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    [This piece, taken from the writing collection of the same title, is re-posted as an anniversary tribute. Dad died on August 12, 2013. ]       The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder is my favorite book. It is probably also the most underrated novel of the last century. I never merely re-read it; every few years it summons me, and like a somnambulist I turn to the bookshelf and reach for my copy. A novel such as that is a conjurer’s orb: your hands surround and caress it, your eyes peer into its depths and… a voice sounds. The voice wields the kind of authority that dismisses fiction. The images, the characters—the story chronicles a series of events so rife with Truth

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Movies

THERE ARE THREE FILMS either just out or opening soon that I am very anxious to see.   Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny I have come to appreciate Harrison Ford more and more through his role in the Star Wars franchise but more so because of his starring role in Bladerunner and its sequel. I expect the quality of the production to be top-notch and the plot to be compelling. Cast includes Antonio Banderas, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Mads Mikkelsen.   Asteroid City I would probably watch anything Wes Anderson makes. I never watched the Darjeeling Limited, but he has made several incredible and artful films, like Moonrise Kingdom, The Royal Tannenbaums, Grand Budapest Hotel, etc. One testament to the success of his work

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Markets

[NOTE: This material does not represent investment advice in any way. It is for educational purposes only. Investing is personal. See your investment guru before making decisions.]   ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO, while spending time in France after college, I hitchhiked south to Madrid to visit my Aunt and cousins.  While I did experience the Prado and the Guernica there, I also attended a bullfight at the Plaza del Toros.  I bring this up because a bullfight, while arguably brutal,  is a pageant and there is a process about it. A matador does not enter the ring prepared to face a fresh fighting bull. The bull is systematically weakened by picadors on horseback who spear the animal’s neck and shoulder muscles to reduce its ability

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Movies

THIS FILM CONTAINS A NUMBER OF INGREDIENTS that make a film work for me. I can’t promise they will work for you with this movie, but here goes: It has a director with a solid track record It’s British–I tend to think the Brits often make great films because the director has more artistic license; the arts get some public funding so you don’t get movies managed largely for profit or by “a committee” There are members of the cast I enjoy: one or two good performances can save or make a movie The plot and the cinematography are compelling enough to enjoy without having to suspend disbelief unreasonably much or often Guy Ritchie has made some very good films in this genre–which is usually

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Movies

  THIS SERIES HAS A GOOD CAST (though the best performances might not come from the ones you expect) and offers new and sometimes sordidly funny insights into the events leading up to the Nixon re-election campaign, the Watergate break-in(s), and the onset of scandal. The two best performances came from Justin Theroux as Gordon Liddy, and Lena Headey as Dorothy Hunt. I have enjoyed Woody Harrelson in many past efforts, but in this role as Howard Hunt,  I quickly tired of his habit of thrusting his jaw forward to indicate some inner conflict. Theroux as Liddy was superb and may get nominated for it. Lena Headey was fantastic as the spouse of Howard Hunt. The cast contained other familiar faces amid solid performances. I 

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