Thursday Miscellany
You'll find me reading GQ about as often as Out, but I couldn't resist this piece: A series of quotes and memories from the cast and crew of GoodFellas, in celebration of its 20th anniversary. I haven't read the entire thing because it's so long, but I look forward to scrolling through it for the next couple of days. GoodFellas might be my favorite movie of all time. I've rarely watched a movie more than once, but that one has gotten me hooked at least a dozen times. Much of it is because it was one of the videos at my parents' cottage, so I'd watch it during long vacations when there was nothing else to do, but part of it is simply the movie itself. It's great, and the article is a fine tribute. The first quote in the article: "Ray Liotta (Henry Hill): 'For twenty years now, there's not a day that goes by that I don't hear somebody mention GoodFellas. Unless I stay home all night. It's defined who I am, in a sense.'" * * * * * * * Mr. Yankee, Derek Jeter, has moved to Florida. The reason: to escape NYC's punishing taxes. "New York State tax officials have harassed Jeter for years, objecting to him filing tax returns that claimed Florida as his state of residence. They insisted that he had "immersed himself in the New York community" and that he had made "numerous statements professing his love for New York" – and therefore, they reasoned, he ought to pay New York's income taxes." * * * * * * * You've probably heard that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have prevailed on their fellow tycoons to give away half their wealth. To be honest, the whole thing has never sat well with me. It doesn't sit well with a couple of writers from Forbes, either. I'm not sure they've captured my discomfort entirely, but it's not bad. * * * * * * * Our great nation: The Census Bureau reports that America suffers with more people in poverty now than ever before in its history of reporting on poverty -- 44 million. That's up nearly 4 million in the last year alone, with the poverty rate shooting up to 14.3%. One in seven Americans now suffers in poverty. Who woulda thunk that a nation would deteriorate under a system that penalizes success (the income tax) and rewards failure (welfare)?
