Category Archives: Newspapers

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Nov 27, 2022

Illustration by Eleanor Taylor

New York Times Book Review – November 27, 2022:

A Life of Shirley Hazzard, Sublime Chronicler of Affairs of the Heart

A new biography by Brigitta Olubas is the first to examine the life of the Australian novelist celebrated for her refined poetic fiction and acute moral vision.

Big ‘Pippin’: The Harmony and Dissonance of an American Classic

Elysa Gardner’s “Magic to Do” goes backstage at Bob Fosse and Stephen Schwartz’s 1972 musical about a lost prince.

Read Your Way Through Mexico City

Juan Villoro, who spent over two decades perfecting one book about Mexico City, recommends reading on the city he loves. “Mexico is too complex,” a visitor said. “It needs to be read.”

Front Page: The New York Times – November 26, 2022

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At Protests, Guns Are Doing the Talking

Armed Americans, often pushing a right-wing agenda, are increasingly using open-carry laws to intimidate opponents and shut down debate.

Retailers Push Sales, and Normalcy, but Economic Uncertainty Looms

Black Friday deals returned, drawing shoppers back into stores, but inflation worries left many companies unsure what the holiday shopping season would look like.

A Rising Star in the Biden Administration Faces a $100 Billion Test

Gina Raimondo, the commerce secretary, has made a career of tackling increasingly larger challenges. Could the next one be too big?

Reviews: ‘The Week In Art’

This week: as the exhibition Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia opens at the Kling & Bang gallery in Reykjavik, Ben Luke talks to Masha Alekhina, one of the founding members of Pussy Riot, and the artist Ragnar Kjartansson, one of the co-curators of the show.

As protests continue across Iran, Aimee Dawson, The Art Newspaper’s acting digital editor, speaks to Shirin Neshat, the artist whose work expressing solidarity with women in Iran was recently installed outside the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

And this episode’s Work of the Week is by the Puerto Rican artist Gabriella Torres-Ferrer. Their 2018 sculpture—called Untitled (Value Your American Lie)—is part of a major new show at the Whitney Museum in New York, exploring art in Puerto Rico in the five years since the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia, Kling & Bang, Reykjavik, until 15 January 2023. Pussy Riot: Riot Days, National Theatre of Iceland, Reykjavik, 25 November. Proceeds from the concert and the exhibition go to supporting Ukraine. You can hear an in-depth interview with Ragnar Kjartansson from 2020 on our sister podcast A brush with… on the usual podcast platforms.No existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, until 23 Apr 2023. 

Front Page: The New York Times – November 25, 2022

Under Missile Strikes, Ukrainians Haul Water, While Surgeons Work in the Dark

“Every hour is getting harder.” Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s essential services has caused blackouts in hospitals and cut off power and water in cities.

Balloons, Crowds and Poultry-Shaped Hats: A Thanksgiving Rite Springs Eternal

The annual Macy’s parade stepped off for the 96th time, its mix of joy and commercialism echoing through the years.

United States Enters a New Era of Direct Confrontation With Iran

The Biden administration has imposed new sanctions on Tehran and expressed support for protesters, as the Iranian government aids Russia in the Ukraine war and continues nuclear enrichment.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 24, 2022

Justice Dept. Seeking to Question Pence in Jan. 6 Investigation

Prosecutors want to speak with the former vice president as a witness to former President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain in power, and he is said to be considering how to respond.

Shooting at Walmart in Virginia Adds to Nation’s Grim Gun Toll

Six were killed, as well as the gunman, in the third recent high-profile mass shooting in the United States.

As Dinosaur Fossils Fetch Millions, There’s Many a Bone to Pick

Fossils are a multimillion-dollar business, bringing legal disputes, nondisclosure agreements and trademarks to the world of paleontology.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 23, 2022

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In Blow to Trump, Supreme Court Permits House to Obtain His Tax Returns

Ending a long legal fight, the Supreme Court rejected the former president’s request that it block the I.R.S. from turning over the files.

Even the Saudi Team Is Stunned After Victory Over Argentina

Even the country’s de facto leader had downplayed expectations. After a win over Lionel Messi’s Argentina, one of the most shocking results in World Cup history, Wednesday will be a national holiday.

A Year After the Omicron Surge, Officials See a Reduced Covid Threat This Winter

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci said the administration was optimistic that “we’re not going to see a repeat of what we saw last year,” when the Omicron variant swept through the country.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 22, 2022

‘He Saved a Lot of Lives’: Combat Veteran Tackled Colorado Gunman

The quick actions of a retired army major and a drag performer in high heels took down the gunman before he reached a crowded patio.

On the River at Night, Ambushing Russians

Ukrainian units plying the Dnipro River venture behind enemy lines under the cover of darkness, carrying out reconnaissance and sabotage.

Why States Were Unprepared for the Sports-Betting Onslaught

Government oversight of sports betting offers scant consumer protections and looks to the industry to police itself, The Times found.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 21, 2022

At Least 5 Dead and 25 Injured in Gunman’s Rampage at an L.G.B.T.Q. Club in Colorado

The police said a suspect in the shooting, who was also injured, was arrested.

Desperate for Growth, Aging Casino Company Embraced ‘Degenerate Gambler’

David Portnoy, who has a history of misogynistic and racist behavior, is now a public spokesman for the sports-betting industry.

A Crowd of Possible Trump Rivals Renews G.O.P. Fears of a Divided Field

Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley and other Republicans with a potential eye on 2024 gathered in Las Vegas at a moment of deep vulnerability for Donald Trump.

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Nov 20, 2022

New York Times Book Review – November 20, 2022:

A New Biography of George Balanchine, Ballet’s Colossus

“Mr. B,” by Jennifer Homans, explores the life of the Russian-born choreographer, as well as the beauty and pains of his art.

What Books Does Haruki Murakami Find Disappointing? His Own.

“The books I try not to pick up, and don’t want to read, are ones I wrote myself and published in the past,” says the Japanese writer, whose new book is “Novelist as a Vocation.” “Though it does make me want to do better with my next work.”

How We’ve Come to Genuflect to the ‘Free Market’

Jacob Soll’s ambitious history takes us from Cicero to Milton Friedman, but is hobbled by questionable assertions.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 20, 2022

The End of Vaccines at ‘Warp Speed’

Financial and bureaucratic barriers in the United States mean that the next generation of Covid vaccines may well be designed here, but used elsewhere.

In New Special Counsel, a Prosecutor Schooled in Corruption Cases

A veteran public corruption and war-crimes prosecutor, Jack Smith will take over two Trump-related criminal investigations.

In a First, Rich Countries Agree to Pay for Climate Damages in Poor Nations

After 30 years of deadlock, a new U.N. climate agreement aims to pay developing countries for loss and damage caused by global warming. But huge questions remain about how it would work.