United 93
On controversy and great filmmaking “United 93” could have easily been gratuitous, or cheesy, or exploitative. It is none of these things. If you feel ready to confront the tragedy of the...
Category: Themes
Frail as a Flickering Mirage
Wednesday at last. They met face to face after an eternity of waiting. It began six months ago, at one of many chat websites, in a private chat room, where she bared her soul before him. It did not...
Anyone Out There?
(This article was first published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine) One day this teacher walked into the classroom with an unusually somber look that I shall never forget. As I discovered in due...
The Saxophone Player and A Stop in New Orleans
In memory of Sheldon P. Zitner, a teacher and friend. The Saxophone Player The wind bears an iron fist, my back to the wall, holding on to the gravity of life. Black night opens its jaws to reveal a...
The American Ways
"THE AMERICAN WAY" is possibly the catchiest tried and true maxim of all American clichés. It is most often used by Americans in fond reference to matters which make them proud, and there are many,...
Finally, Leigh Whannell Shows America What a Worthwhile Film is All About
How the “SAW” movies beat the predictability of Hollywood I’ve never been much of a moviegoer, mainly because the majority of the films made these days have a poor (even non-existent) story...
The Latest “Perfect Job” is a Complete Scam
On July 21 2005, I received an email from a company asking me to accept a simple, but very profitable job offer. Being new to posting my resume online, I was thrilled that not only had I gotten an...
The Path to Freedom: The Struggle Against Human trafficking
An Interview with La Strada’s Tetyana Mityura, a leading activist that has spent over five years on the front lines of Ukraine’s war against human trafficking and sexual slavery. There is...
After the Storm
Hurricanes are scary, but in a basic, elemental way. They don't mean to destroy everything in their path; water and air molecules don't get together and decide that today they are going to batter the...
China, the United States and UNOCAL: The Triumph of Politics in Oil Bargaining
Politics influenced the final outcome of bargaining for Unocal. China lost, but we can expect it to retaliate. On April 4, directors of Unocal, the twelfth largest U.S. oil company (rated by the...