Clare Chambers The Editor’s Wife Arrow Books, Penguin Random House 2021.
The Editor’s Wife is a complex novel, with some seemingly simple elements that add to the storyline so successfully that it is not until later that their wider impact becomes clear. Contrary to the title, which foreshadows one woman as the focal point, another and her relationship to her sons, Gerald and Christopher, provides the complexities that pervade their behaviour and interactions.
The novel begins with several observations by Christopher, from whose perspective the novel is narrated. His parents’ philosophy that one should ‘aim low, keep your head down, don’t make a fuss’ and ‘don’t get above yourself’ suggests that the brothers’ shortcomings which are manifested throughout the novel may have their beginnings in this bleak perspective. On the other hand, as the brothers’ lives unfold, despite obvious problems of homelessness, redundancy, thwarted creativity, partnerships that fail, floundering responses to social niceties on the part of Gerald, and resentment toward him on the part of Christopher, there are glimmerings of recognition that these brothers might have a future that overcomes their apparent lack of compassion for each other. See Books: Reviews for the complete review.
Sian Lye The Architecture Lover’s Guide to London Pen & Sword, White Owl, 2022.
I was thrilled to begin reading this thorough and fascinating book about a city I love – and have not been able to visit for over two years because of Covid. Nothing can replace being there but having Sian Lye’s guide is a very close second. Indeed, how much better my next trip will be with the knowledge from Lye’s book, even if many of the buildings are familiar already.
This is a valuable resource, written in the familiar Pen and Sword style with detailed research presented in an engaging and accessible approach. I particularly enjoyed the early discussion in the introduction which covered the Roman’s first settlement and a wonderful historical tour through Tudor times and afterwards, the Great Fire of 1666 and its consequences, through the Georgian, Regency periods to the Second World War, through to today. Some wonderful photographs (listed clearly) accompany this material. See Books: Reviews for the complete review.
Articles that appear after the Covid report- Heather Cox Richardson with four stories related to American politics; Heather Cox Richardson and Fiona Hill – an anticipated post for next week; Cindy Lou Dines in Downer; Upcoming at the NGA; and equal pay for American woman soccer players .
Covid in Canberra after the end of lockdown
The total number of cases in Canberra from the start of the pandemic is 42,720, with 31 deaths. In Australia the numbers are 2.97M with 4,726 deaths. The borders are now opening to international travel. Western Australia has retained its recently re-closed border to the other states and territories. However, Premier Mark McGowan has announced that it will open on 3 March, with restrictions to be applied in the state.
On the 17th February 98.6% of Canberrans over twelve have been vaccinated, of whom 62.9% have received boosters. Children five to eleven who have now received their first dose is 76.8%. There have been 537 new cases reported, and there are forty seven people in hospital.
A heartening drop in the number of cases reported on 18th February – 355. However, this number increased for February 20th, with 560 cases , and thirty five people in hospital. On February 21st there were 458 cases recorded, with thirty seven people in hospital, with one in ICU and ventilated, and more death. There have now been thirty three deaths related to Covid 19 in the ACT. There were 583 cases reported on 22 February, with forty four people in hospital , one in ICU, but none ventilated. Vaccinations for children five to eleven are now at 77.6%, and boosters for those over sixteen are at 65.3%.
Today, 23 February, 946 new cases have been reported, so there are now 3,185 active cases in the ACT. Forty people are in hospital, with two in ICU, and none ventilated. Boosters are increasing, with 65.8% of Canberrans over sixteen having received three doses of the vaccine. Vaccinations for children aged five to eleven are now at 77.7% for one dose. Mandatory masks for some inside venues will ease from 6.00pm on Friday.
Heather Cox Richardson – four stories of note: National Archives; John Durham; US District Court and the former president, Donald Trump; Biden and Ukraine
February 18, 2022 (Friday)
There are four big stories today.
The first is that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has confirmed that it found classified documents among those its staff recovered from former president Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.
David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, wrote in a letter to Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, that NARA is in the process of inventorying the 15 boxes of material Trump took out of the White House and that it has found “items marked as classified national security information within the boxes.” Because Trump removed classified information from its required security protection, NARA staff have alerted the Department of Justice to that national security breach.
There is more. Ferriero said that NARA has identified social media records that the Trump administration neglected to preserve. NARA “has also learned that some White House staff conducted official business using non-official messaging accounts that were not copied or forwarded into their official electronic messaging accounts,” as the law required. In addition, even after news reports of Trump tearing up records led NARA to remind the White House that records must be preserved, it nonetheless received records that were torn into pieces.
But her emails.
(Sorry. Willfully destroyed records make historians a bit salty.)
Meanwhile, the second story is that John Durham, whose court filing in a case drove the story about Trump’s mishandling of presidential records out of the news this week, has responded to the accusation that he deliberately politicized and exaggerated a story to inflame Trump loyalists. Durham’s filing presented information in such a misleading way that right-wing media and lawmakers have howled incorrectly that it proved Hillary Clinton was spying on Trump both before and after he took office. The defendant in the case asked the court to strike from that filing the inflammatory paragraphs.
Today, Durham responded that “if third parties or members of the media have overstated, understated, or otherwise misinterpreted facts contained in the Government’s Motion, that does not in any way undermine the valid reasons for the Government’s inclusion of this information.” In other words, the right-wing media frenzy misrepresents what happened, but that misinterpretation is not Durham’s problem.
The third story is that U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta rejected Trump’s attempt to dismiss three lawsuits that blame him for inciting the January 6 riot. Eleven members of the House of Representatives (in their personal capacities) and two Capitol Police officers have accused former president Trump, Donald J. Trump Jr., Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Representative Mo Brooks (R-AL), and right-wing militia groups including the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the Warboys, and so on, of conspiring to prevent them from performing their official duties. This is a federal crime thanks to a law first passed in 1871 to stop Ku Klux Klan members from preventing Black legislators and their Republican allies from doing their jobs.
After reviewing the events of January 6 and the days leading up to it, the judge concluded that those launching the lawsuits “establish a plausible conspiracy involving President Trump.” He noted that the president and others worked together to disrupt Congress and stop the counting of the certified Electoral College ballots on January 6. The president undermined faith in the election, falsely claiming it was stolen, and urged supporters to go to Washington, D.C., on January 6, telling them it would be “wild.” He planned the rally, and at it he gave a barn-burning speech that concluded: ““We fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Trump’s role in a potential conspiracy was “to encourage the use of force, intimidation, or threats to thwart the Certification from proceeding, and organized groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers would carry out the required acts.” The judge also noted a pattern of “call-and-response” between the president and his militia followers. When he told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” for example, one of their leaders tweeted: “Standing by sir.”
The court concluded that it was plausible that Trump was part of a conspiracy to stop the performance of official duties.
The fourth story is that this evening, President Joe Biden addressed the nation to update us on the threat of Russia’s launching another invasion of Ukraine. He emphasized that we and our allies stand behind Ukraine and pledge to continue diplomatic efforts to prevent a war, and yet will deliver “massive costs on Russia should it choose further conflict.” He urged Russia “to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table.”
Political scientist and journalist David Rothkopf tweeted that Biden is speaking as the leader of the free world. “It has been a long time since a U.S. president filled that role. His remarks were concise and pointed…and underscored Western resolve. But the headline: He is convinced [that] Putin has decided… to invade.”
Indeed, that was the big takeaway from the speech: Biden said that intelligence sources think Putin has made his decision. Biden said: “we have reason to believe the Russian forces are planning to and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week—in the coming days. We believe that they will target Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people.”
Former director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Chris Krebs pointed out that the advances the United States intelligence community has made in the last few years in counteractive measures have enabled the U.S. to head off plans “before they’re set in motion.” U.S. officials are alerting Putin to the fact there are leaks in his team, putting his plans at risk. This can cause strife and perhaps make leaders rethink their policies. As Krebs tweeted, it “[p]uts some sand in their gears, creates mistrust, and can slow down planning and operations…. The deliberate approach by western gov[ernmen]ts to anticipate Russian disinfo[rmation] & get in front of it is a positive evolution.”
We do not know where the next several days will lead, of course, but it is notable that the solidarity of the countries allied against authoritarianism, strengthened by U.S. diplomacy, is holding strong.
Heather Cox Richardson will be ‘doing an event’ with Fiona Hill (Russia expert). She will report back, and I shall include her observations and information from the talk in next week’s blog.
There is Nothing For You Here by Fiona Hill, which refers to Hill’s period as a former official at the U.S. National Security Council specialising in Russian and European affairs was reviewed on December 8 2021.
Cindy Lou Dines in Downer
I noticed Gang Gang quite a while ago – when I was handing out how to vote cards in the last federal election. It looked charming, and I had always meant to eat there. At long last I have, and as imminent as the 2022 federal election might be, I shall be returning well before I hand out how to vote cards for that. The environment is lovely, the staff pleasant, and the food delicious. I had the spiced carrot and chickpea fritters with labneh, pickled fennel salad and a poached egg. It could not be faulted for size, taste and quality. Three delicious fritters rested on a generous serve of labneh.
The pickled fennel salad was an excellent accompaniment, and the poached egg cooked to perfection. I was pleased that the latter came as part of the dish, as if it had been an option I probably would not have chosen to add it to what appeared to be a well designed dish. I would have been wrong: it was an excellent part of the whole.
Attention to Covid requirements was good, with mask wearing, fresh utensils brought the table, and a reasonable space between tables.
Plan a year of creativity and inspiration at the National Gallery. Explore a range of exhibitions, contemporary projects from around the globe and freshly curated collection displays at the Gallery and on tour. Highlights include Cressida Campbell, 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial: Ceremony, Enlighten: Daniel Crooks, Judy Watson & Helen Johnson: the red thread of history, loose ends, Jeffrey Smart and more.
2022 PROGRAM
The Balnaves Contemporary Series JUDY WATSON
& HELEN JOHNSON:the red thread of history, loose ends 19 Feb — 5 Jun 22 Free
On Tour
Monash University Museum of Art, VIC
10 Sep – 12 Nov 22 MORE
The Balnaves Contemporary Series DANIEL CROOKS
4 — 14 Mar 22 Daily from 8pm Free, National Gallery façade MORE
Major Exhibition & Touring Exhibition
4TH NATIONAL INDIGENOUS ART TRIENNIAL:
CEREMONY 26 Mar — 31 Jul 22 Free
On Tour
University of Queensland Art Museum, QLD
9 Aug – 26 Nov 22; SAM Shepparton, VIC
10 Dec 2022 – 26 Feb 23 MORE
Exhibition & Touring Exhibition RAUSCHENBERG & JOHNS: SIGNIFICANT OTHERS
11 Jun — 30 Oct 22 Free On Tour Hazelhurst Art Gallery, NSW
7 Nov – 5 Feb 23 MORE
Project 2 KARA WALKER 2 Jul 22 — 5 Feb 23 Free MORE
Project 3 ANGELICA MESITI:ASSEMBLY 6 Aug 22 — 29 Jan 23 Free MORE
Major Exhibition CRESSIDA CAMPBELL 24 Sep 22 — 29 Jan 23 Ticketed MORE
Collection WORLDWIDE 10 Sep 22 — ongoing Free MORE
Project 4 JUSTENE WILLIAMS: VICTORY OVER THE SUN Oct 22 MORE
Touring Exhibition SKYWHALES: EVERY HEART SINGS
Adelaide Festival, SA, 5 MAR 22; Walkway Gallery, SA, 19 MAR 22;
MPavilion, VIC, 2 APR 22; Hamilton Art Gallery, VIC, 14 MAY 22;
Art Gallery of Ballarat, VIC, 9 JUL 22;Cairns Art Gallery, QLD, 3 SEP 22
Araluen Arts Centre, NT, 24 SEP 22;Tamworth Regional Gallery, NSW 22 OCT 22
Touring Exhibition SPOWERS & SYME
Western Plains Cultural Centre, NSW; 26 Feb — 1 May 22; Geelong Gallery, VIC
16 Jul — 16 Oct 22 MORE
Touring Exhibition EVER PRESENT: FIRST PEOPLES ART OF AUSTRALIA
Art Gallery of Western Australia, WA; Until 18 Apr 22; National Gallery Singapore 28 May — 25 Sep 22 MORE
Touring Exhibition YAYOI KUSAMA:
THE SPIRITS OF THE PUMPKINS DESCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS Art Gallery of South Australia, SA
From 1 April 22 MORE
Touring Exhibition TERMINUS: JESS JOHNSON & SIMON WARD MORE
Major Exhibition KNOW MY NAME: AUSTRALIAN WOMEN ARTISTS 1900 TO NOW PART TWO Until 26 Jun 22 Free
Robin's Room 