Good morning, happy Thursday.
I understand the office holiday party is back with a vengeance this year.
Apparently, despite the tridemic threat that has been overwhelming hospitals and causing some communities, businesses, and institutions to re-instate mask mandates (or strong suggestions), a lot of folks are just done with the whole avoiding crowds thing and read to PAR-TEE.
Our firm held its first in-person holiday shindig in several years this past week, which I sadly had to miss. (Duty calls; I couldn’t squeeze and down and back to NYC into the schedule).
My spies tell me a good time was had by all and the karaoke machine got a workout.
Our party does not include any of the so-called traditions like Secret Santa or any gift giving. But I understand office gifts are still a thing, which means that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that you will be receiving something you really don’t need – or want.
And this is where the tradition of re-gifting comes in.
It is a bit of a holiday trope to speak of the regifting of fruitcake. (Poor, disrespected and unloved fruit cake; I, for one, am a fan, even if no one else loves your weird electric-colored fruit-stuffed interior).
But the habit of passing along things that one has received but cannot use or dislikes is apparently such a time-honored practice that no less an authority than Emily Post weighed in on the appropriate etiquette one should employ in these cases.
The over-arching goal: Don’t hurt anyone’s feelings.
That means if someone handmade you a gift, or had it monogrammed or otherwise personalized, you probably shouldn’t give it away. Also, if you opened an item and used it – even once – you can’t really give it away, unless you’re clear with the recipient that the item in question is gently pre-loved.
All that said, thrifting is cool – and sustainable! Vintage is having a moment (again), and holding off from purchasing new things, especially fast fashion or plastic items created overseas with questionable products is better for the environment, and perhaps even your pocketbook.
If you have the time, and every year I promise myself that I will do this and then fall short, things that you make yourself – baked good, hot chocolate mix, soap, scarves, sweaters, etc. – are always extra special.
And things that are alive (not puppies or kitties; I’m thinking more along the line of plants) can help the received remember how much you care about them long after the gift-giving moment is over.
And, of course, there’s always the gift of your time – perhaps the most precious commodity you have at your disposal. Personally, I would love some interrupted time to catch up with some of the people I don’t see nearly enough by really enjoy.
Just a thought.
Oh, FWIW, today is National Re-Gifting Day.
An extended winter weather advisory is headed our way, starting around 4 p.m. today and stretching all the day into Saturday morning. Says AccuWeather:
A mix of rain and snow is expected Thursday night through Friday night. Periods of heavier precipitation may be associated with quick accumulations of heavy, wet snow. Storm total accumulations of 2 to 6 inches expected.
Until the precipitation starts, it will be in the mid-to-high-30s with cloudy skies.
In the headlines…
The House approved a short-term measure that extends funding for federal agencies for one week, giving Congress additional time to finish crafting a massive longer-term spending package. The vote was 224-201, with 9 Republicans joining Democrats.
The temporary patch gives negotiators an extra week to finish a $1.7 trillion year-end spending package, setting up an all-out legislative sprint before lawmakers leave for the holidays.
The U.S. Senate could give final approval by today to a one-week extension of federal government funding before the midnight Friday deadline, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Lawmakers have expressed confidence that they would be able to reach a final agreement on a package to keep the government funded through September 2023.
A group of retired ambassadors, all of whom served as chief of mission at the US Embassy in Afghanistan, have written a letter to congressional leaders pushing them to include the Afghan Adjustment Act in the omnibus spending bill.
The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate to the highest level in 15 years, indicating the fight against inflation is not over despite some promising signs lately.
The Fed’s rate move was widely expected by economists, and raised rates at a slower pace from the previous four meetings, when rates increased in three-quarter-point increments.
Biden recommitted the United States to Africa in a keynote address to nearly 50 heads of state visiting from the continent, vowing to expand American involvement at a time of intense competition from China, Russia and other powers.
“When Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds. Quite frankly, the whole world succeeds as well,” Biden said during his first appearance at the multi-day US-Africa Leaders Summit, being held in Washington.
The Biden administration plans to conduct a trial for portions of the naturalization exam, which immigrants must pass to become US citizens, next year, to try to make the test more accessible.
Biden said the U.S. “should have societal guilt” for the slow pace of action on restricting access to firearms as he marked the 10th anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Biden’s first wife and baby daughter, a tragedy that has defined the Delawarean’s personal and political life.
Biden will return to Delaware tomorrow to participate in a town hall about recently signed legislation that expanded health care benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits and toxic substances.
There’s little appetite for a 2020 rematch in the coming presidential election, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, as majorities of registered voters within each party say they’d rather see someone new nominated in 2024.
Republican primary voters have high interest in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a potential 2024 presidential nominee and view him more favorably than they do former President Donald Trump, a new Wall Street Journal poll show.
Trump is suing the Pulitzer Prize Board, claiming the committee defamed him by honoring the New York Times and Washington Post for their reporting on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and by refusing to retract those awards.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the U.S-Mexico border this week in a move that may serve to highlight conservative criticism of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The man accused of bashing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer also planned to attack Tom Hanks, Hunter Biden and Newsom, police said.
The Supreme Court this week agreed to hear arguments in a second case challenging the legality of the Biden administration’s ambitious student loan relief program.
The Senate passed by unanimous consent a bill that would ban federal employees from downloading or using the social-media app TikTok on government devices, in the face of mounting national-security concerns.
Empty streets, deserted shopping centers, and residents staying away from one another are the new normal in Beijing, because the city has been hit with a significant, and spreading, Covid outbreak – a first for the Capital since its leaders eased restrictive policies.
COVID-19 infections were exploding in China well before the government’s decision to abandon its strict “zero-COVID” policy, a World Health Organization director said, quashing suggestions that the sudden reversal caused a spike in cases.
The omicron subvariants that have become dominant in recent months present a serious threat to the effectiveness of the new boosters, render antibody treatments ineffective and could cause a surge of breakthrough infections, according to a new study.
Outgoing White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci said that he “doesn’t have a clue” what DeSantis hopes to accomplish by calling for a state grand jury investigation into alleged “crimes” related to COVID-19 vaccines.
Chinese doctors and nurses are being told to keep working even when infected with Covid-19, staff and residents reported, as the virus rips through the population in the wake of eased restrictions.
Many small businesses that received federal pandemic aid are now on the hook for repayments, and some say the timing couldn’t be worse.
New York hospitals are reeling as they still struggle to emerge from the pandemic, with half the facilities reporting they slashed or eliminated services because of staffing shortages while two-thirds said they’re operating in the red, a new industry report reveals.
Gov Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams laid out a plan to transform flagging business districts in New York City as part of a sweeping blueprint to fundamentally change the region’s post-COVID economy.
The “‘New’ New York: Making New York Work for Everyone” action plan includes 40 proposals aimed at, among other things, increasing housing supply and making business districts more attractive.
The 158-page plan includes a pedestrian promenade around Grand Central Terminal that connects with expanded green space along Park Avenue, running north from the commuter rail hub.
“What you are seeing with the governor and the relationship is a real one,” Adams said. “I like her personally as an individual. I like her as a leader. I like the fact that you can sit down and have a real conversation. and you don’t have to agree.”
“The pandemic caused us to rethink everything. How we work, where we work, how we get around, how we spend our time, our lives and where our priorities are,” Hochul said. “We’re truly not living in the same New York that we were in March of 2020.”
The proposal was sparse on details such as funding or even timelines, but Hochul did lay out one specific goal: the creation of 800,000 units of housing over the next decade.
Young people in New York City are still struggling to find work despite unemployment plummeting across the U.S. following the peak of the COVID pandemic, according to a report released by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
Adams had a message for New York City’s tax-the-rich-promoting progressives: Get outta town!
“It’s about stop dividing our city, to continually attack high-income earners. Where 51% of our taxes are paid by 2% of our earners,” Adams said.
Adams said he was thrilled that the Democratic Party is “prioritizing Black voters” as it moved to have its first presidential primary shifted to South Carolina, calling the plan a “tectonic change in how Democrats are messaging their priorities as a party.”
Adams has asked the federal government for $1 billion to handle the crush of migrants who’ve surged into the Big Apple this year — but the cost was calculated when the population was far less than it is now.
A judge said that he will not immediately halt Adams’ plans to force mentally ill people from the streets and into treatment.
In a written order, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty in Manhattan said there was currently no evidence that irreparable harm would likely occur before he rules on a request after exploring the subject further in coming weeks.
Crotty didn’t rule on the specifics, but said coalition of attorneys who asked him to stop Adams’ policy, hadn’t proven it would currently cause irreparable harm, barring immediate court intervention.
Nearly 2,300 homeless people were moved into shelters from the subways as part of Adams’ outreach initiatives through August — but more than two-thirds of them left the city’s care within a week of being admitted.
Many New Yorkers charged with crimes will be connected with mental health and housing services soon after their first court appearances in an effort to speed treatment, Manhattan’s district attorney said.
A New York judge temporarily blocked the Taxi and Limousine Commission from raising the pay of ride-hail drivers while an Uber lawsuit opposing the increase was considered.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell says she plans to make changes to the NYPD’s disciplinary guidelines — reducing penalties after finding dozens of cases were “manifestly unfair” to cops.
A longtime NYC Transit bus operator, Richard Davis, is the new president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents city subway and bus workers.
A coalition of business groups and horse racing industry leaders pushing for a major overhaul of Belmont Park are touting a new analysis showing the project could be a job-generating boon to the local economy.
Helicopter noise in Manhattan is spiraling out of control, with 165 choppers flying over the island every weekend and noise complaints spiking, according to state Sen. Brad Hoylman, who is pushing a crackdown on the cacophony.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office secured a rare protective order barring gun ownership for an employee of the city comptroller’s office alleging he made threats to co-workers — including words warning of violence at an upcoming holiday party.
The massive blaze at the NYPD’s Brooklyn impound warehouse appears to have been accidental, as officials began to assess the potential damage to decades of evidence stored at the facility.
Lawyers say evidence in cold cases and bids for exoneration disappeared or was ruined when a Police Department storage facility in Brooklyn went up in flames.
Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and State Sen. Michael Gianaris, both Queens Democrats, revealed a financing plan for free buses in New York City, staking out their spot before Albany’s budget dance starts in January next year.
The proposal would make riding the bus free-of-charge one borough at a time beginning next year, requiring an extra $638 million per year by 2026 on top of the multi-billion dollar deficits already anticipated by MTA bean counters.
Organizations that track extremism have expressed concern about some of the attendees at a New York Young Republican Club event in Manhattan on Saturday.
The New York City Campaign Finance Board, which has yet to conclude any audits from the 2021 election cycle, promised City Council members that it was taking steps to expedite those audits.
Dozens of animal lovers warned the City Council of the dangers of an out-of-control guinea pig population, urging the body to pass a stalled bill.
The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) has not turned over key documents related to its oversight of a $200 million cannabis fund for 77 days and counting.
Queens prosecutors put the brakes on an illegal marijuana operation that was allegedly peddling “Beach Boyz Budz” brand weed out of a multi-colored converted school bus.
New York Department of Correction officials are restarting a program that provides electronic tablets to people detained in city jails, allowing them to call family members and access educational services, a digital law library and electronic books.
According to a new survey of New York’s school superintendents, state and federal funding increases have helped expand and enrich the services that schools can provide but a “fiscal cliff” looms in the coming years.
Top officials at New York’s public college and university system have granted in-state tuition for refugee students who are from nations designated with temporary protected status by the United States.
College students say anti-Jewish antagonism is on the rise: Antisemitic incidents have increased, and a growing number of campus groups bar students who support Israel from speaking or joining.
Sales tax revenue continued its months-long growth in New York, increasing by 8.8% in November compared to the same time a year ago as inflation continues to play a role in the prices consumers are paying.
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said that he will be treated for prostate cancer after recently being diagnosed with the disease.
A man accused of fatally shooting a 53-year-old man in the lobby of a Poughkeepsie hotel in October faces new charges stemming from a superseding indictment, the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Earlier this month a Rochester-area judge issued a ruling on a lawsuit against a landfill that may be the first substantive decision based on the Green Amendment, although it still remains to be seen how the case will play out if it is appealed.
Travelers who were directed to a non-TSA website to sign up for the Trusted Traveler pre-screening program may want to dispute any undue charges with their credit card companies, according to airport and travel experts.
Grant Wahl, the celebrated soccer journalist who died suddenly last week at the World Cup in Qatar, had a rupture in a blood vessel leading from the heart, his family announced.
Ellen DeGeneres is “heartbroken” following the death of her talk show’s DJ and producer, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, she wrote in a tribute.
DeGeneres tweeted Boss was “pure love and light” shortly after the multi-talented entertainer’s wife confirmed his death at age 40.
Twitter suspended more than 25 accounts that track the planes of government agencies, billionaires and high-profile individuals — including one that followed the movements of the social media company’s owner, Elon Musk.
