Meeting: Thursday, July 6, 2006

From recent issues:
The issue of 2006-02-06, published 2006-01-30

TROUBLEMAKERS
by MALCOLM GLADWELL
What pit bulls can teach us about profiling.
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060206fa_fact

Q. Gladwell seems to make an argument similar to the NRA... Pit Bulls
aren't naturally dangerous, it's the owner's behavior that makes them
dangerous. Do you agree with him (or me), and why?

The issue of 2006-06-26, published 2006-06-19

ANNALS OF COMMENCEMENT
WHAT I LEARNED
by DAVID SEDARIS
And what I said at Princeton.
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060626fa_fact

Q. Did you think this was funny? Is it funnier as a speech, read
aloud with Sedaris' unique voice?

NOTES OF A GASTRONOME
The Dessert Lab
by Bill Buford
An obsessive pastry chef.

Q. Is dessert really a social creation, more so than other dining? Do
you think of dessert as a way to keep the evening from ending?

Cartoons: http://www.cartoonbank.com/search_results_category.asp?section=prints&topic=all&pubNY=1&advanced=1&pubDateFrom=06/26/2006&pubDateTo=06/26/2006

Talk of the Town:
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/index/060626ta_index

The Critics:
http://www.newyorker.com/critics/index/060626cr_index

Q. Denby doesn't like "Nacho Libre", but he offers a compelling image
of Jack Black: "He has thick curly hair and a mustache, and his eyes
glint with the dirtiest thoughts entertained by any religious
functionary since Rasputin." Do you think Jack Black is just playing
"Jack Black" again?

Issue of 2006-06-19 published 2006-06-12

ANNALS OF HOLLYWOOD
The Cameraman
by Hilton Als
America's first great cinematographer

Q. Toland seems to be one of the first in Hollywood to paint the story
with light and camera. Why do you think to this day, the cameraman
isn't appreciated outside the industry, when he/she is a major
influence in the final product?

A REPORTER AT LARGE
Watching the Waterfront
by Walter Finnegan
How vulnerable is New York's port?

Q. At the end of the article, Finnegan states he doesn't think the
particular docks that the F.B.I. proposes as most vulnerable to
smuggling WMD, are very vulnerable. But he doesn't offer any details
why. Do you agree with him?

ONLINE ONLY
Q. & A.
The Docks of New York
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/online/060619on_onlineonly01

Cartoons:
http://www.cartoonbank.com/search_results_category.asp?section=prints&topic=all&pubNY=1&advanced=1&pubDateFrom=06/19/2006&pubDateTo=06/19/2006

Talk of the Town:
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/index/060619ta_index

Q. Which "Talk" piece interested you the most? Why was it interesting?

The Critics:
http://www.newyorker.com/critics/index/060619cr_index

Meeting: Saturday, June 3, 2006

The issue of 2006-05-29, published 2006-05-22

A REPORTER AT LARGE
Ruffled Feathers
by John Seabrook
The secret deceptions of a bird-world hero.

Q. Richard Meinertzhagen is a person similar in character to another subject we read about, Leigh Fermor. What do you think was his motivation for deceiving the community of his fame? Is deception pathological for intelligence officers? Can they help it?

THE CURRENT CINEMA
HEAVEN CAN WAIT
by Anthony Lane
"The Da Vinci Code."
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/060529crci_cinema

Q. Do you think a viewer will enjoy DVC more if they have or haven't read the book? It's a common observation that great books make poor movies and the converse. Why is this?

BOOKS
Big Bird
by Thomas Mallon
A biography of Harper Lee.
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/060529crbo_books

Q. Why do you think Harper Lee never wrote a second novel? Blocked? Too ambitious? It really was stolen? Do you think her relationship with Capote and his success intimidated her?

BOOKS
GAME THEORY
What experts don't see in athletes.
by Malcolm Gladwell
When it comes to athletic prowess, don't believe your eyes.
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/060529crbo_books1

Umm, I apologize. This selection is a mistake.

Q. Why is this the most boring article Malcolm Gladwell has ever written? Ok, real question... Are professional sports about athletic prowess or entertainment?

Cartoons:
http://www.cartoonbank.com/search_results_category.asp?section=prints&topic=all&pubNY=1&advanced=1&pubDateFrom=05/29/2006&pubDateTo=05/29/2006


The issue of 2006-05-22, published 2006-05-15

PROFILES
What the Dog Saw
Cesar Millan and the enigma of presence.
by Malcolm Gladwell
also: http://www.newyorker.com/online/content/?060522on_onlineonly01

Q. Presence. Is it authenticity? Is it voice or movement or personality? Body language? Are dogs the ultimate movement analyst?

LIFE AND LETTERS
An Englishman Abroad
Patrick Leigh Fermor, gentleman hero.
by Anthony Lane

Q. Leigh Fermor has dash. What is dash? Who if anyone has dash today? Does our culture of "celebritology" sabotage the quality in anyone with an innate sense of dash?

Cartoons:
http://www.cartoonbank.com/search_results_category.asp?section=prints&topic=all&pubNY=1&advanced=1&pubDateFrom=05/22/2006&pubDateTo=05/22/2006