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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘An Iliad' is back at Court Theatre, reminding us war never goes away
My personal history reviewing 'An Iliad,' the contemporary vernacular take on the Homeric epic penned by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare, has become my reminder of the ubiquitousness of war and human suffering. If you know the 90-minute piece, as extraordinarily performed at Chicago's Court Theatre by Timothy Edward Kane under the direction of Charles Newell, you'll know that its signature moment comes when The Poet, the one and only character, recounts at breathtaking speed a greatest-hits list of all the human conflicts since antiquity, the writers having left instruction in their script that this section should be kept up to date. The conceit here is that although The Poet is telling Homer's story of the final weeks of the brutal 10-year siege of Troy at the hands of a coalition of Greek city-states, and himself comes from that era, he also knows modern life. More simply put, he's like the Ghost of Wars Past, coming to warn those who fail to learn from prior human experience. You will not be surprised to know it remains a Sisyphean task. When I first reviewed this show, with this same actor, in 2011, the final word out of The Poet's lips was 'Afghanistan.' Court staged 'An Iliad' again in 2013. That time, it was 'Libya.' Wednesday night on the campus of the University of Chicago, it was 'Gaza.' I picked up my pen to note that maybe The Poet was falling fast behind. Especially by the time you read this, the final word probably should be 'Iran.' Maybe they will make that change. The other difference, of course, is the age of the actor playing The Poet; it has, after all, been 12 years. I haven't asked, but I'd imagine that Kane thought twice before he came back to this character; the actor is deeper into parenting now, and it seemed to me that the recounting of the human price of war was born this time more intensely of personal experience. But that might be in my head; it has been 12 years for me, too. And it could well be that Kane has come to terms with this being a career-defining role (he was widely acclaimed the first two times and the third time around is even better) and one that can be accessed at various points in his life. There was a discernible gulp from the actor as The Poet came up from wherever he lives between shows, but then Kane roared his way through the entire show. This time, I was struck by how well he caught the gestalt of the aging warrior back from an agonizing war, finding the clarity of thought that comes only with age and experience while still embodying the grunting, macho ethos that caused all of this chaos in the first place. Newell's staging, of course, has always had much to do with Kane's success, as has Todd Rosenthal's timeless scenic design. I'd probably say this was the career-defining piece for Newell, Court Theatre's former artistic director, too, although it has formidable competition within that particular career in artistic Chicago. What matters most here, and what makes this show a candidate for the best solo show in Chicago theater history, is that the telling comes at great cost to the teller. In most single-character monologues, the actor merely tells the story. But the point of this inspired take on Homer's 'The Iliad' (the Robert Fagles translation was the basis) is that the very act of recounting the story is so fraught, it competes with the drama of the war narrative itself. And the further point is that every telling gets harder, because it is a reminder of how humans refuse to learn. But The Poet sees it as a moral imperative. And a curse. I've no idea if The Poet will be coming back in future years to lament the latest wars and count once again the cost of armed conflict, be it ancient or modern, in sons, daughters, fathers, mothers. So I'd catch him now, just in case. But if he does, I don't doubt for a second there will be a fresh end to that inglorious list of glories. Review: 'An Iliad' (4 stars) When: Through June 29 Where: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Tickets: $100-$125 at 773-753-4472 and
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Cynthia Nixon says her son is on a ‘hunger strike' to support Gaza
'Sex and the City' star Cynthia Nixon said her son, an 'observant Jew,' is currently doing a hunger strike with friends in Chicago to support Gaza and bring attention to the humanitarian crisis there. Nixon, 59, said her son, Seph Mozes, is doing the strike as part of his advocacy with Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP), the self-proclaimed Jewish anti-Zionist group that stands in solidarity with Palestinians. 'He and five other of his compatriots are doing a hunger strike in Chicago [since] Monday, for Gaza,' Nixon told Newsweek, adding that their motto was, 'Stop starving Gaza, stop arming Israel.' 4 Cynthia Nixon said her son, Seph Mozes, joined a hunger strike for Gaza at his alma matter, the University of Chicago. Instagram/Cynthia Nixon 4 The hunger strike is to call for an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Hamas and Israel continue to fight in the ruined enclave. '[He] doesn't have illusions that he's going to end the war, but I think he wants to do everything he can,' she added. Nixon — who is best known for playing Miranda Hobbes on 'Sex and the City' and its spinoff — said Mozes, 28, was partially inspired to support Gaza because his paternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors. Eman Abdelhadi, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago where Mozes graduated from, said the hunger strike began Monday and would continue to go on until the situation in Gaza changes. 'Six leaders of JVP Chicago are launching an indefinite hunger strike today. Two of them are academics. No business as usual during genocide,' Abdelhadi wrote on X. 4 Nixon had briefly joined a hunger strike herself to call for an end to the war in Gaza back in November 2023. Christopher Peterson / 4 Death and violence have become the norm at the troubled food distribution sites backed by the Israeli military. AFP via Getty Images Mozes' hunger strike comes less than two years after Nixon went on her own part-time hunger strike in November 2023 to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. While the 2023 strike lasted five days, Nixon only joined participants for two of the days. The shadow of famine continues to loom over the Gaza Strip as the fighting between Israel and Hamas leaves the vast majority of the nearly 2 million refugees there with little to no food. While Israel lifted its aid blockade in March, the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation group has had little success distributing enough food to keep the population fed. The few food distribution sites in Gaza have also been marred by death and violence, with the Israel Defense Forces accused of killing 51 people after tank fire hit a group huddled around a World Food Programme site on Tuesday, killing 51 people.
Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
Harvard doctor's experiment can boost your happiness in one minute. A startup CEO is already practicing it
Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a Harvard physician, stepped outside the clinic to test if talking to strangers boosts happiness—and science backed her up. Her playful public experiment mirrors IITian entrepreneur Harsh Pokharna's Jaipur meetups, revealing that heartfelt conversations, not just data or design, might be the next big wellness hack in our increasingly disconnected world. Harvard doctor Trisha Pasricha proved that one-minute chats with strangers can boost happiness, echoing a University of Chicago study. In a parallel tale, startup CEO Harsh Pokharna found the same truth during spontaneous meetups in Jaipur, reinforcing that real connection starts offline. (Representational image: iStock) Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Startup CEO Who Tried Something Similar Without Meaning To Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads More Than Just Small Talk, A Public Health Tool? It wasn't a research lab or a stethoscope that Harvard doctor Trisha Pasricha turned to recently—it was the simple, brave act of chatting with strangers while waiting in line. A physician, an instructor at Harvard Medical School , and the Ask a Doctor columnist for The Washington Post, Dr. Pasricha tested a charming scientific theory on the bustling platforms of Boston's Green Line: that one-minute conversations with strangers can actually make you happier.'It is scientifically proven that you can boost your happiness in one minute by talking to a stranger,' she began in a video she shared on Instagram, proceeding to engage unsuspecting commuters in playful and warm exchanges. Whether she was joking about being a Celtics fan or asking if someone wanted to be a pediatrician, the result was almost always the same—people smiled, talked, and lingered in conversations they hadn't planned experiment wasn't just a cute social video. It was rooted in evidence. According to, several studies, including one from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business in 2014, showed that people who spoke to strangers during their daily commute felt more positive afterward—even though they originally assumed their fellow travelers wouldn't be interested.'I had a great time,' Dr. Pasricha said, visibly moved by the simplicity of connection. 'Most people were down to just keep talking for minutes and minutes on end.'Interestingly, this scientific truth found a surprising echo in the world of tech entrepreneurship. Harsh Pokharna, the CEO of Bengaluru-based fintech startup OkCredit and an IIT Kanpur alumnus, unintentionally embarked on a social experiment of his own. During a break in his hometown Jaipur, Pokharna posted a casual Instagram story inviting people to hang out. What began as boredom soon turned into an unexpectedly fulfilling journey of human connection From random DMs to heartfelt discussions about therapy, dating, and dreams, Pokharna's days became filled with spontaneous meetups that mirrored the spirit of Pasricha's scientific adventure. 'There were no rules, no agendas—just organic human connection,' Pokharna noted, as he sipped coffee, played badminton, and took walks with strangers who soon felt like old Pasricha and Pokharna's experiences—one rooted in medical science, the other in lived curiosity—prove the same point: in an era dominated by curated lives and digital walls, the art of spontaneous conversation is a quiet rebellion. It's free, it's freeing, and it might just be the one-minute happiness hack we all dare at the end of her video is more than an Instagram caption—'I dare you to try this with a stranger today'—it's an invitation to revive something ancient and humane: unfiltered, real-world connection. For a society struggling with loneliness, digital fatigue, and emotional burnout, it may be time to treat these micro-interactions not as throwaway moments, but as therapeutic the doctor and the startup CEO, from Harvard labs to Jaipur streets, remind us that wellness isn't always found in a prescription bottle or a productivity app. Sometimes, it's waiting in line with a stranger, ready to say hello.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Poop transplants' have been happening for decades. Now researchers have identified some unintended consequences
Fecal microbiota transplants are common medical procedures dating back decades that can help restore the gut health of people with colon infections - but scientists now warn of newly discovered consequences from the procedure. The 'poop transplant' is the transfer of the stool of a healthy donor to a recipient. The stool contains beneficial bacteria that can improve the patient's gut bacteria, which guards immune health and helps to regulate metabolism. They are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat people with common C. diff infections that may cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms and inflammation in hospital patients who have been on antibiotics. Roughly 48,000 procedures are done each year. Now, University of Chicago researchers say a study in mice and experiments with human tissue have revealed some long-lasting and unintended consequences due to transplanting microorganisms from only one section of the digestive tract. 'I think it's a bit of a wakeup call to the field that maybe we shouldn't willy-nilly put large bowel microbes into different parts of the intestine that shouldn't be there,' Dr. Orlando 'Landon' DeLeon, postdoctoral researcher at the university, said in a statement. 'If we're designing good therapeutics, we should be aware of the importance of matching the regional microbiota to their proper environments, so that we provide better overall health benefits.' DeLeon is the lead author of the new research, which was published on Friday in the journal Cell. To reach these conclusions, the authors gave three groups of mice transplants of microorganisms from the middle part of the small intestine that connects to the colon, and a standard fecal transplant from the colon. The test showed that the microorganisms from each transplant were able to colonize the entirety of the intestinal tract in the mice -- not just certain regions. This created what they called regional gut mismatches, lasting for up to three months following a transplant. The microbes also altered their new intestinal environments, 'terraforming' the lining in ways that caused changes in the recipient's metabolism, behavior and energy balance. There were shifts in liver metabolism, including activity in genes associated with immune function. The mice also exhibited different eating behaviors. The gut has several distinct regions with vastly different microbial ecosystems. Imbalances in gut bacteria have been tied to a risk of cancer. 'There are microbes along the entire intestinal tract, and we just study predominately the last third of it (the colon),' DeLeon said. 'So, how can you expect [a transplant], with microbes from a third of the intestinal tract at the end of it, to fix the rest of the intestine?' What this means for human patients may be murky right now, but the authors say more caution is needed with the transplants going forward. They advocate for an approach that would transfer microorganism from all regions of the intestine and not just largely from the colon. In the future, they plan to conduct further study related to how different microbes exert their influence in different parts of the intestine and how the gut regions terraformed by microbiota mismatches can be restored. 'We have absolutely no idea what's in FMT, except that it's a combination of microbes,' Dr. Eugene Chang, the Martin Boyer Professor of Medicine at the university and senior author of the study, said. 'But even a single FMT will cause a change in the host-microbe relationships in these very different regions of the bowel that may be very difficult to reverse.'
Business Wire
3 days ago
- Health
- Business Wire
Mikin Patel, MD and Osman Ahmed, MD Join Joint & Vascular Institute
LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dr. Mikin V. Patel and Dr. Osman Ahmed have co-founded the Joint & Vascular Institute. Both doctors specialize in performing minimally invasive imaging-guided procedures to treat a multitude of diseases and health conditions, many of which once required open surgery. Joint & Vascular Institute offers academic-level care to patients in the convenience of a patient-focused outpatient clinic. Dr. Patel completed his diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center and a fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at Northwestern McGaw Medical Center. After working at the University of Arizona Medical Center, he returned to the University of Chicago as an Assistant Professor of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, where he taught other physicians how to treat patients effectively using advanced endovascular techniques. 'I'm excited to offer academic-level care to patients in the convenience of a patient-focused outpatient clinic,' Dr. Patel said. Dr. Ahmed received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He completed his diagnostic residency at the University of Chicago and his fellowship training in vascular and interventional radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. In addition to his clinical expertise, Dr. Ahmed is a pioneer in the field of musculoskeletal embolization in the United States and has been published in several peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Ahmed added: 'Vascular and interventional radiology is one of the fastest growing and most innovative fields in medicine. We provide minimally invasive options to patients and their doctors in the greater Chicago area that, in many cases, are safer, yet just as effective, as their surgical alternatives.' The doctors' expertise includes minimally invasive treatments for cancer, vascular disease, uterine fibroids, benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate), internal hemorrhoids, and thyroid nodules, as well as orthopedic embolization procedures that treat conditions such as adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), plantar fasciitis, knee osteoarthritis and hip bursitis/osteoarthritis. Unlike surgery, vascular and interventional radiology procedures to treat these conditions are performed on an outpatient basis, require no hospitalization or general anesthesia, carry less risk and offer a much faster recovery. Additionally, they are less expensive than surgery and covered by most insurance plans and Medicare. Joint & Vascular Institute Joint & Vascular Institute is dedicated to offering innovative, minimally invasive solutions to help patients achieve relief from pain and improve overall health. Serving the northern Chicago area, the practice specializes in advanced procedures designed to treat a variety of conditions without the need for traditional surgery, helping patients recover quickly and resume their daily lives. For more information visit
