Brief thoughts, after the Mar-a-Lago dinner

Donald Trump's mind (the infinite self-obsession; the endless need for flattery and adulation--regardless of the repugnant sectors from which the flattery or adulation might emanate; the unrelenting lies, the cruelties, hatreds, bigotries--and the routine fanning of them) is profoundly disturbed. Yet really, though--it seems far too constricting, regarding Mr. Trump, to simply speak of a disturbed mind.  It is also, in the end, a deep sickness of the soul. 

The election

It is one of the most significant, and perilous, moments in American history: the country either turns in the direction of democracy, or Trumpism.

Ken Burns; a follow-up

Since its airing last month, over three nights on PBS, I have continued to think about the very fine Ken Burns documentary, The U.S. and the Holocaust.

The film (co-directed by Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein) was wrenching, deeply moving, illuminating.

The documentary is, most certainly, a significant addition to the body of works about the Holocaust.

A recent column

From a Sept. 24th piece by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd:

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, long entwined, continue on vile parallel paths: They would rather destroy their countries than admit they have lost.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/opinion/putin-trump-ukraine.html

Bill Plante, of CBS News

I always admired, and enjoyed, the reporting of Bill Plante, of CBS News.  Mr. Plante died on Wednesday at age 84.

He joined CBS in 1964, and retired from the network in 2016.

In the 1960s he covered the civil rights movement in the American South, reported from Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, and served for three decades, beginning in the 1980s, as Senior White House correspondent.  He was also, from 1988 to 1995, the anchor of CBS's Sunday Night News.  

During his career, The Washington Post noted in its obituary about him, he became "one of the most visible newsmen on television."  

From The Post's obituary:

“Bill was a friendly rival, always willing to share insights,” Tom Brokaw, the longtime former anchor of “NBC Nightly News” wrote in an email, describing Mr. Plante as “a smart, serious journalist with a droll, self deprecating style.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/09/28/cbs-correspondent-bill-plante-dead/

(CBS photo of Bill Plante, 1989)

Rosh Hashanah, beginning tonight

Good wishes for the New Year...

Ken Burns, and the film "The U.S. and the Holocaust"

Modern life moves increasingly fast.  The work of the outstanding documentarian Ken Burns offers a counterpoint to such acceleration.

His films--his America-centered histories--move slowly, in the best sense of the word. Their unhurried pace allows for depth, nuance, and rounded portraits--from 1990's The Civil War, to the recent films Benjamin Franklin (2022), Hemingway (2021, co-directed by Lynn Novick), and Muhammad Ali (also from 2021, co-directed by Sarah Burns and David McMahon).

I find that Mr. Burns's films routinely stay with me--images from them, words, stories, emotions. One continues to admire the (signature) sense of orchestration:  the use of still pictures; the rare, often startling, archival films his production company manages to locate; the superb interviews, commentaries, narrations.  

Tonight, from 8 until 10:15 (Eastern time), the first installment of Mr. Burns's new documentary (co-directed by Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein) appears on PBS. The film is The U.S. and the Holocaust.  Its subsequent two episodes air later in the week. (Broadcast times may vary, depending upon location; one should check one's local PBS listings.)  I'm very much looking forward to watching the program.

Please see these links, from PBS:

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/us-and-the-holocaust/

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/us-and-the-holocaust/about-the-film