By MERVYN ROTHSTEIN (NY Times)
Ingmar Bergman, the
He moved from the comic romp of lovers in
America, the land of limited opportunities?
New evidence suggests that old Europe provides more opportunities economic mobility than the U.S. Even Canada comes out ahead. Read this interesting article by Clive Crook.
Rags to Rags, Riches to Riches: Maybe it
But is America any longer a land of opportunity for the people born here? The evidence, such as it is, points to a 
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[Read More] Mrs. Queen goes to Washington
Queen Elizabeth is arriving in Washington in a few days. The state dinner at the White House is billed as the social event of Bush’s presidency. George Tenet is not on the guest list. The press is full of stories about whether George Bush will be able to behave as one is supposed to in 
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[Read More] News from the battle between Science and Religion
As readers of this web diary know, I love the New Yorker magazine. It happens rarely that I truly dislike an article in what I consider the best magazine in the world. A few weeks ago, however, I was quite disappointed with Jane Kramer’s portrait of Pope Benedict. I felt that she was uncharacteristically off 
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[Read More] Great Books of Quotations
Louis Menand reviews two recent books of quotations in the New Yorker. After reading his fun review, I really want these two books for my library. Anyone forgot my birthday?
Sherlock Holmes never said “Elementary, my dear Watson.” Neither Ingrid Bergman nor anyone else in “Casablanca” says “Play it again, Sam”; Leo Durocher did not say 
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[Read More] Marriages aren’t made for heaven
Curious news from the marriage front courtesy of Samantha Brett.
MARRIED folk, hold on to your wedding rings! Those marriage vows we once happily
exchanged are in deep trouble. “For richer or poorer” has reached the end of its run, permanence has taken a back seat and the phrase “till death us do part” has 
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[Read More] Nobel Lecture: My Father’s Suitcase
Sometimes the lecture by the recipients of the Nobel Prize for literature are superb (e.g. Guenter Grass) and sometime they are quite disappointing (e.g. Heinrich Boell). Just read the Orhan Pamuk gave in Stockholm a few months ago after receiving the 2006 prize. It is a great read. Try it…
By Orhan Pamuk:
Two years before 
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[Read More] New Feature: Receive Email Notification of New Posts
If you want to find out about new articles I posted on this site as soon as they are published, you can now get notified via email. To subscribe to this email notification service simply type your eMail address into the box on the left side (below the search box) and hit the “Subscribe me” [Read More]
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Over the years I have seen many small reproductions of Vermeer
Watching Entourage
I am waiting for the fifth season of 24 to come out on DVD December 5th. In the meantime, I am watching the first season of the HBO comedy Entourage on the Stairmaster, trying to lose a few pounds. The show gives you a look at the day-to-day life of Vincent (Vince) Chase, a 
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