Southern Bookman

Feeling paranoid on Peachtree Street? It might be those cameras watching you

Welcome South, (Big) Brother.

Atlanta is a global city after all, at least when it comes to spying on its citizens and visitors. Henry Grady's "brave and beautiful city" ranks 10th in the world in public street surveillance, with nearly 11,000 security cameras watching the sidewalks, according to a recent AJC article.

With 15.6 cameras per 1,000 residents, Atlanta ia the only American city to make the top 10 list, according to the Comparitech report. Eight of the top surveillance cities are in China, which holds the top five spots. London, with 58 cameras per 1,000 residents, ranks sixth. Chongqing, in central China, is the world's top snoop, with 158 cameras per 1,000 people.

Years ago, Atlanta aspired to be an international city. Little did we know it would be for video surveillance.

Go to a strip club, the giant eye will see you. Tipsy after too many drinks at lunch? Surprise, you're on candid camera. Starting a new relationship? The camera knows. Those 11,000 unblinking eyes will see what books or magazines you've purchased.

Notoriously repressive Singapore and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates rank below Atlanta. Perhaps Atlanta can hold on to the camera-security lead as the UAB's Dubai's airport closes in on Hartsfield-Jackson as the world's busiest.

City police keeping watch on the city's streets from monitors in the Loudermilk Visual Intregration Center downtown say the prying on Peachtree reduces crime. But the ACLU says the watching handcuffs personal freedom.

If you're going to see the Falcons or Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, enjoy the game. The city will be watching you.

 

 

 

 

 

Deadspin crashes after staff revolts against corporate demands

The Internet has ravaged newspapers and magazines. The new age is also perilous for digital news sites.

Cheeky sports site Deadspin looks all but dead after a staff revolt against its corporate overlords.

Deadspin's staff resigned this week after a demand from its private equity owners that the site limit its coverage to sports. The site drew a hip audience with articles that branched out from sports to politics and popular culture. Writers were given wide latitude to give personal views and throw bricks at revered sports figures and institutions.

As with ESPN, Deadspin owner Great Hill Partners grew uneasy with its staff's left-leaning political coverage. Great Hill gained control of Deadspin and sibling Jezebel from Univision and formed G/O Media to run the sites. Deadspin and Jezebel were originally part of Gawker, which collapsed after wrestler Hulk Hogan won a $140 million judgment against it.

G/O Media Editorial Director Paul Maidiment's meddling with Deadspin's articles led to the resignation of Editor Megan Greenwall a few months ago. This week, interim Editor Barry Petchesky was tossed out after opposing Maidment's demands that the site limit itself to sports. The staff resigned in support of Petchesky. The writers also objected to pop-up video ads that disrupted readers. An outpouring of outrage from Deadspin fans followed the turmoil.

Deadspin's self-immolation follows massive staff cutbacks at Sports Illustrated, engineered by another private equity firm. SI soldiers on, scoring a First Amendment victory over the Houston Astros during the World Series when an Astros executive was fired for making misogynistic comments to a female SI reporter.

With Deadspin reeling, sports fans have fewer digital choices. The site's demise is another blow to free, reliable information on the Internet.

Along with ESPN, newspaper sites and the diminished SI, those hungry for comprehensive sports news on the Internet can turn to the self-congratulatory and subscription-based the Athletic, funded by venture capitalists. With a roster of mainstream sportswriters pirated from local newspapers, The Athletic labors to match Deadspin's snarkiness and unconventional views.

Private equity firms have plundered local newspapers as well as digital sites. The old press barons were greedy, but had some commitment to journalism.

 

As reading declines, Philip Roth's $2 million bequest to Newark Library supports books

Philip Roth in his novels wrote about Jewish life of his youth in Newark. Honoring that heritage, Roth left $2 million to his hometown's public library, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The bequest from Roth's $10 million estate shows his faith in reading and literature. Roth stipulated that the money be used to purchase books, not for capital projects. The gift will be placed in an endowment, and $80,000 a year in interest will go to the library to add to its selection of new books.

Before his death, Roth left his extensive book collection to the library. The books, with Roth's annotations, are housed in a dedicated room open to the public.The library also sponsors special events to honor Roth.

Growing up in a prosperous, middle-class Newark, Roth was dismayed by the city's decline in the 1960s and 1970s. During his youth, he often visited the city's public library, which opened the literary world to him.

Fewer children are discovering that world, according to an alarming report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. National tests showed a 3 percent decline in reading ability among eighth graders and 1 percent falloff among fourth graders. Math tests showed a 1 percent gain for fourth graders and a 1 percent drop for eighth graders.

Struggling students keep falling further behind, while those at the top are regressing, the report found.

The declines reverse significant gains in test results from 1990 to 2015, according to reports. Now, as China and other countries tout educational achievements, American students fall behind

Some commentators blamed the reversals on students' dependence on mobile phones, television and computer screens. Others said more and more parents don't read to their children from an early age. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos predictably called for more "school choice" and tax breaks for private schools rather than spending more on public education.

Like Philip Roth, children deserve the gift of reading.

 

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Vintage World Series stories by New York Times reflect how writing changed through the years

World Series joy, heartbreak and drama come alive in vintage New York Times sports stories.

The newspaper has been reprinting its coverage of World Series moments such as Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Mickey Owens' passed ball that gave the Yankees an unexpected victory in 1941, Yankees pitcher Don Larsen's perfect game over the Dodgers in 1956 and Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk's 12th inning home run against the Reds in t976.

From the ornate style of the early 20th century to the streamlined writing of later years, the articles register baseball's once central place in American culture. The game's hold on the popular imagination reached its peak in 1976, when the Reds recovered from Fisk's blast to beat the Red Sox in seven games

Times sportswriter John Drebinger wrote the accounts of the famous 1941 and 1956  games between the Yankees and Dodgers, whose World Series battles through the years made for some of the fall classic's most exciting chapters.

With newsreel clarity, Drebinger captures the games' drama and historic importance. A Hall of Fame writer, Drebinger possessed a descriptive gift that still makes a reader feel he's there at old Ebbets Field or Yankees Stadium.

In the 1941 game at Ebbets Field, the Dodgers were on the brink of tying the Yankees two games apiece in the series. When Owens let a third strike get away from him in the top of the ninth inning, Yankees hitter Tommy Heinrich dashed to first base, leading to a game-winning rally by the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers closed out the series the next day. Famous Yankees Joe DiMaggio, Charlie "King Kong" Keller and Joe "Flash" Gordon come alive in Drebinger's piece.

Drebinger's wit and stylish writing shine in his report on Larsen's masterpiece. A journeyman pitcher, Larsen on that bright October afternoon stifled the Dodgers hitters Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Sandy Amoros, Junior Gilliam and Roy Campanella. Dodgers pitcher Sal Maglie held the powerful Yankees to two runs and five hits. The Yankees' Mickey Mantle hit a solo home run.

John Durso's report on Fisk's home run to give the Boston Red Sox a sixth-game win over the Cincinnati Reds shows how the late 20th century's less convoluted style lessened the fun and drama of sportswriting. Compared with Drebinger's stories, Ourso's piece is drab and workmanlike.

The vintage Times articles capture moments of young men's moments of glory or defeat. After baseball, they grew old, as will today's players.

 

New Yorker finds success among Conde Nast's decline

The New Yorker is a bright spot as Conde Nast's other famous magazines falter.

While the New Yorker in one recent issue managed only two full-page ads, the magazine stays profitable from a subscriptions increase and its online pay wall, according to Reeves Wideman's current New York magazine article on Conde Nast's struggles in the digital age.

As with The New York Times and Washington Post, the Trump presidency has been good for the New Yorker. Its "Talk of the Town" section frequently criticizes Trump's antics, and features such as Jill Lepore's recent article on the history of impeachment examine aspects of  the Trump administration.

While the New Yorker's web site and digital offerings draw readers, editor David Reminick's print magazine has stayed true to its long-established formula of in-depth articles, astute criticism, fiction and poetry, humor and those signature cartoons. Remnick's covers have ranged from traditional pastoral scenes and depictions of New York life to pointed political commentary. The magazine also publishes one of the best weekly roundups of New York City events.

Unlike other Conde Nast publications, whose copy-editing and fact-checking operations have been consolidated into universal desks serving all, the New Yorker had kept its editing autonomy, according to Wideman. And Remnick, unlike other editors, is independent from Anna Wintour, the famous Vogue editor now overseeing content of magazines like GQ and Vanity Fair.

Even the vaunted fashion bible Vogue has seen its ad pages decline in the digital era, Wideman says. Roger Lynch, Conde Nast's new CEO, came from Pandora, and has no journalistic experience. In contrast to the New Yorker, GQ and Vanity Fair are turning away from the long, investigative pieces that added weight to the magazines' coverage of fashion and celebrity.

Wideman's article draws attention to Vanity Fair's decline under Radhika Jones, the former New York Times books editor who replaced flamboyant editor Graydon Carter. Jones has taken the glamour and pizzazz out of the magazine, critics say, although she's in her corporate bosses' good graces by not complaining about reductions in office space as other editors did.

As the publishing world dumbs down, New Yorker's success is encouraging. Whether it can be sustained is the question.

Wendell Pierce receives accolades for Willy Loman performance in London production of "Death of a Salesman"

Wendell Pierce says playing Willy Loman is like scaling a mountain each night.

The New Orleans native is receiving accolades for his portrayal of Loman in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" at Piccadilly Theater in London's West End. The production originated at the Old Vic.

In an interview in Sunday's New York Times, Pierce called the role America's Hamlet, acknowledging the notable group of American actors who've played the part.

Pierce, known for performances in HBO's "The Wire" and "Treme," the hit TV show "Suits" and numerous movies, is an accomplished theatrical actor. During his career, he's appeared in plays by August Wilson, Shakespeare and Chekhov. Pierce hopes to add Othello and King Lear to his Loman role, he told the Times.

An all-black cast plays Loman's family in the West End production, which brings new dimensions to Miller's play, Pierce said. A black family struggling with middle-class aspirations has parallels to Loman's Jewish family.

After Hurricane Katrina destroyed Pierce's childhood home in New Orleans' Ponchartrain Park neighborhood, Pierce launched efforts to rebuild the community. He also received praise for his production of "Waiting for Godot," which brought healing to the city after Katrina's devastation.

Pierce's triumphant performance as Willy Loman brings him to the top tier of American actors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nationals bring World Series back to Washington

The Washington Nationals' song is "Baby Shark," but they should be singing "You Gotta Have Heart."

The anthem sung by the Washington Senators in the play/movie "Damn Yankees" is appropriate for the Nationals' resurrection after a 19-35 start.

Unlike in "Damn Yankees," a deal with the devil presumably wasn't involved in the slugging of Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto and Ryan Zimmerman, the bullpen's revival and the starting pitching of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez.

With the Nationals holding a 2-0 lead over the Houston Astros, the World Series returns to the nation's capital Friday night for the first time since 1933. The American League Senators of Joe Cronin, Goose Goslin, Heninie Manush and Showboat Fisher lost to the National League New York Giants of Bill Terry, Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell in five games.

Another Washington team, the Homestead Grays, won the final Negro Leagues World Series in 1949, beating the Birmingham Black Barons.

The Nats' first appearance in the World Series brought a wave of nostalgia for the old Senators. The New York Times has run more photos of Walter Johnson, the Senators' Big Train, than Scherzer or Strasburg.

After winning the World Series in 1924 and the American League pennant in 1925 and 1933, the Senators fell into years of losing seasons. The team moved to Minnesota in 1960, finding success as the Twins. The few stars of the old Senators, like Roy Sievers, stood out because they played for such bad ballclubs.

I'd always thought that longtime Washington Post sports columnist Shirley Povich had coined the old jibe about the Senators, "First in War, First in Peace and Last in the American League." But the wayback machine revealed it was coined by pioneering baseball writer Charles Dryden in 1906, playing off "Light Horse" Harry Lee's salute in his eulogy for George Washington, "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Another Senators franchise played in Washington in the 1960s. The team was  forgettable, except for fearsome 6-7 slugger Frank Howard and manager Ted Williams, who led the team to its only winning season in 1969. Washington also lost that team, which moved to Arlington, Texas, and changed to the Texas Rangers, once owned by George W. Bush.

After losing two franchises, Washington benefited from another city's sorrow when the Montreal Expos turned into the Nats. After some rocky early years, the Nats turned into one of baseball's best franchises. Perennially sportswriters' darlings to win the World Series, the Nats disappointed their fans with a string of postseason collapses

Now, the Nationals are two victories away from the World Championship. The spirit of Joe Hardy lives anew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leonardo Da Vinci exhbit at Louvre reflects unity of his artistic, scientific work

Leonardo da Vinci's astonishing life unified art and science, which later tragically split into separate realms.

A monumental exhibit at the Louvre in Paris that opened Thursday reflects how Leonardo's art and scientific endeavors reflected each other. The exhibit is a major cultural event, with extensive reviews in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and other publications.

Marking the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death, the exhibit gathers 160 drawings, manuscripts, sculptures and paintings organized to trace Leonardo's development from youth to old age.

Adding to the Louvre's collection, major museums from around the world lent works to the exhibit, the result of intense negotiations, as detailed in a recent Wall Street Journal article.

A last minute court ruling in Italy allowed Leonardo's delicate Vitruvian Man diagram to travel from Venice to Paris. Its artistry and scientific precision is on a spectrum with his great paintings such as John the Baptist, the Madonna of the Rocks and the Virgin and Child With St. Anne.

Leonard's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, remains on another floor of the Louvre. The enigmatic painting receives a throng of visitors, which would make the exhbit's crowds unmanageable.

A portrait of the elderly Leonardo drawn by one of his assistants comes at the close of the exhibit, a testament to Leonardo's humanity.

The Louvre has gathered a bountiful selection of Leonardo's scattered works into a comprehensive whole. As humanity's worst attributes gain prominence, the Leonardo exhibit shows our highest aspirations.

 

 

 

Mike Vaccarro, Ray Ratto and Will Leitch give sportswriting pleasure

Rupert Murdoch's New York Post is often derided, but the tabloid does a good job of covering New York City.

Following the Yankees-Astros American League Championship Series, I've discovered the Post's Mike Vaccarro, one of the best newspaper sports columnists I've read in a while.

The Yankees-oriented Vaccarro's vivid language recalls the old-time sportswriting masters. He conveys baseball's excitement, drama and disappointment. Vaccaro is also the author of several books on baseball history.

Along with Vaccarro, I've had a good run recently of finding outstanding sportswriters on the Internet.

Deadspin, beset by corporate turmoil, recently began running columns by West-coast based Ray Ratto. Years ago, I heard about Ratto's coverage of California sports, but in those pre-Internet days, I never read his work. Now, I look forward to reading his witty and provocative columns that express an original viewpoint.

New York magazine and MLB's Will Leitch is another sportswriter who gives a fresh outlook. Co-founder of Deadspin, Leitch is now based in Athens, Ga., from where he turns out an impressive body of work. I mainly read his insightful New York magazine articles. He also produces a weekly Saturday newsletter, in which he reflects on sports and his life in Athens among the UGA Bulldogs.

The Internet has endangered print journalism. It's also given access to sportswriters keeping alive an American tradition.

 

Happy 40th anniversary, London Review of Books

The London Review of Books bookstore was one of the first places I visited on a trip to London several years ago.

Perusing the well-stocked shelves at the store in Bloomsbury near the British Museum gave me the sense of belonging to London's literary scene. A LRB subscriber for years, I'd often seen ads for the bookstore in the journal. Finding the place on a small side street made me feel like a cultural insider.

The LRB is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a number of events in the British capital. As when I hurried to the LRB bookstore, I was excited to receive the 40th anniversary issue in the mail, the first of two.

Modeled on the New York Review of Books, the LRB was founded in 1979 when the Times Literary Supplement was sidelined by a strike at the London Times. Co-founder Mary Kay Wilmers remains at the helm.

The journal has published an all-star cast of writers. In the early years of receiving the LRB, I loved articles by the esteemed critic Frank Kermode. I first encountered Christopher Hitchens' work in the LRB, along with that of Christopher Ricks.

A new generation of writers does excellent work in the LRB, including the novelist and essayist John Lanchester and novelist and journalist Andrew O'Hagan. Patrick Cockburn's Mideast reporting gives a different perspective than that found in American media. O'Hagan's lengthy report on the Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 residents of the high rise was a major piece of journalism.

Another standout was Jenny Diski's multipart diary chronicling her losing battle with cancer. Diski also looked back on her adolescent years living with the Noble Prize winning novelist Doris Lessing, who rescued Diski from a troubled life. Lessing is portrayed as a mercurial, emotionally remote caregiver.

Each new year brings the publication of playwright Alan Bennett's diary of the previous 12 months. The urbane Bennett's account of his daily life in Leeds and London chronicles his love of old churches and country pleasures, his literary life in London and his hatred of conservative politicians.

Wilmers is known for publishing controversial articles such as Seymour Hersh's piece proclaiming that the Obama administration lied about Obama Bin Laden's death, that Pakistan had known of Bin Laden's presence in the country. American publications including the New Yorker refused to publish Hersh's findings. His piece has been disputed, but the public deserved the chance to weigh its claims.

The LRB has kept close tabs on Brexit, cuts to the British public health system, and disorienting changes in the British economy. It also gives strong perspectives on American politics.

I have one quibble with the LRB: It arrives in a plastic covering, unlike the Times Literary Supplement. A journal committed to battling climate change shouldn't generate plastic waste.

It is a joy to discover the LRB's presence in my mailbox, often two weeks later than its London publication. While the LRB's circulation has increased, its finances are precarious and it's struggling in the digital age. When I receive the print journal, published on cheap newsprint, it seems like a vestige of a vanished era. Here's hoping it keeps going.