Geeky Chic

CNN has a story on Mike Brown’s email exchanges during the Hurricane Katrina crisis (the emails are also available for your parsing pleasure).  Before, during, and after the storm hit, Mr. Brown was a wee bit concerned with his wardrobe:

Melancon said that on August 26, just days before Katrina made
landfall, Brown e-mailed his press secretary, Sharon Worthy, about his
attire, asking: “Tie or not for tonight? Button-down blue shirt?”

A
few days later, Worthy advised Brown: “Please roll up the sleeves of
your shirt, all shirts. Even the president rolled his sleeves to just
below the elbow. In this [crisis] and on TV you just need to look more
hard-working.”

On August 29, the day of the storm, Brown
exchanged e-mails about his attire with Taylor, Melancon said. She told
him, “You look fabulous,” and Brown replied, “I got it at Nordstroms.
… Are you proud of me?”

It has also been brought to my attention that Mr. Brown is working as a consultant for FEMA now; he’s being paid to explain to them what went wrong.

My New Yorker reading has been haphazard, so I did not come across an old review of this exhibition
at the Met until this morning’s commute.  I had no idea that there
was a Spiritualist movement in the 19th century, where they used
photography to channel the dead.  Here are two admitted hoaxes: a ghost’s embrace and a fairy.

**

Charles and Camilla are touring the U.S. to
strengthen relations across and pond and to make the P.R. pitch for
Camilla. To echo something typed by someone else somewhere else (I’m
not authorized to link to it), I like their story; her utter lack of
vanity (well, lack until now, I heard on NPR that Charles picked out 50
dresses for this trip) and the Prince’s final act of rebellion against
his prunish mother.