Cormac McCarthy's Library

 

   I often write about libraries, and about a dozen posts relate to the libraries of individuals, not the institutional kind.  The last one, about Darwin's Library, contains links to some of the others. Scholars like to browse through them, looking for influences, while many of us are just curious about the books to be found on the shelves in private homes. 
   Little was known about Cormac McCarthy's library since he led a rather solitary life in a house near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Apart from writing he would hang out at the Santa Fe Institute which is a scientific research center. Perhaps that explains why his collection of over 20,000 books (with more in storage) covers many subjects. The group of scholars attempting to organize and catalog the collection have already discovered that,

 "discernible in his work but confirmed beyond doubt in his library, was that McCarthy was a genius-level intellectual polymath with an insatiable curiosity. His interests ranged from quantum physics, which he taught himself by reading 190 books on the notoriously challenging subject, to whale biology, violins, obscure corners of French history in the early Middle Ages, the highest levels of advanced mathematics and almost any other subject you can name."

   In my small collection, I do not have any books by McCarthy, although I did read The Road and saw the movie, No Country For Old Men. His library, however, contains books by a wide assortment of authors as this description indicates:

   "Giemza marveled at the heavy-duty philosophy books they were finding. “Seventy-five titles by or about Wittgenstein so far,” he said, referring to the Austrian philosopher of mathematics, logic, language and the mind. “And most of them are annotated, meaning Cormac read them closely. A lot of Hegel. That was his light evening reading, apparently.” 
   In the living room was a pool table piled with books and a leather couch facing two tall windows and three sets of nine-foot-tall wooden bookshelves designed by McCarthy that held approximately 1,000 books. Moving closer, I saw they were nearly all nonfiction hardbacks with no obvious system of organization.
   One shelf held volumes about Mesoamerican history and archaeology, along with Charles Darwin’s collected notebooks, Victor Klemperer’s three-volume diary of the Nazi years, books about organic chemistry and sports cars, and an obscure volume titled The Biology of the Naked Mole-Rat (Monographs in Behavior and Ecology). Another shelf held books about Grand Prix and Formula 1 racing, a great passion of McCarthy’s, and the collected writings of Charles S. Peirce, the American scientist, philosopher and logician, in six fat volumes of dense, difficult prose."

McCarthy wins a MacArthur
   McCarthy grew up in Knoxville in a relatively wealthy family, 'but Mr. McCarthy wrote for many years in relative obscurity and privation." In the early '80s, however, he did win a "Genius Grant" from the MacArthur Foundation, a fellowship that comes with a considerable amount of money. He was, of course, very successful in his later career, and at the end of it he sold his archives to Texas State University for $2 million. One reason he had so many books is that he did not use the Internet or a computer. His Olivetti sold for $254,500 at auction. 

The Bonus: 
   Apart from books, he also left behind a few automobiles. Here is a description from the article by Richard Grant, cited below:

   "I parked behind the house between a silver 1966 Buick Riviera rusting on deflated tires and a weathered red Lincoln Mark VIII. These were among the last survivors of McCarthy’s little-known vehicle collection. Dennis had sold 13 other cars, including two Allard racing cars from the early 1950s, a 1992 Lotus and a Ford GT40 racing car. McCarthy, who labored in obscurity and chronic poverty until he was 60, became a multi-millionaire later in life and freely indulged his desires and obsessions, with classic sports cars high on the list. Most of the money came from Hollywood, which turned three of his novels—All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men and The Road—into star-studded movies."

Sources:
    The quote above and the picture of the typewriter are from this obituary: Cormac McCarthy, Novelist of a Darker America, Is Dead at 89: “All the Pretty Horses,” “The Road” and “No Country for Old Men” were among his acclaimed books that explore a bleak world of violence and outsiders," Dwight Garner, New York Times, June 13, 2023. For another obit: "Cormac McCarthy, Spare and Haunting Novelist, Dies at 89," Harrison Smith, Washington Post, June 13, 2023.
   The description of his library is from this very good article and the title indicates that examining private libraries can be revealing: "Two Years After Cormac McCarthy’s Death, Rare Access to His Personal Library Reveals the Man Behind the Myth," Richard Grant, Smithsonian Magazine, Sept./Oct. 2025. 
   For more about his library see: The Cormac McCarthy Library Project. There is a Cormac McCarthy Society and they produce one of those single-author journals which I have often discussed, The Cormac McCarthy Journal. See, for example, "Periodical Ramblings (8)". 

ON Scrapple

 Everything But the Oink
   Scrapple consist of the scraps left over when a pig is slaughtered and it is typically fried and served at breakfast. You are reading about it today because I found this piece from about seven years ago. I had saved it because the Delmarva Shorebirds had decided to rename the team the Delmarva Scrapple, for one day - the day that happens to be my birthday. They may not have known that. Here is part of the scrap I found which is from Ballpark Digest, June 14, 2018:

The Delmarva Shorebirds (Low A; Sally League) are planning a cuisine-inspired one-game name change, as they will become the Delmarva Scrapple on August 18. 

   "Scrapple is a breakfast meat that is extremely popular on the Delmarva Peninsula and in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Whether you enjoy your scrapple thin and crispy or thick and mushy, on an egg and cheese sandwich, with ketchup, grape jelly, or with maple syrup, this celebration is for you.

   The Shorebirds will sport specialty scrapple jerseys and caps on Saturday, August 18 in honor of this delicious breakfast meat. The specialty scrapple jerseys will be auctioned off during the game on the second level concourse and will resemble a package of scrapple that you can find in your local grocery store. The specialty scrapple caps show a brand new scrapple, egg, and cheese sandwich logo."

   If you search for scrapple in Canada on the Internet, the AI generated response may indicate it is available here, for example, at Walmart. I don't think so and if you able to get it, it is likely to be from an online source. 
   Since it is popular in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., you may not want to order it from that area because the U.S. is not popular these days. But, consider that scrapple was likely 'discovered' by the Pennsylvania Dutch, not the 'Americans'. Plus, surely we have some extra pig parts up here and can learn how to make our own. That is not the case with soft-shelled crabs which I miss much more than scrapple. 

Sources:

   The Wikipedia entry is the place to start and for more see "Scrapple" in The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.   Recipes are easily found, even if scrapple is not. For all sorts of good, old recipes, see "Food History" and especially the TIMELINE buried in it. I didn't find scrapple, but I did find a recipe for "Pigs in blankets" from 1956 and how to do - PORCUPINES, which begins this way:

"In the culinary world, there are three edible porcupines:

1.A uniquely armored nocturnal game animal providing protein and fat to hungry people in both Old World & New

2.A neatly formed ground meat dish resembling this quilly creature

3. A stewed apple dessert sporting nut "quills": Apple Porcupine & Porcupine pudding.
   You are reminded that the cooking of SQUIRRELS is described in, "ON Squirrels."

Margaret Munn versus Western University

   Given that my last post was about a professor suing a university in the United States, I will now offer one about a student suing a university in Canada.  
   The student is Margaret Munn and the university is Western (often still referred to as UWO - the University of Western Ontario - in the sources provided below.)
   The major purpose of this post is to provide sources for information related to Munn's experience at Western and the lawsuit which has resulted. The litigation is ongoing. When the case is resolved, and if the result is reported, these background references may be of interest.
     I was unable to find any London reporting about "the Munn Affair", which is not unusual given the state of the local press, and the Western-related publications may be reluctant to approach the subject for other reasons, not-the-least of which is that the case is currently being litigated.
    The sources offered below are the ones that were found after a fair amount of searching. If they appear to be skewed in favour of Munn, that is in fact the case, but they were the only ones found; there were no critical ones to be excluded. Admittedly, less searching was done on social media sites where I did see a few negative comments about Munn and about the quality of the sources I note below. Here is one example from Reddit: "If you believe Jonathan Kay's reporting verbatim you need better critical thinking skills. He is highly ideological and sees himself as an anti-"woke" crusader." 
   I am choosing to say nothing about "the Munn Affair", or the quality of the sources. You can do some searching on your own, or read or listen to the sources provided and decide for yourself.

To Get Started:
       The lawsuit is outlined in this "Statement of Claim" filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Jan. 10, 2025. At the time this is being written, the 22 page document is available to the public and can be accessed by clicking on this link: MARGARET MUNN and THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO. (a summary can be generated.)

Ledrew and Laywer Lisa Bildy (a UWO grad.)

  For a short interview with Munn's lawyer which offers basic background information see: "The Case of Margaret Munn VS University of Western Ontario," Stephen Ledrew, Hosts Lawyer, Lisa Bildy, The News Forum, n.d. The introduction is found by clicking on the link above and lasts 4:50. The rest of the 20 minute interview is found under, "Political Correctness and Censorship at Canadian Institutions," The News Forum. 
  More about Munn, her "offences" at Western and the actions by some in the Faculty of Education and the reaction by the Western Senate, is found in this summary provided by the Free Speech Union of Canada: "Margaret Munn v. University of Western Ontario," May 12, 2025.

  For Additional Background:
   The first article about Munn's experiences at Western is this very long one: "Lessons From a Teacher-College Battle Over Free Speech and 'Decolonization': University of Western Ontario Instructors Spent Months Denouncing an Outspoken Education Student Who'd Asked Awkward Questions About Indigenous Reconciliation - Until a UWO Tribunal Concluded They'd Violated Her Rights," Jonathan Kay, Quillette, Nov. 29, 2024. The entire article is available by clicking on the link above.
   For those who would rather listen than read, the author has more recently offered this account which is 25 minutes long. A link and an indication of the contents are provided here:
"Why This Student Was Punished for Asking the Wrong Questions at University of Western Ontario?" Jonathan Kay, Quillette, May 20, 2025.
   "In a speech at the University of Western Ontario, Quillette editor Jonathan Kay shared insights from his investigation into UWO’s teachers college, focusing on a controversy involving Margaret Munn, who questioned the curriculum's decolonization focus. Munn's inquiries led to a backlash, with UWO's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee pushing for her expulsion. However, UWO's Senate Review Board Academic ultimately vindicated her, emphasizing the need for free speech and academic freedom. Kay highlights systemic pressures and incentives in academia that prioritize ideological conformity over open dialogue, urging reforms to support intellectual diversity."

00:15 The speaker’s legal career struggled due to moral dissonance with clients
01:39 Journalism reveals institutional pressures over personal morality
02:19 Margaret Munn faces challenges as a non-traditional student at UWO
04:40 UWO's decolonising pedagogy course is criticised as overly ideological
08:07 Munn questions decolonisation narratives, disrupting academic orthodoxy
10:24 UWO’s EDI committee seeks to expel Munn for ideological dissent
12:42 Curriculum changes and staffing reflect institutional haste and pressure
18:31 Administrators prioritise ideological trends over academic integrity
22:12 University reform requires changing incentive structures
23:09 Lena Dagnino defends academic freedom and Munn’s rights
23:37 Judgment critiques constraints on Munn’s academic expression
24:21 Panel defends intellectual freedom and academic values
24:49 Call for scholars to uphold academic principles
25:03 Based on a speech promoting liberty and rule of law

   A response to the reporting by Kay about the "Munn Affair" is found here:

"Schooled in DEI: UWO Sued for Ideological Teacher Training," by Jamie Sarkonak, National Post, May 24, 2025. Here are the first three paragraphs:

   "The point of the University of Western Ontario's education program should be to teach its students how to teach - but instead, it seems to be teaching students what to think by sabotaging the success of students who don't agree with decolonization.

   That's at least the impression you get from a lawsuit served upon the university by alumna Margaret Munn. She alleges she was subjected to unfair treatment and ideological pressure during her studies, including harassment-like behaviour from her faculty dean, and is now seeking more than $1 million in damages with the help of the Free Speech Union of Canada and her lawyer, Lisa Bildy. Her allegations are detailed in a statement of claim that has been made public, and have yet to be proven in court. Potentially years of proceedings lie ahead.

  The University of Western Ontario was only recently served and must file a statement of defence; its spokesperson, Stephen Ledgley, told the National Post on Friday that he was unable to comment on ongoing litigation."
   Essentially the same article by Sarkonak is also found under this title: "Education Student Punished For Questioning Decolonization Sues UWO," Postmedia Breaking News, May 26, 2025.

Professor Timothy L. Jackson Wins $725,000 Settlement

          Facing the Music

   Professor Jackson will receive $725,000 from the University of North Texas. Five years ago he was accused of being a racist by some of his fellow faculty members and students at the UNT. Jackson was removed as editor of  the journal he produced at North Texas and its publication suspended. He will now continue to teach there, and  have his course load reduced and resume his editorship of the Journal of Schenkerian Studies and have a half-time Research Assistant to support the journal and receive the $725,000. Not bad. In addition, someone suggests that “We all owe Professor Jackson thanks for showing universities what will happen if they give in to woke mobs.”
   You likely are reading this post because of the mention of $725,000. It is highly unlikely that you read my earlier post, The Journal of Schenkerian Studies.  In it you will find a full account of the situation which led to the lawsuit, so you can have a look at that post for additional background.
   When I wrote it, the case was not settled and Professor Jackson did not yet have his own Wikipedia page which he now does. If you click on, Timothy L. Jackson, and go directly to the section, "Journal of Schenkerian Studies issue 12", you can avoid my longer account and feel more confident about the information provided.
  And, here is some CANCON, you will learn from the Wikipedia entry that Jackson was born in Ottawa and went to McGill!
 Sources:
      You are unlikely to need more, other than those already provided. If you do, you will find additional articles about the subject since many were written after the settlement in July, 2025. A sample is provided below and it is the source for the photo above. Professor Jackson also was able to keep his library privileges.

 "University Music Theory Professor Wins $725,000 in Settlement," Josh Guab, North Texas Daily, July 25, 2025.

   "Timothy Jackson, a 66-year-old distinguished university music theory research professor, continues to teach after settling a five-year-long lawsuit against the university and facing backlash over a controversial article....
 Jackson wrote an article about the controversy surrounding the historical Jewish music theorist, Heinrich Schenker, in which he compared Schenker’s work to that of theoretical physicist Albert Einstein in the field of classical music theory. 

   Jackson’s lawsuit began in 2020 after Philip Ewell, a music theorist at Hunter College, labeled Schenker as a lead influencer in the “white racial frame” of music theory. The professor included Schenkerian scholars as contributors to the “racist” framework. In response, Jackson defended Schenker in an article in the Journal of Schenkerian Studies and received national backlash from music theorists and students. 

   In Jackson’s response, he said Ewell’s claim “scapegoats Schenker and Schenkerians and paucity of African Americans” in music theory and was anti-Semitic. In the article, his argument focused on Schenker being Jewish and Schenker's predominantly Jewish student base being anti-Nazi and warned of academic ideological justification for a second Holocaust of Israeli Jews. 

  “All but one of my doctoral students dropped studying with me,” Jackson said. “In some ways, I really don’t blame them because they felt that they would be tainted by me.”

   University graduate students and faculty endorsed a statement that called to dissolve the Journal of Schenkerian Studies and apologized for Jackson’s “racist attacks.” Jackson said the university decided to close the journal, which was the primary incentive of the Center of Schenkerian Studies. Jackson said the journal’s elimination caused the center to close. 

“One of the things about this cancel culture that really, really hurt me and upset me was that I’ve always treated students with love and kindness,” Jackson said. “I was shocked and still am to this day, about how some students behaved towards me.”

   Jackson sued the university after the Journal of Schenkerian Studies closed. The university settled in early July, paying Jackson $725,000 on counts of defamation and violating his freedom of speech. 

   According to the Denton Record-Chronicle, $400,000 will be allocated to Jackson, and the remaining $325,000 will cover the initial legal fees in the case. The agreement stated the university was not admitting any fault by settling and Jackson must drop his first amendment and defamation claims against colleagues and the administration. 

   “The agreement ensures that journals published by the UNT Press, including the Journal of Schenkerian Studies, will apply the academic rigor and ethical practices expected of peer-reviewed journals within top-tier research universities,” Kelley Reese, the senior associate vice president of University Brand Strategy and Communications, said in an email to the North Texas Daily.

   Michael Lively, a music theory senior lecturer at SMU and Jackson’s former student, said people observed correctly that Schenker made racist comments, but the university dealt with the situation wrongfully. 

   “Under the interests of intellectual freedom, scholars are supposed to be able to express a wide range of ideas,” Lively said. “If other scholars disagree with them, then they should do that through the normal process of debate and discussion, instead of the sort of condemnation and ad hominem attacks, which were unfortunately part of the controversy.”

   Jackson said he will continue teaching at the university because he wants to rebuild the Center of Schenkerian Studies and teach students not what to think, but how to think. 

    “We need to be teaching students at UNT and all across this country to look at problems dialectically, how to argue one position in a different position,” Jackson said. “We’ll never get the absolute truth, but we’ll get closer and closer, like an asymptote of the truth by just persisting in this dialectical thinking.”

   Lively wrote a research article that suggests renaming Schenkerian Analysis instead of disregarding Schenker’s contributions, which will be published in the Music Theory Spectrum journal in 2027. He wants to rename the discipline to Katzian Analytical Theory, after Adele T. Katz, an early female Schenkerian theorist. Lively said this values diverse scholarly perspectives. 

   On July 9, the Columbia Academic Freedom Council recognized Jackson in his fight to affirm academic freedom and viewpoint diversity with the Columbia University Academic Freedom Prize. 

   “Academia is in a very difficult place right now in the country and it was important for me to fight the battle that I fought,” Jackson said. “I’m glad this very distinguished group of scholars has deemed that I should be among the first recipients of this award.”

   Jackson also founded the Lost Composers and Theorists Project in the Center of Schenkerian Studies during his 28 years of being a tenured professor. The project recovers music and research from composers who concealed their work during World War II under the Nazi regime. One recovered piece was performed by late university professor, Joseph Banowetz, who was Grammy-nominated in 2011. 

The Lost Composers and Theorists Project had 10 composers, including Schenker and Reinhard Oppel, a friend and colleague of Schenker. Jackson introduced Oppel’s work with help from his son, Kurt Oppel. Jackson said he lost contact after the controversy and is trying to reconnect with the Oppel family without success and the family was “profoundly dismayed by UNT’s behavior.” 

   “We’re in a situation where academic freedom has basically been thrown out the window because people are routinely threatened by extremists on both sides of the political perspective,” Lively said."

Serving The Ridiculously Rich

 

Olivia Ferney - Western, BMOS'22 Grad
  I wrote recently about Nadeen Ayoub, Miss Palestine, who may become Miss Universe, because she is in the news and Western University is mentioned (see, Miss Universe.) Another Western woman is in the "breaking news" and here are some of the stories in case you missed them. 
   The rather fetching Ms. Ferney is now in Miami working for Top Tier Travel, where she cares for the needs of very wealthy people who are used to having them met. Some of the requests are extremely extravagant and outlandish, but apparently requestors don't mind that they are exposed on, travelwithlivii, Olivia Ferney's Instagram account. Click on that link to learn more, or have a look at the articles below, where some of the more egregious examples of the demands of the rich and famous are provided.
    I will begin with the interview in The Times (the one in London, the other London) from which the illustration above is taken. It is from an article done by Paula Froelich on July 18 and it does not appear to be behind The TIme's rather high paywall, so read it at the link just provided. Other, rather lower-tiered British papers also offered stories including examples of the type of demands Ms. Ferney deals with daily. See, for example:
"Meet the Luxury Travel ‘fixer’ Whose Calls with Demanding Mega-rich Clients Have Made Her a Social Media Star," The Independent, Aug. 10, 2025.
  "Olivia Ferney has fast become one of the world's most sought-after luxury travel organizers, with Instagram videos of her staying cool in the face of absurd requests from ultra-high-net-worth clients earning her nearly 300,000 followers. She revealed her clients’ wildest demands to US Travel Editor Ted Thornhill." 

   On this side of the Atlantic, The New York Times has this story and I had to look up the sports car mentioned, since it has never been mentioned by anyone in my rather pedestrian group of friends: "They’re Rich, They Travel and They Love to Complain: A Birkin Bag Overnighted to Capri. A Pink Brabus Sports car for a Gen Z Birthday Party. Olivia Ferney, a Travel Agent to the Ultrawealthy, Has Heard it all," Guy Trebay, Aug. 21, 2025. Here are some examples from behind the NYT wall:

   “We work with many billionaires and hundred-millionaires,” Ms. Ferney said, referring to her employer, Top Tier Travel. “The main word I use is ‘particular.’ Rich people like very particular things.”
   Just how particular? There was the client who authorized $100,000 charged to his credit card for his daughter’s vacation, provided she agree not to contact him. Another client demanded a last-minute doctor’s consult before boarding a private jet, fearful that her new breast implants might rupture.
   And then there was the woman who insisted on being extracted from a charter boat when rough seas prevented her from reaching a Greek party island. She complained that the waves were not even that high, adding that the captain was no longer speaking to her....
   Raised in Dundas, Ontario, population 20,000, Ms. Ferney grew up in a middle-class family that was as incredulous as her online fans were about the stories she posted.
   After attending the University of Western Ontario, she lit out for Miami, where she met Troy Arnold, the founder of Top Tier Travel. She joined the company as a fixer for those who pay $2,500 to $8,500 a month for above-and-beyond services.
   And what are those services? A custom pink Brabus 800 for a 22-year-old’s birthday party. Spring water shipped to a Caribbean island for a client annoyed that shampooing with the local tap water gave her an itchy scalp. A $75,000 Shadow Birkin from Hermes overnighted to Capri, Italy."

   We shouldn't feel too badly for Ms. Ferney since she has to travel to the top tier places and, as the article indicates, "Her therapeutic neutrality in the face of outlandish behavior may be rooted in the fact that she takes many of her calls poolside."
   If you would like to listen to more information about Ms. Ferney, she can be heard on the CBC where she was interviewed on "Afternoon Drive", with Matt Allen on Aug. 26 - "Dundas Woman Who Serves Ultra-wealthy Shares Stories of Clients in Viral Videos." 

   If you would like to take a vacation of this type and talk to Ms. Ferney, here is the website of Top Tier Travel.

The Pretty Work of Mary Petty

    

   The New Yorker has been celebrating its centenary year for most of this year and the single issue for Sept. 1&8 comes with two covers. Inside there is a short piece about Mary Petty who "contributed a series of thirty-eight vividly colored, magnificently detailed, and flawlessly composed covers, which, at least in this New Yorker cover artist's opinion, have never been surpassed in their complexity, their richness, and, most of all, their humanity." The author adds, "they're brilliant watercolors of exquisite construction, set pieces with the charm and detail of a doll's house." Petty also published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker.
   The author of the article about Perry and the covers she produced notes in the first sentence that "In the pantheon of New Yorker artists, the name Mary Petty hardly registers." Given that she is relatively unknown and given the beauty of her work (which should not be judged by my poor photo above), I thought it worth calling your attention to her.
   During almost 40 years as a contributor to the magazine, she produced 273 drawings and 38 pen-and-watercolor covers. A collection of her drawings is found in This Pretty Pace which, a reviewer notes, we should all have a look at if we are interested in "sheer perfection." The book also includes an essay by James Thurber, "Mary Petty and Her Drawings" and on the dust jacket, she is compared to Hogarth and Daumier. Harold Ross, The New Yorker publisher gave her cartoons his highest rating of "AAA" one "A" more than the cartoons of Thurber.
   Apart from producing covers and cartoons, she also provided illustrations for books by others. Her last cover for The New Yorker was on Mother's Day, May 19,1966. It is the one on the bottom right above and if the image was better you would see an older woman in an elegant room pulling a cord which breaks. 
   Apparently Petty quit abruptly when two of her cover submissions were rejected. She had lived a rather reclusive life with her husband, Alan Dunn, who also was a New Yorker cartoonist. It ended tragically. 
   "In early December, 1971 she disappeared, and was found by Dunn in a hospital, having been badly beaten in a violent assault. Permanently brain-damaged, she lived the remainder of her life in a nursing home, dying five years after the attack, alone." 

Sources: 
   I can assure you that a search for her art work is worth the effort. The article referred to above is: "The Mysterious Cover Artist Who Captured the Decline of the Rich: Mary Petty was Reclusive, Uncompromising, but She Peered into a Fading World With Unmatched Warmth and Brilliance, Chris Ware, The New Yorker, Aug. 25, 2025.
  The Wikipedia entry is helpful as usual. In it there is mention of the fact that she was assaulted, but I did not find any evidence of it in the New York papers. The American National Biography entry does provide additional information: 
  "Petty's career was tragically cut short when on 1 December 1971 she was assaulted and badly beaten by a mugger. She was found on Ward's Island three days afterward, bruised and incoherent, and never wholly recovered. She died five years later at the Pine Rest Nursing Home in Paramus, New Jersey."
  The book review of This Pretty Pace is here: "The Art of Mary Petty", Russell Maloney, NYT, Nov. 11, 1945. Her obituary: "Mary Petty, Cartoonist, Dead; Chided Wealthy in New Yorker," Barbara Campbell, NYT, Mar. 11, 1976,
   A major source is found at Syracuse University. See: "The Alan Dunn and Mary Petty Papers", which provides additional biographical information. 

CANCON: 
 For New Yorker covers by a Canadian see: "Bruce McCall RIP-1935-2023".
 Another Canadian, Barry Blitt, has done some, and here you will find a couple that depict two recent American presidents: "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words." 

Back To Books

    

   To push the post about movies down the page, here is one about books, a frequent subject. The picture below is from a two page advertisement in The New Yorker, Sept. 1&8, 2025. It is typical of many ads these days, in that, for me at least, it is not clear what is being sold. I suppose, however, that more fashionable readers will recognize, right away, that "BRUNELLO CUCINELLI" is not a bookseller, but a purveyor of very expensive apparel. To shop, click here. 

   

   According to the BC website, the marketing campaign behind the books and other of their ads is that: "The images and words that over the years have accompanied our company’s communication are inspired by our philosophy and the ethical values that are most important to us: the principles of Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability, living in harmony with nature and all its creatures, the preservation and transmission of culture, the commitment to always respect human dignity." There is more. 
  You might think that is mere marketing hype, but Mr. Cucinelli, is actually a lover of books. This is what I found in: "A Day In the Life of Brunello Cucinelli," by Lauren McCarthy, in Harper's BAZAAR, Sept. 27, 2016:

"I like to sit on the couch, surrounded by all of my books. I have 5,000 books in my home, 1,000 of which I feel are close to my heart. They have always shown me the way. Books are my great passion; I could not live without them. If I were to pick a couple out of the 1,000, I would choose Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius. That really showed me the way ahead, as has Plato's Symposium, which is a dialogue on love that was written in the fourth century B.C. in Athens. When my older daughter got married, I gave her my 1,000 favorite books, and I've prepared the same thing for my younger daughter. And now I am preparing 1,000 books for my granddaughter."
  The image above also contains this caption: "Books showed me the way of life." Emperor Hadrian. It does not indicate, however, where such an array of books can be found. 

Go OUT To the Movies

 A BIG Screen
   We are fortunate to live one block away from an independent theatre - the Hyland Cinema. If you click on that link you can see what they have to offer and they will keep you informed via email. It was one of their messages that prompted this post, which is meant to encourage to go out to a movie, rather than stream one to your couch. Independent cinemas have had a difficult time since television was invented and the covid pandemic didn't help. 

For the Kids
   The message sent by the Hyland indicated that on the Saturday morning, they were going to provide cereal to the children who came to watch cartoons. 

For the Oldsters
   The Hyland has to try many things to continue to lure viewers and once you arrive you can donate a little extra to help pay for the new projection equipment required these days, or 'buy' one of their 400 seats and have a plaque with your name inscribed on it. On Mondays, older people can come for movies that are subtitled. 

   The Hyland tends to offer films not found at the major cinemas, which is a good thing since most of the movies shown in them appear to be made for very young customers. Here I will provide one link that will take you to five movie venues in London, where you can see what is available on the many screens. The Cineplex Odeon Westmount, for example has 8 cinemas with 3 VIP screens. See: London Showtimes. 
   By the way, if you have not gone out to a movie in a while, you may not know that the seats are now often very comfortable, with recliners and BarcaLoungers available to reserve. In some locations, wine is even served. If you prefer a solitary experience to a shared one because of the tendency of some in the audience to be talkative these days, the Hyland is still an option because during the previews it is announced that people are expected to be quiet and not use their phones. 

   

Drive-ins
  They still exist and the days are getting shorter so you don't have to wait, here in the north, until 10 for the feature to show up on the very big screen. Here are some options:

   The Mustang Drive-in is on Wilton Grove Road and is open seven days a week. 

The Oxford Drive-in is not far away, on Highway 2 on the way to Woodstock.

 You can go to The Boonies Drive-in Theatre in Tilbury and for an extra $10, camp overnight. They are open Thursday to Sunday, 

  If you are going to the cottage up Muskoka-way, you can go to The Muskoka Drive-in, which has two screens showing four movies each night.  According to this article, it opened in 1952 and is the longest continually operating drive-in in Canada. "Looking for a Unique Drive-in Movie Theatre Experience? Here are 15 Things to Know About the Muskoka Drive-in," Brent Cooper, Gravenhurst Banner, Aug. 14, 2025. 

The Bonus:

   There was recently a fine photo essay about drive-ins in The New York Times. I won't provide the photos, but here is some of the information from: "The Enduring Appeal of the American Drive-in: Has Anyting Really Changed at Drive-in Theatres Across the Country?" Janie Osborne, May 22, 1925.

   "It doesn’t take long to see that no two drive-ins are alike. The American Dream features original 1950s speakers, a vintage auto night and cheese fries. The Motor Vu touts an enormous movie screen (approximately 6,400 square feet), an expansive parking lot (470 spaces) and a packed community night with a bouncy house for kids. The Silver Bow has beautiful mountain views, twin screens and a longstanding place in the community (it opened in 1977).

   One commonality, it seems: Every drive-in claims to have the best popcorn. And all three of the theaters I visited are family owned and operated.

HISTORY

   Richard Hollingshead opened the first drive-in theater in New Jersey in 1933. By some accounts, he was inspired by an effort to accommodate his mother, who was uncomfortable in traditional theater seats. The invention — he patented the idea — gained popularity with the introduction of in-car speakers, and by the 1950s and ’60s there were more than 4,000 drive-ins throughout America.

   Today that number has dwindled to around 285 theaters, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association."
                       Go out to a movie and help save a theatre.

Banning Burqas?

 

And Other Assorted Head Gear and Garments 
  In some places people are compelled to wear certain things, while in others they are sometimes forced to remove them. The question in more "liberal", secular  countries is whether the banning of, say the burqa can be reasonably justified. Such issues are usually avoided because they are controversial and perhaps, more so, because they are complex - and they are. It is easy to say that a hijab doesn't hurt anyone, but to admit that a kirpan could. Masks may not be menacing when worn by Zorro or the Lone Ranger, but they can be threatening when worn by a man entering a bank or an ICE man in the U.S. Keffiyehs don't cover faces, but they are now prohibited in some instances. The debate over such issues is real in both France and Quebec. The debate everywhere is generally more about politics and religion than the philosophical problems.
   The question - "Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?" has been examined by Brandon Robshaw and he provides a fine example of how philosophy can be applied in such instances. I will simply introduce you to his work and provide some suggestions about how it can be found. 
   He has written a book and you can find it at Bloomsbury Publishing or on Amazon, where there is this description of: Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?Reconciling Liberalism, Multiculturalism and European Politics:

   Debates about whether the Wahhabist practice of face-veiling for women should be banned in modern liberal states tend to generate more heat than light. This book brings clarity to what can be a confusing subject by disentangling the different strands of the problem and breaking through the accusations of misogyny and Islamophobia. 
   Explaining and expounding the ideas of giants of the liberal tradition including Locke, Mill, and Rawls as well as contemporary thinkers like Nussbaum, Kymlicka and Oshana, the book considers a variety of conceptions of liberalism and how they affect the response to the question. Directly addressing issues facing many of today's societies, it unpicks whether paternalism on grounds of welfare can be justified within liberalism, the value of personal autonomy and the problem of whether a socially influenced choice counts as a genuine preference. 
   Covering the role of multiculturalism, gender issues and feminism, this comprehensive philosophical study of a major political question gets to the heart of whether a ban could be justified in principle, and also questions whether any such ban could prove efficacious in achieving its end.

[as an editorial aside, close readers around London may recognize the name "Kymlicka", which in this case refers to a son of Kym, who was well-known on the Western campus.]

The TOC is helpful:

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Reflections on the French ban
3. The liberal position on habitual public face-covering per se
4. What kind of liberalism?
5. Paternalism considered
6. Personal autonomy and the burqa
7. Adaptive preferences and the burqa
8. The burqa and multicultural theory
9. Gender and the burqa
10. The effect of the burqa on others: Offence
11. The effect of the burqa on others: Harm
12. Conclusion
Bibliography

Unfortunately, the price is $272.57

Another Approach
  If you are not that interested in this subject, go to this article by Robshaw which reveals why he became interested in the subject and his rudimentary thoughts about it. The entire article is available for free at: Philosophy Now: A Magazine of Ideas (Issue 135 - "Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?".)
   Mr. Robshaw was so interested in the issue he decided to use it as a proposal for a PhD dissertation and that ultimately became the book and a review of it is found here: "Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?: Book Review," Andreas Matthias, Daily Philosophy: Making Sense of the World (nd)
"A very clear, instructive and carefully argued book that shows off applied philosophy at its best."

The Bonus: 
  If you don't have $272, I will hint that the entire dissertation (296pp) is available for free. Here is the abstract:

  "This thesis concerns the problem of whether a liberal state should – for liberal reasons – ban the wearing of the burqa in public. The core of the problem is that liberalism appears to pull in two opposed directions on this question. On the one hand, liberals strongly support religious tolerance and the burqa is seen by many, including most of those who wear it, as a religious commitment; and even if it is not a religious commitment it may still be a personal choice, and liberals strongly support enabling personal choice. On the other hand, liberals are committed to supporting equal rights and freedoms for both sexes, and the gender asymmetry of the burqa (women wear it, men don’t) combined with the fact that habitually covering one’s face in public is liable to cause disadvantages in personal, social and professional life, look like good reasons for opposing it; moreover liberals value personal autonomy, which may be compromised if the burqa is worn in response to cultural pressure. The issue thus exposes a tension within liberalism. A central element of my approach is the disentangling of a number of connected but separate strands of the problem. Thus I consider: different conceptions of liberalism and how they affect the response to the question; whether paternalism on grounds of welfare can be justified withinliberalism and if so whether it would justify intervention in the specific case of the burqa; the value of personal autonomy within liberalism and whether a concern to safeguard or promote it couldjustify a burqa ban; the problem of adaptive preference and whether a socially influenced choice counts as a genuine preference; the role of multiculturalism in liberalism and to what extent it could justify exemptions; gender issues and feminism; the problem of coerced wearing of the burqa; and the problem of how likely it would be that a ban, even if justified in principle, would prove efficacious in achieving its end. 
[the additional bonus]
  The conclusion to the thesis is that banning the burqa in a liberal state is unlikely to be justified. It could not be justified in terms of the welfare or autonomy of the individual who voluntarily wears it. It could only be justified on the grounds of harm to others. It might, for example, theoretically be justified if coerced wearing of the burqa were widespread. This would be regrettable, however, as it would override the free choice of those who wore it voluntarily. Empirical evidence that such coercion was occurring would be necessary; and such a ban could only be justified if there were no other, equally efficacious and better targeted means of preventing coercion. My aim is to bring some clarity to this often heated and confused debate, and to supply clear principles on which to base any decision."

                                     [How unique and refreshing.]

Miss Universe

   Miss Palestine 

   I generally make fun of the use of the phrase "breaking news", but will attempt to provide you with some now, under a title many will think devised only to attract readers. Although the news will soon be full of stories about the Miss Universe Contest, which will be held in Thailand in November, the breaking news is that one of the contestants apparently has a connection to both London, Ontario and Western University. Her name is Nadeen Ayoub. 
  I do not follow beauty pageants and this is the first mention of them in MM. I do, however, often present posts related to Western, since I live close to it and both studied and worked there. That is how I ran across Ms. Ayoub, not because I was looking at beauty pageant pictures. 
  This news has just broken and this is likely a "scoop" for London readers who no longer have a local newspaper. I am choosing not to investigate it further, but will leave it to reporters with more time, resources and talent. It is also the case, that I don't want to bother to access some of the newer social media sources, like Ms. Ayoub's Linkedin or Instagram accounts where surely some quality information will be found. It is also the case that the word "Palestine" is mentioned in the references I will now provide and I choose to avoid that controversial topic. I did take a quick look at some local sources and found no mention of Ms. Ayoub.

  Here are some of the "breaking news" stories:

"Canadian Living in Dubai Says She Will Represent Palestine at Miss Universe Pageant: Nadeen Ayoub, 27, Shared News on Social Media Earlier This Month While Wearing Miss Universe Palestine Sash, Denette Wilford, Toronto Sun, Aug. 26, 2025.
  "It is unclear how she was appointed to be the representative of a country that most nations don’t recognize, though no competition appears to have been held, according to the New York Post. Ayoub, however, is listed as founder and manager of the Miss Palestine Organization, the group behind her title, the outlet reported. The organization only registered its website in May and features black and white photos of Ayoub holding a crown."
   It is in The Post story cited above that I learned of the Western/London connection.
"The Mysterious Case of How a Canadian in Dubai Became ‘Miss Palestine’ — and Will Compete in the Miss Universe Pageant," Isabel Vincent, Aug. 26, 2025.
   "Remarkably, for a beauty queen, there is little official biographical information about Ayoub on her social media or the Miss Palestine Organisation website. The model and wellness coach reportedly grew up in Canada and studied English literature and psychology at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. She also went to high school in the same area, according to her LinkedIn page....
She taught at the Friends School in Ramallah and has worked with United in Humanity, a Washington-state nonprofit that organized humanitarian missions in Gaza, according to public records....Ayoub also runs the Dubai-based Olive Green Academy, a company that offers workshops on how to become an influencer."

  The picture above appears in The Express Tribune on August 15, under this title:
"Nadeen Ayoub to Represent Palestine at Miss Universe for the First Time: Nadeen Ayoub Will Mark the Country’s Debut at the Global Competition Since it Began in 1952."
Ms. Ayoub in Person: "Nadeen Ayoub represents Palestine for the first time at Miss Universe."

Post Script:
   There was some real "breaking news" at Western earlier in the week when the London Police responded to a call about a man with a gun around Weldon Library. It turned out to be a hoax and "swatting cases" were reported at other universities: " "Swatting Hoaxes on College Campuses Spark Panice and an FBI Probe," The Washington Post, August 27, 2025. 
  My posts about Western are typically less sensational, like this one about trees:
Pawpaw Redux. 

The Bonus: (For younger readers)
Over 40 years ago, Karen Baldwin of London, Ontario was crowned Miss Universe.

More Generational Malarkey

I have already shown some skepticism over the overuse of generational abstractions as the title of this post indicates: "Millennial Nonsense: Generalizations about Generations." In it, I provide a list of titles of books and articles as evidence. More evidence is provided here in a list of "GEN" titles noticed over just the past few days! As I have also written,

"Genug Shoyn" or "Enough Already."

This was all prompted by another "GEN" headline encountered in The

Washington Post, "These 8 Gen Z Habits Are Baffling. Let Us Zoomers Explain," (Aug. 20) Which begins, bafflingly enough, with this sentence. "It's impossible to pin down the essence of an entire generation."

Here are 75 that were quickly found. They have also been quickly pasted

and I did not bother with capitalization, since the people who wrote them

didn't either. I also did not provide the sources, since the list would have been too

bulky. They exist, I assure you, and I did include the source for the

CANCON example to show you. It is unfortunately the case that this

generation thing is a global phenomenon.

1. 3 Jewellery Staples Every Gen Z Closet Needs for an Instant Style Upgrade

2. 10 best cities in the world for Gen Z to live in 2025:

3. 93 percent of Gen Z loses sleep because of social media. But changing that isn’t a dream.

4. A Little 'Workcentrism' Is Good for You, Gen Z

5. AI falters at physical work, driving Gen Z into trades

6. AI not evolving quickly enough for Gen Alpha

7. As Gen X Near Retirement, Challenges Lie Ahead

8. Are Gen Z's habits for real?

9. As Gen-Z hungers for sexiness, eroticism starves

10. BAN SEX NOW' Shock rise of the ‘boy-sober’ movement as Gen Z women reveal the REAL reason they’ve quit sex – despite feeling horny

11. British banks feel Gen Z consumers are less brand loyal

12. Can You Guess The World’s Best Place for Gen Z to Live?

13. Consumer Insights Gen Z Isn’t Broke. They’re Smarter With Money Than You...

14. The Devil Wears Prada 2: A Gen Z fashion insider breaks down the new looks

15. Disney Wants Gen Z Men Back In Cinemas

16. Finfluencers get Gen Z hooked on angling

17. Forgotten Gen X now quietly fuels trillions in consumer spending

18. Football leagues seek new Gen Z audiences

19. Gen Z, Gen X, Or Gen Y: Which Generation Witnesses The Most Drastic Tech Boom? Experts Weigh In 

20. The Gen Z Dictionary: Slang words everyone needs to know

21. Gen Z brings resurgence to seaside arcades

22. Gen Z driving boost in book sales, according to Waterstones

23. Gen Z fuels surge in spiritual travel, brands allocate up to 30% of budgets

24. Gen Z Is Officially Retiring Gym Leggings And Getting Hooked On Oversized Sweatpants

25. Gen Z loves to live in Edinburgh

26. Gen Z: Moving from atheism to faith

27. Gen Z & Gen Alpha need subtitles for parents? Decoding ancient slang

28. Gen Z drinking trends: 5 things to think about when targeting this key demographic

29. Gen Z drives surge in value-based consumption

30. Gen-Z Hitchhikes To Cut CO2 Footprints

31. Gen Z needs new ways to socialize

32. Gen Z parenting guide: Why connection matters more than control

33. Gen Z redefines reading through screens and apps

34. Gen Z says smacking children is unacceptable amid calls for ban

35. Gen Z is fnally growing up - and discovering the joy of cask ales

36. Gen Z slang explained as 'skibidi' and 'delulu' are added to Cambridge dictionary

37. Gen Z skips dating costs: over half spend $0 on romance, sparking 'romance recession'

38. Gen Z thinks ‘marrying rich’ is the easy option – trust me, it’s not

39. Gen Zs must join political parties ahead of 2027

40. Gen Z verpasst den besten Zeitpunkt zum Investieren

41. Generational war erupts on social media over the 'Gen Z stare'

42. The Great Crypto Migration: Why Gen Z is Both Entering and Exiting Web3

43. Homeware trend Gen Z won’t give up

44. How does Gen Z feel about the current state of America?

45. How Gen Z are boosting Nigel Farage’s ‘Mega’ movement

46. How Laufey remade jazz for gen Z:How Laufey remade jazz for gen Z

47. How marketers can embrace Gen Alpha’s spending power

48. How the Latin Mass is Bringing Gen Z to Christ

49. How tourists, Gen Z affect the local accent; Professor details patterns in Nashville, the South

50. I know why Gen Z has become antisocial, but how do we fix it?

51. I'm a family law attorney. I've found my Gen Z clients are more willing to talk openly about finances — and prenups

52. Is Gen-Z really drinking less, or just being choosier when they indulge?

53. Millennials And Gen Z: Why Tongue Cancer Risk Isn’t Just About Tobacco?

54. Monzo ramps up the banking battle for Gen Alpha

55. Netanyahu says Israel has 'work' to do to win over Gen Z

56. Online secrets haunt Gen Z woman: Gritty debut novel paints bleak picture of the young working poor.

57. Sussex’s seaside arcades under threat but Gen Z steps up to save the fun

58. The exciting Gen Z stars that can put athletics back into mainstream

59. The New American Dream: Why Millennials and Gen Z Can’t Afford Homes

60. The new Gen Z clubbing trend: no phones

61. TikTok isn't enough to stop Gen Z from drifting to AOC. Trump must do 3 things next

62. Topshop’s return to the high street must appeal to gen-Z to succeed

63. US Survey Reveals Startling Insights Into Gen Z’s Work Habits

64. We Asked Teens to Test This New Gen Z-Approved Skincare Brand

65. What Is Gen Z So Nostalgic for?

66. What Do Gen Zs Really Want From Love? Between Confusion, Clarity and Commitment

67. What kids don’t want you to know about Gen Alpha culture

68. When a Gen X-er Watches ‘Stranger Things’ With His Family

69. Why Gen Z are flouting tradition with ‘fake’ Indian weddings

70. Why Gen Z is binning cookbooks - and turning to TikTok

71. Why Gen Z women are falling for older men

72. Why Gen Zers eat like OAPs

73. Why kinky braids, locks are setting Gen Z males against police

74. Youthful leap of faith; Gen Zers turning to Catholic Church

75. CANCON

"Gen Z doesn’t need a year of national service. They’re already drafted into decades of service for older Canadians; Their service is baked into housing markets, government budgets and the deteriorating health of our planet," Paul Kershaw, G&M, August 23, 2025.

The Bonus:

If, like me, you have no idea of the ages of those residing in the various cohorts, that illustration might help. It may be a little outdated since it doesn't mention the ALPHAS. I now confess that I just discovered another post I did on this subject about a year ago. The confession is made because, if you put all of the citations I have provided into your own bibliography, all you will have to do is the dissertation part and you will be granted a PhD. See: "Generational Gibberish.". Of course, see also the closely related post: "ON Bullshit".