¶ Matins: The land of opportunity? Not so much. The Polish community in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is moving out as the gentrifiers move in — back to Poland, though. Kirk Semple reports.

But Poland’s admission to the European Union sharply accelerated that trend, business owners and residents say. They note that the momentum has increased as the dollar has weakened against the Polish zloty, the American economy has faltered and the United States has been more aggressive in enforcing immigration rules. (Similar reverse migrations have occurred recently among other New York immigrant populations whose homeland economies have improved, like Brazil and Ireland.)

¶ Lauds: In “The Art of Darkness,” novelist Jonathan Lethem muses on the mirror that The Dark Knight holds up to the nation.

¶ Prime: Sergey Brin’s new blog, Too, begins with the announcement that he carries the G2019S mutation of gene LRRK2. That’s Genomic for saying that he stands a very high risk of developing Parkinson’s. One can only imagine what it must be like for one of world’s most successful knowledge workers to contemplate the degradation of his brain.

¶ Tierce: Brent Staples writes about “uppity,” “disrespectful” people of color, and how Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (Rep, GA) must have been perfectly well aware of the implications of applying the “U” word to Barack Obama.

¶ Compline: Did you know that Cauliflower Cheese is a British alternative to Macaroni & Cheese? I’m going to give it a try one of these days.

Oremus…

§ Matins. Lucky Poles, is all I can say.

§ Prime. I hope that Too develops into a Web log that’s interesting to follow. Right now, particular information about an individual’s chromosomes is benign, but it’s also hard to imagine that that won’t change, as large employers and insurers exploit and distort privacy laws to serve their economic interest. A system of universal health care will provide the only protection against genetic discrimination.

§ Lauds. He writes,

In its narrative gaps, its false depths leading nowhere in particular, its bogus grief over stakeless destruction and faked death, “The Dark Knight” echoes a civil discourse strained to helplessness by panic, overreaction and cultivated grievance. I began to feel this Batman wears his mask because he fears he’s a fake — and the story of his inauthenticity, the possibility of his unmasking, counts for more than any hope he offers of deliverance from evil. The Joker, on the other hand, exhibits his real face, his only face, and his origins are irrelevant, his presence as much a given as the Second Law of Thermodynamics, or Fear Itself.

The Joker’s paradox, of course, is the same as that of 9/11 and its long aftermath: audacious transgression ought to call out of us an equal and adamant passion for love of truth and freedom, yet the fear he inspires instead drives us deep into passivity and silence.

He concludes, grimly, that “the Joker is us.”

§ Tierce. Racist opposition to Barack Obama’s candidacy continues to become more explicit. I can’t wait for it to come out in the open, loud and clear, so that the shame of it all becomes equally clear.

§ Compline. I’m not wild about cauliflower, but Kathleen likes it. Every now and then, I compromise by serving steamed cauliflower with a Mornay Sauce, but this simpler dish is probably a lot more to the point.

Of course, my Macaroni & Cheese (which we’re having for dinner tonight) doesn’t go in the oven. I wonder if I could adapt it for cauliflower.

Drop me a line at rjk@dailyblague.com
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