About Editing and Writing

Aspen’s Tangled Summer Saga: The Rich Developer vs. the Local Paper

August 12, 2022

From a New York Times story by Jack Healy headlined “Aspen’s Tangled Summer Saga: The Rich Developer vs. the Local Paper”:

Summers in Aspen are usually a breezy idyll of sunny hikes and ice-cream socials, a season when rich tourists fly in to attend jazz festivals and soak up mountain views from their $1,000-a-night hotel rooms.

But, lately, a tangled saga of wealth and the free press has become Aspen’s summer obsession. It erupted after a wealthy real-estate developer sued The Aspen Times, the town’s oldest newspaper, for libel last spring, saying that the paper defamed him and falsely referred to him as a Russian oligarch in the charged days after Russia invaded Ukraine.

A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City

August 12, 2022

From a Wall Street Journal review by Benjamin Shull of the book by Edward Chisholm titled “A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City”:

George Orwell, in his 1933 book “Down and Out in Paris and London,” sought to capture the mindset of the waiter: “He lives perpetually in sight of rich people, stands at their tables, listens to their conversation, sucks up to them with smiles and discreet little jokes. . . . He will take pains to serve a meal in style, because he feels that he is participating in the meal himself.”

Susan Coll on Life Inside a Bookstore

August 12, 2022

From a Washington Post review by Kerri Maher of the book by Susan Coll titled “Bookish People”:

Susan Coll knows books. Not only did she write the novels “The Stager,” “Acceptance” and “Beach Week,” but she also has spent years working in an independent bookstore. (For Washington, D.C., readers, it’s Politics and Prose.) Her new novel, “Bookish People,” makes witty use of her experience. Set almost entirely inside an unnamed bookstore, the novel offers an insightful and entertaining look behind the shelves and into the lives of the people who stock them.

Jean-Jacques Sempé: French Cartoonist Known in America for Children’s Book Illustrations and Covers for The New Yorker

August 12, 2022

From a New York Times obit by Robert D. McFadden headlined “Jean-Jacques Sempé, Cartoonist of Droll Whimsy, Dies at 89”:

Jean-Jacques Sempé, the French cartoonist known in America for children’s book illustrations and for covers for The New Yorker portraying tiny, gentle people with big noses at poignant moments, often dwarfed by monumental backgrounds, died on Thursday.

His wife, Martine Gossieaux Sempé, announced the death to Agence France-Presse. His biographer, Marc Lecarpentier, said Sempé — as he signed his work and was known universally — died at a vacation home. Sempé had a home and studio in Paris.

Activist Investor ValueAct Buys Stake in New York Times

August 11, 2022

From a Wall Street Journal story by Stephen Nakrosis and Patience Haggin headlined “ValueAct Takes Stake in New York Times”:

Activist investor ValueAct Capital Partners LP has taken a 6.7% stake in New York Times Co. and intends to push the media company to more aggressively market subscriber-only content.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, ValueAct said it has had and expects to have future conversations with executives and directors of New York Times about various issues, including “whether it makes sense for a ValueAct Capital employee to be on the issuer’s board of directors.”

Explaining the Fog of War in Ukraine

August 11, 2022

From politico.com:

The Fog of War

As we approach the six-month mark of Russia’s invasion, the war is entering a new phase. There’s widespread confusion about the state of the fight, and competing information continues to pour in from all directions.

This week alone, while satellite images showed several Russian military planes destroyed and three large blast craters — suggesting a serious blow to the country’s military — Moscow downplayed the strikes and said the blasts were caused by ammunition accidentally detonating. There’s also great uncertainty about casualty numbers, clouding assessments about how long Russia can keep this up. The Pentagon estimated this week that 80,000 Russian troops have died or been injured so far; Moscow hasn’t updated its March total of 1,351 dead. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces put the number of dead at 42,200 on social media over the weekend.

Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe

August 11, 2022

From the New York Times review by Keith Olbermann of the book by David Maraniss titled “Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe”:

Forty summers ago, a man wearing a tracksuit stepped out onto Fifth Avenue to celebrate his 90th birthday by running down the sidewalk in front of the Guggenheim Museum. He was there to publicize the New York City Marathon because in those days the New York City Marathon still needed the help. But, as nearly always happened to Abel Kiviat, the talk quickly turned to Jim Thorpe because there is a convincing argument to be made that Thorpe was the greatest athlete of all time. And 70 years earlier, Abel Kiviat had been Jim Thorpe’s roommate at the 1912 Olympics.

The D.C. Zoo Has Its Own Police Force—So Does the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

August 11, 2022

From a Wall Street Journal story by James V. Grimaldi headlined “Of Course, the D.C. Zoo Has Its Own Police Force. So Does the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.”

Sgt. Ron Gaskins has walked this police beat before, and he knows trouble when he sees it.

A crowd had gathered and was watching a curious character shimmying along two cables, stretched from pole to pole. “Where they’re standing now might not be good,” Sgt. Gaskins said.

“Folks,” the officer warned, gesturing to a painted sidewalk, “you might want to stay clear of the gray concrete.”

Truck Turns Over, Spills Load of Bud Light Beer

August 11, 2022

From an AP story:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A semitrailer loaded with beer turned over in Kentucky on Wednesday, spilling cases just off an interstate ramp.

The truck crashed around 8:50 a.m. while traveling from the Interstate 71 ramp to I-265 in northeastern Louisville, news outlets reported.

The truck spilled its entire cargo of Bud Light, most of it ending up in the median between the ramp and I-265.

How AP Coverage Will Change for U.S. Newspapers, Broadcasters, and Digital Publishers

August 11, 2022

From AP executive editor Julie Pace:

Earlier this year, we announced an upgraded AP news offering for our customers in the U.S. – one that is faster and more comprehensive when news is breaking, more visual and more attuned to the needs of digital publishers and their audiences. Today we’re excited to announce a new structure for the U.S. News team that will allow us to deliver on those commitments. Importantly, these are also changes that will create growth and development opportunities for our journalists and put more of you in position to do the kind of work you came to the AP to do

About Editing and Writing

Aspen’s Tangled Summer Saga: The Rich Developer vs. the Local Paper

A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City

Susan Coll on Life Inside a Bookstore

Jean-Jacques Sempé: French Cartoonist Known in America for Children’s Book Illustrations and Covers for The New Yorker

Activist Investor ValueAct Buys Stake in New York Times

Explaining the Fog of War in Ukraine

Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe

The D.C. Zoo Has Its Own Police Force—So Does the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Truck Turns Over, Spills Load of Bud Light Beer

How AP Coverage Will Change for U.S. Newspapers, Broadcasters, and Digital Publishers

About Editing

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About Writing

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