Author Archives: Laura

In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

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I only read one story by Delmore Schwartz entitled, “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities”. It was first published in 1937. It’s about a boy who is dreaming about being in a movie theater who is watching the courtship of his parents on the screen. As the boy watches, he starts to get upset. He yells at the screen, trying to get the attention of his future parents to stop. The audience begins to think he is crazy. He is finally removed from the theater by an usher … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: The Color Purple

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One of my favorite films that I remember was The Color Purple. Heart-wrenching and universally loved, The Color Purple isn’t really about the color purple. It’s about the trials and tribulations of black women in the turn-of-the-century south, and how they conquered over all the abuse, the poverty, and the lack of anything resembling a life. The Color Purple received a whopping 11 Oscar nominations and won precisely zero. It was directed by Steven Speilberg. The movie tells the life story of Celie, played by … Continue reading →

Sight Unseen, A Play by Donald Margulies

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Jonathan Waxman (Ben Shenkman), whose name is surely meant to suggest a wax man, has come to a Norfolk, England farmhouse to visit Patricia (Laura Linney), the girlfriend he threw out of his life 15 years earlier. Now an international art market star preparing a retrospective installation in London, Jonathan may have made his sentimental journey for an unsentimental reason:  When he and Patricia first met, he’d done a portrait of her that would fill a gap in his about-to-open show. Perhaps he’s thinking that … Continue reading →

What is Enlightenment ?

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What are the characteristics of the enlightened individual ? Is it possible to pick an enlightened person out of a crowd ? Because I have meditated for many years, people often ask me this these questions with the expectation that I will give some dazzling description of the enlightened person walking on water or performing a miracle. This expectation stems from the belief that enlightenment is a super-normal state, far removed from the realities of everyday living. In fact, the enlightened person does show some … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: Inherit The Wind

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Inherit the Wind (1960) portrays, in partly fictionalized form, the famous and dramatic courtroom “Monkey Trial” battle (in the sultry summer of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee) between two famous lawyers (Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan) who volunteered to heatedly argue both sides of the case (over 12 days, including two weekends). Its story centers around the issue of evolution vs. creationism, in the prosecution of 24 year-old Dayton High School mathematics teacher and sports coach – and substitute science teacher – John T. Scopes … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: Sophie’s Choice

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The sunny streets of Brooklyn, just after World War II. A young would-be writer named Stingo (Peter MacNicol) shares a boarding house with beautiful Polish immigrant Sophie (Meryl Streep) and her tempestuous lover, Nathan (Kevin Kline); their friendship changes his life. This bestselling novel by William Styron was made into an unforgetably  well made film in 1982. Director Alan J. Pakula (All the President’s Men) provides a steady, intelligent path into the harrowing story of Sophie, whose flashback memories of the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp form … Continue reading →

Northlandz – The Great American Railway

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I just came from the most fantastic place to take a child if they love trains. It’s called Northlandz and it’s basically a miniature railway trains system  that runs along the most beautiful scenes of America in a way never before  thought possible. The trains run along miles and miles of railroad track. The most wonderful thing about this place is that everything was constructed by one man, Bruce Williams. It started out has a hobby for him in his basement, but it eventually took over his entire … Continue reading →

Bill Clinton Jokes

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“All week, Hillary Clinton has been saying that she has no intention of running for president. See, this is kind of like her version of ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman.’ ” — Jay Leno “Hillary Clinton told Time magazine that she sympathizes with Martha Stewart because they’re friends. Apparently, Martha used to come by the Oval Office once a week to try to get the stains out.” — Jay Leno “Hillary said that after Bill admitted the affair with Monica he … Continue reading →

I Love Lucy Trivia

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Trivia Questions – Answers at the bottom of this page It’s ok to peek. I forgot the answers to a lot of these.   1.. In “The Kleptomaniac,” what do Lucy and Ethel steal? 2.. What do the Ricardos hunt in the episode “The Camping Trip”? 3.. In which 1965 movie did Vivian Vance co-star with Tony Curtis? 4.. How many Emmys did the I Love Lucy Show win? 5.. What does little Ricky name his dog in the episode – Little Ricky ….. Gets A … Continue reading →

Steely Dan

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Steely Dan is a Grammy-Award winning American Jazz fusion band centered on core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. The band’s peak of popularity was in the 1970s,  when it released six albums that blended elements ofJazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop. Their music is characterized by complex jazz-influenced structures and harmonies, literate and sometimes obscure or ambiguous lyrics filled with dark sarcasm, and their adroit musicianship and studio perfectionism. The group toured from 1972 to 1974, but in 1975 became a purely studio-based act. They … Continue reading →