Author Topic: In the New Yorker...  (Read 1920953 times)

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1420 on: June 22, 2016, 01:01:08 pm »
Once again, even if you don't like to read political stuff in TNY, do read David Remnick's editorial in the June 20 issue. The language he chooses to characterize Donald Trump is highly entertaining!  :D
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1421 on: June 29, 2016, 01:33:24 pm »
I was about to give up on the article about microbes and drug-resistant infections (June 20) (a duty article if there ever was one), but then at the top of the third column on page 56, it started to get really interesting. I felt a personal connection to the story when I read that streptomycin, "the first cure for tuberculosis," apparently was discovered in 1943. That was the year my grandfather died of tuberculosis.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1422 on: July 01, 2016, 12:35:41 pm »
The New Yorker is not looking good in the Gay Talese debacle. I have long been suspicious of Gay Talese's fact checking (I once read an annotation of his most famous piece, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," in which he explained his sources and methods, and they seemed sloppy).

But aren't New Yorker fact checkers supposed to be impeccable? The story's flaws were as easily obtainable as real-estate records.

It's like the NY editors were willing to go on faith that a respected old white guy couldn't possibly have screwed up.

I will say that by disavowing his own book before it's even out, Talese is showing integrity. Better than Jonah Lehrer, who lied to cover up his own credibility screwups for as long as he could.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/01/us/politics/ap-us-gay-talese-book.html



Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1423 on: July 01, 2016, 01:11:48 pm »
The New Yorker is not looking good in the Gay Talese debacle. I have long been suspicious of Gay Talese's fact checking (I once read an annotation of his most famous piece, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," in which he explained his sources and methods, and they seemed sloppy).

But aren't New Yorker fact checkers supposed to be impeccable? The story's flaws were as easily obtainable as real-estate records.

It's like the NY editors were willing to go on faith that a respected old white guy couldn't possibly have screwed up.

I will say that by disavowing his own book before it's even out, Talese is showing integrity. Better than Jonah Lehrer, who lied to cover up his own credibility screwups for as long as he could.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/01/us/politics/ap-us-gay-talese-book.html

You mean the article about the Peeping Tom?

Yes, the fact checkers did have a reputation for being impeccable--once upon a time. But lately it seems the fact checking is as bad as the copy editing.

How the mighty have fallen. ...
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1424 on: July 01, 2016, 02:01:12 pm »
Several articles in the June 27 issue are read-worthy. The article "The Shadow Doctors" by Ben Taub, brought a chill to my soul. A government bent on destroying its own people now turns to bombing hospitals and places where children are sheltered. How much more will we endure? Right after that is the article "Making a Killing" by Evan Osnos about the growth of the gun culture in the US. It explained a lot of things to me. . .such as why gun owners so stubbornly cling to their guns and why they seem to need so many. People have been manipulated by the gun manufacturers more than they think.
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1425 on: July 01, 2016, 06:08:56 pm »
You mean the article about the Peeping Tom?

Yes. He didn't even own the motel during a big chunk of the period Talese's book covers.  :P


Offline serious crayons

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1426 on: July 01, 2016, 06:43:39 pm »
I'm beginning to wonder how Gay Talese is doing, cognitive healthwise. Here's a response he gave to Vulture.com about what he's reading this summer. Can't tell if it was written or spoken, but either way ...

Gay Talese, writer
“I’m reading Richard Cohen’s book on Nora Ephron — I have the galley. It’s a wonderful book. My cousin Nick Pileggi was married to her, I knew her. This guy Richard Cohen is the only guy who could have written this book. It is a terrific book, and I knew Nora, I’m her cousin-in-law.


Oh, and to get back on topic, here's what David Remnick will be reading:

David Remnick, editor-in-chief, The New Yorker
“The last book I bought hasn't arrived at home yet; it’s A Dance to the Music of Time, by Anthony Powell. And then the two books I'm currently reading: I'm just finishing Robert Gottlieb's memoirs — I wonder why. It isn’t out yet, but I have the galley. And Moby-Dick I'm reading again. It's even better than I remembered it. I sound like a dummy extolling the virtues of Moby-Dick, but god is it good. I figured since I'm not going to go to the beach I might as well read about it.


I have never read Moby-Dick, probably never will read Moby-Dick, and also probably -- never say never! -- be editor of the New Yorker.



Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1427 on: July 01, 2016, 08:18:39 pm »
I'm beginning to wonder how Gay Talese is doing, cognitive healthwise. Here's a response he gave to Vulture.com about what he's reading this summer. Can't tell if it was written or spoken, but either way ...

Gay Talese, writer
“I’m reading Richard Cohen’s book on Nora Ephron — I have the galley. It’s a wonderful book. My cousin Nick Pileggi was married to her, I knew her. This guy Richard Cohen is the only guy who could have written this book. It is a terrific book, and I knew Nora, I’m her cousin-in-law.


I'm not sure what's wrong with this quote. I checked on Wikipedia and Nick was married to Nora from 1987–2012. I assume he has the advance galleys of the book, which hasn't come out yet.
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1428 on: July 02, 2016, 04:51:23 pm »
I'm not sure what's wrong with this quote. I checked on Wikipedia and Nick was married to Nora from 1987–2012. I assume he has the advance galleys of the book, which hasn't come out yet.

I was referring to how he repeats the same information twice in the same paragraph.

My cousin Nick Pileggi was married to her, I knew her.... I knew Nora, I’m her cousin-in-law.

I guess the weirdness partly depends on whether he wrote it or spoke it, which the story doesn't clarify. If he wrote it, it's ridiculous. If he spoke it, well, people do that kind of thing sometimes. Still, when my mom developed Alzheimer's, repeating facts in conversation was among the first big signs.








Offline serious crayons

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Re: In the New Yorker...
« Reply #1429 on: July 04, 2016, 12:58:57 pm »
New Yorker copyediting, circa 1962 (sentences are sequential in the article):

This astonishing statement served to confirm a long-held conviction of Sara Murphy’s that Fitzgerald knew very little about people, and nothing at all about the Murphy’s.

Now in their seventies, the Murphys today are not inclined to think very much about the past.


http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1962/07/28/living-well-is-the-best-revenge?mbid=nl_Sunday%20Longreads%20(43)&CNDID=26521759&spMailingID=9109776&spUserID=MTA5MjQwNDczMzI2S0&spJobID=942390854&spReportId=OTQyMzkwODU0S0