Below, you will find the third edition of The New Leaf Journal Sunday content recommendations and the final one for 2020. In this post, Victor V. Gurbo and Nicholas A. Ferrell each offer three article recommendations with our personal commentary on the articles. Nick also posts a note about a new platform on which you can find The New Leaf Journal and an article recommendation from The New Leaf Journal archives.
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Victor V. Gurbo’s Recommendations From Around the Web
RetroFret: Fender Telecaster Solid Body Electric Guitar (1952)
RetroFret.
See Content (cached from November 25, 2020)
Victor says: For the second time, I offer an interesting product listing from RetroFret. This guitar is the holy grail of Telecasters, and an essential instrument for those who are interested in replicating Fender’s early sound.
Nick adds: $49,500.000… Victor should have wrangled an affiliate deal for us.
Official Bob Dylan Channel on YouTube: “Bob Dylan – Must Be Santa (Official Video)”
Bob Dylan. November 24, 2009.
Victor says: A necessary watch for the holidays.
Nick adds: I agree, but I have no words.
The Forward: “Was Dylan’s ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ his best since ‘Blood on the Tracks?’”
Anthony DeCurtis. December 26, 2020.
Victor says: Many critics acclaimed Dylan’s latest album, “Rough and Rowdy Ways,” as his finest work in a long time. This article, published yesterday, is one lengthy example.
Nicholas A. Ferrell’s Recommendations From Around the Web
Fox News: “Florida seniors next in line for COVID vaccines says Gov. DeSantis”
Morgan Phillips. December 24, 2020.
Nick says: Although two Wuhan virus vaccines are now available, there is a limited supply. This article details how Florida and Texas have decided to prioritize residents who are 65 years old and older in the second half of the first phase of vaccinations after front-line medical workers. In so doing, they rejected the guidance of a CDC panel which recommended instead grouping individuals 75 years and older along with a slate of non-medical front-line workers, regardless of age. In light of the fact that the elderly are vastly more susceptible to becoming seriously ill from the virus than younger people, Florida’s and Texas’s policies seem quite right to me. I hope that other states follow their lead.
Patch: “This Neighborhood Reclaimed Title of Brooklyn’s Priciest in 2020”
Anna Quinn. December 23, 2020.
Nick says: I have published articles with stories and pictures from the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Cobble Hill and DUMBO. As we learn in Patch, those two neighborhoods are vying for the title of the most expensive place to live in Brooklyn, in terms of home values. Cobble Hill was first while DUMBO was second in 2019, but their positions flipped in 2020. Some other neighborhoods that I have written about made the top 25 list for New York City as well, but I will reserve that discussion for an upcoming article.
New York Post: “NYC comedy club owner slams COVID-19 ‘double standard’ for ‘SNL'”
Tashara Jones. December 9, 2020.
Nick says: In this article, NYC comedy club owner Dani Zoldan observes that while comedy clubs across New York are being forced out of business by the City’s and State’s lock-down policies, Saturday Night Live is somehow allowed to tape indoor shows before a live studio audience that NBC is permitted to falsely represent as “cast.” The article adds that Saturday Night Live ran a sketch just a few weeks ago mocking people in Staten Island who have lost their livelihoods for being frustrated with New York’s policies in front of that very indoor studio audience. Count me among the perplexed. While the definition of “essential worker” is inherently subjective and subject to favoritism and abuse at the margins, I cannot, speaking for myself, think of a less “essential” business than Saturday Night Live – a show that is likely watched disproportionately by those who are least economically affected by lock-down policies.
Nick’s Early Impressions of Bloglovin’
Nick says: In looking for ways to reach new audiences, I stumbled upon Bloglovin’ – a blog discovery platform. After doing some research, I decided to make an account for The New Leaf Journal. You can find our page here. Bloglovin’ automatically draws articles from our site’s RSS feed, and all views of our content on Bloglovin’ are attributed to The New Leaf Journal. Most of the featured blogs on Bloglovin’ are lifestyle blogs, and Wikipedia notes that 90% of the platform’s users are women. After some testing, however, I found that you can follow many blogs and websites that do not have claimed accounts. The platform is not for everyone – but those who are interested may create a new account to see what it has to offer or sign in with Facebook. If you do decide to try Bloglovin’, please follow us and consider engaging with our content. I will check periodically for comments and other notes.
Old Leaf Classic From Our Archives
“The Quarantine Sessions: Frankie & Albert”
Victor V. Gurbo. May 3, 2020.
Nick says: After a long pause, Victor released his most recent Quarantine Sessions post on December 22. For this week’s archives pick, I recommend Victor’s first Quarantine Sessions article on Frankie & Albert from May 3, 2020. Victor discusses the history of the song with interesting facts for folk music aficionados and laymen like me alike. The post includes a video with a recording of Victor’s performance of the song with the talented Brooklyn musician, Mark Caserta. While the main event of the video is the music, Mr. Caserta’s visuals in the video are quite interesting – you will have to see what I mean for yourself.