••• “Even if Emma Lazarus’s poem ‘The New Colossus’ had not transformed the gargantuan Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor from an aggressive monument—’Liberty Enlightening the World’—into a welcoming ‘Mother of Exiles’; even if she had not provided that crowned goddess with a humane voice that still resonates (‘Give me your tired, your poor’); even if she had not asserted a powerful connection between liberty and opportunity, the exhibition ‘Emma Lazarus: Poet of Exiles’ at the Museum of Jewish Heritage demonstrates that there would still be reasons to value her life and work.” —New York Times

••• “The barricades around the Wall Street bull went down on Monday, only to go right back up.” —DNAinfo

••• A Wisconsin State Journal article about how developers are building apartments instead of houses says that in Middleton—which is maybe a town or a suburb? does it matter?—”will be one part of Tribeca Village, a $225 million mixed-used development where office buildings, retail, parking ramps and a grocery store also are envisioned over the next five years or more.”

••• Entertaining food blog NY Journal‘s top 10 new restaurants of 2011 includes Brushstroke at #2 (“David Bouley has screwed up so many restaurants that it was almost a surprise when he got one right. “) and Jungsik at #1 (“This was my last review of the year, and the best new restaurant of the year. Alas, the city’s critics have little patience for upscale prix fixe Korean cuisine. I worry they’ll be forced to dumb down the menu (prices have already been reduced), but for now it’s excellent.”