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Father’s Day 2020
By
Published: Jun 15, 2020
Category:
Holiday
I don’t want a single thing. Not in a country that had one child in six going hungry last year and has one in four kids inadequately fed this year. Not with the government doing everything possible to limit benefits to the needy. In honor of my brother, a remarkable father who lives near San Diego, I’m donating to the San Diego Food Bank. In New York, I’m giving to Food Bank for New York.
Friends in a certain city tell me that the news I’ve been reading since the murder of George Floyd — peaceful marches, changes mandated by mayors and city councils, support for re-allocating police budgets — is far from the whole story. They report we’re not hearing about what they experience every day: police anger, police patrols, neighborhoods made deliberately fearful. In short, a reactive police force, poised to attack. My wish to report that story feels too small. But I can’t sit on a privileged sideline. Because bail funds have raised $80 million — so much that many are now sharing donations with other justice causes —I’ll make a donation to Higher Heights, a group dedicated to building the political power of black women.
The White House did almost nothing useful about COVID-19 when it mattered. It’s now more or less declared the pandemic over. And the President has all but announced he won’t shut the country down if a “second wave” hits in the fall. The problem is that the first wave not only hasn’t ended but numbers of cases are spiking ominously in several states, and as the country re-opens and sensible safety practices are ignored, it’s entirely possible that the summer will be deadlier than the winter. So this Father’s Day List includes what I call Essentials: vitamins and supplements to support your immune system. And, once again, masks made by our friend in Berkeley.
HEALTH
Tree Lotion CBD Cream
Because CBD products are unregulated, many — if not most — are frauds. Tree Lotion is real. This testimonial is from a Butler reader in Santa Cruz, where Tree Lotion is made: “I would not have known about Melanie, given the zillions of hemp stores around here. I went to her shop today. She was closed but making creams and fulfilling local orders. What a wonderful person, a true small businessperson doing good stuff. I got to tour her lab behind her shop. It looks like a UCSC Chem lab… super professional, immaculate, orderly, and very pretty. As we chatted, it turns out that she made some bandit salve my acupuncturist gave me years ago — the only thing that ever worked for me. So this is a great day for me to find her stuff again. Thanks to you in New York. How small the world.”
Anthelios Sunscreen
Because there’s no better protection against melanoma.
Manuka Honey
Manuka honey comes from New Zealand, where it’s made by bees that feed on the nectar of the manuka tree. Their honey is dark and thick. And it’s good for you.
Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C
But most of the Vitamin C in pills or capsules never reaches the bloodstream. Estimates of its absorption rate are less than 50%. Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C has a 90% absorption rate.
Vitamin D
Data from 16 clinical trials involving 7,400 people show that taking vitamin D supplements reduces the risk of experiencing at least one respiratory infection including influenza and pneumonia by a third with positive benefits seen within 3 weeks. isk of acute respiratory infections by 11 per cent compared with placebo.
[To buy Vitamin D3 Enhanced with Coconut Oil from Amazon, click here.]
[To buy Vitamin D in Fruit Flavored Gummies from Amazon, click here.]
Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies
Apple cider vinegar contains potassium, which thins mucus; and the acetic acid in it prevents germ growth, which could contribute to nasal congestion.
[To buy Cider Vinegar Gummies from Amazon, click here.]
Chelated Zinc
Zinc is important in fighting infection. Food sources include red meat, shellfish, legumes, seeds and dark chocolate. Note: Not to be taken every day; it can cause toxicity.
[To buy Chelated Zinc from Amazon, click here.]
Masks
Alice Glass, a Head Butler reader, is an out of work theatre artist in Berkeley, now making high quality masks with a filter pocket. She wrote me: “I’m a one-woman operation. I don’t have super high volume, but I would love the boost.” You gave her a boost: 200 masks sold, so far. Available on etsy.
THINGS
Timex Easy Reader Watch
Because it’s $10,000 cheaper than a watch that looks and works no better.
Zojirushi Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug
Hot stays hot. Cold stays cold.
Allbirds
I don’t know any man who has worn “dress shoes” since February. And if and when it’s time to return to an office, I can’t imagine any man who’s looking forward to strapping them on again. Allbirds are obscenely comfortable. They are the answer… and not just for men and not just for offices.
Louise Fili: Brilliantly designed Italian pencils, gift cards, and more
Pencils, note cards and boxes that organize your “treasures” are hopelessly old-fashioned. And that is precisely their appeal.
The Head Butler Great Coffee Kit
Mayorga Dark Roast Cubano coffee, professional coffee grinder, Melita carafe. A friend said, “I’ve never had better coffee.” This is why.
BOOKS
One Last Lunch: A Final Meal with Those Who Meant So Much to Us
Erica Heller — the daughter of Joseph Heller, who wrote “Catch-22” — has published “One Last Lunch: A Final Meal with Those Who Meant So Much to Us.” It’s a banquet of stories: Kirk Douglas. Julia Child. Jesus. Steve Jobs. David Bowie. Groucho Marx. Robin Williams. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. And… my “lunch” with Nora Ephron.
It’s really good. But don’t take my word. Here’s Florence Fabricant, in the Times:
Erica Heller, the daughter of the novelist Joseph Heller (“Catch-22”), describes an imagined lunch at the original Union Square Cafe with her dad, in “One Last Lunch.” It’s the first of 50 fairly brief chapters about final meals, invented by writers and others, with people they loved. So you also have Daniel Bellow with his father, Saul, at Barney Greengrass; and Elizabeth Mailer and her father, Norman, at Elephant & Castle. Not all involve relatives, but given the number of fathers, the book would make a fine Father’s Day gift. There’s also Sara Moulton, the chef, imagining lunch with her mentor, Julia Child; and Bob Balaban, the actor, sharing lunch at Lindy’s with Groucho Marx. The book was Ms. Heller’s idea, and it ends with another lunch, an acrimonious one, that she imagined with her father at the new Union Square Cafe. It took her more than two years to chase down the subjects and get them to submit their pieces. As for who did not come through, “I could have killed for Mike Nichols,” she said.
Mohsin Hamid: The Most Important Novelist Now Writing
Hamid says he writes love stories. Yes, but not like any you’ve read. All three of his short novels are the best books I’ve read in years.
Somerset Maugham: The Razor’s Edge
I could suggest a dozen “spiritual” books. But I prefer stories. “The Razor’s Edge” was published in 1944, when the world wasn’t focused on spiritual transcendence. So you might think readers didn’t line up for this novel. Wrong. It was Maugham’s biggest hit. Twentieth Century Fox paid $250,000 — that would be $3.5 million in 2018 dollars — for the film rights. A smart purchase: The film made a fortune and was nominated for four Academy Awards.
The Tender Bar
A boy needs a father. If he doesn’t have one, he needs some kind of man in his life. Or men, because it can indeed take a village…
Epictetus
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) studied at the feet of Epictetus (55-135 AD). One man was an emperor, the other a former slave who lived simply and wrote not a word.
Levels of the Game
This account of a single match between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner in the semifinals at the U.S. Open in Forest Hills is the best book ever written about tennis.
Night Life
David Taylor is a thriller writer who writes rings around most of the others.
JFK and Mary Meyer: A Love Story
Ok, so I wrote it. Part history, part fiction. A story from the now-ancient past. Not shameless self-promotion: The New York Times published a very favorable review… twice.
MUSIC
John Prine
If you buy just one CD this year… this is the master’s voice.
A final song, just released.
Mulatu Astatke
Mulatu Astatke writes music, arranges it, and plays piano, organ, vibes and percussion. He’s from Ethiopia. Think: exotic, space-changing, hypnotic.
Jason Isbell
Isbell makes human-scaled art, deep truth captured in the moment when the thoughts and feelings are fresh.
Keith Jarrett: The Koln Concert
‘The Koln Concert’ is, for 66 legendary minutes, completely improvised. Jarrett takes a simple figure and explores it, then starts again, a strategy that requires enormous courage and thinking at super-computer speed if the pianist hopes to avoid cliche — and Jarrett, astonishingly, does avoid every cliche. For another, it involves so much more than piano. Jarrett is really playing duets with himself; he hums, taps his foot and sighs, and the microphone gets it all
MOVIES
Winter’s Bone
Rural poverty. Set in the Ozarks. It launched Jennifer Lawrence, who was justifiably nominated for an Academy Award. The film feels almost like a Greek tragedy — or an American Western.
At Eternity’s Gate
Julian Schnabel’s best film, largely because it’s his most personal — the first half explores what art means for the artist, the second asks what it means in the world. You may think these are not concerns of interest to you, but as you watch Willem Dafoe, you can’t help yourself: in a way only you may understand, these are your issues too.
