Tindall’s secret garden
This is the autobiography of Blair Tindall, a performer, speaker, and a journalist who dazzled in the world of classical music as an oboist. In this book, she delves into the lives of the musicians and powerful men and women who control the world of classical music. Tindall spares no punches when she recalls her professional career full of hard-luck, pain, self-loathing, deceit, and total addiction to sex, drugs and alcohol. As a freelance musician, she was introduced to cocaine parties and group sex in the decrepit apartments in and around the New York City. She quickly learnt how to make it to those gigs at recitals and orchestras in the Big Apple. In fact she was natural at this; since the age of sixteen, she was using marijuana and sleeping with her instructors in high school for good grades and special favors. When she played in New York, often she was drunk, hung-over and high on narcotics. The book is not simply a self-pitying memoir but also focuses on working musicians who struggle with low-paying jobs and financial insecurity.
The author takes to journalism when she failed in the classical music industry. Her resentment to a profession she loved so much did not offer anything but addiction to controlled substances. Her disappointment is understandable, but what was she expecting when she decided to sleep her way to make it to the top? She hit the bottom like so many in the entertainment industry. There are stories of hard-luck girls who learnt their lessons the hard way; Tindall is neither the first, nor is the last. There are too many books about drugs, sex and rock-N-roll music, but nobody is shedding tears about those parties. Because it has been accepted as obvious choice in rock-N-roll music! But why is this problem for the lovers of classical music?
Tindall is no ordinary drug-addict. She is a smart girl, she taught journalism at Stanford University and music at the University of California, Berkeley. She graduated with bachelor and master's degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and also earned master’s degree in communication from Stanford University. She also studied at Columbia University. Her biggest success was when her book was picked up by the Amazon Studios for a television show with same title. The story was well received by the critics and the Amazon television viewers. Many reviewers on Amazon.com are critical of Blair Tindall, but I began to like her after reading her book. I like the spirit of this girl from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
Movie Reviewed: The Fast Workers (1933), starring Mae Clarke and John Gilbert
The last film of the “fast worker” John Gilbert
In this 1933 pre-code film, John Gilbert and Robert Armstrong play romantic rivals for the character played by actress Mae Clarke. The film was based on a play by John W. McDermott.
John Gilbert’s tenure as a matinée idol at the studios had descended into the dusk due to a series of misfortunes of his life. He was known for his ill-temper and frequently clashed with studio head Louis B. Mayer over many issues, including a physical attack on him during the alleged double-wedding of Greta Garbo and John Gilbert; and director King Vidor and actress Eleanor Boardman. Mayer vowed to end his career, and thus the long and painful decline of Gilbert comes to an end in this film as his contract with MGM also ends. In spite of all his misfortunes, the film is still interesting and enjoyable to watch.
In this 1933 pre-code film, John Gilbert and Robert Armstrong play romantic rivals for the character played by actress Mae Clarke. The film was based on a play by John W. McDermott.
John Gilbert’s tenure as a matinée idol at the studios had descended into the dusk due to a series of misfortunes of his life. He was known for his ill-temper and frequently clashed with studio head Louis B. Mayer over many issues, including a physical attack on him during the alleged double-wedding of Greta Garbo and John Gilbert; and director King Vidor and actress Eleanor Boardman. Mayer vowed to end his career, and thus the long and painful decline of Gilbert comes to an end in this film as his contract with MGM also ends. In spite of all his misfortunes, the film is still interesting and enjoyable to watch.
Movie Reviewed: The Magician (1926), starring Alice Terry and directed by Rex Ingram
Alice Terry is magnificent
The formidable combination of director Rex Ingram, author Somerset Maugham, Ivan Petrovich with Alice Terry and Paul Wegener gave this horror film a distinction of having several international stars. But the script contains occult practices, hypnotism, a spinal operation, and a sinister experiment at a Monte Carlo tower which would have suited a horror specialist better than it did for director Ingram. Nevertheless the star of the film, Alice Terry shines as a woman whose real love is for the surgeon who saved her life (Petrovich), and finally gets saved from the sinister hypnotist played Paul Wegener.
The formidable combination of director Rex Ingram, author Somerset Maugham, Ivan Petrovich with Alice Terry and Paul Wegener gave this horror film a distinction of having several international stars. But the script contains occult practices, hypnotism, a spinal operation, and a sinister experiment at a Monte Carlo tower which would have suited a horror specialist better than it did for director Ingram. Nevertheless the star of the film, Alice Terry shines as a woman whose real love is for the surgeon who saved her life (Petrovich), and finally gets saved from the sinister hypnotist played Paul Wegener.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Book Reviewed: When Women Win: EMILYs List and the Rise of Women in American Politics, by Ellen R. Malcolm, Craig Unger
How a women’s group like EMILY’s List has changed the way America works
This is an inside story from one of the principal founders of EMILY’s List, Ellen R. Malcolm that chronicles the beginnings and the raise of a powerful women’s organization. Formed in 1985 as a political action committee (PAC) to provide “pro-choice” female Democratic candidates with "seed" money to run for state and federal offices, EMILY's List has become more than a women's PAC. Over the past 30 years, Ellen Malcolm and a cadre of liberal feminist activists have transformed this movement into a political powerhouse. EMILY's List stands for "Early Money Is like Yeast" (raises dough). It is a political cliché based on a simple marketing strategy that receiving donations early in the race leads to more donors later. This group sends contributions to the campaigns of pro-choice Democratic women running in targeted races around the country. The 1985 meeting in the home of Ellen Malcolm included very powerful democratic women like Barbara Boxer, Ann Richards, Anne Wexler, and Donna Shalala.
The book is essentially a historical document that describes the growth of EMILY’s List as a political organization that defends the reproductive rights of women. The book includes several interviews with leading women of the Democratic Party but does not detail its “candidate selection process” or the way its endorsement process works.
In a demonstration of its political muscle, Emily’s group backed Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski of Maryland in her bid to win the senate race in 1986. Barbara Mikulski became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate from MD, and currently she is a senior senator and a ranking minority member. In 2012, 80% of the candidates endorsed by EMILY's List in the general election were victorious including senators; Claire McCaskill (MO), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Mazie Hirono (HI), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Maggie Hassan in the NH Gubernatorial race. EMILY's List has endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election as it did in the 2008 bid.
In 2010, Professor Jamie Pamelia Pimlott of Niagara University published her work chronicling the founding of Emily’s list under the title, “Women and the Democratic Party: The Evolution of EMILY's List. The current book by the groups’ founder Ellen Malcolm makes another interesting reading. I recommend this to anyone interested in Emily’s List or women’s movement in American politics. “When women win” is an insightful look at how women are transforming government, politics, and the workforce, and how they are using that power shift to effect change in American lives.
This is an inside story from one of the principal founders of EMILY’s List, Ellen R. Malcolm that chronicles the beginnings and the raise of a powerful women’s organization. Formed in 1985 as a political action committee (PAC) to provide “pro-choice” female Democratic candidates with "seed" money to run for state and federal offices, EMILY's List has become more than a women's PAC. Over the past 30 years, Ellen Malcolm and a cadre of liberal feminist activists have transformed this movement into a political powerhouse. EMILY's List stands for "Early Money Is like Yeast" (raises dough). It is a political cliché based on a simple marketing strategy that receiving donations early in the race leads to more donors later. This group sends contributions to the campaigns of pro-choice Democratic women running in targeted races around the country. The 1985 meeting in the home of Ellen Malcolm included very powerful democratic women like Barbara Boxer, Ann Richards, Anne Wexler, and Donna Shalala.
The book is essentially a historical document that describes the growth of EMILY’s List as a political organization that defends the reproductive rights of women. The book includes several interviews with leading women of the Democratic Party but does not detail its “candidate selection process” or the way its endorsement process works.
In a demonstration of its political muscle, Emily’s group backed Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski of Maryland in her bid to win the senate race in 1986. Barbara Mikulski became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate from MD, and currently she is a senior senator and a ranking minority member. In 2012, 80% of the candidates endorsed by EMILY's List in the general election were victorious including senators; Claire McCaskill (MO), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Mazie Hirono (HI), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Maggie Hassan in the NH Gubernatorial race. EMILY's List has endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election as it did in the 2008 bid.
In 2010, Professor Jamie Pamelia Pimlott of Niagara University published her work chronicling the founding of Emily’s list under the title, “Women and the Democratic Party: The Evolution of EMILY's List. The current book by the groups’ founder Ellen Malcolm makes another interesting reading. I recommend this to anyone interested in Emily’s List or women’s movement in American politics. “When women win” is an insightful look at how women are transforming government, politics, and the workforce, and how they are using that power shift to effect change in American lives.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Pakistan’s terror wing ISI helped Lashkar-e-Taiba to carry out 2008 Mumbai massacre
Pakistan’s terror wing ISI helped Lashkar-e-Taiba to carry out 2008 Mumbai massacre
British newspaper The Guardian reports that militant arrested last year described dozens of meetings between ISI officers and senior Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives’ prior to the Nov 2008 Mumbai massacre. More than 160 people were killed by Muslim terrorists who arrived by sea and targeted luxury hotels, a Jewish center, a café, a hospital and the main train station in Mumbai,
The story is based on the classified documents obtained from Indian government by The Guardian. This is also supported by the confessions of David Headley, an American convert to Islam arrested last year and detained in the US, makes detailed claims of ISI support for the bombings. Headley did the surveillance of the targets in Mumbai for the operation and that his missions were partly paid for by the ISI and that he regularly reported to the spy agency.
Allegations that Pakistan's intelligence service was involved in the Mumbai terror attacks will be scrutinized in an American court case starting on this week when the man who helped plan the 2008 strikes testifies against his alleged accomplice. The Pakistani major and five of the six other alleged leaders of the Mumbai attacks charged in Chicago remain at large. The FBI has photos of some of them, intercepts of their voices and emails, and information about their whereabouts, but Pakistani authorities have done little to pursue the fugitives, US officials say. Pakistan's prosecution of several Lashkar chiefs arrested in 2009, including one now under US indictment, has stalled.
European and American security services now fear that Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has thousands of militants in the West runs dozens of training camps and has extensive logistic networks.
British newspaper The Guardian reports that militant arrested last year described dozens of meetings between ISI officers and senior Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives’ prior to the Nov 2008 Mumbai massacre. More than 160 people were killed by Muslim terrorists who arrived by sea and targeted luxury hotels, a Jewish center, a café, a hospital and the main train station in Mumbai,
The story is based on the classified documents obtained from Indian government by The Guardian. This is also supported by the confessions of David Headley, an American convert to Islam arrested last year and detained in the US, makes detailed claims of ISI support for the bombings. Headley did the surveillance of the targets in Mumbai for the operation and that his missions were partly paid for by the ISI and that he regularly reported to the spy agency.
Allegations that Pakistan's intelligence service was involved in the Mumbai terror attacks will be scrutinized in an American court case starting on this week when the man who helped plan the 2008 strikes testifies against his alleged accomplice. The Pakistani major and five of the six other alleged leaders of the Mumbai attacks charged in Chicago remain at large. The FBI has photos of some of them, intercepts of their voices and emails, and information about their whereabouts, but Pakistani authorities have done little to pursue the fugitives, US officials say. Pakistan's prosecution of several Lashkar chiefs arrested in 2009, including one now under US indictment, has stalled.
European and American security services now fear that Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has thousands of militants in the West runs dozens of training camps and has extensive logistic networks.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Book Reviewed: Seeking Jordan: How I Learned the Truth about Death and the Invisible Universe, by Matthew McKay.
Healing after a personal loss – A conversation with the messenger from beyond
Grief is a stressful journey and it is never the same for the loved one who is still living. It is a unique and a very special experience in life. Death is an inevitable part of life but it is also hard to accept the death of a loved one. How do you heal yourself? How do you translate pain into a realization and enlightenment? One would like to seek god through religion or empower themselves with spiritual awakening. In this deeply personal and moving book, Professor Mathew McKay of Berkeley Wright Institute struggles to deal with his son’s tragic death and he tries to reconstruct his life without him. I struggled to live my life without my mother who passed away many years ago and I found that is the most difficult journey of my life.
There are many books about near-death experience, parapsychology, out of body experience, and remote viewing. All these point to a place variously described as heaven, hell, land of unending-happiness and Shangri-La, a mystical and harmonious valley, an earthly paradise. In this book, McKay undergoes hypnotic regressions to contact his son, Jordan who reveals about soul, karma, reincarnation and how living and dead remain connected. In one conversation, Jordan tells his father, “The after-life is so much closer than those lights, it is next to you; I am next to you.” In another conversation, Jordan says, “We must learn to love with a love that holds everything.” In chapter 6, McKay describes the physical setting of the place where he meets and communicates with his son. This is probably McKay’s Shangri-La.
There are certain versions of Roman legend Hercules which says that Hercules was immortal. And with this God-given power he ascends to Mount Olympus and there he sees some of his dead relatives.
McKay’s book is inspiring and it comforts those who lost the dearest person in their lives. There is a beacon of hope about the possibilities that remain to us as we deal with our own approaching mortality. It is up to us to find that path and relieve the pain and sadness, and find the true meaning of life.
Grief is a stressful journey and it is never the same for the loved one who is still living. It is a unique and a very special experience in life. Death is an inevitable part of life but it is also hard to accept the death of a loved one. How do you heal yourself? How do you translate pain into a realization and enlightenment? One would like to seek god through religion or empower themselves with spiritual awakening. In this deeply personal and moving book, Professor Mathew McKay of Berkeley Wright Institute struggles to deal with his son’s tragic death and he tries to reconstruct his life without him. I struggled to live my life without my mother who passed away many years ago and I found that is the most difficult journey of my life.
There are many books about near-death experience, parapsychology, out of body experience, and remote viewing. All these point to a place variously described as heaven, hell, land of unending-happiness and Shangri-La, a mystical and harmonious valley, an earthly paradise. In this book, McKay undergoes hypnotic regressions to contact his son, Jordan who reveals about soul, karma, reincarnation and how living and dead remain connected. In one conversation, Jordan tells his father, “The after-life is so much closer than those lights, it is next to you; I am next to you.” In another conversation, Jordan says, “We must learn to love with a love that holds everything.” In chapter 6, McKay describes the physical setting of the place where he meets and communicates with his son. This is probably McKay’s Shangri-La.
There are certain versions of Roman legend Hercules which says that Hercules was immortal. And with this God-given power he ascends to Mount Olympus and there he sees some of his dead relatives.
McKay’s book is inspiring and it comforts those who lost the dearest person in their lives. There is a beacon of hope about the possibilities that remain to us as we deal with our own approaching mortality. It is up to us to find that path and relieve the pain and sadness, and find the true meaning of life.
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