Latest news with #J.B.Priestley
New York Times
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Graydon Carter Thinks ‘Hollywood Wives' Waylaid His Magazine Career
In 'When the Going Was Good,' he traces the path from Ottawa to Oscar night. In an email interview he singled out Canadian strivers and a J.B. Priestley gem. SCOTT HELLER What books are on your night stand? A lot of mysteries and late-20th-century histories. I just finished 'Naples '44,' by Norman Lewis. I'm in the middle of Joseph O'Connor's 'The Ghosts of Rome.' Describe your ideal reading experience. Any time I'm traveling — but not while I'm driving. Planes and trains always. And just before cocktail hour at the end of the day. What's the best book you've ever received as a gift? Easy. 'Queer People,' by Carroll and Garrett Graham. Bette Midler gave it to me, and it was a complete revelation. It's about as funny and as clever as anything I've ever read. What's your favorite book no one else has heard of? That's also easy. 'Angel Pavement,' by J.B. Priestley. It's a story about Depression-era London as told through the eyes of the employees of a small company. It moved me immensely when I first read it, about 40 years ago. What's the last great book you read? I did love William Boyd's new book, 'Gabriel's Moon.' And Gay Talese's collection of journalism, 'A Town Without Time.' Both first-rate and memorable. What books are you embarrassed not to have read yet? Every Charles Dickens book aside from 'Great Expectations' and 'Bleak House.' How often do you read a book and say, 'Good, but it could have been a magazine article'? All the time! By the same token I read a lot of magazine articles and come away thinking, 'This would make a great book!' How did a founder of Spy magazine write a book that's so, well, nice? Well, that's kind of you. As it happens, so were the people at Spy. Just because the magazine was somewhat astringent in writing about the featured acts of the day, the people who produced those stories were wickedly observant but otherwise collegial and civilized. It was a dream office, really. And just so much fun. Tell a reader who doesn't travel in New York media circles why she/he should read your memoir. Aside from the fact that I still have a final child to feed and educate, and the royalties won't hurt, let me think. I do think it captures what it was like during the giddy, glamorous days of magazines for much of the past half-century. I was very fortunate to have been an editor during most of that period, and I wanted to tell younger readers what it was like, and to remind older readers of the fun they now miss. You write that 'Act One' and 'Youngblood Hawke' helped lure you to New York. What recent books might entice a younger Canadian to give the city a try? Jay McInerney's 'Bright Lights, Big City' would be a start. Although I don't think cocaine is the preferred rocket fuel that it once was. Anything by Dawn Powell. 'Just Kids,' by Patti Smith. 'The Pope of Greenwich Village,' by Vincent Patrick. And 'Harriet the Spy,' by Louise Fitzhugh. What would you say is the Great Canadian Novel? 'Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town,' by Stephen Leacock — arguably the founder of modern humor. 'The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz,' by Mordecai Richler. And 'The Deptford Trilogy,' by Robertson Davies. Which subjects do you wish more authors would write about? Any part of New York that's not Brooklyn. Which books deserve a sequel? 'I Am Pilgrim,' 'The Bonfire of the Vanities.' Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine? Jeeves. Duddy Kravitz. Sammy Glick. Dean Moriarty. Your favorite antihero or villain? Inspector Javert. Roderick Spode. Lucy (from 'Peanuts'). Have you ever gotten in trouble for reading a book? I had a friend at Knopf when I first started out at Time in the late '70s. She got hold of the galleys of the Jackie Collins novel 'Hollywood Wives' and sent it to me. I was a bit miffed that she thought I was so lowbrow. But I gave it a chance and honestly, I simply couldn't put it down. One of my editors spotted it on my desk and just shook his head and moved on. I do believe my fortunes at the magazine began to decline from that moment on. But I read all of Jackie's books after that. Just not at the office. If you could require President Trump to read one book, what would it be? This is a trick question, obviously. And you want me to say 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' or 'Goodnight Moon' or something with a lot of images and very few words. But I'm going to rise above that. 'The Glory and the Dream,' by William Manchester. You're organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite? I can't hold it to three. P.G. Wodehouse, Edith Wharton, Nora Ephron, Christopher Hitchens, Dawn Powell and Tom Wolfe. (Nora would choose the food; Christopher would choose the Scotch.)
CNN
02-04-2025
- CNN
The 2,000-year-old gateway to the world still haunted by the Titanic
Today, it might be dismissed as just another port, but from day one this particular city has been a gateway to the world. At one point in time, it was the gateway to the world. A portal through which people passed on their way to some of the most resonant events in history. From the founding of modern America to arguably the darkest night in maritime history, it has played its part. Along the way, it also helped give birth to the multi-billion dollar behemoth that is the modern cruise industry. This is Southampton. Nestled in a sheltered inlet on England's southern coast, Southampton has been somewhere for ships to sail in and out of for 2,000 years, carrying with them merchants, immigrants, tourists, invaders and pioneers. At the turn of the 20th century, it pounced on the burgeoning ocean liner industry, and Southampton was soon synonymous with global travel: a name that rubbed shoulders with New York, Hamburg and Sydney. 'They are rather proud of themselves down there,' wrote J.B. Priestley, a novelist from the north of England, of Southampton folk in his 1934 travelogue 'English Journey.' 'The great ships it harbours are the soul of the place. Their coming and going light it up.' Priestley's words might just as easily describe Southampton now. Three million passengers streamed through Southampton Port last year. But it hasn't always been plain sailing. Southampton's is a story that entails unwelcome visitors, the specter of an infamous tragedy and a future in which drastic changes must be found. Related video The fastest transatlantic ocean liner is heading to the bottom of the sea Being a 'gateway to the world' could prove a two-edged sword. 'It was a single nerve centre at which an enemy could strike with potentially deadly effect,' wrote historian Bernard Knowles in his 1951 book 'Southampton: The English Gateway.' In saltier times the town weathered its fair share of pastings at the hands of the Danes, Flemish and French. The latter led a particularly devastating raid in 1338, prompting the erection of stronger defensive walls, nubs of which still linger — their alcoves now frequented by huddles of students on Friday nights. While early invaders were eager to get in, others used Southampton to get out. Or at least they tried to. The Mayflower left Southampton on 15 August 1620, bound for Northern Virginia, but its leaky sister ship the Speedwell forced them to pull over first at Dartmouth, then Plymouth — from which the Mayflower set off in earnest, leaving the Speedwell behind. By this time, Southampton was floundering as a port. In medieval times it had flourished — trading wool, silk, wine and spices — but its prosperity nosedived in Tudor times, as Italian traders went elsewhere. It wasn't until the 19th century that Southampton would recapture its prowess once more. 'What the agitation is of a steam vessel is, on a bad winter's night in the wild Atlantic, it is impossible for the most vivid imagination to conceive.' So protested Charles Dickens as he sailed to the United States on the RMS Britannia in 1842. These were the budding days of the ocean liner, a mode of transport yet to be considered the height of luxury. The same year Dickens registered this complaint, Southampton built its first docks. The era of the steam-driven ship was emerging, soon bringing with it redoubtable liners like the German Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse (considered the first super-liner) and the British Lusitania, which was fatally torpedoed during World War I. Southampton was in a prime spot for this burgeoning industry, and while major British shipping companies like White Star Line and Cunard started out in the shipbuilding city of Liverpool, they shifted operations to Southampton, due to the closer proximity to London, and thanks to Southampton's 'double tide' — a phenomenon which means the water in the port is deeper for longer. As the ships grew in stature, so did Southampton Docks; the Itchen Quays between 1875 and 1892, Empress Dock in 1890, and the White Star Dock in 1910. Ferocious rivalry was a catalyst for improvement. While competition bubbled between the British, German, American, Italian and French shipping companies for the Blue Riband — a prize for the swiftest cross-Atlantic passage — on board comfort also became imperative. Lavish restaurants, fumoirs, libraries, gymnasiums and pools were installed on the newer ships. Turtle soup became a staple on first-class menus. Motifs were swiped from stately hotels and galleries: the Aquitania hung copies of paintings from London's National Gallery; the staircase at what was Southampton's Grand Hotel is said to have inspired Titanic's. Many of these 'floating palaces' had Southampton on their route. The Normandie — an elite French liner, famous for her appearance on Art Deco advertisements — was described as 'the most prodigious propaganda effort that civilization could produce in the 20th century.' A fur-swaddled Marlene Dietrich was photographed aboard the Normandie in 1936, surrounded by a mountain range of luggage; a picture of deluxe seagoing travel. The Queen Mary made its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1936, commanding a brilliant spectacle of flag-waving, while planes wheeling overhead. Some 7,000 people travelled to Southampton on special trains just to watch. The ship's passengers were so keen to have a souvenir of their trip, by the time the Queen Mary had docked in New York, all the ashtrays had vanished. Related gallery Inside Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas Of all the ocean liners that have docked at Southampton, one will forever haunt it. Well over a century since it sank, the ghosts of the White Star Company's Titanic linger in the city's docks and along its streets. At the SeaCity Museum, a 'Titanic Story' exhibition studies the local fallout from the disaster; 500 households lost a family member, and a floor map of the city freckled with red demonstrates just how widespread the grief was. The White Star Tavern on Oxford Street is named for the company that owned the Titanic; before the ship sank in 1912, this establishment was the Alliance Hotel, where many of the passengers stayed the night before boarding the fateful voyage. Across the street, the Grapes pub is where the Slade brothers Alfred, Tom and Bertram — who'd all secured jobs as firemen aboard Titanic — ordered one round of drinks too many, arriving at the ship as the gangplank was being raised. They'd missed the boat, quite literally. In the pubs, hotels and restaurants of today's Southampton, cruise passengers rub shoulders with the sailing specters of the past. Berth 44 — from which 'Titanic' set off, and where the Slade brothers were uncannily saved — is still used to this day, though superstition dictates it's never a passenger ship. The only White Star ship to survive is the Nomadic, now permanently docked in Belfast. But Titanic has an unlikely doppelganger stationed in Southampton. The SS Shieldhall is a steamship built in Glasgow in 1955, originally tasked with transporting sewage down the River Clyde. Since 1991 the vessel has been operating pleasure cruises out of Southampton Docks. 'We try to coordinate nearly every one of our sailings to be coming back as the cruise ships are leaving,' says Phil Stephens, one of the many volunteers who work on the Shieldhall. 'They tend to salute us, being an 'old girl'.' The Shieldhall's proudest possession is a steam-powered siren, which is used for good-natured shouting matches. 'Our horn's better than yours!' Shieldhall folk yell at the cruise ships soaring above them, as they power toward the storied ports of Europe or balmy Caribbean islands. Few of those cruise passengers will realize just how much the pint-sized Shieldhall has in common with the world's best-known ship. Despite its vintage, the Shieldhall was built to a 1910 design: 'We've got equipment which is exactly the same as Titanic's and it's still working,' says Stephens. Movie director James Cameron came aboard the Shieldhall to take photos while researching his 1997 blockbuster 'Titanic.' Despite being a good deal smaller, the Shieldhall's bridge, according to Stephens, is almost identical to Titanic's. 'In that famous scene where Captain Smith is braced against the front of the ship,' says Stephens, 'the ship's going down by the nose and the water crashes through the windows… that's our windows!' A stubborn myth persists that Titanic was speeding in order to snatch the Blue Riband, when it met with its icy fate. It's true enough, though, that she was designed for swift passage across the Atlantic — back then ships were primarily for shuttling passengers from A to B. Cruising — that is, visiting a number of ports in one voyage — has technically existed since 1883, when P&O offered around-the-world cruises on its ship Ceylon. But as the commercial aviation industry took flight in the 1950s and 60s, 'shipping companies doubled down on the concept. New contenders arrived on the scene: Princess Cruises (1965), Norwegian Cruise Line Cruises (1966), Thomson Cruises (1973) and MSC (1988). The Canberra, which sailed between Southampton and Sydney, Australia, between 1961 and 1997, epitomized this new era, introducing less formal spaces, such as the 'Cricketer's Tavern' pub, and the 'Pop Inn' coffee bar, which was marketed at teens, with its Pop Art murals by a promising young student called David Hockney. Each year now sees a record number of passengers pass through Southampton, most of them cruise passengers. Shuttling in from multi-story parking lots on the outskirts or debouching from the Art Deco Southampton Central station — the Streamline Moderne facade itself hinting at an ocean liner — excursionists pour onto skyscraper-high cruise ships that glitter on the docks. From precipitous balconies the first beer of the vacation is cracked, the first page of the paperback — perhaps Tom Hindle's 'A Fatal Crossing' — turned. At the bellow of a horn and the weighing of an anchor, thousands of adventures commence in sync; one floating leviathan after the next melts into Southampton Water and the Solent beyond. While these grand ships are often affiliated with a silver-haired, wealthy elite, this has never been altogether true. Everyone from the John Jacob Astors of this world (the Titanic's wealthiest passenger), to the children of near-penniless immigrants have sailed on them. Indeed, the dissimilar backgrounds of the passengers is a theme around which the movie 'Titanic' pivots. In 2025, Southampton docks are more varied than ever. Grand Cunard liners like Queen Mary 2 which hark back to ships like the Normandie. Virgin Voyages, plugging poolside parties and firework displays. P&O's family-friendly cruises, with kids' clubs, creches and activities. Ironically, the industry's roaring success in the first quarter of the 21st century is spawning its own problems. There has been backlash from oversubscribed destinations, such as Dubrovnik in Croatia and Kotor in Montenegro — the curse of 'overtourism.' Environmental credentials are another hot topic. A spokesperson from Cunard, which operates three of its four ships from Southampton, says: 'We are committed to more energy-efficient cruising and have equipped our ships with shore power, a technology that allows us to plug into the electric grid while in port and switch off our engines. This cuts greenhouse gas emissions and reduces air and noise pollution in ports.' It's clear, though, that more drastic action is required, with cruising considered to be worse than flying in terms of carbon emissions per passenger. However the industry weathers storms on the horizon, the bond between Southampton and shipping companies — some of which have now been here well over a century — will surely endure. In peak season, the manager of the White Star Tavern says, up to 100% of the guests tucking into their fried breakfast will within hours be en route to far-flung destinations by sea. Still, it isn't just these passing ships in the night that lend modern day Southampton its vibrancy. Back at SeaCity, a display explains that a number of Chinese seafarers settled in Southampton in the 1950s. At this time too, many Caribbean people came to Southampton by sea, and settled here. Ugandans fleeing the terrors of Idi Amin came here in the 1970s. Southampton has embraced people from all corners of the globe. Liners now long retired — quite possibly scrapped — have helped forge a vibrant legacy that lives on in the city's communities. It is not just, as J.B. Priestley put it, the coming and going of the ships that have lit Southampton up — but the coming and staying of many of its visitors.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How DOGE cuts are jeopardizing our national parks, "America's best idea"
When British novelist J.B. Priestley visited the Grand Canyon in the 1930s, he described it as "all of Beethoven's nine symphonies in stone and magic light." "If I were an American," he wrote, "I should make my remembrance of it the final test of men, art, and policies … Every member or officer of the federal government ought to remind himself, with triumphant pride, that he is on the staff of the Grand Canyon." In February, as part of the Trump Administration's effort to shrink the size of the federal workforce, approximately 1,000 employees were laid off across the Park Service. When the federal government fired some of the Park Service staff who work at the canyon, this was the scene near the South Rim: In the weeks since, there have been protests at hundreds of park service sites, from Acadia to Zion. Jim Landahl worked as a seasonal ranger for years, until he got a promotion to a permanent posting at Grand Canyon six months ago. Then came the termination email. He said it stated that "we lacked the necessary skills, qualifications, fitness to perform this job. And I didn't take that personally at all, because I knew that was a lie. I knew that was false. Whoever wrote that letter wasn't hiking with me down into the canyon in a hundred-degree heat to do our job." Landahl's work involved restoring habitat disturbed by the reconstruction of the park's failing Transcanyon Waterline, which provides water to lodges and other infrastructure. Since he'd been in this position for less than a year, he was classified as a "probationary employee." "The project is a critical infrastructure project for Grand Canyon," said archeologist Leah Gallo. "And without it, there would be pretty much no Grand Canyon." Gallo had only been working on the project for two weeks when she was let go. "I spent pretty much every dime to move here," she said. But this past Thursday, two federal judges ruled that the government must reinstate thousands of fired probationary workers across several agencies, finding that the layoffs were carried out under false pretenses – that performance wasn't a factor. It's currently unclear if and when Park Service staff might be back on the job. Judge orders 6 agencies to rehire fired federal probationary workers after "unlawful" terminations Mindy Riesenberg is the chief of communications for the Grand Canyon Conservancy, a non-profit group that supports the park. As we enter the busy season, she says she's worried about people having to wait in several-hour-long lines just to get into the park. "We had almost five million visitors last year at Grand Canyon," she said. "And now I think we're down to about 11 fee collectors for the South Rim, for five million people a year." When we visited the canyon last weekend, visitors were waiting up to an hour-and-a-half to enter the park. In New Mexico, Carlsbad Caverns National Park had cancelled all ranger-led tours. Colorado's Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument announced it would be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays due to the staffing cuts. Cuts also impact ongoing projects visitors might not see, like the Transcanyon Waterline. Riesenberg said, "That project is going to be held up, because scientists and botanists and arborists who were replanting trees down there for shade, for safety, after that project, and that's all gonna stop. It's gonna hold the project up." Chuck Sams, who served as the 19th director of the National Park Service, stepped down in January. He said, "To me, it looks like there's no rhyme or reason about why these things are taking place." During his time as director, Sams said, "I absolutely felt that we needed more employees. National Park Service needs at least 15% to as much as 25% more staff on the ground in order to fully meet its mandate. It's important that these folks are out there. And now, we've seen a 10% reduction in staff. So it's gonna be detrimental to people's experiences in the parks." Asked for comment, the National Park Service's Office of Public Affairs told "CBS Sunday Morning," "The National Park Service remains steadfast in its commitment to serving the American public and preserving the natural and cultural resources entrusted to our care. However, NPS policy is to not comment on litigation related to personnel matters." Meanwhile, a group of current employees known as the "Resistance Rangers" has been tracking the cuts, speaking out on behalf of their fired coworkers. One ranger, who asked that we conceal their identity out of fear of retaliation, told us, "None of us want to be doing this. We're public land servants. We're civil servants who just want to be doing our job. I cannot separate myself from the mission. I am doing this for the love of public lands. I'm doing this for my nieces and nephews. I'm doing this for the people to come in 150 years." The ranger is especially worried about the crush of visitors who will be headed to understaffed parks this spring and summer. "We were hobbled to begin with, and now our kneecaps are cut off," they said. "In addition to that, we have $12 billion in maintenance deficit. Like, every single national park you ask me about that I've been to, I can point out six or seven high-priority products that need to happen in order to protect the integrity of that place. We just had our highest visitation year ever in history; 331 million people went to parks last year. That is an absurd number of people." Americans love their national parks. Last year, a Pew Research Center opinion poll found that, when it comes to federal agencies, the public has the most favorable view of the National Park Service. It ranked highest with Democrats AND Republicans. Sams said, "During my service as the National Park Service director, I had never met a member of Congress that didn't love the park that was in their home state. And I generally saw bipartisan support for the National Park Service. Moving forward, there has to be a strong understanding that parks aren't partisan. The flora and fauna, the natural and cultural resources inside of the park don't belong to any political party." Fired training specialist Lynda Jones joined the Park Service to serve her country. "Both my parents are veterans," she said. "They served in the military. And they instilled in me the importance of public service." While Thursday's court rulings have reinstated her position at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (at least temporarily), the Trump administration has appealed – and a larger reduction in force is still possible. Which leaves park staff like Jones dealing with an uncertain future, worried about what's to come. "This is the story of America," Jones said, tearing up. "The story of the people who live here. And it doesn't matter your background or where you're from. These places belong to all of us. And they really are America's best idea." For more info: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (National Park Service)Grand Canyon Conservancy"Resistance Rangers" on InstagramGlen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona/Utah (National Park Service) Story produced by Anthony Laudato. Editor: Carol Ross. Trump sends Iran a warning while ordering strikes against Houthis in Yemen Retail giants like Macy's, Walgreens face financial turmoil Senate passes short-term funding bill, averting a government shutdown
