By Elaine Donnelly
Extending sexual misconduct to combat units
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
How do writers and other artists create their work? Our library of mental images includes visions of poets communing with nature, novelists burning the midnight oil whilst scribbling away in cold and lonely attics, composers tinkling phrases on the piano then dashing the notes down as their minds race with inspiration.
The wistful maidens and valiant knights of Pre-Raphaelite art can strike the modern viewer as sentimental claptrap from the Victorian age. But a new exhibition of this British art at the National Gallery of Art insists that these pedantic, medieval-inspired works represent an avant-garde movement.
A national movement to abolish capital punishment is growing, state by state. Maryland is expected soon to become the 18th state to repeal death-penalty laws. Nevertheless, taking a life for taking a life still seems like a good idea for millions of Americans.
Christmas is a time for giving, and as we reach out to family and friends, I hope we'll also open our hearts to those who are lonely and in need, citizens less fortunate than ourselves, brave soldiers working to preserve peace from the tip of Alaska to the shores of Lebanon, to the DMZ in Korea, families maintaining a constant vigil for their missing in action, and millions forbidden the freedom to worship a God who so loved the world that He gave us the birth of the Christ Child so that we might learn to love each other.
Despite being dubbed the "bad girl of rock 'n' roll," Ronnie Spector's strong and sparkling vocals are perfect for the holiday season's cheesiest pop tunes — and her take on "Sleigh Ride" and "Frosty the Snowman" are some of the most-played versions of the songs.
Israel may be surrounded by hostile nations that want to destroy it, but its ambassador in Washington still holds out hope for the future.
Charles Dickens' London home has gone from "Bleak House" to "Great Expectations."
President Obama would have failed Negotiations 101. If there was such a course, the first rule would be "do not insult the people you're dealing with."
Even when she should be relaxing, Chita Rivera just can't.
This year's London Film Festival has Ben Affleck, Dustin Hoffman and the Rolling Stones _ and it's bookended by one of the city's premiere cinematic couples.
A man of the left renowned for the piercing honesty of his thought and writings, particularly in his novels "Animal Farm" (1945) and "Nineteen Eighty-Four" (1949), English novelist and journalist George Orwell (1903-1950) has earned the admiration of millions of readers across the political spectrum. One admirer, conservative champion Russell Kirk, went so far as to claim that no 20th-century novelist exerted a stronger influence upon political opinion in Britain and America than did Orwell.
Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight is a reflection of the world he lives in, a defender of security and calm in an era of uncertainty and instability — a dark anti-radical who is not part of any revolution, but leading the charge against it, one Bam!, Pow! and Whap! at a time.
Charles Dickens would have recognized the sad story of Maudie Pettit, a 16-year-old rape victim who gives birth to her son Eddie in a stable with Bess the mare as her only witness.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" — Marc Webb's reboot of Sam Raimi's 2002 kickoff to the popular and profitable superhero franchise — has managed to charm critics and audiences despite the fact that, almost to a man, everyone who has seen the film has declared it unnecessary.
Chita Rivera will get some help from Stephanie J. Block, Jim Norton and Will Chase when "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" begins flummoxing audiences this fall.
They might realize what Charles Dickens meant when he wrote, "Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if preserved in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change."
Ambassador Michael Oren cited Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" on Tuesday, when he spoke with reporters at a lunch hosted by the Christian Science Monitor at the Hay-Adams Hotel.
