If men are compelled to make the melancholy choice between atheism and superstition, the scientist, as Bacon pointed out long ago, would be compelled to choose atheism, but the poet would be compelled to choose superstition, for even superstition, by its very confusion of values, gives his imagination more scope than a dogmatic denial of… Continue reading The Melancholy Choice
Abortion is not the topic of many movies, and good films that handle the issue well are few and far between. For this month’s theme, I decided to rewind and take a look at a few features that tell a compelling story about women faced with unexpected pregnancies, and how it affects their lives and… Continue reading Is there ‘Life’ in the Movies?
Some recent posts: My review of the film, Spotlight, about the Boston Globe’s investigation of the clerical abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. My Forbes post on Canadian researcher Timothy Kieffer and his lab’s breakthrough on a stem cell therapy for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. And my plug for the History Channel’s Einstein… Continue reading Catch Up for Thanksgiving, 2015.
I should not have been surprised to learn that Ian Fleming’s Bond series of novels was inspired by Dennis Wheatley’s earlier success with the Duke de Richlieu and his intrepid team of adventurers. The Forbidden Territory came out in 1933, featuring the Duke and Simon Aaron on a perilous journey into Soviet Russia to rescue… Continue reading Monsieur le Duc, Meet Mr. Bond…
This summer I’ve been going back to classic paperbacks I read when I was a teenager. It’s been fascinating to re-read Alistair MacLean, Dennis Wheatley, and most recently Ray Bradbury. For fun I posted snaps of the books from the beach cottage where we vacation. The Dandelion Wine cover brought a groan of recognition from… Continue reading The Dandelion Rides Out
