Wednesday, September 3, 2014

another student in Facts and Arguments

Student Nancy Figueroa wrote the other day, to say that another of her essays would be appearing in the Globe.
I read the story at your place in May, worked on it, including some of the suggestions you made and then I forgot about it.  Three weeks ago I remembered it and sent it off to The Globe. They liked it! It will be my third piece in F & A since I finished your class!
I'll look forward to seeing you September 16 for the launch of True to Life.

 It's a lovely piece, Nancy. Congratulations.


When our dishwasher broke down, my son and I were doing the dishes together. He suddenly had a lot more to say to me than usual. (Jori Bolton For The Globe and Mail)

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

The Brian Epstein Story

My friend Juliet from Paris sent me a link to "The Brian Epstein Story," done as a British TV series, nine episodes of ten minutes each. I watched them last night: a bit slow and nothing really new, but still worth watching for a Beatle nut, the moving story of a beautiful, smart and honest young man who cared deeply about his "boys," as he called the group he nurtured and helped to bloom. Both Jewish and gay, a lonely outsider, his death a tragic waste. If he had not died, would they have gone on together? Surely for longer, yes, if not forever like the Stones. Too too sad. Thank you from the world for what you did accomplish, Brian.

Here's the first one and you can link to the others from there.


Goodreads: William Shakespeare and moi

Love this - that old guy who wrote "Merchant of Venice" is listed, for some reason, under my name on the website Goodreads. 

And he and I get the same star rating. Mind you, he has 123 editions and 90,729 ratings, and I have at most 2 editions and 3 ratings. Still - considering that his book has more than 400 years on mine - the stars are about the same. Will and I, pour toujours. 

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The Merchant of Venice
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3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 avg rating — 90,729 ratings — published 1600 — 123 editions
All My Loving: Coming of Ag...
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4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2014 — 1 edition
Finding the Jewish Shakespe...
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3.5 of 5 stars 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2007 — 2 editions
True to Life: Fifty Steps t...
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5.0 of 5 stars 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2014 — 1 edition

Monday, September 1, 2014

Sam Harris writes about Israel

This is one of the best articles I've read about Israel and the Palestinians, as a half-Jew struggling to find any way to justify what seems unjustifiable, or at least comprehend it. Mind you, Sam Harris wrote this before the latest Israeli land grab was announced. And that certainly seems in every way not only unjustifiable but suicidal. As if this is a country bent on making sure the world responds with hatred. Impossible to understand.

But as I said, this I think is a clear-eyed, intelligent, honest and thoughtful analysis - and we'd expect no less of this well-known philosopher of rational atheism, raised by a secular Jewish mother and Quaker father - to the situation in the Middle East. Highly recommended. His new book, Waking Up: a guide to spirituality without religion, is being released in the fall, and I, for one, will be lining up to read it.

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/why-dont-i-criticize-israel

autumn thoughts

Went for a bike ride down the Don Valley Trail, discovered Todmorden Mills for the first time - a very old mill with various arts activities going on, though not on Labour Day. The lettering on the bridge is done with string. 



Definitely fall. 

As I rode, I looked at the others riding down there, mostly two by two, either men and women or two men or two women riding together. And I thought, again, about what it would be like to live two by two instead of solo. I vaguely remember a time when I had to take a bunch of other people into consideration every time I made a move. But it has been years since that time, and I do not regret leaving it behind. Can a person be genetically single? It is simply unimaginable to me to always have another person there. 

Have been thinking about this because of reading an article on Brad and Angie, now married - how instant was their connection and how clear it is that, for now anyway, they are true soul mates. And yet I also read that Neil Young and his wife of nearly 37 years are getting divorced. How to understand that? My own parents had years of unhappiness in their marriage, but they stuck it out and the last ten were very happy. My father died in my mother's arms. Isn't that the point? I may have all the freedom I want, but at the moment, I have no one's arms to die in. Well - my kids. Maybe Eli will be big enough when the time comes. Got to prep those arms. Though maybe I'll be ninety-nine, riding down on the Trail, and have a pleasant little heart attack among the wildflowers.