Pat Taub
Banksy to the Rescue
We all need good news these days: Banksy to the rescue, both literally and spiritually! Banksy is famous for sneaking into urban spaces and leaving behind politically themed murals. This time he’s decorated a pink motor yacht in order to rescue migrants making the perilous passage to Europe from North Africa. I love this touch: the boat is named after Louise Michel, the 19th century French feminist and anarchist.
Granddaughter Jane Behind the Wheel
Jane, my 16 y.o. granddaughter, is learning to drive. She’s been practicing on her family’s huge van and on my old 1998 Honda CRV, which her father has been keeping in tune. Once Jane gets her license, she will be the new owner of her grandmother’s car!
BBC Series, Press, on Netflix
Favorite forms of escapist viewing for me are complicated suspense films, like Press, on Netflix. It’s the story of two rival London newspapers where one peddles sensationalism on the order of Rupert Murdoch while the other paper represents publishing with integrity. Guess who wins?
Stopping Trump
Lately I’ve been seeing a trove of articles cautioning the public to get ready for Trump’s refusal to accept election results should Biden win. This concern is being amplified by mainstream papers like The New York Times (David Brooks’ column of 9/4 and Paul Street in the lefty website, “Counterpunch.” Street is advocating peaceful protests that start immediately and continue through Election Day and untll the ballots are all counted. We all need to wake up to the very real possibility of Trump and Barr stopping a fair election.
A Promising New Novel
A few weeks ago the Sunday New York Times ran a lengthy installment of Elena Ferrante’s new novel, “The Lying Life of Adults.” I read it and was so engaged that I ordered the book. The plot centers on the story of a relationship between Giovanna, now a middle-aged woman, who recounts growing up as an only child in a comfortable middle class Italian home. The adolescent Giovanna meets an aunt, ostracized by the family, who pulls back the veil of the family story told to Giovanna.
