Reading and Roaming
MOVIES—MEN AT WORK, PHYSICS & MUSIC Oppenheimer ($5.99 on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, et al) Oppenheimer, one of the big films of 2023, is an almost mesmerizing portrayal of one individual’s huge impact on history. Physicist Oppenheimer was a complex man and an intriguing one. Brilliance, coupled with ego and drive, propelled him in overseeing the development of the …
Continue reading “Tidy Tidbits: Winter Pastimes”
BEAUTIFUL MAUI Like many people, the Chief Penguin and I have fond memories of visiting Maui over the years and being treated to insider tours with good friends. It is wrenching to see the wildfire destruction of so much of historic Lahaina and its residential neighborhoods. On those earlier trips, we enjoyed meandering Front Street, checking …
Continue reading “Maine Memo: Maui, Mystery & Memoir”
INTIMATE PORTRAIT The Chancellor by Kati Marton Members of my local book group enjoyed reading Marton’s portrayal of Angela Merkel. It’s an accessible biography of an intensely private woman in a prominent public position. It isn’t a comprehensive biography and does not provide detailed analysis of some of Merkel’s questionable decisions and actions. And the author is perhaps too …
Continue reading “Tidy Tidbits: Biography, Mystery, & Memoir”
FOOD FOR THE BRAIN This week we attended in person the first program in the Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL) 2023 Global Issues series. It was the first time we’d been back live since Covid. Attendance was sparse compared to earlier years, but the speaker was excellent. Former Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the inaugural vice-provost for global affairs …
Continue reading “Tidy Tidbits: See, Read, Watch”
