnaise. I also garnish with smoked paprika, which you should do too. |
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 stalks celery, trimmed, diced tiny
- 4 large eggs
- 1 heaped teaspoon whole-grain Dijon
- 2 teaspoons minced shallot or red onion (or more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or full-fat plain yogurt
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
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Pickle your celery: Combine vinegar, water, kosher salt and sugar in a jar and shake until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add diced celery to jar, cover it and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, ideally 1 hour and up to 1 week. |
Cook your eggs: Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with an inch of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and set your timer for 10 minutes. Once the timer rings, drain eggs and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. To quickly chill them so that you can use them right away, cover them in ice water for 10 to 15 minutes. |
Make your salad: Peel your eggs and chop them, placing them in a medium bowl. Add 1 heaped tablespoon of pickled celery (more to taste), Dijon, shallot, mayo, salt and pepper, and mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on toasted whole-grain bread, salad garnished with fresh herbs. |
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