The State of the Union is…
bad. I had intended to post this before reading today’s Paul Krugman column. I agree with Krugman that America is facing a crisis of governance. It has serious long-term budgetary problems with which Congress seems either unable or unwilling to cope. For me, the fabled US Constitution lies at the heart of the crisis, because […]
“Human Desire,” starring Glenn Ford
Ask, and it shall be answered. We recently watched “Human Desire” (1954) on Turner Movie Classics, starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Broderick Crawford and directed by Fritz Lang. The film is based upon Zola’s “La bête humaine.” Somehow watching an American film noir with French subtitles in the middle of the night in the […]
Movies, an introductory post
I have always loved the movies, since I was five or six years old and attended double-feature matinees in the local theater in Columbus, Ohio. And I loved watching movies on television as a child, especially late at night when my parents were out. I associate this experience with Glenn Ford, for some reason. More […]
Frank Rich deserves Pulitzer, gets Ledocsian
This piece by Frank Rich in today’s NYT is one of the best political columns I have ever read. It’s about, surprise, surprise, the need to reregulate the financial industry. This is the big story that is being neglected by almost everyone. www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/opinion/10rich.html I would never have guessed that this former NY drama critic would […]
David Brooks again, what a guy
David Brooks in today’s NYT: “The public is not only shifting from left to right. Every single idea associated with the educated class has grown more unpopular over the past year. The educated class believes in global warming, so public skepticism about global warming is on the rise. The educated class supports abortion rights, so […]
The new language war in France
One of the most difficult aspects of moving to France for me has been the fact that French people want to practice their English-speaking skills with me. When they speak English pretty well, conversations often become a linguistic turf battle between them and me. I did not move to France in order to speak English […]
Wishful thinking or disingenuousness on the left?
I have been very remiss in my blogging over the past several weeks, but one of my resolutions for 2010 will be to make blog entries on a much more regular basis. I have been counseled to make shorter blog posts, and I expect to take this advice in 2010. On the year-in-review edition of […]