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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 25, 2011
21 Adar I, 5771
The King vs. The Geek
By
Suzanne Fields
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
"If you want to send a message," Samuel Goldwyn famously told his screenwriters, "go to Western Union." He was determined that his movies would be about entertainment, not politics. Now you would have better luck trying to send a message by Pony Express, since the telegram has gone the way of buggy whips and high-button shoes. But via cell phone, e-mail or Twitter, the old movie mogul's point is still a valid caution.
The movies nominated for the Academy Awards on Sunday are mostly about entertainment — hot buttered popcorn, not hot-button politics. Two of the leading contenders for best picture, "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech," say more about changing mores and manners than about the price of oil or how to rein in out-of-control government spending. The revolution in how we communicate with one another is told in the stories of two men separated by nearly a century, one a college kid and the other a king, both flawed but triumphant in confrontation with the world.
In very different ways and in very different times, King George VI, "Bertie" to his royal friends, and Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, are emblematic of their time and place: "the king vs. the geek."
"The King's Speech" is a costume drama set in that innocent time shortly before World War II, and is a bit glib for anyone who remembers or knows much of the history of the time. But knocking the British throne when handsome Prince William and pretty Kate Middleton are preparing for their nuptials is work for a churl. This is a movie, as Joe Queenan observes in the Wall Street Journal, "that the public is officially forbidden to dislike." The king is as miserable as a commoner with the affliction of stuttering, which not only afflicts his sense of self, but renders him unlikely to inspire the British in a time of approaching war.
Disabled by nature, he also had the bad luck to stand second in line to a flashy (and somewhat goofy) playboy brother who gives up the throne for the love of a twice-divorced minor-league Baltimore socialite. Riding to Bertie's rescue is Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist who breaks down the social distance between uncommon commoner and would-be king. Lionel shows Bertie that he doesn't have to practice his rhetoric like Demosthenes, speaking with a mouthful of marbles, but can reach out to his people guided by a robust professional who knows how to teach the King's English.
Much of the entertainment comes through the dialogue between the ill-at-ease man of propriety and the knock 'em, sock 'em earthiness of a man of the people. When the king finally finds his voice, he speaks with passionate intensity in a radio address announcing that England has declared war against Nazi Germany.
"The King's Speech" is about manners and class, and a protagonist who suffers acute psychological pain at being miscast for royal challenges in mid-20th-century England. Flash forward to "The Social Network," which is about ethics, class and money in 21st-century America. It begins at an elite university where the protagonist is intellectually brilliant, but is as flawed in his communication skills as the speechless king of England. Zuckerberg's world, circumscribed by Harvard Yard, initially separates the rich and privileged from the vulgar middle class, too.
If the 19-year-old college sophomore has a problem communicating with girls, he also has a problem with the social stratification at Harvard. The Jewish boy's arrogance is grounded in a sense of social inferiority, and it's an irony of the movie — reel life, not real life — that Facebook, the social network, was created by a man who can't strike a comfortable intimacy with women.
In the movie scenario, the young Zuckerberg ruthlessly takes on the handsome and old-money Winklevoss twins and steals their idea. He expands their idea and becomes a billionaire, but he can't compete in ethical civility and athletic attractiveness on their decidedly uneven playing field. Facebook becomes a great equalizer, but its originator is never at home with himself, whether hiding in a hoodie at Harvard or trying to look like a serious billionaire in his lawyer's office while being deposed to answer lawsuits. One reviewer describes him as a "functional prince of dysfunction."
He's as exaggerated as the celluloid interpretation of William Randolph Hearst in "Citizen Kane," but "The Social Network" illuminates through a portrayal of one personality the changes in how we all communicate. The traditionalists have lost the high-tech in-your-Facebook struggle to control virtual reality. The director, David Fincher, also directed "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," an imaginative tale about the clock set to moving backward. This time, he's obsessed with fast forward. Which of these movies you root for Sunday night will probably depend on what medium you use to send your message.
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© 2006, Creators Syndicate, Suzanne Fields
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