Jim Nolan's Blog

Bannerman Cartoon

Everybody is Instagram-ing these days. You can follow Isabella Bannerman there, too. 

Cartoon by Isabella Bannerman

But the food is so nicely presented. 

Cartoon by Isabella Bannerman

I'm pretty sure this cartoon isn't far from the truth. Growing up, our French poodle Oscar, however, did not have the ability to influence many events. You can listen to an essay about him here. 

New Rick Halpern Book

New writing by another friend and former Buffalonian, Rick Halpern, Bissell-Heyd Chair of American Studies at the University of Toronto. Rick and co-author Alex Litchtenstein have collected Margaret Bourke-White's photographs from a 1949 trip to South Africa for Life Magazine. Many of them were previously unpublished. Rick and Alex put the photos in historical context, explaining the rise of apartheid. They also discuss Margaret Bourke-White's "artistic and political formation." It is published by Indiana University Press and you can check it out at its website. You can also see Rick's many other published works at Amazon. Way to go, Rick!

Harley Spiller Piece in McSweeney's

Screengrab from McSweeneys.net

A beautifully written piece in McSweeney's by my friend and former Buffalonian Harley Spiller. It describes the key fobs his father Mortimer used to make, including the one shown above for Benny Binion's Horseshoe Club in Las Vegas. It's terrific writing and reminds me of Mort and of Harley's mother Harriet Spiller, both fun, caring and wonderful people. 

Hotel National Lucerne Luggage Sticker

From the collection of Peter Wettlaufer, another beautiful luggage sticker from his godparents' (Ashford and Priscilla Murch) traveling days. It's still there, and it looks the same. Here is a screengrab from its website. Worth a visit to the site just to see what the rooms look like.