Jamie Malanowski

Month: January 2011

“DIRECTORY TO THE SERAGLIOS”

In the Times yesterday, Alison Leigh Cowan has a piece aboutThe Gentleman’s Directory, an 1870 Guide to Manhattan brothels that is currently among the holdings of The New York Historical Society. Listing 150 establishments, and delivering “insight into the character and doings of people whose deeds are carefully screened from public view,” the palm-sized book …

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JOHNNY STORM, RIP

The Human Torch, aka Johnny Storm, the young hothead of The Fantastic Four, is dead, killed in a battle against a horde of insectoid minions released by the super-villain Annihilus. His death comes in issue Number 587, which appears fifty years after the superheroic team’s debut. There will not be an issue Number 588.

RAMBLING WITH LEVON

On Saturday night, Ginny and I and our friends Cathy, Tim, Greg, Susan, Jo and Dave took a limo (!) up to Woodstock to see the legendary Levon Helm perform at his studio/home. In this warm, intimate atmosphere (the audience couldn’t have numbered more than 200), Helm and his wonderful band (among the players: Larry …

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“A NATION UNTO THEMSELVES”

The new issue of The Atlantic features an exceptionally good article by the impressive Chrystia Freeland called “The Rise of the New Global Elite.” The excellent article describes a new aristocracy whose power reaches across boundaries, whose ability to act in its own self-interest is probably impervious to national governments, and, perhaps most alarmingly, whose …

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