A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Inning 3: The Faith of Fifty Million People (1910-1920) Written by: Geoffrey C. Ward & Ken Burns Directed by: Ken Burns Before and after World War I, a steady stream of immigrants lands on the shores of America. They want instantly to become American. To pursue the American dream. To play the American game.  But even as thousands of Americans pick up a ball for the first time, even as the country endures a world war, baseball is trying to endure a decade that includes the meanest, vilest, angriest player ever to step onto a field and a scandal that almost destroys the game. - from the DVD episode guide blurb On September 20, 1994, the 300 or so member stations of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) premiered The Faith of Fifty Million People, the third "inning" of the nine-part series titled Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns.  Co-written by Burns and historian Geoffrey C. Ward, this documentary examines the history of the sport of baseball and its i

Photo Credit: 2DayDelivery.com Pros:  Very nicely detailed, pose looks very dynamic. Cons:  Not recommended for very young children. Hasbro's third Star Wars 25th Anniversary Deluxe Boxed Set , Final Duel , captures a pivotal moment in the film A New Hope -- the turning point, perhaps, of the entire Star Wars saga: the legendary Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi facing off against his former Padawan apprentice and now Sith Lord, Darth Vader. His simple Jedi robes and blue lightsaber blade contrast starkly against the Death Star hangar interior and his former apprentice's menacing armored visage and red Sith saber blade. I have been collecting Star Wars figures almost since Kenner (now Hasbro) started selling them in the wake of the success of Star Wars (now known as Episode IV: A New Hope ). I own several variations of both Darth Vader and Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, including the original 1978 figures with telescoping lightsabers and plastic cloaks, but I was impresse

(C) 1983 National Public Radio and Lucasfilm Limited. Art by: Ralph McQuarrie Way of the Jedi Cast: Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) Artoo Detoo Yoda (John Lithgow) Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi (Bernard Behrens) Darth Vader (Brock Peters) Captain Needa (Nicholas Kepros) Admiral Piett (David Rasche) Emperor Palpatine (Paul Hecht) Reviewer's Note: All quoted material is from the 1995 Del Rey book Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - The National Public Radio Dramatization. This edition contains Brian Daley's complete radio play, which differs slightly from the version of the Radio Drama which aired on National Public Radio in 1983 and the original 1990s HighBridge Audio cassette and compact disc editions. The version in Daley's script was recorded, but as with the original 1981 Star Wars Radio Drama, edits were made at the request of NPR due to the needs of the radio format. The longer version is available in HighBridge Audio's more expensive Limited Edition CD col

(C) 1996 G.P. Putnam's Sons In the horrific climax of Debt of Honor, former intelligence official and National Security Advisor (and briefly, Vice-President) Jack Ryan finds himself elevated to the Presidency...and in the sights of foreign and domestic adversaries. Even as the Capitol building smolders and the late President Roger Durling is laid to rest, unfriendly eyes are watching the new and untried President Ryan for signs of weakness...and begin plotting his -- and America's -- downfall.  In Iran, Ayatollah Mahmoud Haji Daryaei (one of the opponents of the Fowler Peace Plan in The Sum of All Fears ) broods in his office and begins to set in motion a series of crises that will tie up America's already over-extended military and intelligence services. Daryaei enlists not only his own operatives in Iran and abroad, but also the leaders of two other nations with global ambitions of their own. By creating a series of seemingly unrelated crises all at once, including