Brian Cleary, a clinical pharmacist in Dublin, was trawling through the archives at the National Library of Ireland a few years ago when he stumbled across something extraordinary: a virtually unknown short story by Bram Stoker, author of the Gothic masterpiece “Dracula.” The story, a creepy tale of the supernatural …
Read More »2 Unexpected Books for Spooky Season
By Sadie Stein Dear readers, I don’t require a dedicated ghost-story season. To me, that would be like loving people only on Feb. 14, or pretending canned tomatoes don’t exist. Besides, as I understand it, ghosts don’t work on schedule. But in case you’re stricter than the undead and I, …
Read More »Libby Titus, Introspective Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 77
Libby Titus, a singer-songwriter known for her wistful ballad “Love Has No Pride,” covered by Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt, and for her collaborations with Burt Bacharach, Dr. John and her husband, Donald Fagen, of Steely Dan, died on Oct. 13. She was 77. Mr. Fagen announced her death on …
Read More »Toni Vaz, Stuntwoman and Founder of N.A.A.C.P. Image Awards, Dies at 101
Toni Vaz, who cut a path as one of the first Black stuntwomen in Hollywood, with appearances in more than 50 movies, and then created the N.A.A.C.P. Image Awards to recognize the often unsung work of Black writers and performers, died on Oct. 4 in Los Angeles. She was 101. …
Read More »At the Armory Show, A Naked Guy Sculpture and Other Surprises
Lynda Carter Never Played Wonder Woman: ‘I Was Always Just Diana’
When Lynda Carter released the pop single “Pink Slip Lollipop” over the summer, she saw it as a way to give men who ghost and gaslight a candy-coated boot. “I just thought it was funny,” she said in a video call from her home outside Washington, D.C. Carter may forever …
Read More »Neva: A Ravishing Color Palette for a Silent Adventure
Anyone who has seen “Princess Mononoke,” Hayao Miyazaki’s 1997 masterpiece about a young warrior and her wolf who battle to stave off an ecological disaster, will almost certainly discern its influence on the video game Neva. Both open against the backdrop of a once pristine natural environment that has been …
Read More »Reinventing Concrete, the Ancient Roman Way
In June, the Italian Ministry of Culture announced the excavation of a new room, not yet open to the public, in the ruins of Pompeii. A few weeks later, a group of archaeologists gathered to marvel at it: walls covered with bright blue paint — an expensive pigment reserved for …
Read More »U.S. ‘Fusion Cells’ Assist in Israel’s Hunt for Hamas Leaders
Days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Pentagon quietly dispatched several dozen commandos to Israel to help advise on hostage recovery efforts, U.S. officials said. Those troops from the Joint Special Operations Command were quickly joined by a group of intelligence officers, some working with the commandos …
Read More »With Unusually Forceful Words, Canada Charges India With a Criminal Conspiracy
Thanksgiving has never been the outsize family gathering time in Canada that it is in the United States. (In Atlantic Canada, it’s not even a holiday.) But this year, it was marked in an unusual way. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a force that normally defaults to stony silence about …
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