As a mother of two young children, I’m in that season of life when the prospect of enjoying a rich novel or scintillating memoir seems remote. Empty nesters warn that the joy of reading will return sooner than I may want. Instead of embracing the thrill of Erik Larson’s narrative nonfiction, I’ll find myself wallowing
Iconic talk-show host Larry King has been moved out of the intensive care unit amid his battle with COVID-19, but he’s not out of the woods yet. King remains hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he checked in more than a week ago. “Larry continues to improve,” King’s family said in a
Larry King out of ICU amid COVID-19 battle Read More »
Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Los Angeles (AFP) – Former Bond actress and “That ’70s Show” star Tanya Roberts has died from a urinary tract infection at a Los Angeles hospital, her publicist said Tuesday, a day after premature reports of her passing were retracted. Roberts, 65, was best known for her role as geologist Stacey Sutton in the James
Former ‘Bond girl’ Tanya Roberts dies of infection aged 65 Read More »
Theatre, Film & Broadcast
NETANYA, Israel — In the January 3, 2021 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
Israeli surgeons used Augmented Reality to repair a patient’s eye socket.
An Israeli NGO brought water and light to 200 African villages in 2020.
Israeli prize-winning technology for hydrogen production.
An Israeli startup is developing floating video phones to keep seniors safe.
The UAE-Israel Business Council now has over 3,000 members .
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman 1984 is the most successful new release in the pandemic.
Despite the pandemic, more than 20,000 people made Aliyah in 2020. [Michael Ordman]
Good News from Israel (January 3, 2021) Read More »
International, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Talk show host Larry King is reportedly hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles. King, 87, is being treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, ABC News reported Saturday. The Brooklyn born King hosted “Larry King Live” on CNN from 1985 to 2010 and more recently, helmed “Larry King Now” on Ora TV. King’s health woes have been
Larry King hospitalized with COVID-19, report says Read More »
Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
Joan Micklin Silver (1935-2020) passed away on New Year’s Eve. She belonged to a cohort of pioneering American female directors in the 1970s, many of whom were Jewish. Whereas most of her Jewish counterparts deal with Jewish themes in their films, she repeatedly returned to making distinctly Jewish films earning her the reputation of being the “the mother of Jewish feminist film.” [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
Mayim Bialik kicks off the new year as the lead in the new Fox comedy “Call Me Kat,” which is based on the BBC sitcom “Miranda.” “We’re doing an American version, which means more of an American sensibility, so we’ve adjusted it around my quirks and my personality,” said Bialik. “‘Call Me Kat’ is about
This striking coffee table book is a mix of Architectural Digest treatment visiting homes with gorgeous interiors, and crucial space dedicated to books, and brief philosophical blurbs about loving books. Thirty-two vignettes with lush photography reveal volumes owned by book collectors, authors and bookstore owners, and with a little help from a magnifying glass, the authors and titles on their shelves. [Oliver B. Pollak, Ph.D, J.D]
Bibliophilia, Bibliomania and Bookworms Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Oliver Pollak
Following are Jewish programs of interest to lay and academic audiences that may be accessed via the Internet, January 3rrd through 9th. They are listed in Pacific Standard Time. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
Streaming Jewish Programs (January 3-9, 2021) Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Science, Medicine, & Education, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
The Reader’s Digest in July 2019 highlighted one quirky museum per state: the Alaska Hammer Museum; the Banana Museum in Mecca, in California’s Riverside County; Colorado’s Washing Machine; Mississippi’s Apron; Iowa’s Matchstick; and Ohio’s Pencil Sharpener museum. These are brick and mortar museums with street addresses, not the burgeoning online website museum. The author, Marissa Laliberte, overlooked the venerable Kool-Aid Museum in Hastings, Nebraska, in favor of the Klown Doll Museum in Plainview. I’ve been to the Mustard Museum in Horab, Wisconsin, and Idaho’s Potato Museum in Blackfoot. [Oliver B. Pollak, Ph.D]
There are museums for so many interests Read More »
International, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Oliver Pollak, Travel and Food, USA
Ivry Gitlis, arguably the last great 20th-century violinist, died on December 24 in Paris aged 98.Born in 1922 in Haifa into a family of immigrants from Ukraine, he got his first violin at age five.At eight, as a child prodigy, he was introduced to the founder of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Bronislaw Huberman. The latter
Legendary Israeli violinist Ivry Gitlis dies age 98 Read More »
Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
Li-rong (Lilly) Cheng, Ph.D., director of the Chinese Cultural Center at San Diego State University, loves well-told stories about China, whether they be fiction or non fiction. Over the years, she has been involved in promulgating stories of each type, and in two particular cases, the story telling has involved Jews. [Donald H. Harrison]
Exploring Jewish and Chinese connections in San Diego Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & BroadcastTune: California Dreaming
All the beds are full
In the ICUs
I must stay at home.
Watch TV or snooze.
Am I safe from Covid
If I live in L.A?
California lockdown
On such a winter’s day. … {Laurie Baron]
Parody: California Lockdown Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAIn the Dec. 27, 2020 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
A woman and a Druze Arab make Israeli Air Force history.
Historic signing of agreements between Israel and Morocco.
Two new Israeli fabric coatings protect against Covid-19.
Europeans are buying millions of Israeli flowers this month.
They will all come to Jerusalem. [Michael Ordman]
Good News from Israel (December 27, 2020) Read More »
Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA