Insane gangster disciples knowledge

There might be a few agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who could sit down at a piano and run through a Chopin Fantasie to calm their nerves, as Robert K. Wittman used to do. But there probably aren’t many who could also chat knowledgably about Cézanne’s influence on Soutine. Or who have studied formalism at the Barnes Foundation art museum outside of Philadelphia. Or who have found themselves in Hollywood, Fla., eating lunch with — and probably being targeted by — two large French assassins nicknamed Vanilla and Chocolate, while tantalizingly close to recovering paintings from the biggest art heist in American history, the 1990 robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. For 15 years, until his retirement in 2008, Mr. Wittman — the author of a rollicking memoir, “Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures,” released last week by Crown Publishers — was the driving force behind the F.B.I.’s efforts to pursue art thieves, a … [Read more...] about His Heart Is in the Art of Sleuthing

See the article in its original context from September 2, 2001 Section Page Buy Reprints View on timesmachine TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Some days, Jonathan Franzen wrote in the dark. He did so in a spartan studio on 125th Street in East Harlem, behind soundproof walls and a window of double-paned glass. The blinds were drawn. The lights were off. And Franzen, hunched over his keyboard in a scavenged swivel chair held together with duct tape, wore earplugs, earmuffs and a blindfold. ''You can always find the 'home' keys on your computer,'' he says in an embarrassed whisper, explaining how he managed to type under such constraints. ''They have little raised bumps.'' For Franzen, this is the imagination's price, the arduous means by which he conjures a fictional world and reproduces it on the page. ''It's very, very hard to concentrate,'' he says. ''You have to hold your mind free of all the clichés.'' The days … [Read more...] about Jonathan Franzen’s Big Book

close Video Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has the 'weakest case' against Trump: Shannon Bream 'Fox News Sunday' host Shannon Bream joins 'Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy' to discuss the ongoing investigations into former President Donald Trump. The Manhattan grand jury considering charges against former President Trump is expected to reconvene on Monday, according to a report. The expected session Monday comes after its last planned session Wednesday was canceled, sources with knowledge of the matter told the Wall Street Journal. Trump said he expected to face arrest last week after a years-long investigation involving the former president's alleged hush payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2020 election campaign. It was reported last week that Bragg's office would likely issue an indictment for alleged hush-money payments. NY GRAND JURY NOT EXPECTED TO CONSIDER TRUMP CASE THURSDAY, SOURCE SAYS … [Read more...] about Manhattan grand jury weighing Trump charges expected to reconvene: report

Bridging musical cultures comes naturally to the trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf. Born in Beirut and reared in Paris, he has earned wide acclaim for his work in the Western classical tradition, as well as in Arabic music, film music, jazz and rock. Throughout the Francophone world, and in parts of the Middle East, he operates on the scale of a global pop star. Mr. Maalouf plays a trumpet with four valves instead of three, which helps him articulate the quarter tones essential to a range of non-Western music. (The pioneer of this instrument is his father, the revered Lebanese classical trumpeter Nassim Maalouf.) Mr. Maalouf’s latest album, “Red & Black Light,” has the sheen and muscularity of contemporary fusion, highlighting the strengths of his longtime band. This month he will be in the United States with a different project, featuring jazz musicians like the saxophonist Rick Margitza and the drummer Clarence Penn. As he did on his 2015 album “Kalthoum,” Mr. Maalouf … [Read more...] about Ibrahim Maalouf Gives His Trumpet a Human Voice

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed key educational legislation on Monday, expanding school choice to “every single student in the state of Florida.” Speaking at Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, DeSantis announced the benefits of the historic legislation, which would expand school choice to every child in the state. “It does that by eliminating the current financial eligibility restrictions and allowing any student who is a resident of Florida and is eligible to enroll in K-12 to participate in school choice scholarships,” he said, noting that there will be a “preference for low and middle income families.” “But at the end of the day, we believe that the money should follow the student and it should be directed based on what the parent thinks is the most appropriate education program for their child,” the governor said, further explaining that the measure also eliminates the “current enrollment cap and the exemptions to the maximum number of students who can … [Read more...] about WATCH: Ron DeSantis Signs School Choice Legislation, Expanding It to ‘Every Single Student’ in Florida

A professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, has been suspended after making threatening social media posts that suggested protestors kill speakers they disagree with, rather than simply “shouting them down” during campus events. Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson released a statement on Monday, informing the campus community that a professor in the school’s English department made a social media post that is “at best, morally reprehensible and, at worst, criminal.” (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) “This morning, I was made aware of a social media post by a Wayne State University professor in our Department of English,” Wilson began in his statement. “We have on many occasions defended the right of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but we feel this post far exceeds the bounds of reasonable or protected speech. It is, at best, morally reprehensible and, at worst, criminal,” the university president … [Read more...] about Wayne State U. Suspends Prof. for Suggesting Protestors Kill Speakers They Disagree With