Dr. Paul Farmer

Another great American -- I am collecting them -- is Dr. Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health. He does a lot of good work helping the sick in Haiti, Africa and elsewhere. His work is the continuation of, and in a similar spirit to, that of trailblazers such as Albert Schweitzer and Larry Melon. It is difficult not to admire such altruistic lives.

USA Today

Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today, recently passed away. In my humble opinion, he was a visionary whose national newspaper is a true contribution to American culture. May it continue to live on.

Tal-gach

According to Google, "Tal-gach" seems to mean "palm tree" in Bengali, and "Gach" alone seems to mean "tree". This pleases me enormously.

espadon

Sometimes it takes half a century to learn the French word for swordfish.

film highlights of 2012

Of the films I saw in 2012, if you forced me to name three favorites, I would probably say:

Life of Pi
Salmon Fishing in Yemen
The Way

...and the "respectable runners up" would be:

Beasts of the Southern Wild
The Master
The Descendants
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
A Dangerous Method

...and although not new or recent, I would add that the following were especially interesting or enjoyable to watch or re-watch:

Sullivan's Travels ('41)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre ('48)
When Fools Rush In ('97)
Synecdoche New York ('08)