The seemingly never-ending COVID-19 pandemic has shredded municipal budgets and tax bases. A regular cycle of news stories darkly speculate as to the health of the American city. Essential services–mass transit, public parks, schools–seem imperiled. The current presidential administration and its conservative allies delight at the situation. At best, the future of our cites seem uncertain. At worst, grim. Continue reading
My wife and I, both dedicated fans of British dramas and novels of morals and manners, recently watched Netflix’s The Crown, a dramatic interpretation of Queen Elizabeth II’s ascendancy to the throne of the United Kingdom and the early days of her reign. The Crown is a wonderful series with superb story-telling, gorgeous costumes, luxurious sets, and subtle acting. The show serves as a soothing balm for our age of anxiety and anger in the United States.
John Lithgow’s masterful portrayal of the legendary statesman Winston Churchill stands out as the most brilliant ingredient of the series. Lithgow’s characterization and Peter Morgan’s scripts created a complex, magnetic figure: The Crown‘s Churchill has haunted me for weeks.
