Ever since I could get behind the wheel of a car, I’ve had an affinity for long drives. Especially long drives at night, with the glittering beacons of the closest metropolis poetically coloring blankets of highway darkness. For lovers of, to paraphrase a Modest Mouse album title, “long drives for someone with nothing to think about,” the experience of a lengthy, solo p.m. … [Read more...]
Hot water bottles at the theater: How Britain coped in wartime
The current exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art, Keep Calm and Carry On: World War II and the British Home Front, is a paean to two kinds of British spirit: Fighting and forward thinking. Despite the many hardships of war, the political and cultural leadership of the country found ways to “muddle through’’ by setting up new ministries to cope and plan a vision for the … [Read more...]
Case of jailed handyman exposes many failings of justice system
Thirty years ago, a 76-year-old white widow was brutally murdered in her South Carolina home. Police arrested a 23-year-old African-American handyman who had recently cleaned the woman’s windows and gutters. He was quickly tried and sentenced to death. Appellate courts twice overturned the conviction. Each time, Edward Lee Elmore was reconvicted and sentenced to death again. … [Read more...]
Organist Unger offers strong, diverse recital
Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008 For the average listener, there are many neglected rooms in the mansion of music, and one of those rooms holds music for the organ. This is unfortunate primarily because there is a rich and fascinating literature for the instrument, and on Sunday afternoon one of its rising young practitioners showed an audience at the First Presbyterian Church in Delray … [Read more...]