By standing shoulder to shoulder, hope for the future will triumph over the hurt of the past." – President of Ireland, Mary McAleese We were delighted to see Jennifer Connelly (cover story) take home the Oscar for her performance in A Beautiful Mind. Connelly is not only a beautiful star, but she's also a hell of an actress with a great mind. In this interview with Penelope … [Read more...] about The Fist Word: Touch of the Poet
Patricia Harty
The First Word: Love Lights Up The Darkness
"We want to tell the people of Afghanistan that we don't hold them responsible for the actions of a few terrorists.... As Americans, we're bigger than Sept. 11." – Emergency Service Unit Detective Thomas McDonald The New Year is approaching fast as I write this in late December. Looking back on what started out as such a hopeful year, it is hard to see back past the darkness of … [Read more...] about The First Word: Love Lights Up The Darkness
The First Word:
God Bless America
"With liberty and justice for all."
–Pledge of Allegiance
℘℘℘
This may be the most difficult editorial that I have written since the creation of the magazine 16 years ago. It is difficult not because I have nothing to say or because there is an absence of current events deserving comment. To the contrary -- it has been a time of great emotion -- a time when there may be too … [Read more...] about The First Word:
God Bless America
Christmas was Magic and Magic was Mother
One Christmas was so much like another in those years, to borrow a line from Dylan Thomas. Mother, who celebrated every feast day with aplomb – Shrove Tuesday with specially prepared pancakes, Halloween with monkey nuts (peanuts in the shell), bobbing for apples, and Barmbrack – saved her most elaborate plans for Christmas. And I do mean saved. We had a farm but money was far … [Read more...] about Christmas was Magic and Magic was Mother
The First Word: No Rhyme What Reason?
"History says, don't hope on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime the longed for tidal wave of justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme." – Seamus Heaney from The Cure At Troy. For a brief time in August, hope and history rhymed in Northern Ireland. The IRA made a significant move towards putting their weapons beyond use and the hope of a … [Read more...] about The First Word: No Rhyme What Reason?