Good ol' Boys and Democratic Accountability

by | Oct 30, 2008 | The Public Humanist

Recently, my wife and I were fortunate enough to have a vacation in Italy. On that trip we met many Italians (with whom my wife could converse quite well). One in particular I remember because his English was good (my Italian is minimal, at best) and so we were able...

Heroes: Amy Sedaris

by | Oct 30, 2008 | Cherchez La Femme

Every time I see, hear about, or read something by Amy Sedaris, I get weepy. If, when filling out my Sunday crossword puzzle, there are only three spaces instead of five to answer the clue "Humorist Sedaris," I imagine giving the sprightly little blond a...
Transylvanian Tales

Transylvanian Tales

by | Oct 30, 2008 | Stage

In Ted Tiller's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, the bulk of the action takes place at psychiatrist Dr. Seward's living quarters on the grounds of the Asylum for the Insane in 1930s England. At dinner one night the characters—Dr. Seward; Sybil,...

Breaking the Language Barrier

by | Oct 30, 2008 | Stage

It's called the actor's nightmare. You find yourself onstage in a play you don't know, playing a part you didn't realize you'd been cast in and don't know the lines for.The actors in The Golden Lotus might well have felt they were in a...

Between the Lines: What Now, Hannity?

by | Oct 30, 2008 | News

Like a lot of people in the Valley—and, if TV ratings are to be believed, a lot of people around the nation—I've been getting a lot of my news lately from Rachel Maddow and her colleagues at MSNBC. As uplifting as MSNBC's coverage has been for...