The Vietnam War was my war, so to speak. Let me explain. As it inexorably escalated from an insurgency in the 1950s into a full-blown conflict in the 1960s, prompting anti-war protests in the United States and other countries, I watched it unfold from the safety of my home in Montreal. I read David Halberstam’s […]
The third season of Narcos, the taut crime thriller from Netflix, draws a viewer into its vortex of intrigue, skullduggery and violence. It’s set in Colombia, a South American country where drug cartels loom large and where corruption at the highest levels of government and law enforcement is an endemic and recurring problem. During the […]
Much to my surprise, I’m still watching Surviving Escobar — Alias JJ, the 60-part Netflix series. In the past two weeks, I’ve watched 41 episodes. Yesterday, I binged on two. Tonight, I’ll watch two more. I never thought I’d make that kind of commitment to a television show, but it’s that addictive. I tuned in to […]
We live in age when the media in America is under constant fire by conservative elites. President Donald Trump has led the charge, having accused newspapers and television networks of manufacturing “fake news.” Journalism appears to be under siege, begging the question whether the First Amendment, guaranteeing freedom of the press, is in danger of being […]
A discussion about food in the United States would be incomplete without a long and appreciative nod to James Beard. A cook, author, syndicated newspaper columnist, consultant and teacher, he’s the subject of a forthcoming PBS profile, American Masters — James Beard: America’s First Foodie, which will be broadcast on May 19 at 9 p.m. […]
Computer hackers, the bane of corporations and bloggers alike, are the heroes of Martin Himel’s documentary, Unit 8200, which will be broadcast by Vision TV in Canada on Monday, May 8 at 9 p.m. Two decades ago, hackers were regarded as common criminals, says Yossi Melman, an Israeli journalist who specializes in intelligence and strategic […]
Cuba usually comes to mind at this time of the year as the weather in Toronto goes from bad to worse. Holed up in my winter-bound house, I think of Cuba’s sunny weather, its sandy beaches, its turquoise waters and its tropical vegetation. Call it, if you wish, Cuba on the brain. But the lure […]
Eero Saarinen passed away five decades ago, but his architectural legacy remains firm and strong. “He figured out a way to be important across time, so even though he died young, he is still alive,” says his son, Eric, who takes us on a journey of his father’s works in Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who […]
With the launch of Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Holocaust entered a new and much more deadly phase. As the German army conquered vast swaths of territory, coming perilously close to capturing Moscow, mobile killing squads, known as Einsatzgruppen, were set loose to murder communist officials and […]
Ninety eight years ago, on an overcast day on November 11, 1918, the long nightmare of World War I ended with an armistice. Optimists claimed that World War I would be “the war to end all wars.” But in fact, the armistice, signed in a railway carriage in France by the Allied powers and Germany, would […]