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James Maguire: Journalist, Author, Raconteur

James Maguire: Journalist, Author, Raconteur

James Maguire, Journalist, Author, Raconteur

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‘The Big Short’ – Great Entertainment from Tragedy

January 2, 2016 by James Maguire
Smart, funny, fast-paced, full of heart, The Big Short offers a social consciousness rarely found in Hollywood films. It also does the nearly impossible by making the intricacies of the 2008 financial crisis understandable for non-economists. We see …
Read more‘The Big Short’ – Great Entertainment from Tragedy
Chicago O'Hare

The Zen of Holiday Airline Travel

December 31, 2015 by James Maguire
Chapter One: Optimism Against the Odds Early morning, icy rain on the way, waiting to fly from St. Louis to Chicago. Long lines, blank faces. Flight delays. Semi-panic at Gate 19. Gray people, stressed by too much holiday time with family. Privileged …
Read moreThe Zen of Holiday Airline Travel

A small moment of unplanned beauty

December 24, 2015 by James Maguire
I was out walking and saw this small daffodil near the sidewalk (is it actually a daffodil? No idea - I don't know much about flowers. But bear with me.) Such a pristine little portrait of beauty. Fresh and pure. A gorgeous piece of urban nature. And the …
Read moreA small moment of unplanned beauty

You can just walk into a store and buy this

December 23, 2015 by James Maguire
Yeah, a drone. A sophisticated remote control aircraft. Got a credit card? It's yours. So that means anyone -- really pretty much anyone -- can pilot their own mini craft through everyone's space. Might this cause problems at some point?    
Read moreYou can just walk into a store and buy this

Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies

November 8, 2015 by James Maguire
  I really enjoyed Bridge of Spies. It's an intimate period drama, mining the tension and paranoia of early 1960s Cold War. Co-written by the Coen Brothers, it's a cracking good piece of storytelling and it punctuates the seriousness with plenty …
Read moreSpielberg’s Bridge of Spies

Muir Redwood Forest

July 19, 2015 by James Maguire
One of the treasures of the Bay Area, Muir Redwoods is a cathedral. Majestic 800-year-old trees, a light moisture in the air. The fragrance alone is like music.
Read moreMuir Redwood Forest

Second Chance Cat Rescue

June 7, 2015 by James Maguire
This late model sedan with the company name – Last Chance Cat Rescue – got me thinking. I’m wondering: what exactly is the business model? Okay, clearly, they’re in the business of finding cats; plenty of kitties go missing, so someone’s got to track them …
Read moreSecond Chance Cat Rescue

Gloria Steinem in March Across the Korean DMZ

May 25, 2015 by James Maguire
Gloria Steinem is one of my all-time favorite heroes. I adore her for her enlightened support of feminism. She’s a bright light of intelligence in a crazy world. Her most recent news: she was part of a group of women activists who walked across the DMZ …
Read moreGloria Steinem in March Across the Korean DMZ

Mad Men’s Greatest Narrative Invention

May 21, 2015 by James Maguire
As the Mad Men series ends, the hype is overblown; sure, it was fun TV, but I’m not placing it in the pantheon of great art. Much of the series was enjoyable diversion, with plenty of routine office politics and a delightful splash of soap opera. I loved …
Read moreMad Men’s Greatest Narrative Invention
Ex Machina photo

Ex Machina — Deep and Entertaining

May 12, 2015 by James Maguire
Hip and funny and futuristic and philosophical and really pretty tippy -- yeah, I really liked Ex Machina. The movie's theme of humans building sentient conciousness isn't new. HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey famously intoned "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do …
Read moreEx Machina — Deep and Entertaining

Night is Falling…

May 10, 2015 by James Maguire
Market and Fourth Street, Saturday evening, about 8:30 PM. Everyone's on their way somewhere....
Read moreNight is Falling…
Man resting on top of newspaper vending machines

This guy knows how to relax – really

May 8, 2015 by James Maguire
Read moreThis guy knows how to relax – really

Which Candidate Does Hillary Fear the Most?

May 8, 2015 by James Maguire
Chuck Todd surveys the Republican field and claims one young senator is Hillary's biggest worry. I don't agree -- I think her biggest threat is Jeb Bush. Plus: In New Hampshire polling, Chris Christie is actually trailing The Donald. Ouch!
Read moreWhich Candidate Does Hillary Fear the Most?

The Importance of the Mid-Life Crisis

May 7, 2015 by James Maguire
If not for the classic mid-life crisis, how would the manufacturer of this car stay in business? Sometimes a cigar is not just a cigar.
Read moreThe Importance of the Mid-Life Crisis

A little bar, with a funky rhythm and blues band playing.

November 22, 2014 by James Maguire
Read moreA little bar, with a funky rhythm and blues band playing.
Used clothing store window containing numerous old-timey clothes

Somewhere in here….

November 21, 2014 by James Maguire
I'm sure there are some true gems in here....
Read moreSomewhere in here….
Grand Lake Theater sign, lit up at night

Oh Yeah

November 20, 2014 by James Maguire
I love neon at night. Oh yeah.
Read moreOh Yeah
ellen at the oscars

Ellen Degeneres’ Tweet Heard ‘Round the World

March 3, 2014 by James Maguire
It was a rich moment: Ellen Degeneres snapped an impromptu selfie as she hosted the Oscars, and requested that viewers retweet it with the goal of breaking the record for most retweets. The Twitterverse responded with a frenzy. I'm trying to decode the …
Read moreEllen Degeneres’ Tweet Heard ‘Round the World
House of Cards, season two

House Of Cards: Still Great, But Less So

February 27, 2014 by James Maguire
I’m almost done binging on House of Cards, season two. It’s been a fun ride, even though this second season is clearly several steps down from the first. These episodes feel less like an ensemble work and more focused on Kevin Spacey. I miss the wayward …
Read moreHouse Of Cards: Still Great, But Less So
Picture of a restaurant called Bimbo's

Is This Irony?

February 25, 2014 by James Maguire
Just curious: is the name of this nightclub meant to be ironic? Yes, certainly it is. We want to believe it is. It is, isn't it?
Read moreIs This Irony?

Clarence Thomas, Where Are You?

February 24, 2014 by James Maguire
I’m a huge fan of Jeffery Toobin, the CNN commentator and New Yorker writer. Among several other books, he wrote the definitive account of the O.J. Simpson trial, The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson. A great read. I greatly enjoyed his …
Read moreClarence Thomas, Where Are You?

Television is So, So, So…Dead

May 22, 2013 by James Maguire
It’s odd that TV still has as much life as it does, given as close to the bottomless grave as it is. No one under age 35 or so cleaves to the cathode ray teat like in the golden era of classics like Love Boat and Mork & Mindy. And it makes sense. TV …
Read moreTelevision is So, So, So…Dead

The Great Gatsby is…Kind of a Snooze

May 20, 2013 by James Maguire
I knew that the Great Gatsby didn't get great reviews, but I had high hopes anyway. The trailer looked good, the NYT's A.O. Scott offered a dissenting, positive review, and it's a film based on a classic novel. It ought to be hard for it not to contain …
Read moreThe Great Gatsby is…Kind of a Snooze

Deep Thoughts

May 9, 2013 by James Maguire
The university's llama appeared deep in thought this morning, as if pondering the eternal interconnectedness of all things. What's up, Mr./Ms. Llama?
Read moreDeep Thoughts
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Blog

How to Be Happy: Two Choices

March 25, 2023

Fear, Loathing and Popcorn: Are Movie Theaters Doomed?

March 24, 2023

Running Days: Tales of a Teenage Oxygen Junkie

December 18, 2022

The Joy of Pfizer

April 5, 2021

George Floyd and the Protests Heard Across History

June 6, 2020

Women in Tech, Tech in Transition

October 26, 2018

The ‘Rustic Apple Tart’ (Can Barnes and Noble Survive?)

October 23, 2018

Who is James Maguire?

October 14, 2018

The Meaning of Autumn

October 12, 2018

The Red Tide in Florida: What Have We Done?

October 9, 2018

Humblebrag: I won an award for my feature writing

April 28, 2018

My Tribe in the Music Store

April 7, 2018

March for Our Lives in SF – Feelin’ It

April 1, 2018

I turned the corner and there it was….

January 21, 2018

Nightfall 

December 2, 2017

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