Last year, I wrote about Walter Duranty, the reporter for The New York Times who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting from the Ukraine in Russia, saying there was no famine and things were just fine. To be blunt, he lied for Stalin. It’s estimated that 11 million people died from the famine. In the 1990s, there were calls for his Pulitzer Prize to be revoked, but the Pulitzer board said no. As Francis Maier notes at First Things Magazine, there’s a new movie about what happened, entitled “Mr. Jones” and starring Benedict Cumberbatch. I wonder if The New York Times will review it.
I’ve seen the story in the Wall Street Journal but nowhere else. There is a rash of vandalism and arson attempts going on, directed at churches (especially Roman Catholic) in the U.S. and Canada. One particularly bad one was an arson attempt at a church in Florida, where the arsonist set the fire with people inside preparing for mass. Clemente Lisi at Get religion asks, where’s the national news coverage?
Speaking of news media, The Responsible Puppet has compiled a list of everything that the media say will come to an end because of the coronavirus. The list includes automobiles, globalization, auctions, tourism, college, bullfighting, luxury retail, your marriage, the open plan office, business travel, and useless meetings. That last item tells you how uninformed reporters can be – American corporations could not survive without useless meetings.
More Good Reads
Faith
How to More Wisely Consume News – Brian Weynand at The Gospel Coalition.
Storm be still – Hyatt Moore.
Going Over Jordan: Images of Baptism in “1917” – Basil Burroughs at The Imaginative Conservative.
The attractional church problem is nothing new, and neither is the solution – Brad Gray at Grace Upon Grace.
British Stuff
Two Bombed Churches – St. Alban and St. Mary – A London Inheritance.
BP Portrait Awards 2020 Virtual Exhibition – National Portrait Gallery, London. The prizewinners can be found here.
Where are the bones of Hans Holbein? – Jonathan Jones at The Guardian.
Thomas Cromwell’s Reputation – Michael Coren at The Critic.
Lionel de Rothschild’s Azaleas at Exbury – Judith Taylor at English Historical Fiction Authors.
American Stuff
Understanding History Through Addition, Not Subtraction, on Civil War Battlefields – Chris Mackowski at Emerging Civil War.
“It is inhuman, to treat our soldiers as such” – An Iowa Newspaper Criticizes the Federal Hospital System – Kristen Pawlak at Emerging Civil War.
Poetry
The wit and poetry of Billy Collins – Mary Harwell Sayler at The Poetry Editor.
Friday Harbor – Martha Hollander at Literary Matters.
Michael – Sonja Benskin Mesher.
Mary Magdalene: A Sonnet – Malcolm Guite.
Poetry’s Revival and Mr. Wilson – David Paul Deavel at Catholic World Report.
Life and Culture
The Left is Now the Right – Matt Taibbi.
Groundbreaking National Study Shows That Americans Struggle to Think Coherently About Abortion – Jessica Keating at Church Life Journal.
Writing and Literature
Are You a Reader? – Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent.
A Love Letter to Developmental Editors – R.L. Maizes at Literary Hub.
Seven Great Works by (Romantic) Authors Who Died Young – Jane Kim at The Scriptorium.
What We Relate To When We Read Books – Josh Malerman at CrimeReads.
Edith Wharton: The Best Seller Who Hated Best Sellers – Sheila Liming at Lapham’s Quarterly.
Bless the Broken Road – Piano Solo by The Piano Guys
1 comment:
Thanks, Glynn, for including my article on Billy Collins. His poetry is a fun read - humorous and, at times, wistful - but always fresh and unexpected.
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