Before he became a famous writer, while living at home and working a menial job under the thumb of his cruel father, Tennessee Williams dreamed of freedom. He wrote: Now I’m back “home”. Which isn’t quite true. The world is my home. That is what I’ve just found out… but just the same I’ve gotContinue reading “Nakedness and freedom, by a playwright and a poet”
Category Archives: thinking out loud
Gladwell: Owning an NBA team like owning a Van Gogh
From a fascinating new longform site devoted mostly to sports, Grantland, the famous analyst and writer Malcolm Gladwell argues: Pro sports teams are a lot like works of art. Forbes magazine annually estimates the value of every professional franchise, based on standard financial metrics like operating expenses, ticket sales, revenue, and physical assets like stadiums.Continue reading “Gladwell: Owning an NBA team like owning a Van Gogh”
How dogs came to be one of the family
Adam Gopnik in The New Yorker delves at length into the latest theories of how dogs came to be members of our human family. Dogs, we are now told, by a sequence of scientists and speculators—beginning with the biologists Raymond and Lorna Coppinger, in their 2001 masterwork, “Dogs”—domesticated themselves. They chose us. A marginally calmerContinue reading “How dogs came to be one of the family”
The superiority of the newspaper to the on-line version
His severance check safely deposited, long-time LA Timesman Mark Heisler, now an ex-staffer, speculates out loud about the future of his beloved institution, the newspaper: Within newspapers, it’s assumed we’ll wind up as websites, whether or not some of us continue to print and it takes 10 years or five (or one recession). I usedContinue reading “The superiority of the newspaper to the on-line version”
Yosemite deaths in 2011: Couch potato phenomenon?
That's the hint dropped in Matt Weiser's excellent examination of the numerous deaths this year in the Yosemite Valley recently in the Sacramento Bee. He suggests that visitors to the park are just too removed from nature in their minds to recognize the risks of nature when they encounter them in life. Visitorship is upContinue reading “Yosemite deaths in 2011: Couch potato phenomenon?”
Studio exec: Forget story. It’s all about spectacle.
In Variety, a Disney studio exec makes brutally clear what has become increasingly obvious over the last few years. Big movie audiences no longer care much about character, dialogue, or even story — what they want is spectacle. "People say 'It's all about the story,'" [Andy] Hendrickson said. "When you're making tentpole films, bullshit." HendricksonContinue reading “Studio exec: Forget story. It’s all about spectacle.”
Arctic ice not yet at point of no return, researchers say
Given the dramatic decline in summer ice coverage in the Arctic in recent years, some researchers have feared we are approaching the end of summer ice in the Arctic. But a new study, examining ancient driftwood found along the shores of Greenland, argues in Science that in fact it was much warmer 5000-8000 years ago.Continue reading “Arctic ice not yet at point of no return, researchers say”
Roshomon: Made in America (to start)
One of the greatest films of all time, the critics agree, is Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece Roshomon. Turns out it's based on a Japanese short story, that in turn was based on a story by Ambrose Bierce, the infamous Western wit, aka "the San Francisco Wasp," who disappeared in Mexico. The story turned up recently onContinue reading “Roshomon: Made in America (to start)”
12 million imperiled by crop failure in Africa: Why?
A month ago, in England, one could not pick up a newspaper without reading about the 12 million people who are imperiled by drought and starvation in the Horn of Africa. So this morning it's good to see a major American newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, put the story of the worst famine in theContinue reading “12 million imperiled by crop failure in Africa: Why?”
GOP wins debt ceiling battle: Unemployment to rise
According to the one economic think tank, the Economic Policy Institute, the newly-signed debt deal ceiling will cost the economy 1.8 million jobs: The agreement to raise the debt ceiling just announced by policymakers in Washington not only erodes funding for public investments and safety-net spending, but also misses an important opportunity to address the lackContinue reading “GOP wins debt ceiling battle: Unemployment to rise”
Kit Stolz 