Phyl Good 11 connections

Gertrude Bell: a Shaping Force in Iraq

Gertrude Bell in Iraq, 1909
Gertrude Bell had a lot of authority in Mesopotamia and Iraq around the time of World War 1. A lot. She hobnobbed with people like the young Winston Churchill and T.E. Lawrence (i.e. Lawrence of Arabia), helped draw the borders of the newly created country of Iraq, and... more »

Going Artsy at the TIFF Bell Lightbox

It took a few days to decide, but I’m glad I attended the first showing of From Ecstasy to Rapture: 50 Years of the other Spanish Cinema. This series is being presented each Wednesday evening until February 2nd, 2011, at the Free Screen sessions of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, the Toronto... more »

Insurrectionism Timeline

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Tags: violence, teaparty, guns, politics

The Harry Potter Camping Movie, or Deathly Hallows Part I

You may be able to tell from the title what it was that didn’t thrill me about the seventh Harry Potter book — all that interminable camping! I really wondered how this would be handled in the movie, since I felt that a lot of it could have (and should have) been cut out or truncated in... more »

This Close to Aslan’s country – Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Reepicheep was even more enjoyable and gallant than the first time. King Caspian seems to have taken on the accent of his Narnian subjects (but my, he looks nice with that beard). And yes, Eustace is as deliciously odious as he can possibly be.
The third Narnia movie based on the books of C.S. Lewis... more »

Trifecta – Guitar-lovers get a Triple Treat

Pavlo, Rik Emmett, Oscar Lopez
Those of us who love the guitar experienced a triple treat recently at Koerner Hall, at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music. Three guitarists who are known for their music in different styles – the Latin musician, Oscar Lopez, Rik Emmett of hard rock... more »