Good column from Cohen who has just returned from Europe, on how their view of the social contract differs from that in the U.S.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Book Review: In Spite of Myself
| Title | In Spite of Myself: A Memoir |
| Author | Christopher Plummer |
| Rating |  |
| Tags | non-fiction, memoirs, autobiography, actors, montreal |
| What a wonderful, wonderful book! I always liked Christopher Plummer as an actor, and here he shows himself a raconteur of the finest quality.It took me a while to get into the book, but what hooked me first were his descriptions of Montreal as he knew it in the forties as he was growing up and starting out as a young actor. He was an early devotee of night life, and he makes it sound exciting to share it with the people he knew.. That continues throughout the book. It is easy to see that he was not a good husband and father, he was always out partying or working hard at his craft. But given the people he knew and drank the night away with, how could he not have been a part of it?He knew, or knows, the actors of at least three generations, stage and screen, British, American, Canadian, French, and other. Famous names pepper the story extravagantly. he is extraordinarily generous in the stories he tells of almost everyone - they all seem to have been creative geniuses and kind people to boot, even people that don't come off well in other memoirs, such as Rex Harrison. Even if he did not get along well with someone he may take the blame, or he finds a way to not blame them. He tells marvelous stories. Some actors I have always loved he tells lovely stories about, including Edward Everett Horton, who helped give him his start; Boris Karloff, a kind and gentle giant; Edith Evens, powerful and with great humor in her old age; and so many more up until the current day, including Russell Crowe.There are wonderful pictures spread throughout the book. The dreadful terrible lack in the book is that it doesn't have an index. There are stories I wanted to share with a friend, but they are difficult to go back and find.Plummer doesn't spare himself. He admits there were times he was too full of himself, times he didn't deal well in relationships. But he always seemed to have such excitement at being involved in this creative profession and dealing with so many creative individuals. He gives the reader that excitement as a present, shares it with us in full measure. It is a gem of a book and will be remembered in the future as a fine look at twentieth century theatrical history. | |
| Publication | Knopf (2008), Roughcut, 656 pages |
| Publication date | 2008 |
| ISBN | 0679421629 / 9780679421627 |
Friday, October 2, 2009
Heatlh Reform Resources
Sources of information on health care reform from a variety of points of view, including sources to fact check rumors.
Academic Study of the Demonization of Acorn
Link to the report. Abstract: "Using the controversy over ACORN as a case study, this report illustrates the way the media help set the agenda for public debate, and frame the way that debate is shaped. It describes how "opinion entrepreneurs" (primarily business and conservative groups and individuals) set the story in motion as early as 2006, how the "conservative echo chamber" orchestrated its anti-ACORN campaign in 2008, how the McCain-Palin campaign picked it up, and how the mainstream media reported these allegations without investigating their truth or falsity. As a result, the relatively little-known community organization became the subject of a major news story in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, to the point where 82 percent of the respondents in an October 2008 national survey reported they had heard about ACORN."
Of course this predates the recent videos that show Acorn does have some problems with some personnel. Still, overall Acorn has been unfairly targeted and inaccurately portrayed.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Remembering Matthew Shepard
This article speaks movingly of Matthew Shepard, the gay 21 year-old beaten to death 11 years ago. His mother, Judy, has just come out with a book that speaks of her love for her son and the tragedy of his death at the hands of those who hate enough to do such a thing.
Interesting Story on Chaplains in the Military
Good article from USA Today on the chaplains in today's military, and the difficulties in serving an increasingly religiously diverse military personnel. For example, there is a shortage in general of Catholic priests, and not nearly enough to serve all the Catholic soldiers. Then there are the religious traditions that don't have formal clerical training, such as Wiccans. The military now has its first Buddhist chaplain, but that's because he was formerly a Nazarene preacher and certified with those credentials.
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