Each Friday, the Emdashes summer interns bring us the news from the ultimate Rossosphere: the blogs and podcasts at newyorker.com. Here’s this week’s report.
Sarah Arkebauer
In the Fiction Podcast I chose for this week, E.L. Doctorow reads John O’Hara’s short story “Graven Image.” The story showcases both old-world glamour and prejudice and leaves the reader with plenty to ponder, and Doctorow’s discussion with Fiction Editor Deborah Treisman following the reading is particularly interesting.
In the sporadically updated The Rest is Noise, Alex Ross provides a link to his New Yorker article on the evolution of the classical concert.
Though I’ve been hearing more than enough about Sarah Palin these past few days, The Book Bench offers a snapshot of her views on book censorship. The blog also published another Bookspotting, and a wonderful piece on a new collection of teenage diary excerpts.
Goings On posted the latest information on Haley Joel Osment’s career—he’s to star in the upcoming production of David Mamet’s American Buffalo on Broadway. It will be interesting to see how he makes the transition, both from child actor to adult actor, and from film to stage. Much of the rest of the Goings On this week was devoted to material relating to the Republican Convention. There is a reprint of an interview with Chaka Khan after she performed at the 2000 Republican Convention, and a soundtrack of Alaskan music in two parts—in honor of Sarah Palin.
The Cartoon Lounge also had a bit of a convention-centered approach to its posts this week. First, Zachary Kanin posted a humorous treatise on vice-presidential responsibilities, which was soon followed by Drew Dernavich’s equally funny take on vice-presidential relationships. The blog also published the tenth and eleventh installments of the Sandwich Duel. Although this duel has been taking place nearly all summer, I am amazed at how fresh the material stays. On another note, one of my favorite features on The Cartoon Lounge is the Q&A series they post with different cartoonists, and this week’s interview with Perez Hilton does not disappoint.
Adam Shoemaker
George Packer went to Denver last week, and writes about the experience in Interesting Times. He sees Barack Obama’s speech as tremendously successful, but also Reaganesque in its invocation of optimism and hope. Packer’s observation that “the parties have traded places” is not a cynical one—rather, he marvels at the ability of a truly great politician, now as then, to draw enormous crowds of ordinary people to a political event.
Hendrik Hertzberg also enjoyed the speech—and over at his blog
“Notes on Politics, Mostly,” he calls it the best acceptance speech he’s ever heard. Much of his post is a reminiscence about other great speeches from the past and the constraints placed on a nominee’s acceptance that keep most of those speeches from rising to the airy heights. He also notes the “distinct lack of ugliness in the criticisms of McCain and the Republicans” at the convention. I can’t wait to read his comments on Palin’s speech night in Minneapolis. [Boy howdy, yes! —Ed.]
This week Sasha Frere-Jones posted a concert video of “Those Darlins,” a Tennessee band with a song whose riff he can’t get out of his head—”a script for any successful Labor Day weekend.” This line got me thinking about the sad dearth of non-Christmas holiday songs–but perhaps Labor Day is just as much about those songs we don’t have to sing.
At the New Yorker Out Loud, Matt Dellinger interviews Steve Coll, who wrote an article on General David Petraeus for this week’s issue of The New Yorker. Coll discusses the strategy behind Petraeus’s surge and how difficult it has been to keep military strategy and political partisanship separate. The general wants nothing to do with the latter, as he made clear to journalists inquiring into a possible vice-presidential tap by McCain. Coll also talks about Petraeus’s next step: taking command of forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Over at the Borowitz Report, Andy Borowitz gives us Levi Johnston’s Convention Diary. While Bristol Palin’s betrothed might lack the journalistic credentials of George Packer and Hendrik Hertzberg, his belligerent “coverage” does help give us some insight as to why John McCain’s relationship with the media has been so strained of late.
Previous intern roundups: the August 29 report; the August 22 report; the August 15 report; the August 8 report; the August 1 report; the July 25 report; the July 18 report; the July 11 report.

In today’s “Wavy Rule,” Paul makes art about art about art. He writes:
Last year, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art began feasibility studies to build what is proposed to be a 161-foot-tall piece by Jeff Koons. It will be a train engine suspended from a crane. You can read all about it here; The New Yorker‘s Peter Schjeldahl reviewed Koons’ latest retrospective back in June, and Calvin Tomkins profiled him in 2007. (There was even a slide show to go with it.) Koons’ suspended locomotive is projected to be constructed by 2010-2011.
Is the sculpture a statement on Los Angeles’ lack of mass transit, as some bloggers have suggested? Is the sculpture some kind of giant sexual metaphor? Will this be a new L.A. landmark? Is this art?
I thank my friend Charlie for sending me the initial article on this project. Click to enlarge!

More by Paul Morris: “The Wavy Rule” archive; “Arnjuice,” a wistful, funny webcomic; a smorgasbord at Flickr; and beautifully off-kilter cartoon collections for sale (and free download) at Lulu.

In today’s “Wavy Rule,” Paul considers those newfangled billets-vous that they use to buy marzipan in the Old Country–and an alternate universe in which Yankees get to decide what goes on them. He writes:
As reported by Reuters, “In the latest example that the U.S. dollar just ain’t what it used to be, some shops in New York City have begun accepting euros and other foreign currency as payment for merchandise.” That got me thinking on special United States-ian Euros for special use in this country. Click to enlarge!

More by Paul Morris: “The Wavy Rule” archive; “Arnjuice,” a wistful, funny webcomic; a smorgasbord at Flickr; and beautifully off-kilter cartoon collections for sale (and free download) at Lulu.

Today’s “Wavy Rule” concerns our late, great newfound enemy: Russia. Click to enlarge!

More by Paul Morris: “The Wavy Rule” archive; “Arnjuice,” a wistful, funny webcomic; a smorgasbord at Flickr; and beautifully off-kilter cartoon collections for sale (and free download) at Lulu.

Here’s Paul on today’s “Wavy Rule” (click to enlarge!):
We were relieved to see that New Orleans was spared the worst in the latest hurricane. Still, has anyone learned the most important lessons from the egregious mistakes that resulted in almost 2,000 deaths during Hurricane Katrina? In preparation for Gustav, according to The Chicago Tribune, “city officials ordered downtown hotels closed, strongly urged all residents and visitors to leave and choreographed an orderly bus and train convoy to evacuate up to 30,000 city residents without the means to get out themselves.” But the levee that broke during Katrina was severely tested again, and while getting people out saves (and saved) lives, it still does nothing to protect the city from the storm itself.

More by Paul Morris: “The Wavy Rule” archive; “Arnjuice,” a wistful, funny webcomic; a smorgasbord at Flickr; and beautifully off-kilter cartoon collections for sale (and free download) at Lulu.