By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — Despite the continuous roars of approval from the jazzed-up opening night crowd at the Ahmanson, Mary Poppins, in the long run, is a bit of a disappointment. And I DO mean in the long run. At three hours, the production is at least an hour too long: there are […]
Not necessary to make Mary Poppins extra-Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Read More »
Cynthia CitronBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Barack Obama was six years old when the Jordanian army opened fire on Jerusalem as its part in the 1967 war. Shortly after the fighting, Israel expanded the city’s boundaries. Four years later it began construction the Gilo neighborhood. Gilo was in the news early in the intifada that began in 2000, when
Peace recedes as Obama policies harden Palestinian positions Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM—More than 40 years ago I chose public administration as my specialty in political science. I still poke at it, despite being interested in other things as well. Here I will poke at the 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom published by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Some actors shy from the roles that made them famous. I remember, for example, how Henry Winkler practically growled at reporters at a United Jewish Federation event who wanted to talk about his role as Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli on television’s Happy Days. Not so with actor Armin Shimerman. He said he knows
In Star Trek, he was Quark the barkeeper; in The Seafarer, he’s a drunk Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, USA
By Carol Davis BURBANK, California–History aficionados, those scholars who possess a fascination with Civil War History and Abraham Lincoln in particular, may know the best little secret about Cordelia Harvey, but others will not unless they make their way to the Colony Theatre in beautiful downtown Burbank to see the West Coast Premiere of Wayne
Better Angel charms and informs Read More »
Carol Davis, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Cynthia Citron HOLLYWOOD–Thirty years after playwright Edward Albee dealt with the demons he encountered in academia during his student days at Trinity College in Hartford by writing the terrifying Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? he dealt with the other demons of his youth in his play Three Tall Women.” He won his third Pulitzer
Albee explores the A,B,C of life and dementia Read More »
Cynthia Citron, USA
The Complete Infidel’s Guide to the Koran by Robert Spencer, Regnery Publishing, Washington, DC ISBN 978-1-59698-104-1, 2009, $19.95, p. 232 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D WESTMINSTER, California–President George W. Bush, in December 2006, issued greetings to the Muslim world on the occasion of the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha, which commemorates both the Hajj and Abraham’s
In hands of extremists, Koran justifies Ft. Hood massacre Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, San Diego Calendar, USABy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—There is something enchanting about historical research. You can visit a library or an archive in almost any city and provided you read the local language with sufficient understanding, you can peel back the mysteries of the past in pleasant academic surroundings. For historians, genealogists and antiquarians, the lure of
The thrill of an archive brought home to San Diego Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lawrence Baron, San Diego CalendarBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM, Nov. 14– This is one of those times to wonder if ridicule or serious analysis is in order. The occasion is a combination of two moves by the Palestinian leadership. It is not even clear which of the two warrants ridicule or analysis, or if they are both just part of
Trying to understand Palestinians and Haredim Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The Washington Post has published two views, claiming to be contrasting expressions of Israeli and Palestinian despair for peace. http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/israeli_despair_for_peace.html http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/palestinian_despair_for_peace.html Neither is what the headlines claim. They are not expressions by Israelis or Palestinians, but by Americans or individuals affiliated with American institutions (Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the American Task
Washington Post chooses wrong commentators on Middle East Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky Consider the United States, with President Barack Obama trying mightily to break the bonds of lethargy identified with his predecessor. An article in the New York Times describes his handicaps in Afghanistan. President Karzai is not cooperating with American goals of development and reform. Evidence is that Karzai stole the most
Obama's policies seen as 'childish' by some Israelis Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Bruce F. Lowitt OLDSMAR, Florida–Freddie Roman hasn’t been around as long as the Catskills, although it might seem that way. He is a living history of a region that gave birth to countless great Jewish comedians and a reminder of an era of American Jewish life long past. There are the Catskill Mountains, ranging
Freddie Roman recalls ‘goldeneh’ era of the Catskills Read More »
Bruce F. Lowitt, USA
By Donald H. Harrison LA JOLLA, California – One day, there will be a Palestinian Embassy in Israel and an Israeli Embassy in Palestine and Jerusalem residents will be able to walk from one to the other, novelist Amos Oz predicted Thursday evening, Nov. 12, at the San Diego Jewish Book Fair. Oz, author of
Amos Oz tells reasons for two-state solution Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego Calendar, USA
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Quite a bit of it is still hush-hush, but a proposed joint Palestinian-Israeli demonstration peace project to co-market a blended olive oil is evolving into a tri-national effort that also will involve mixing in some olive oil from neighboring Jordan. Oren Blonder, director of the Peres Peace Center’s agriculture, water
Blended olive oil may promote Mideast peace Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego Calendar, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA