The country holding captive the birthplace of the religion I grew up with, Christianity, of the ethics that shaped me, has withered beyond redemption. It seems hell-bent on withering spirituality throughout the world.
The country holding captive the birthplace of the religion I grew up with, Christianity, of the ethics that shaped me, has withered beyond redemption. It seems hell-bent on withering spirituality throughout the world.
After our UNIWORLD riverboat docked in Luxor, we flew back to Cairo and then to Sharm El Sheikh International Airport on the Asian side of Egypt. To say we were fagged and weary was an understatement; we were overwhelmed by all that we had previously experienced and the daily five a.m. wake up calls on the riverboat added to it.
I have a great affection for swimming pools. Jumping into refreshing, crystal clear waters in Southern California has always had a way to soothe my senses. I've noticed when my Seattle friends realized that I had a swimming pool in my backyard in Burbank, they appeared to be envious, wondering why someone like me should actually have pool. I would remind them that having a pool down here is not uncommon. In fact, due to the heat, our pools are often not heated. So, I would invite them to join me for a dip into my pool, as I invite T-Boy readers to enjoy my below prose.
And we hadn't even entered the huge barn containing all the afore-mentioned stalls proffering fresh fruits and veggies, baked goods, cheese and chocolates, plants and more varieties of nuts and dried fruits than you ever knew existed. Also clothes, backpacks, jewelry, African handicrafts, tropical oils, bath products and too many other items to even contemplate. If there's anything you could possibly want, I promise you it's there - you just need the patience to seek it out.
While driving deep into the desert of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, we sat three hours in a van, which was part of a convoy, apparently to assist other vans in case of mechanical failures or possible attacks from unknown assailants. There were many checkpoints along the way, guarded by soldiers and policemen. With us were two very nervous U.S. tourists who spoke endlessly of the nearby war that was geographically close but emotionally felt light years away. The other occupants in the van consisted of driver, our own policeman and our highly educated guide whose narrative of the harsh landscape of sand and boulders had the shaped mountains, the home of the nomadic Arabic Bedouin people, making the hours seem like minutes.
Citizens in the U.S. South often get a bad rap. But it's not due to lack of humor. In a sense, they're very much like the Swedish pop group, ABBA; where we think we're laughing at them, but they're really laughing at themself, and asking us to join along.
The best films of 2023 proved to be an eclectic and exciting mix of thought provoking cinema. Narratives ranged from genocide, lost loves and rebirth, immigrant experiences, stories pulled from headlines and a small boarding school in New England. The year was rich with directorial vision and personal styles: the unblemished truth by documentarian Frederick Wiseman, lonely science fiction from Andrew Haigh, the exploding imagery of Martin Scorsese, Justine Triet’s moments of tensity, the Bressonian minimalism of Aki Kaurismäki and Jonathan Glazer’s dialectical montage of image and sound.
"Killers of the Flower Moon" was Robbie Robertson's final soundtrack for director Martin Scorsese. The former leader, main composer and lead guitarist of the rock group, The Band, scored the film shortly before his death, and Scorsese dedicated the film to him. "Killers of the Flower Moon" closed with the Osage song, Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People), composed by Osage Nation Tribal Members, Scott George, Kenny Bighorse, and Vann Bighorse. Roberston felt that 'the music of the Osage is the best display of their extraordinary survival. Robertson who is a member of the Cayuga and Mohawk Tribal Nations and part Canadian of Jewish ancestry, was the music producer on over ten earlier Martin Scorsese films. Rest in peace, Robbie. We had wished for more of your music to come.
German actor Franz Rogowski delivered the best performance of 2023 as an egotistical film director who loses control of his own life in Ira Sachs’ Passages. There were many other great performances, which I noted in Traveling Boy Selects Top Films From 2023 and Beyond the Films of 2023.
Most people know of - and many people live by - the aphorism "It's 5 o'clock somewhere," but during my recent trip to Hollywood, Florida, it took on an even more special meaning. When Jimmy Buffett died in September 2023, he left behind a beloved legacy of famous songs. Such is true of many well-known musicians. But none has also left behind an empire of bars, restaurants and hotels as celebrated as the artist himself. The various "Margaritavilles" - based on Buffett's 1977 hit song - attract thousands of visitors nationwide and it felt particularly fitting, as an ardent fan, to visit one.