From page 8 of this week's New Yorker: "EDITOR'S NOTE: On the Contributors page of the December 1st issue, the book "In Sickness and in Power," attributed to the New Yorker writer David Owen, was in fact written by a different David Owen." Even funnier? The "other David Owen" is, in fact, the former British Foreign Secretary one of the founders of their Social Democratic Party. And it's Lord Owen to you.

David Owen is a coin revolutionary. The New Yorker writer is in favor of the elimination of the penny, nickel and dime in the name of convenience and common sense. In this week's Money Issue, he argues that pennies have lost their utility. A piece about pennies is the perfect fit for the New Yorker: It's about money in a literal sense, but neither the author nor the reader are expected to know anything about economics or finance. Owen's article is good, but writing about the Mint is just an entertaining waste of everyone's time.

David Owen offers a glimpse into the real Manhattan Chamber of Commerce—the little corner shops and family-owned small businesses that have been in New York for years. See also The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York: A Guide to Century-Old Establishments in the City, by Ellen Williams and Steve Radlauer.

The Hundred Club [New Yorker]

The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York