An Olio
a miscellany of thoughts

August 26, 2005

 

August Wilson

I was saddened to read in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune of the terminal illness of playwright August Wilson. Wilson, 60, has reported that he has advanced liver cancer and has three to five months to live.

Wilson recently completed his 10-play cycle about black American life in the 20th century with the production of Radio Golf, which premiered this spring at the Yale Repertory Theatre.

I first met August Wilson when he received an honorary doctorate from Yale in 1988, when my daughter received her master's degree from the Yale School of Drama. I later saw him and spoke with him briefly several times at restaurants on Selby Avenue in St. Paul where he did much of his writing. Wilson lived in St. Paul from 1978-1990 and was a well-known figure in the neighborhood. I felt priviledged to have the opportunity of encountering one of the foremost playwrights of my lifetime.

August 10, 2005

 

Happy B'Day, Social Security

This Sunday is the 70th birthday of Social Security, the most successful social program ever. Ten years ago the Social Security Administration celebrated the program's 60th birthday with electronic messages in Times Square and some baseball stadiums. But this year the Bush administration said there are no plans for celebration.

You can celebrate anyway. There are public and private parties around the country. One in Minneapolis is Thursday, August 11 at noon at the Hennepin County Government Center North Plaza at 5th Street and 3rd Avenue.

Also, courtesy of the Campaign for America's Future, you can send a Social Security e-card to family and friends. And also to President Bush, to remind him that the American people do not want the program to be privatized and dismantled.

August 03, 2005

 

Mighty, Like the Toon

Apple has released a new mouse with bells and whistles, Mighty Mouse. Without trying it out, I don't know if I'd want to use it myself, but the new mouse is mighty cool.