Monthly Archives: September 2019

Nearly Inexplicable Love

Posted on September 9, 2019 by JMN

I used to think that her Professional Texan act was just that, but I see now that it was also a way to show that we Texans were all in it together, and that the things that united us — … Continue reading →

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Arcadia for Straw

Posted on September 9, 2019 by JMN

One can understand a place by what its people make… Locals [from Orkney] have a special relationship with straw, which they have long used for everything from roofing and bedding to shelving, rainwear and furniture. Perhaps the most famous local … Continue reading →

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Ambiguous Freedom

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

Film maker Gus Van Sant is known for “Drugstore Cowboy,” “My Own Private Idaho,” and “Good Will Hunting.” I didn’t know he also painted. Watercolor on linen is an unfamiliar combination for me. I’m not sure I would look too … Continue reading →

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Young Bashi-Bazouk

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

“Mr. Cummings is a bashi-bazouk,” said [Dominic] Grieve, citing the Ottoman Empire’s shock troops, who were renowned for their ferocity. “It is going to be a very difficult period because Cummings doesn’t respect any rule at all.” (Benjamin Mueller and Stephen Castle, … Continue reading →

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Francisco Toledo, Dead at 79

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

“The man himself is elusive,” [Paul] Theroux noted. “He hides from journalists, he hates to be photographed, he seldom gives interviews, he no longer attends his own openings, but instead sends his wife and daughter to preside over them, while … Continue reading →

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Female Underwear for Men

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

[Victoria’s Secret’s] guiding light… was a fictional woman named Victoria who had been raised in England by a successful London businessman and a French mother. She was well educated and married to a barrister. Company decisions were often made by … Continue reading →

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If You Want a Picture, You Must Ask

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

A female-focused dating app named Bumble, based in Austin, Texas, founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd, has lobbied Texas legislators successfully to pass the “cyber-flashing act.” The act … bans the electronic transmission of unwanted visual material depicting any person’s “intimate … Continue reading →

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“Storm With a Silent Mist”

Posted on September 5, 2019 by JMN

Isabel Toledo died last week of breast cancer at the age of fifty-nine. Judith Thurman pays tribute to this “designer’s designer” who described couture as a language which she had learned “as a child does, by immersion.” Self-possession is usually … Continue reading →

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“She’s Got It Down”

Posted on September 5, 2019 by JMN

The work of ninety-three-year-old artist Betye Saar will be shown concurrently this fall at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Her assemblages, illustrated in this article, are charming and compelling. … Continue reading →

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Do NOT Surprise Your Mom

Posted on September 5, 2019 by JMN

The mother said she… saw someone running into the bedroom, at which point she fired her .38 special handgun, hitting her daughter once… “If you realize someone has a gun for protection, and they’re not expecting you—announce yourself when you … Continue reading →

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