Word: beset
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...them--from Monica Lewinsky's bathetic memoir Monica's Story to the artful partisanship of Jeffrey Toobin's A Vast Conspiracy--are markedly one-sided in recounting the struggle between Bill Clinton and Kenneth Starr. The accepted narrative, in brief: an insensitive but all too human Chief Executive is beset by a sex-obsessed religious zealot masquerading as an upholder of the rule of law. To judge by sales, this version of events has many adherents among book buyers, which means it's good marketing. But it's also bad history, ripe for revisionism...
...Virgin Suicides, although beset by structural and character issues, is an ambitious and mildly successful film. There are poignant and touching moments in this movie that speak of the awkwardness of adolescence and teenage sexuality. It is re-assuring to see a film that takes a serious look at youth and suburban culture, rather than the usual teeny romantic comedies that flood the cinema. The soundtrack, also uncharacteristically not the usual litany of teen bands, is completely produced by the French band Air, and adds a moody and nuanced touch to the film. Although falling short of its potential...
...death spiral began decades ago. Beset with money troubles, the club has long had to think creatively since its own wallet has come up surprisingly empty. In the early 1980s, the club restaurant, where members could buy a steak dinner for less than $10, dwindled in popularity. With no one patronizing the expensive venture, the club decided it was in its best interest to lease the space as a public restaurant, inaugurating Upstairs at the Pudding. As financial ruin loomed, the Club looked to Harvard for a lifeline, and in 1986, the University purchased the land--but not the building...
...word. Its population declined by 900,000 last year, and male life expectancy, around 60, stands at Third World levels. (Female life expectancy is more than 10 years longer.) Alcohol has killed millions; now an AIDS epidemic seems set to take its toll on both genders. Russia is also beset by other systemic diseases, foremost among them corruption. Few of Russia's 50 richest men could publicly explain how they moved from minor officials to billionaires in half a decade. Several have been investigated for crimes ranging from murder to embezzlement...
...humor. His parents have sent money to a young woman in Hong Kong so she can fly to the U.S. and become his bride. His father is ill, perhaps dying. And Bliss, his American girlfriend who is studying dentistry in Iowa, announces that she is pregnant with their child. Beset on all sides, Sterling says, "I worry I have lost my will to cook...