I must confess to some minor disappointment in this book. I don’t know much about Da Vinci and have been looking for an opportunity to learn more. Isaacson’s biography was excellent in part of that goal but incomplete. The book would be better titled “The Works of Leonardo Da Vinci”, for it does an exceptional Read More …
Category: Blog
These are random thoughts about topics that interest me — including books, rock and roll, philosophy, culture and daily life. I update it whenever the mood strikes me, shooting for at least once a week but often more frequently than that. I welcome your comments on anything I may discuss here and, when appropriate, will reply as promptly as possible.
Book Review: News of the World
The prose and descriptions in this story from post-Civil War America are strongly reminiscent of Larry McMurtry. But this is a wholly original story. There is nothing derivative about it. The plot centers around an aging veteran of several conflicts – dating back to his participation in the War of 1812. At 71, he has Read More …
Book Review: A Life in Parts
The problem with this book is that there’s so much great material to work with. Cranston could have written 280 pages on his experiences as Walter White alone. That part is clearly the one that he’s most proud of, and fans of his work would be eager for more details, especially after the stirring scene Read More …
Information, misinformation and a viral G-7 photograph
The job of news and copy editors at a traditional newspaper today is fraught with more hand wringing and fear of second guessing than I can recall in more than 40 years in the profession. As they work to select pictures, edit stories, write headlines and organize the presentation of all this material, editors are Read More …
Another lesson of Barr scandal – written word needs extra care
I have spent my career devoted to the written word, so far be it from me to disparage it. But as Roseanne Barr found this week – and as sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and more prove every day – we’ll all be better off if we stop for a moment to consider the Read More …
Share in a real, constructive conversation about safety
In a front-page editorial on Wednesday, we on the Daily Herald editorial board vented our frustration over continued school shootings with a call for a statewide panel that would research potential solutions and produce specific recommendations before school starts again next fall. At the end of a contentious General Assembly and the beginning of a Read More …
The power of the press – and its limits
Google “the power of the press” and you’ll get thousands of responses – many extolling the ability of mass media to effect change by influencing public opinion, a growing number debating how that power is (take your pick) declining/growing/transforming and some decrying how the entire subject has been swallowed up in the confusing conversation over Read More …
A different kind of conversation that can ease ‘a great lonely grief’
The newspaper often can seem like a mere recitation of events, a steady succession of familiar themes. Political controversy swells out of Washington. Check. Dramatic action stirs passions in a foreign war. Check. The state approves a new law. A local government considers a housing development. A popular singer is coming to town. The stock Read More …
They’re rare, but instances like these do make you wonder
Some people … It’s an expression we’ve all heard. Perhaps all used. It always trails off like that, because we seem to think there’s something more to be said, but just don’t quite know what it is. So, forgive me if there’s something of a stream-of-consciousness feel to this column. I’ve just hung up from Read More …
The eternal struggle to balance excitement, impact
Here’s an interesting news judgment question for you. Which of these two events happening next Monday night will attract the most interest — a debate over a law setting a minimum age to play youth football or the NCAA March Madness championship game, possibly featuring the local Cinderella team, the Loyola University Ramblers? The answer Read More …