Oddfellows in Albert Nobbs

Hotel waiter Albert (Glenn Close) woos Helen (Mia Wasikowska) in ‘Albert Nobbs,’ opening Friday. Photo by Patrick Redmond.

After playing the part of a 19th–century British cross–dresser on the stage, Glenn Close worked to bring the tightly crafted character study to the big screen. Watching the poignant, if slight, results, we can understand just how tough it was for her to find financial backing for Albert Nobbs, a tidy period piece starring Close herself in the title role.

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Pols Show Little Love for Oversight Board

Former mayor Mike Rotkin says a community oversight board would amount to unneeded bureaucracy and distrust for city council.

With the 108-page Climate Action Plan awaiting final approval by the Santa Cruz City Council, environmentalists are nursing hopes that a few final items on their wish list will make it into the framework. One such item is creation of a citizens’ advisory board to make sure the city meets its own goals for cutting its emissions. “I envisioned a working group where there were would be committees that were open the public,” says People Power’s Micah Posner. Some politicians are hesitant to say the least. “I think that’s a big, big mistake,” former Mayor Mike Rotkin told city council.

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MDMA And The Cure for PTSD

Studies suggest MDMA could help treat Iraq war vets.

Seven years ago, John was in crisis, cut off from the rest of humanity and disconnected from the people he loved. He was suffering extreme anxiety in social situations and having trouble sleeping, and even when he did sleep he was waking suddenly with night terrors. He was 23, fresh out of a five-year stint in the U.S. military, including six months fighting in Iraq, and could see no help in sight.

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