In which Siege ponders the connection between physical power and compassion. Also there is boxing.
Another Unsolved Mystery
(From Amazon) Shortly after midnight on March 18, 1990, two men broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and committed the largest art heist in history. They stole a dozen masterpieces, including one Vermeer, three Rembrandts, and five Degas. But after thousands of leads—and a $5 million reward—none of the paintings have been recovered. Worth as much as $500 million, the missing masterpieces have become one of the nation’s most extraordinary unsolved mysteries. Ulrich Boser, who has followed this case for decades, took […]
Science, Science, Science
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre is a book about the misrepresentation and portrayal of Scientific subjects at both the media and national level. As a medic, Goldacre concentrates mainly on the area of Health and how misrepresentations can effect the national discourse and zeitgeist. But he also covers a wide variety of topics. He begins with homoeopathy and alternative medicines, moves onto nutritionists and the claims they make; then lampoons the standards of Science and Research in the Pharmaceutical industry. Finally, he finishes on the […]
Still Foolin’ Em: Billy Crystal at his Best
Comedy is often built on tragedy. Memoirs are a form of literature that often mines a person’s tragedy to create universal feelings in the reader. Billy Crystal’s Still Foolin’ Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys is a brilliant memoir from a supremely funny man. Much like Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up it serves as both a career retrospective piece as well as means for Crystal to show some of the events that shaped the performer we see. My first memory of […]
The Crazy Land of Scientology
After reading Jenna Miscavige Hill’s book about her life in Scientology, Beyond Belief, I was still hungry for more information. Hill’s memoir was a fascinating but personal story and I was interested in a broader look at Scientology. So, I picked up Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief (2013) by Lawrence Wright, after hearing some good things about it. Wright covers a lot of ground with this book, starting with L. Ron Hubbard, his life, his writings, and the beginnings of Scientology. […]
On Race, Revolution, and Vertically-Challenged Corsicans
Alexandre Dumas, father of the famous French novelist, was born into a noble Norman family. He was generally acknowledged to be the strongest man in the French army. He commanded armies, fought on two continents, and successfully invaded Italy. Not only was he personally known to Napoleon, but Napoleon hated his guts. Dumas managed to survive enemy action, prolonged imprisonment, personal betrayal, and the Terror. His was a life of almost picaresque scope and wonder. Oh, and he was also the mixed-race son of a […]