Compulsory Reading

‣ The strange sales practices of Birkin bags are the stuff of legends and nightmares, so it is interesting that there is a complaint against Hermès for these sales practices. For that Fashion businessRobert Williams has the story:

Lawyers for the plaintiffs say Hermès is in violation of US antitrust regulations, which define certain practices of bundling goods or bundling with other purchases as an abuse of market power.

“The tying product, Birkin bags, is separate and distinct from the tying products, which are ancillary products that consumers are required to purchase,” the complaint states. “Plaintiffs have alternative choices for complementary products and would prefer to choose between them independently of their decision to purchase Birkin bags.”

‣ David Friedlander writes New York magazine On Mayor Eric Adams’ “transactional” government:

“I think you’re setting a pattern of back-and-forth between government and industry,” Johnson said. “You’re like a unicorn in the things you do. People think you solve people’s problems. You solve problems, but it’s not the customer you’re trying to get or what WilmerHale is trying to get. We’re all trying to get customers who have to interact with the government because their industry, who care about their reputation with the government and who care about their brand and the sustainability of their business. So a one-time fix or fixing a parking ticket doesn’t do anyone any good. But having a different type of car that you can legally park in different places? That’s sustainability”.

If Johnson’s vehicular metaphor wasn’t entirely clear, the implication of his tribute was unmistakable: Far from being a liability or something to be ashamed of, Carone’s passing through the revolving door is something to be celebrated in the Adams era. After 20 years of Mayors Bloomberg and de Blasio’s push for transparency and good government, the people who run New York now are heavier, more transactional, and not at all shy. Not since Ed Koch has the spirit of payback been so evident.

“I’ve been able to make great friends and good relationships at City Hall,” Caron said. “And the circle grows.” Johnson got up to leave, and Caron called after him: “That other matter. Let’s continue that.”

‣ An Austrian political scientist filed a $10 million lawsuit against George Washington University and Lorenzo Vidino, director of the extremism program, over an alleged disinformation campaign funded by the United Arab Emirates, which the case says was fueling false narratives linking academics. to a radical group in the Middle East. Arthur MacMillan and Anuj Chopra Yahoo! the news reports:

Hafez, a visiting professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, was arrested in 2020 during Operation Luxor, a police raid against Muslims and businesses in Austria. No one was convicted, and the operation was declared illegal in 2021.

Hafez said he was implicated in the Austrian police action following a report from Vidino.

A contract agreement seen by AFP shows that Vidino was paid to provide “matters of interest” to Alpi, which the Swiss company used as part of an apparent disinformation operation on behalf of the UAE.

“My client’s life was destroyed by the activities of GWU, Vidino and Alp Services against him,” Hafezen’s New York-based lawyer David Schwartz told AFP.

‣ Anna Kodé takes a close look at the patterns unfolding beneath our feet on the sidewalks of Central Park. New York Times:

“Sidewalks are the greatest public space,” said Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, a professor of urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles, who wrote a book about them. “They represent openness and democracy. They seem to be the most public of public spaces. To be that, they must be truly open and accessible to everyone, regardless of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity – regardless of all the variables.’

The sidewalks in the 19th century They have many more uses today than when they first started spreading in the United States in the 20th century, Dr. Loukaitou-Sideris said, citing electric scooters, delivery robots, people using Google Maps on foot, waiting for Ubers. , and restaurants opening onto the sidewalk. “There are all these new uses that digital technology and the pandemic has brought,” he said. “Sidewalks are becoming more important than ever, and it may be a new era for sidewalks.”

New Yorkers, who appreciate turning ordinary necessities into spectacular amenities, can turn the sidewalk into a stage, a market, or even a five-star restaurant.

‣ Writing time magazine, Nicholas Kryczka, Whitney E. Barringer, Scott McFarlane, and James R. Grossman of the American Historical Association report evidence that most middle and high school history teachers strive to keep their lessons politically neutral:

Throughout many interviews, teachers reiterated their commitment to maintaining a political poker face in the classroom. The teachers we surveyed strongly agreed on the main goals of social studies education: critical thinking (97% of respondents) and informed citizenship (94% of respondents). History teachers teach and inspire, but they do not indoctrinate.

‣ In writing LA TimesChristopher Knight gives us his take on the expansion of the Broad Museum in downtown Los Angeles, and don’t miss this line:

Calling the design of a vanity museum “veil and vault,” revealing a perforated exterior draped over a treasure for a private collection, was always more pretentious than meaningful.

‣ The US Supreme Court ruled that elected officials cannot block criticism on social media channels. Jacob of Sallum The reason reports:

When Donald Trump was president, he caused a First Amendment dispute by banning criticism from his Twitter account. “Once the President chooses a platform and opens its interactive space to millions of users and participants,” the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2019, “he may not selectively exclude those who disagree.” While the issue has been moot since Trump left office, the issues raised have resurfaced across the country as public officials, regardless of political party, resent criticism and often prefer to silence angry voters rather than ignore them.

In two unanimous decisions released Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court said such blocking can violate the First Amendment and clarified the standard for determining when it does. The justices did not rule on any of the cases, instead sending them back to lower courts for reconsideration in light of the newly announced guidelines.

‣ Brian Morabito decided to create a fun narrative around an Old Master painting that appears to be in a museum in North Carolina (but we couldn’t identify it):