Friday links.

Halloween is done, but we had so few tricksters come to the door that we have a ton of candy left over. I think it may in part be one of the byproducts of gentrification. Gone are multi-family affordable two and three flats, replaced by million dollar single family homes.

Fewer families. Less kids.

Here are some things I’ve been reading.

Mark Miller writes about the chaos retirees in San Diego are facing with their Medicare Advantage plan.

Glen Brown posts a clear explanation of the difference between Defined Contribution pension plans and Defined Benefit plans.

Medicare Advantage plans "are taking over Medicare and they are taking advantage of elderly patients," said the CEO of one Mississippi facility.

Illinois’ Dick Durbin becomes the first Senator to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Over 140 prominent feminist scholars demand ceasefire and and end to ccupation in Gaza.

Showtime’s is running an episodic drama on McCarthyism and the Lavender Scare.

Refugees sleep out in the cold as Chicago city council squabbles over what to do.

House GOP Speaker Mike Johnson’s biggest donor was AIPAC.

Key city panel votes to mandate 10 days of paid leave over opposition from major business groups.

Food deserts plague Chicago neighborhoods. Could the city run its own grocery stores to fill in the gaps?

Some Democrats are worried about what Israel is doing in Gaza.

Ukrainian troops battle exhaustion as war drags into second winter.

Arthur Goldstein, formerly the NYC Educator, writes about the UFT, “a pretend union with pretend meetings.”

The Economist asks what a third world war would mean for investors. I thought the answer was obvious, but maybe I’m wrong.