The Arts

BOOK REVIEW: ‘John Quincy Adams and the Politics of Slavery’

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS AND THE POLITICS OF SLAVERY By David Waldstreicher and Matthew Mason Oxford University Press, $29.95, 308 pages Good biography should not just bring the subject individual into clearer focus, it also should inform us about how that life has something to tell us about current events. This meticulously annotated selection from the

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USA

Trump’s First Easter Egg Roll Was One for the Books

President Donald Trump’s family and cabinet did more than just host 21,000 people for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday—they finally got caught reading. First lady Melania Trump perched on a seat before a crowd of children and read aloud “Party Animals,” a 2010 book by TV host Kathie Lee Giffords, telling

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USA

Hemingway’s love letter to Marlene Dietrich goes on the auction block

“Dearest Marlene: I always love you and admire you and I have all sorts of mixed up feelings about you […] please know that I love you always and forget you sometimes as I forget my heart beats. But it beats always.” The letter was addressed to Marlene Dietrich and written by Ernest Hemingway, one

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

A memoir of travel, encounters with the famous

As I Remember It by Cynthia Citron, © 2017 Xlibris; ISBN 9780152-4571627. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Given that Nancy and I are mentioned in Cynthia Citron’s book, I feel a bit embarrassed recommending it to you. But the fact is, Cynthia also writes in her memoir about important people with whom she

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cynthia Citron, Donald H. Harrison, International, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

This one woman show is ‘Not That Jewish,’ but it is that funny

Award-winning comedienne Monica Piper tickles audiences until they cry with the bittersweet story of her life By Cathryn J. Prince NEW YORK — Some may laugh in the face of danger; Monica Piper laughs in the face of the “the dark stuff.” And right now she thinks America needs to laugh more. “It’s getting harder

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Documentary animates autistic boy who found his voice through Disney

Based on Ron Suskind’s book, ‘Life, Animated’ interweaves family footage with animation as cartoons help Owen to speak — and even become a bar mitzvah By Rich Tenorio BOSTON — Ron Suskind has won the Pulitzer Prize for his journalism; his books on American presidents have made the best-seller lists. But in recent years, Suskind

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

TICO concert ‘most satisfying in recent memory’

By Eileen Wingard SAN DIEGO — The Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra’s recent concert, featuring Dvorak’s Symphony #8 in G Major, was one of their most satisfying performances in recent memory. Dvorak’s engaging melodies sang forth with warmth. The entire ensemble, under David Amos’ capable direction, seemed to feel and understand the music. With the woodwinds

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

A young author profiles his grandmother

Finding Maria: A young man’s search for his grandmother, and himself by Peter Szabo; © 2016;; ChickadeePrince; ISBN 9780991-327447; 138 pages; $11.99. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Late in his grandmother Maria’s life, Peter Szabo came to realize that as a cultured woman who had survived the Holocaust in Hungary and had withstood

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Cli-fi, quidditch, latte art among new words

By Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — When the Oxford Dictionaries in Britain made a list of new words it was accepting into its chambers for 2017, J.K. Rowling’s ”Harry Potter” novels had its “quidditch term accepted, along with “latte art,” “floordrobe,” “snoozefest” and ”cli-fi.” Words matter, and the editors of this British dictionary in London

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Travel and Food

Doc film examines 4 isolated small town shuls

There Are Jews Here, a film by Brad Lichtenstein, 371 Productions. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –This 90-minute documentary explores four small town shuls fighting to remain open at their respective homes in Latrobe, Pennsylvania; Butte, Montana; Laredo, Texas; and Dothan, Alabama. Temple Emanu-El in Dothan seems to have the brightest future thanks largely

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Video: Alicia Machado Goes Completely Nude For PETA

Former Venezuelan Miss Universe Alicia Machado has joined environmental group “People for Ethical Treatment of Animals” (PETA) with a very resounding message: “I prefer to be naked than to wear furs”. The actress and host, who Donald Trump used to bully for being overweight, posed without clothes in a campaign against the use of animal

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The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly takes a vacation amid sexual harassment allegations

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said he will take a previously planned vacation as he faces mounting pressure over multiple sexual harassment allegations. O’Reilly announced his plans during his Tuesday night broadcast of “The O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel, saying he typically takes a vacation around this time of the year. “I grab

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Charlie Murphy Dies From Battle With Leukemia

After a long-fought battle with leukemia, comedian Charlie Murphy, the older brother of Eddie Murphy, died Wednesday. He was 57. Charlie Murphy was mostly known for his comedic sketches on “Chappelle’s Show.” Murphy also co-wrote some of his brother’s movies and appeared in a few movies such as “Are We There Yet,” “The Boondocks” and

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Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA